Sometimes there isn't much on my mind, believe it or not. Today is one of those days. I made it as far as the entry way after work, put on my pajamas, and settled into the couch. Despite the voices in my head telling me to work out or work on something, I lounged, chilled, vegetated, whatever verb you'd like to use.
My greatest use of contemplative energy was how to use the five days of paid time off that I have this year, when I'm not going anywhere. We have to supply our requests so that the managers can ensure coverage during the holidays. So maybe I'll take off December 26 and a few random Fridays. I'm horrible at using time off if I don't have plans to leave the country; next year's days are already numbered and accounted for.
So I guess I'll end on this note. Today I'm thankful for the abundance in my life that I often take for granted. Such as the fact that having more vacation days than I do plans is a problem. Or that my company is funding lunches for the entire company from Monday through Thursday during the fourth quarter, so that we can remain focused.
bright lights, downtown \11.07\
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My greatest use of contemplative energy was how to use the five days of paid time off that I have this year, when I'm not going anywhere. We have to supply our requests so that the managers can ensure coverage during the holidays. So maybe I'll take off December 26 and a few random Fridays. I'm horrible at using time off if I don't have plans to leave the country; next year's days are already numbered and accounted for.
So I guess I'll end on this note. Today I'm thankful for the abundance in my life that I often take for granted. Such as the fact that having more vacation days than I do plans is a problem. Or that my company is funding lunches for the entire company from Monday through Thursday during the fourth quarter, so that we can remain focused.
Yes, that is the phrase often used to teach children about crossing the street. We'd do well to heed as adults, but in a slightly different manner. Life has a tendency to get busier as we transition into and through adulthood. Maybe we start thinking one task or step ahead of where we are and what we're doing. Or perhaps we just lose track of another lesson common to childhood, minding our 'Ps and Qs'.
I've tried to start being more cognizant of this in recent months and attempt to alter my own behaviors in areas where I'm an offender. I make an effort to greet my bus driver and exit the front door with a "thank you". And when everyone clambers to make it on to a crowded bus, cutting people off, I first have to remember to keep my composure over their rudeness. Then I wait for my turn. If I don't make it, there's bound to be another bus in less than ten minutes or two other routes a couple blocks away.
Today I went to an independently-owned lunch spot, where I remembered the owner to be a great man. So when I stepped to the counter to make my order, instead of just barking out a menu item, I smiled and said hello. When he asked me how I was doing, I responded and mirrored the question. He smiled in return, said he was well, and told me in a thick middle eastern accent, "Nice always to see you". I think we both made one another's day.
Or the other day, when the cashier at a store asked to see my credit card and ID. I held them out for him while he finished folding the shirt I was buying. And for that simple act, he thanked me. He said that usually people just tossed them on the counter as if he were either contagious or they were annoyed. We had another thirty seconds of lighthearted conversation before he smiled and wished me a wonderful day.
It's so simple. Thank your cashier. Treat your server like a human instead of peon. Hold a door for a perfect stranger, even if you have to wait three seconds for them to reach the door. I'm still not perfect at remembering all of my common courtesies, but I'm trying to make it more habitual. I find it promising that I often mentally kick myself a few minutes too late when I do forget.
stop, look & listen \11.06\
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night,
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I've tried to start being more cognizant of this in recent months and attempt to alter my own behaviors in areas where I'm an offender. I make an effort to greet my bus driver and exit the front door with a "thank you". And when everyone clambers to make it on to a crowded bus, cutting people off, I first have to remember to keep my composure over their rudeness. Then I wait for my turn. If I don't make it, there's bound to be another bus in less than ten minutes or two other routes a couple blocks away.
Today I went to an independently-owned lunch spot, where I remembered the owner to be a great man. So when I stepped to the counter to make my order, instead of just barking out a menu item, I smiled and said hello. When he asked me how I was doing, I responded and mirrored the question. He smiled in return, said he was well, and told me in a thick middle eastern accent, "Nice always to see you". I think we both made one another's day.
Or the other day, when the cashier at a store asked to see my credit card and ID. I held them out for him while he finished folding the shirt I was buying. And for that simple act, he thanked me. He said that usually people just tossed them on the counter as if he were either contagious or they were annoyed. We had another thirty seconds of lighthearted conversation before he smiled and wished me a wonderful day.
It's so simple. Thank your cashier. Treat your server like a human instead of peon. Hold a door for a perfect stranger, even if you have to wait three seconds for them to reach the door. I'm still not perfect at remembering all of my common courtesies, but I'm trying to make it more habitual. I find it promising that I often mentally kick myself a few minutes too late when I do forget.
Quite simply, in-person absentee voting is marvelous. Ten minutes from entry to exit. As I left the polling location, I tried to remember my life status when I voted in the last Presidential election four years ago.
I was on the cusp of life change. My plan to move to Chicago had just come to fruition with a job offer. In fact, I think I was on my way to do whirlwind apartment hunting the next weekend. That vote was my last civic duty as a citizen in the state of Michigan.
From there, my stream of consciousness drifted to last November, when I made the definitive decision to quit the job that brought me here three years previous. And, oh wait, I also quit my first job out of college in December and decided to go to grad school.
Moral of the story is that I have a flare for significant life changes right around the close of the year. So I suppose I was a little early this year. Although spring is more commonly considered a transformative time of year, my entire family seems to roll with winter change. No worries, I don't have any 180 degree turns on the shelf for the next month or two.
cast your ballot \11.05\
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I was on the cusp of life change. My plan to move to Chicago had just come to fruition with a job offer. In fact, I think I was on my way to do whirlwind apartment hunting the next weekend. That vote was my last civic duty as a citizen in the state of Michigan.
From there, my stream of consciousness drifted to last November, when I made the definitive decision to quit the job that brought me here three years previous. And, oh wait, I also quit my first job out of college in December and decided to go to grad school.
Moral of the story is that I have a flare for significant life changes right around the close of the year. So I suppose I was a little early this year. Although spring is more commonly considered a transformative time of year, my entire family seems to roll with winter change. No worries, I don't have any 180 degree turns on the shelf for the next month or two.
I know people dispose of toilets in the suburban and rural worlds too. I just can't ever recall walking past one on my way home. And this one has been there for three days now, it was asking to be photographed.
What somehow made it even more amusing, and strangely alluring, was that it's facing the brick wall. So being as strange as I am, I go into JD mode (you know, from the show Scrubs) and start imagining an absurd scenario where someone is sitting on the porcelain throne, in an alley, staring at a brick wall. Who says our wild imaginations fade with age?
Besides my fascination with an alley toilet, I also thought some more about what I wrote yesterday. The part about why we skip over Thanksgiving. What I realized is that I allow the natural progression of the societal order around me to let Thanksgiving only live for a single day as well.
In an ideal world, we would all be constantly cognizant of what we have to be thankful for. And I would assume that on some level, we do realize and respect it. So instead of mumbling and grumbling about the early prodding of holiday consumerism, I'm personally dedicating this November to acknowledging what my life is graced with.
Today I'm thankful for the fact that my alarm will go off at 6:30 tomorrow morning, because despite the darkness and the early hour, I will wake up in a warm apartment before heading off to a job where I'm treated well and provided with more than enough to live comfortably.
if you need to pop a squat \11.04\
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What somehow made it even more amusing, and strangely alluring, was that it's facing the brick wall. So being as strange as I am, I go into JD mode (you know, from the show Scrubs) and start imagining an absurd scenario where someone is sitting on the porcelain throne, in an alley, staring at a brick wall. Who says our wild imaginations fade with age?
Besides my fascination with an alley toilet, I also thought some more about what I wrote yesterday. The part about why we skip over Thanksgiving. What I realized is that I allow the natural progression of the societal order around me to let Thanksgiving only live for a single day as well.
In an ideal world, we would all be constantly cognizant of what we have to be thankful for. And I would assume that on some level, we do realize and respect it. So instead of mumbling and grumbling about the early prodding of holiday consumerism, I'm personally dedicating this November to acknowledging what my life is graced with.
Today I'm thankful for the fact that my alarm will go off at 6:30 tomorrow morning, because despite the darkness and the early hour, I will wake up in a warm apartment before heading off to a job where I'm treated well and provided with more than enough to live comfortably.
I've started seeing this every day as I wait at my usual bus stop. And it makes me grit my teeth, every day. Don't get me wrong, I'm impressed with the effort and showmanship of Zoo Lights. It's just that I refuse to accept November 1st as the beginning of Christmas season.
Go ahead, call me Scrooge or Grinch; you wouldn't be the first. While you're at it, though, tell Starbucks to put away their festive red coffee cups. Inform Lowe's that ornaments and twinkle lights are not yet in season, so they can hold the TV ads. And put the brakes on stacking tree stands and stockings next to the clearance-priced Halloween candy.
What's so wrong with taking twenty two days to appreciate and look forward to Thanksgiving? It has everything worth anticipating: food, football, family. Must we skip right past the day of giving thanks?
Once we hit Black Friday, do what you will with your tidings and cheer. Paint the town red. Throw up your bells and holly and lights. Direct masses of consumers to swoop through your doors and spend, spend, spend. I can't even argue with holiday music by that time (though I can still begrudge any holiday song that is not by *NSYNC or Mariah Carey).
For the record, it's not just the early mania for Christmas that gets under my skin; Halloween does not start the first week of September, nor does Valentine's Day need to begin before we've even stopped to revere MLK Jr. Christmas just seems to arrive early AND with heightened fanfare over these other days. Mostly I just love Thanksgiving, and I wish our society wouldn't throw it under the bus in an effort to fast forward to the next holiday.
what ever happened to thanksgiving? \11.03\
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Go ahead, call me Scrooge or Grinch; you wouldn't be the first. While you're at it, though, tell Starbucks to put away their festive red coffee cups. Inform Lowe's that ornaments and twinkle lights are not yet in season, so they can hold the TV ads. And put the brakes on stacking tree stands and stockings next to the clearance-priced Halloween candy.
What's so wrong with taking twenty two days to appreciate and look forward to Thanksgiving? It has everything worth anticipating: food, football, family. Must we skip right past the day of giving thanks?
Once we hit Black Friday, do what you will with your tidings and cheer. Paint the town red. Throw up your bells and holly and lights. Direct masses of consumers to swoop through your doors and spend, spend, spend. I can't even argue with holiday music by that time (though I can still begrudge any holiday song that is not by *NSYNC or Mariah Carey).
For the record, it's not just the early mania for Christmas that gets under my skin; Halloween does not start the first week of September, nor does Valentine's Day need to begin before we've even stopped to revere MLK Jr. Christmas just seems to arrive early AND with heightened fanfare over these other days. Mostly I just love Thanksgiving, and I wish our society wouldn't throw it under the bus in an effort to fast forward to the next holiday.
Do you ever have those moments where you're listening to a song, and in that moment it fits your life so precisely that you're nearly convinced your life is a movie and someone is supplementing the story with a soundtrack?
Like any young(ish) city slicker, I spend a lot of quality time with my iPod, preparing to be deaf by middle age. Obviously the music I've chosen aligned with my taste. But the lyrical themes, genres and tempos vary. Still, somehow it seems like my iPod reads my mood and creates its own playlist.
And on more than one occasion, I've had a flash of understanding about how randomly inspiration can occur to the filmmaker types in this world. The song I'm listening to conspires with the scene I'm walking, running, standing or sitting in, and suddenly everything feels connected. That moment is usually fleeting, so I doubt that I have a future in film.
Music is just such a strong instrument (pun intended) in evoking and expressing emotion. Discovering new songs and artists that connect with you can be like hitting gold. If I have another lifetime, I'd like to be imbued with musical talent as well as appreciation. Just thought I'd put that request in right now.
my kind of flight \11.02\
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neighborhood,
wine
Like any young(ish) city slicker, I spend a lot of quality time with my iPod, preparing to be deaf by middle age. Obviously the music I've chosen aligned with my taste. But the lyrical themes, genres and tempos vary. Still, somehow it seems like my iPod reads my mood and creates its own playlist.
And on more than one occasion, I've had a flash of understanding about how randomly inspiration can occur to the filmmaker types in this world. The song I'm listening to conspires with the scene I'm walking, running, standing or sitting in, and suddenly everything feels connected. That moment is usually fleeting, so I doubt that I have a future in film.
Music is just such a strong instrument (pun intended) in evoking and expressing emotion. Discovering new songs and artists that connect with you can be like hitting gold. If I have another lifetime, I'd like to be imbued with musical talent as well as appreciation. Just thought I'd put that request in right now.
Yes, I really did sort my packet of fun size M&Ms by color, then quantity, and flipped every other row with the branding facing down. As a disclaimer, I would like to note that although I can be pretty anal retentive, this particular act was more about procrastination.
It's been one of those weeks where I can't remember the last time that I saw the sun. Every morning has been an exercise in hitting the snooze button five times. It's dark outside when I wake up, as far as I know it's gray outside all day, then I leave work and it's darkness again. Ah, yes, tis the season for seasonal mood disorder. Or seasonal affective disorder, if you prefer. I think they just started calling it that to have an ironic acronym: SAD.
I've never had much love for November. If it wasn't for Thanksgiving, I'd be willing to wipe it off the calendar completely. There's something about the drab, gloomy, shortening days that makes me say, "No thank you". I could even make do with the cold if I could just get some more sunshine and daylight hours.
People like to tell me that I should move south or to San Diego if I hate winter. The problem with that is how much I love spring, summer and autumn in the Midwest (and I don't hate winter, per se). Essentially, I just need to become a snowbird at a premature age. November to March, you could find me in Costa Rica. Then I'd head back just in time to see nature's spring awakening. Sounds great in theory.
In the meantime, I'll work on different angles to counteract the sunlessness of my days. One of the benefits of sunlight that you lose in winter is a higher level of serotonin. Luckily regular workouts are known to increase serotonin, so I'm working on making it happen. So far I've successfully made it to three yoga classes, in hopes of not only improving the condition of my spine, but keeping a mental balance. Namaste.
m&m & ocd \11.01\
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colors,
food
It's been one of those weeks where I can't remember the last time that I saw the sun. Every morning has been an exercise in hitting the snooze button five times. It's dark outside when I wake up, as far as I know it's gray outside all day, then I leave work and it's darkness again. Ah, yes, tis the season for seasonal mood disorder. Or seasonal affective disorder, if you prefer. I think they just started calling it that to have an ironic acronym: SAD.
I've never had much love for November. If it wasn't for Thanksgiving, I'd be willing to wipe it off the calendar completely. There's something about the drab, gloomy, shortening days that makes me say, "No thank you". I could even make do with the cold if I could just get some more sunshine and daylight hours.
People like to tell me that I should move south or to San Diego if I hate winter. The problem with that is how much I love spring, summer and autumn in the Midwest (and I don't hate winter, per se). Essentially, I just need to become a snowbird at a premature age. November to March, you could find me in Costa Rica. Then I'd head back just in time to see nature's spring awakening. Sounds great in theory.
In the meantime, I'll work on different angles to counteract the sunlessness of my days. One of the benefits of sunlight that you lose in winter is a higher level of serotonin. Luckily regular workouts are known to increase serotonin, so I'm working on making it happen. So far I've successfully made it to three yoga classes, in hopes of not only improving the condition of my spine, but keeping a mental balance. Namaste.