Category: life

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The Wedding Anniversary

My parents wedding anniversary is right around the corner, May 15th to be exact. It’s a strange one it is their 51st Anniversary. Strange in a sense that the 50th was a huge celebration involving the whole family and this year not a word has been mentioned about the anniversary.

Life is kind of strange like that. We take numbers and dates and they become sacred markers to us about our lives. While the rest of the world has their own individual special dates anniversaries seem to be special only on the 1st, 10th, 25th, 50th and 75th. It’s a funny system we run. In fact over 75 years of marriage I would definitely hope for more than 5 special anniversaries.

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Cinco De Mayo

Have you ever noticed how Americans celebrate every holiday, even those that don’t belong to us?  Take for example Cinco De Mayo.  We go out and drink as much alcohol as possible and eat in local Mexican restaurants to celebrate this holiday that originated in South America.  It is crazy how much we like to celebrate.  I wonder if part of that has to do with the long hours and hard labor we put in all week long. Our work schedules; especially in busy metropolitan areas; can include work weeks made up of 50 or 60 hours. Not including commuting to and from work and going home to a family of kids to feed and bath.

In other parts of the world I’ve heard that certain countries will stop all labor from about 2:00-4:00 P.M. in the afternoons to rest. Life is made up of more leisure and a little work. Where as in the states it is made up of a lot of work and a little bit of leisure. We are definitely a country made up of workaholics and alcoholics when there is a reason to celebrate.

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Receiving Mail

I don’t know about you but I love receiving unexpected mail from friends and family.  It brightens up the day when a letter is stuck between all those bills. Today was one of those days when an unexpected card came in from my little Niece. The letter read something like this.
Dear Aunt Michele I love you so much. You are the best aunt in the whole world. I wanted to send you a letter to remind you that my birthday is coming up. I would really like to receive cash for my birthday and no presents. I was hoping to save up some money so I could buy myself something. Okay I have to admit it’s cute, but for a young child to want money and not a gift. This world really has changed. Sending money really does make things easier, but I remember always wanting a gift wrapped up in a box that I could open. To this day I still want gifts that I can open. Times definitely have changed.

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Traveling Abroad

Today was an ordinary day although a lot of extraordinary things happened.  I met up with a friend I hadn’t seen in months.  We only live about 25 miles from each other, but we can never seem to find time to meet up.  It was so great to see her.  She filled me in on her job, her husband, and there upcoming vacation.  They normally go to the Caribbean or somewhere warm when they travel, but they decided to go overseas this year.  She said that they will be traveling to Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, and a few more countries.  It sounded like an amazing trip.

People always say that once you travel overseas you never come back the same.  The adventure is so overwhelming; not to mention the culture and a foreign way of life is something you will never forget.  I’ve heard people say after traveling overseas that you also appreciate living in the United States so much more.  The opportunities and freedom that the United States offers you can’t find anywhere else.  As life changing as it may be, I can just imagine the knowledge she will gain.  Surrounded by a different language in a strange town will either frighten you or deepen your faith.  Depending on the type of person you are an adventure like this is not for the faint hearted.

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What do you Really Want?

Have you ever noticed that there is always a little good in every bad?  And vice versa  you can always find a little bad in every good as well.  The thought crossed my mind today when I was reading about a famous movie star who is struggling with depression.  My first thought of course was what does she have to be depressed about?  The obvious things that depress me she has not a care in the world about.  But then reading further down the article and catching a glimpse of her struggles and personality I recognized something.  I recognized the fact that as humans we really are all alike in many ways.  The same emotions run through all of us and fame and fortune may make certain parts of life easier yet it doesn’t make living any easier.  That was a quote I read by Bruce Springsteen that really hit home.

Since my brain was focused on this topic of success I began reading some quotes on the topic.  One in particular stood out to me which read something along the lines of…..Behind all the fortune and fame there is a deep, dark, emptiness.  I began to see the irony in what our imaginations tell us about the famous and what reality is really like for famous people.  My point is; much of us have been protected from such a life.  Although many believe they have been cheated out of a life of luxury.  Never forget that saying be careful what you wish for you just might get it.

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Life’s Struggles

I really love listening to the radio in my car.  I’m not talking about music, but about radio talk shows and sermons that come on while driving to and from work.  Don’t get me wrong I love listening to music as well but for some reason I have been pulled in a different direction lately.  Listening to sermons and the news has become more appealing.  The sermons in particular.  They capture my attention and the surrounding traffic congestion just seems to disappear.  I find them to be such a sweet distration.

I’m not sure where it all started but I now love my morning commute because of the 8:00 A.M. sermon.  It is funny how the topic seems to always be about something in particular that I am dealing with.  The topic lately has been about love.  Loving not only friends and family, but loving strangers as well.  Reminding yourself to show kindness at all times and to all people.  Basically the fruits of the spirit including patience, kindness, joy, peace, love, understanding, etc.  The things we need to survive in a harsh world.  I’m struggling with this topic so much and it keeps coming around and hitting me in the face.  I’m failing every test put in front of me which only means I will continue to be tested until I pass.  Life’s stuggles should be a topic I write about more often lord knows I sure have enough of them.

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Work

What is it about work that puts us in a mood of discontent?  The thought of work makes me wanted crawl under the covers and sleep all day.  The funny thing about it is the fact that work in itself isn’t all that bad. In fact, my job is pretty good. A little boring but isn’t that better than being completely overwhelmed? I was sitting at work yesterday with not a whole lot to do. I was able to read, get on the internet, and basically relax all day. But I was bored to death!
I wait all week for Saturday in order to do those same things. I love to read, relax at home, and use the internet. So what is it about work or being in a different location doing the same things you would be doing at home. The way we look at things is strange. It is all in our perspective I guess.

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Change is in the Air

Today was a good day overall. Nice, beautiful weather and a pretty easy day at work. But deep down I have a sense that something is about to change. It is about time though. I think a change would be pretty nice right about now. Things have been running smoothly but now I need some excitement in my life.

I can’t help feeling that with summer around the corner an indoor job is not going to cut it. I have always wanted to try something unique for work even if it is only for a few months. Last year I wanted a break from the bar scene and the south. This year I want a break from the office environment and the nine to five. In fact I would like a break from having a boss at all. I think that might be what the next change is going to be about. Self employment and running my own company. I get excited thinking about it. It makes me feel motivated. Time to get to work and start planning my new adventure.

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Life is Strange

Life can be so strange at times.  One day you can be on top of the world and then the next thing you know, a news story or an event takes place and then you’re down and out.  I’m  bringing this up because it just happened to me.

Yesterday was a great day, filled with a lot of love and laughter.  Today, when I woke up, I felt that same happiness come over me.  I started driving to work, thinking about all of the things I needed to get done today. These included wishing my sister a Happy Birthday, paying a bill or two, and finishing up a couple of projects at work.

Then around 9:30 a.m. the news came.  A close relative told me that a friend of their’s had died.  This wasn’t just any friend, either.  This friend I had met over the holidays and had been at the same Christmas party with him, sat next to him while we ate dinner, and talked with him. This was a matter of just a couple of months ago.

The sad thing is it was an accident.  A motorcycle accident that killed a thirty year-old man with his whole life ahead of him.  I quickly forgot about my to-do list after reading the email.  Everything seemed different in my world.  The sun wasn’t shining as brightly.  The disbelieve and lack of understanding soon followed.  Such a horrible and strange thing accidents are.  The next time I’m on a motorcycle I will definitely be thinking about you, Fernando.

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Reaching Goals

The end of the month is drawing near.  I always love the beginning of a new month.  It encourages new beginnings, new goals to be set, and new activities to take part in.  Looking back over the past month I’m very excited about how far I have come and how much more there is to discover and learn.

One thing that I am proud of is the way my garden is coming along.  A women at work is helping me with all of her wisdom and knowledge regarding gardening.  She even gave me some bluebonnet seeds to plant around the trees in my yard.  The growth that has already occurred is amazing.  The tomatoes on the other hand have not come out of the ground yet.  This will be my focus for the month of April.  Eating healthy and exercising have been coming along great too.  I have been eating  a salad everyday, taking vitamins, and at least walking for thirty minutes if I can’t make it to the gym.  It’s amazing the results I’m seeing in such a short period of time.