Public Service Announcement: A Word On Tardiness

I would like to take a moment to define "on time"... "On time" means arriving to your designated location with enough time for you to get situated and be ready and able to begin your task at the previously determined time. For example, oh I don't know, let's say you were a student and your class began at, oh let me just pull out a random time of 8:00AM. That would mean you should get to campus with enough time to park, get into class and be in your seat, READY TO BEGIN YOUR EXAM, no later than 8:00AM. That does not mean you casually stroll in to class at exactly 8:00AM and make everyone else wait for you. You especially do not want to do this when the professor has not had a day off in, oh I don't know, TWO WEEKS, and will not have a day off for another week and is overtired because SHE has managed to get there on time, even though she would much rather be in bed, enjoying a lazy SUNDAY morning and having a Skype coffee date... But I digress.

Now, this has obviously been a random example and by no means is it a true story, but figured it was an important matter to discuss.

This has been a public service announcement!

Home

Home is where the heart is...right now my heart is in Philadelphia :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6LsmPgVn1g&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Recently Reflective

(post started on January 4, 2012, completed on February 9, 2012)

For a couple months now I have been in a very reflective state. I think the initial reasons were the deaths of some people in my life (death seems to always make me take a step back and remember the important things in life).

Then came the tradition of new year's and making resolutions. Now I have never been big on making new year's resolutions. I mean, why wait for only one time of the year to look at your life and see where you could make improvements. I think that is something that should be done on a regular basis, and that is what I have tried to do with my life. But something about this new year made me feel like I needed to actually make resolutions.

Now, I know what you are going to say... its February! What has taken you so long??? Well, to be honest, I had to think about it for a little while. Then, by the time I had thought about what I really wanted to do, there was no one around asking me what my new year's resoultion was, as that question passed in the first week of January.

So, once again I have turned to this blog, my place for catharsis! It has been such a long time since I have purged my emotions into short but sweet stories, I am not even sure anyone in the blogosphere is still out there listening to me (and do they even still call it the blogosphere???). But, then I remembered that I started this blog for two reasons: one, to allow my friends to stay in touch and keep up to date with my daily (ha, try every-so-often) happenings, and two, to have a place to put my thoughts and feelings into words so that maybe I can have a better understanding of who am I and what I want out of life. So, for the second reason, here are the things I have been thinking about lately:

• Death: I heard an amazing adage from the priest at the funeral for my uncle. He said there are three deaths: the death of the body, the burial of the body, and the time when those you leave behind forget about you. And the job of those left behind is to never let anyone die a third death. There was something so simple about that statement. It made me feel as though we have the power of keeping that person we have loved and lost with us forever, we don't have to lose them. They are never really gone as long as we keep them alive.



• Gratitude: I have been thinking a lot about just how lucky I really am. Since my last post, I have graduated with my doctorate, moved right into the perfect job without having to pound the pavement for months, and began teaching at the graduate level (again, not having to seek this opportunity, but having it offered to me without hesitation). I spend my days working with people who keep me sharp (like the bible says, "steel sharpens steel"), make me laugh, and genuinely care about me. I have a family who loves and supports me in every step I take, whether it is in the right direction or maybe even a direction they would not necessarily choose for me. I have a man who loves and supports me in every aspect and is my other half. How I survived so long without him in my life, I will never know, but I am so grateful that I will never again have to know what life is like without him (I love you, Mike).



• Cherishing the moments I have, not wishing for the ones I don't: This can apply to losing loved ones in death, but also these past 7 months Mike and I have been living on opposite sides of the country. There is an end in site to this arrangement, but whether it were 5 months, 5 days or 5 minutes from now, it wouldn't be soon enough. But this has taught me to really enjoy the time I have with people. Though I may want more, I should cherish every moment I am blessed with the company of the people I love, knowing they are making me a better person just by being in their presence. And nothing will ever take away the memories I make with those I love!

Wow, pretty heavy stuff! Now you see why I have been thinking about it for a while. So, with these things bouncing around in my head, here are my resolutions:

1. To say 'I love you' as often as I am given the opportunity. Don't let the repetition be mistaken for loss of meaning. I know what it means...thats why I'm saying it!!!



2. Read the bible DAILY. Sounds so simple, and it is, as long as I recognize there is more to life than the daily grind. There is a greater power, a greater reason for things!!!



3. Skype is the best invention, EVER!!! Okay, so that is not quite a resolution, more of a discovery because it allows me to look at the person I love looking at most. So, lets turn it into a resolution...I will use Skype to keep in touch with my family I don't get to see regularly, especially my nieces and nephews. I want to be a person who is always there for them and a part of their lives, not just someone who sends them birthday cards and calls them on holidays.



4. START SENDING BIRTHDAY CARDS TO MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS!!!



5. Eat at least one fresh thing everyday (Question: Wine is considered fresh right when you open it, right???)



6. Start dancing again. It can be at a club, a class, or in my living room... just DANCE!

Well, I think that is a good start. Like I said, I get reflective pretty often and set about ways to better my life. I just don't always right it down or call it 'resolutions'. So don't be too afraid, I'm not this serious all the time (just look at my past posts). And now that I have remembered how good it feels to be here, you may be seeing more of me ;)