5 Things I've Learned in 2014
So Far...
5. Try new things
- Washer, No Dryer: My Dinner Date with an Italian Woman
The truth is, I had made my mind up, a long, long time ago (at the age of seven to be exact), of how I was going to live my life. (Yeah, saying it out loud makes me realize how flawed my philosophy really was.) And while I still cherish some of those original thoughts, it took a dinner date with a complete stranger from across the world to show me that I needed to let go of my 2nd grade philosophies. In actuality, for the first time in a long time, I have no idea what will my future will bring. It’s scary to think that I may have lost it all. But then again who really knows what the future will bring. After all, it was after having an unexpected dinner date with a complete stranger to realize that secret in life isn’t doing what you know…it’s trying new things!
4. Plan A rarely works
- Real Life: A Kink(o’s) in the Morning Routine
For the past two years as a morning traffic reporter in Charlotte, North Carolina, I’ve been committed to getting people to work on time. Getting up the middle of the night – no problem. Overturned tractor-trailer – I’m on it. Interstate shut down – I’ll find you a faster option before you’re even out of bed. With an "in it, to win" it attitude, I had total commitment. I loved it and lived it. Life was good… until my husband told me he had accepted HIS dream job in Ohio. Of course, I had mixed emotions. Soon after that, I traded in my traffic badge for the morning mom badge. My son missing the bus helped me put my life in perspective. So maybe I didn't get my son to school on time, and maybe my “perfect” morning routine was shattered less than a month into the school year; in retrospect, I wouldn't have it any other way. Because in life, plan A rarely works, and in our house, we celebrate the moments when we surprise ourselves with a kickass plan B or plan C (or maybe even a plan Z!)
3. Karma is real
- I-70: Gas Thieves, Chicken and Zombies. Oh My!
One of the perks of my husband’s new job is that we live closer to our parents. We live in Columbus and they live in Dayton. It’s basically a hop, skip and a jump on I-70 and we’re there… or so I thought. As far as interstates go, I- 70 is nothing fancy; in fact, it’s boring. Unless you find the BIG Jesus signs (like the one in Springfield) newsworthy, or counting all the state troopers that are running radar exciting, you’re in for an uneventful ride. But, as it turns out, you never quite know what the universe has in store for you. So when a crazy man tried to steal my gas and my parking spot, I let it go. And as fate would have it, about 20 minutes away from the gas station I noticed troopers were on the side of the road helping a stranded driver of a blue minivan… Yup! The culprit who tired to take my gas. You see what I mean? I-70 highway karma is real! Disrespect your fellow traveler, and your car breaks down; the highway gods will see to it.
2. When life is pointing you in a direction, don’t resist it because it’s inconvenient.
- Sorry that I’m not sorry: My kid puked on you
My son gets airsick. A lot. My adventures flying with him could become the topic of an entirely new website. Sure, I’ve carried my son down the airplane aisle like a football, trying to get to the bathroom in time. We’ve been asked to de-board a plane within seconds of sitting down with my screaming son (followed by a round of applause for leaving the plane). And yes, I have paid a flight attendant twenty bucks for his fancy Gap white t-shirt after my son threw up all over his clothes. Needless to say, I’m the lady you don’t want to fly next to. But when a man RUDELY wouldn't get up after I told him that my son had to use the restroom, I didn't feel bad when my boy threw up on him! Usually I would try to hide in the bathroom for a while, hoping that by the time I had summoned enough courage to face everyone, they would have forgotten about the disaster. (A girl can dream right?!) But not this time! 2014 is the year that I have stopped over-apologizing! I gave Captain Rude plenty of notice and fair warning, and his petulant resistance to my requests ultimately determined his shoes’ fate. So in the end, if life is pointing you in a direction, don’t resist it because it’s inconvenient… you’ll end up with puke on your shoes.
1. Not everything is going to go your way...even though you've paid it to.
- Eye for an Eye: Eyebrow Waxing Gone Wrong
I’ve had horrible luck lately, but “ain’t nobody got time for that”, so I’ll spare you the details. And suddenly it seemed that my luck was starting to change! Not only did I snag a twenty dollar gift card to Macy’s, but I also won twenty bucks from a scratch-off lottery ticket. (Ok, full disclosure, by “snagging a gift card,” I mean I swiped it from my son's stack of birthday loot). But, it seemed like my luck was improving much like we hoped for the Ohio weather...you know, sunshiny days with Spring around the corner. So when I went to have my eyebrows waxed and she took off WAY more then she was supposed to, I cried and then tipped her.
Why did I tip?
I hated my eyebrows but what’s the point of stiffing her? An eye for an eye would leave the whole world blind, or in my case, eyebrow-less. So me and my new dark cloud walked away… in tears! And in parallel related news, after two days of 60+ degree weather, it snowed again in Ohio. The universe can be cruel at times.
Why did I tip?
I hated my eyebrows but what’s the point of stiffing her? An eye for an eye would leave the whole world blind, or in my case, eyebrow-less. So me and my new dark cloud walked away… in tears! And in parallel related news, after two days of 60+ degree weather, it snowed again in Ohio. The universe can be cruel at times.
Cheers to the journey,
You have the best stories. I 'm glad real life lessons are being learned.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's because I'm officially a hot mess!
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