Yikes....if I were being graded on my blog posting I have a feeling I would not be passing. Thus, the title of today's entry: Where does the time go?
Here I sit on the Monday evening of Memorial Day weekend wondering where this weekend went much less the last 2 months since my last entry. It's amazing how easy it is to let the routine of life (see my last posting) take hold. So, on this 88 degree evening sitting out on our patio listening to the gentle wind push the palm fronds to and fro, I thought I better dig deep and start examining life again.
Once again, it's the crazy steps we take in life that really seem to shake things up. But, does it always have to take money? After several months of trying to sell it privately, we took the plunge on Friday afternoon and drove to our local car dealer to see what luck we would have trading my car in for something newer. Luckily, having been through that exercise about a month ago, we were fully prepared for the inevitable haggling that seems to define the car buying process. Just once I would like to walk into a car dealership, see the car I want and walk out 15 minutes later with nothing but a smile on my face. All in all, this deal wasn't a hard one but I still have to wonder why our capitalist society rears it's worst ugliness in the musty confines of car dealerships? Why take up 3 or 4 hours of my time getting to the point where I'm ready to sign the paperwork? It could have been done so much more quickly and without all the back and forth with the Wizard of Oz-like manager murmuring "Don't pay attention to what's behind the curtain!" Just get it done, sir, and lets call it a day, shall we?
Time really does seem to be flying by. I had the epiphany last week that I could have a college-aged child right now. My Mom was my age when she dropped me off at college 20 years ago! 1991 seems like yesterday and, yet, that is the birth year of one of the students I met last week. Dang.
We always hear how we need to stop and smell the roses every now and then. I believe it needs to be more often. Oh, and just for the record....the trip to Colorado in April was a BLAST and delivered on reminding me why life needs to include a crazy moment every now and then!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Breaking routines and finding the joie de vivre
Wake up. Eat a bite. Go the gym. Back home to drink coffee and eat breakfast. Spot clean the house. Get ready for work. Work. Come home for dinner. Watch some TV or read. Go to bed. Repeat......
Sound familiar to anyone? I was recently struck by how repetitive daily life can become unless fully conscious of how little I am doing to change things up once in a while. I'm not saying that routines are bad or an unnecessary part of life. In fact, I'm surprised by how unstructured some folks can seem to live their day-to-day life and often wonder how they do it? As a fairly linear thinker, I find that I am often thinking of ways to streamline my life which ultimately leads to an efficient but all too predictable outcome. What led to this epiphany? A simple act of spontaneity and a bit of irresponsibility. But is that such a bad thing? I say not.
In this age of tightening our belts given the sad state of the economy and gasoline prices that can break our budgets, I realized about a week ago that it had been a looooong time since I did anything "just because." The inspiration was my desire to book a flight to surprise my Mom for her pre-birthday weekend at the end of April only to learn that she was planning to be in Colorado that weekend. Rather than give up on my desire to be wild and crazy, we shifted our plans to fly to Colorado and now find ourselves booked for what should be an amazing, albeit expensive, long weekend. But, I have ZERO regrets for doing it. In fact, I started to realize that even my attempt to surprise my Mom for her birthday was, in some ways, just the same ol' routine: book a flight on Alaska Airlines, fly to Portland, spend time with Mom in Vancouver, fly home. While it would be have been wonderful, this Colorado trip has totally energized me and is something I'm looking forward to more than I could have ever imagined.
What I have I learned? Sure, changing up the route I take to work every once in a while helps. Planning different meals is a good start. Changing my hair style.....er....wait, that isn't even possible. My lesson for myself is that sometimes you just have to throw responsibility and practicality out the proverbial window and do something just because it's new, fresh, and energizing. As the old saying, "You only live once" rings in my head, I'm listening intently and taking it to heart.
What are YOU going to do to break your routine and reignite your joie de vivre?
Sound familiar to anyone? I was recently struck by how repetitive daily life can become unless fully conscious of how little I am doing to change things up once in a while. I'm not saying that routines are bad or an unnecessary part of life. In fact, I'm surprised by how unstructured some folks can seem to live their day-to-day life and often wonder how they do it? As a fairly linear thinker, I find that I am often thinking of ways to streamline my life which ultimately leads to an efficient but all too predictable outcome. What led to this epiphany? A simple act of spontaneity and a bit of irresponsibility. But is that such a bad thing? I say not.
In this age of tightening our belts given the sad state of the economy and gasoline prices that can break our budgets, I realized about a week ago that it had been a looooong time since I did anything "just because." The inspiration was my desire to book a flight to surprise my Mom for her pre-birthday weekend at the end of April only to learn that she was planning to be in Colorado that weekend. Rather than give up on my desire to be wild and crazy, we shifted our plans to fly to Colorado and now find ourselves booked for what should be an amazing, albeit expensive, long weekend. But, I have ZERO regrets for doing it. In fact, I started to realize that even my attempt to surprise my Mom for her birthday was, in some ways, just the same ol' routine: book a flight on Alaska Airlines, fly to Portland, spend time with Mom in Vancouver, fly home. While it would be have been wonderful, this Colorado trip has totally energized me and is something I'm looking forward to more than I could have ever imagined.
What I have I learned? Sure, changing up the route I take to work every once in a while helps. Planning different meals is a good start. Changing my hair style.....er....wait, that isn't even possible. My lesson for myself is that sometimes you just have to throw responsibility and practicality out the proverbial window and do something just because it's new, fresh, and energizing. As the old saying, "You only live once" rings in my head, I'm listening intently and taking it to heart.
What are YOU going to do to break your routine and reignite your joie de vivre?
Friday, January 14, 2011
Breathing it all in 2011
Happy New Year (14 days later!):
Much like the written journal I keep, it is amazing how quickly time passes and what seemed like yesterday is, in reality, 14 days later. I had every good intention of writing to welcome in 2011 (and put a thankful end to 2010), but perhaps my last few hours of vacation from work took priority? Just maybe.
Faithful readers of this blog (or those patient enough to scroll through the history) are fully aware of the miracle my family experienced this past October. That miracle was driven home even moreso today when I completed my first, of what will likely be many, CPR class. If you are CPR-certified, you know firsthand that what I am about to share is true.
Walking into the class today, I expected the "dummy" Annie, a little breathing into her plastic 1/2 body and pounding on her chest, and some awkward role-playing to make sure I know the steps involved in performing effective CPR. Annie was there (though I think she actually sent her less feminine counterpart, Art), we role-played, and, oh yes, we learned how to appropriately perform "chest compressions"....a nice way of saying I'm probably about to crack or, worse, break some ribs. 5 sets of 30 repetitive up and down compressions on Art's 1/2 body at a rate equivalent to the beat of the song "Staying Alive" proved to be quite a workout for all of us. Each and every compression I practiced reminded me of the incredible 12 minutes my Mom's husband, Shawn, performed this incredible act of love on her last October which nobody denies is the only reason she is, thankfully, still with us today. It has been several hours since the class and I'm still amazed at the feat Shawn accomplished.
As I reflect on the past 14 days and think about the important skill I learned earlier today, it puts life back into perspective and forces me to consider what I hope 2011 will represent. I also wonder if this will be the start of a new tradition at the start of each New Year: taking the act of resolution-making to a new level by learning something not only personally beneficial, but also that could benefit those most important in my life....and maybe even a stranger or two.
How about you? What have you done or do you plan to do to make 2011 a little less about yourself and more about learning or doing something from which others may benefit? Think about it and do it soon to avoid the passing of time that becomes such an easy excuse for not taking action.
Much like the written journal I keep, it is amazing how quickly time passes and what seemed like yesterday is, in reality, 14 days later. I had every good intention of writing to welcome in 2011 (and put a thankful end to 2010), but perhaps my last few hours of vacation from work took priority? Just maybe.
Faithful readers of this blog (or those patient enough to scroll through the history) are fully aware of the miracle my family experienced this past October. That miracle was driven home even moreso today when I completed my first, of what will likely be many, CPR class. If you are CPR-certified, you know firsthand that what I am about to share is true.
Walking into the class today, I expected the "dummy" Annie, a little breathing into her plastic 1/2 body and pounding on her chest, and some awkward role-playing to make sure I know the steps involved in performing effective CPR. Annie was there (though I think she actually sent her less feminine counterpart, Art), we role-played, and, oh yes, we learned how to appropriately perform "chest compressions"....a nice way of saying I'm probably about to crack or, worse, break some ribs. 5 sets of 30 repetitive up and down compressions on Art's 1/2 body at a rate equivalent to the beat of the song "Staying Alive" proved to be quite a workout for all of us. Each and every compression I practiced reminded me of the incredible 12 minutes my Mom's husband, Shawn, performed this incredible act of love on her last October which nobody denies is the only reason she is, thankfully, still with us today. It has been several hours since the class and I'm still amazed at the feat Shawn accomplished.
As I reflect on the past 14 days and think about the important skill I learned earlier today, it puts life back into perspective and forces me to consider what I hope 2011 will represent. I also wonder if this will be the start of a new tradition at the start of each New Year: taking the act of resolution-making to a new level by learning something not only personally beneficial, but also that could benefit those most important in my life....and maybe even a stranger or two.
How about you? What have you done or do you plan to do to make 2011 a little less about yourself and more about learning or doing something from which others may benefit? Think about it and do it soon to avoid the passing of time that becomes such an easy excuse for not taking action.
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