Things I accomplished yesterday

Finally got the two bags of donations and the box of books out of my car.  This means they went to the Salvation Army/Half Price Books store, not back into my humble abode.

I cleared out 4 containers of stuff from my childhood bedroom in less than an hour.  This is particularly important because it shows a marked difference between my previous self and who I am today.  As I child, I wanted to collect everything.  Mostly this just ended up a mish-mash of dusty junk; sea shells, polished rocks, horse figurines and miniature tea sets.  Today, I define my collections differently.

Today, I collect memories; I collect experiences; I collect space.  I do not collect doo-dads, marbles, tchotchkes, or polished rocks (despite vehement protests from my inner-ten-year-old).

thoughts on tomorrow

My DH lost his grandfather this week.  Despite the fact that he’d said frequently that he was amazed that after two heart attacks the man was still with us, his death has hit my hubby hard.  In fact, it’s hit his entire fractured family hard.

People cope with death differently.  My MIL posted on FB that this has taught her not to put off the hugs or the I Love You’s till tomorrow.  She had a very rocky relationship with her father, so her remorse deeply saddens me.

What I thought was most interesting was what her sister said.  She wrote, “We never got our tomorrow.”  This saddens me even more, because it shows that even after this “seize the day” event, she still doesn’t get it.

Tomorrow is not a promise.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed.  So don’t wait.  Don’t wait to tell your loved ones how you feel.  Don’t wait to forgive till someone is forgivable.  Don’t wait till the bills are paid, till you have children, till the children are grown, till you’re older. Don’t wait to go to school, to switch careers, to get married, to get divorced, to lose the weight, to run a marathon . . . whatever it is you want to do, whatever you’d be sorry you never did.  Do. It. Now.

The problem for my husband’s aunt is not that tomorrow never came.  The problem is that she did not use the tomorrows she was given.  And she’s not alone.  We all do it to a certain extent.

So I’m attempting to take this to heart: learn from those around me and make changes accordingly.  Live each moment to the fullest, because it is a gift.  Each and every one.

So what will I change?  What’s on my bucket list?

Want to knit!!

Photo courtesy of Wendyknits.com

http://wendyknits.net/2012/04/29/bernadette/

grapefruit pie

I have recently become obsessed with Grapefruit.  I want to make a key lime pie, but instead of limes, use grapefruit juice.  Just throwing it out there!  I think I need to ask my friend, the professional baker.

whew!

I’ve gotten up and ran every morning before work this week.  This means, my shoes have willingly hit the floor before 6:15 for 5 days straight.  And not always (or even usually) because I got to bed early the night before.

After wondering just exactly how many miles I had put on my shoes, I realized that the “pfft” sound coming from my right shoe was because the sole had separated from the upper.  Incidentally, I also had a blister there, probably from all the extra friction.

For the first time, when I look at my workout for the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, I’m not afraid.  I used to look at it and think, How will I do that?  I’ve never ran that far/fast before?  But every day, I would go out and give it my best shot, and more often than not, I would complete it just as it was written.  Now, not only do I know that the workout is simply about putting one foot in front of the other, but the workouts for the most part have plateaued in length.  If I’ve completed 30 minutes before, I can do it again in any iteration.

I have almost as many blisters as I have toes.  But I consider them hard won battle scars, not symbols of defeat.  They will heal, and they will make me stronger.  And for that, I am grateful.

p.s. Taking Sunday off after running about 9 days straight.  Instead, I’m going to test out my bike route to the job I start in a scant 3 weeks!

One of my proudest moments: Our Birthday present to our friend Luis.  Photo and quote below from his FB page:



I just got this AMAZING treat from my good friends. I want to thank you both for taking the time to put this together, it means so much to me and it made me want to go cruising just so that I can listen to all your awesome choices, it is incredible how each cd teaches me more and more with each song about your personalities. I will forever cherish these CDs, thank you guys is just what I wanted. I had forgotten the power of a mix cd. Much love for you both and I will return the favor. -L

books update

I read 63 books last year.  I had never tracked how many books I'd read before, so I think that was pretty good.  I also think it's probably unusually high since I can read so much at work.

This year I decided to set a nice safe goal of 50 books this year.  After all, I've taken up knitting, and have a life so I don't want to promise I'll spend every waking moment reading.

So far, according to Goodreads, I have read 45 books.  I am at 90% of my goal.

That's ok though, because in another month, I'm not going to be able to spend 7 hours a day reading.  So as long as I get my library request list down to under 30 before I leave my temp job, I'll be thrilled.

However, at the rate that Game of Thrones is going, I'll be sunk.  I'm really enjoying, and I like that I don't just blow through it like almost every other book I read.  It's pretty dense.  But still, I've got progress to make!