May 8th

There is something about the month of May and a large number of babies being born.  This is the second coworker this month who has given birth.  Two babies have arrived already with two other coworkers due in the coming months.  I tried to figure out why some months carry record breaking levels of births and some carry such few births.

One idea came to mind regarding the number of weddings that occur within the July and August time frame. You always hear about couples becoming pregnant over the honeymoon. Well that would explain a lot of May births. Another popular month is January. I think that everyone would love to have the first baby of the new year born. That might be a reason why late December and early January are also popular times to give birth. Just a thought.

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.

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.

Saying Yes to Invitations

Why do we shy away from getting close to coworkers?  If you think about it those are the people we spend the most time with during the week.  Most people typically work a full time job which means anywhere from 40-55 hours a week.

Today at work I received an email from my boss around 10:30 A.M.  She asked me if I would be free to have lunch with her and another coworker.  At first I hesitated and thought, oh no – I would be uncomfortable doing that.  Than I reconsidered and thought how nice of her to pick me out.  I said yes, that would be great – and ended up having a good time.  

My boss is so much fun and witty and she has great stories that never end.  She also brought us to a great Sushi restaurant.  I absolutely love Sushi.  She is just that kind of person that knows what everybody likes and picks the best restaurants.   I am so thankful for such a nice work environment.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Starting at a New Gym

I am so excited today to be heading over to a new gym to get a great work-out in.  I am so focused on becoming healthier that working out and eating right are the first things on my mind in the morning.  The gym is about 20 miles away which isn’t too bad.  It has everything I am looking for including a heated pool, a hot tub, a sauna, fitness equipment and classes.  I cannot wait to get there.

Among the other things I have to do today I think the gym will be my priority. Priorities do need to fall in order of importance.  The other errands like shopping and taking my cat to the vet will have to wait.  I’m a women on  a mission!

Asking for What You Want

Today is the first day of my vacation.  I decided I needed a break from work and asked my boss for a few days off.  Why is it so hard to ask for what we need?  I really feel I needed this break since I’ve been suffering with headaches and feeling tired constantly.  Asking my boss was the most difficult part.  It sometimes makes you feel like you can’t handle life or working full-time when you need to ask for a break.

I’m just wondering why we as Americans are like this.  In other cultures and societies they spend a lot of time in leisure activities and far less time at work.  In some European countries their work days are stopped between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. for rest.  When we were in preschool we got a 3 hour nap after lunch.  Why as adults are we so inclined to go nonstop even on weekends?  I wonder how things will change in the upcoming years.  Since things are alwys changing I can only hope that the next generation is not overloaded with long work hours and fewer and fewer fun activities.