This week was my significant other’s birthday, so naturally, I had some surprises up my sleeve. I met him at work during lunch to get his house key (see, he trusts me!) and headed over to get things ready for the evening. Knowing that he had an extremely busy couple weeks ahead, and that he wanted to have his place straightened up before his siblings, their families, and cousins came in from out of town (and out of the country), I figured I may as well get some cleaning and organizing done while I had the time. And I certainly had plenty of time: he would soon be busy enjoying the professional massage I had arranged as the first of his birthday surprises.
My Future Reduced to Six Words
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other:”
And she laughed ’til she cried.
One of the most memorable things my mother ever said to me during my childhood was, “Sometimes you’ve got to either laugh or cry, and I would just rather laugh.” It should be noted that this frame of mind comes amidst a peculiarly high number of tragedies and mishaps happening to one family: friends and family refer to this as our “curse” (we jokingly apologize when bad things happen to them, since it must just be the ol’ family curse rubbing off).
Self-confidence Sunday #1
“Let’s start each week off with a positive, go-get-’em bang! Post a photo (selfies encouraged–really!), quote, poem, or story that makes you feel accomplished, strong, attractive, or just otherwise awesome. The fun part: tell me what about it is so inspiring and/or how you’re going to use that newfound motivation the upcoming week.
No Time To Waste
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “No Time to Waste.”
“Life is too short to: let fear of failure rob you of life lessons and beautiful memories.”
If there is anything I regret (despite the popular cliche advising against ever regretting a thing), it is the many times I let fear keep me from trying something new. There is plenty of psychological research behind the rationale for this, especially where “gifted girls” are concerned…but no matter how well I have come to understand why I shied away from certain pursuits, I still remain a bit sad that I cared so much about upholding an appearance of seemingly effortless perfection that I sacrificed my own happiness. Looking back on these tendencies from my high school and college days, my 25 year-old self must ask: where is the sense in that? Whether it was letting softball pitches go by rather than possibly swing and miss, turning down choir solos in case I choked at the performance, or neglecting to try out for sports and/or musical honors I easily could have earned, I cannot think of a single time it was truly beneficial to let caution be my life guide.
Little Moments Matter
A short-ish note to my significant other, though he probably won't ever see it
Seven Wonders
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Seven Wonders.”
Khalil Gibran once said that people will never understand one another unless language is reduced to seven words. What would your seven words be?
- Love
- Sorry
- Forgive
- Joy
- Help
- Sorrow
- Together
What about you, readers? These were mostly my first instincts, but I had to think more the farther I got down the list. What would your seven words be, and why?
A Case of the “Mondays”
September 14: As goes the saying, “When it rains, it pours.” Today, it poured.
It’s funny, I wrote the above draft a month ago, yet today I am unsure what exactly prompted the post (though I have something of an idea: that was probably the day of the two totaled cars in the family and totaled car for the boyfriend, among other things). That is a good reminder that troubles never last forever. On another day during which the stress seems prone to multiplying, I want to remember this simple phrase: Better Things Are Coming. I may not yet know what those “better things” will be, but I do know that everything will work out. Hitting the gym and pounding the track used to be my methods for coping with problems; I’m looking forward to incorporating those back into my life in a much more hardcore manner, like before (I do miss those abs!). I’ve just got to keep my head up, continue working hard (and indeed, begin to work much harder), remember my purpose, and aggressively go after all that I want. I may be looking at a setback or two, it’s true, but if I keep pushing, everything will pay off in the long run. And if not I can always lie in bed and drink wine with my cat, so we’re looking at a win-win situation here, let’s be honest. 😉
Windshield or the Bug?
I can’t decide which of the two I am this week, it seems. There certainly have been lots of ups and downs: I’ve gotten great workouts in; been notified that I did not get the job I somewhat thought I had in the bag; accomplished a decent amount on my parents’ house; successfully managed a (stressful) promotional event; spent much-overdue time with one of my best friends; fought with the boyfriend and felt terrible about it/been over the moon about my success on what (I hope) will be a pretty darn badass birthday surprise for him; family dog was successfully treated for heartworms; felt fat then strong then slow then fat-ish; more financial stressers for the parentals…etc.
Fave Foto Friday-Window Cat
Okay, so I might be a (tiny) bit biased, but this little guy is pretty handsome, if I do say so myself. On a day when it feels like I’ve got 348992857 things to do and no time in which to get them done, he reminds me of the importance of slowing down, enjoying the moment, and making time for an occasional cuddle or two (and for opening a can of tuna fish for some spoiled pet who shall remain nameless, but that’s a story for another time).
On the “Love Bird Stage”
Sometimes, it's better to toss expectations, past experiences, and others' standards to the wind, it seems. At least in our case, it has been more than worth it, and I am so glad I didn't let fear and preconceived notions make me miss out on him.