I’ve been doing a ton of soul searching in the last few months, and have come to the conclusion that I need to do somethings. I know what I like to do. I love to read, I love to write, I love to cook, and I love being apart of my family. So I am hoping this blog will help me find my way back to being satisfied and content. Because I am restless now, and fidgety, and I don’t like it.
So in order to do this dear internets, I have decided to take up a few challenges, and take a few steeps back to who I was when I was last truly content with my life.
You know… Remembering the things I did that I should probably pick back up,
- 1. Working out. I worked out religiously. Before work everyday. I spent an hour in the gym.
- 2. Prayer. I prayed for at least an hour everyday. I can’t remember the last time I prayed for an hour, with out a pending crisis at least.
- 3. performed and listened to poetry regularly. Now I don’t know that I am actually gonna start performing again. But I am gonna start writing and going to open mics more regularly.
- 4. hang out with grown ups. I remember when Jerry and I threw parties at least twice a month, we had dessert parties and game night and poker nights and all kinds of hangout time. I miss that so much – Although internets you have helped greatly with said bullet point.
- 5. Listen to music may more regularly. Our house needs a stereo. Period.
These are not the only things I plan to do, but I think one massive group of adjustments at a time is fair and manageable. There have been several outside influences that have helped me find my way to these revelations. For instance, the Blog 37 days is responsible for my deciding to curtail all whining, complaining, and gossiping for at least the next 37 days. This exercise will hopefully make me focus more completely on the glass half full aspect. I used to be a steadfast optimist. My husband is.. for lack of a better term, um… not. And you know how they say when people get married one person becomes more like the other? In this case – I have gravitated towards his tendencies. I feel, lately, more apt to recognize realities ability to go left instead of right, and that must be corrected. I like being a optimist. I enjoy being cheesily perky. People tend to complain when they don’t think they should have to do more to get the result they want, when possibly they should just work harder.
I also had a chance to watch Randy Pausch’s last lecture online, I watched in just a few days after he gave it on Sept 17th, during my first week home from the hospital. Before it was an Oprah feature. (can you tell that I like being ahead of the curve) And there were a few things -okay eleven – that SCREAMED out at me from that lecture.
- 1. remember, the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people – Don’t bail.
- 2. Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
- 3. Let your kids paint their walls, don’t worry about the resale value- it’ll be okay
- 4. Never lose the child-like wonder – Decide if you are tigger or Eeyore
- 5. Work hard; Be good at something; it makes you valuable.
- 6. when you’re screwing up and nobody’s saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up on you.
- 7. If you live your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, and the dreams will come to you.
- 8. this is the motto of great people; …but we’ll work it out
- 9. Find the best in people. when you’re pissed off at somebody and you’re angry at them, you just haven’t given them enough time, Just give them a little more time and they’ll almost always impress you, they will show you their best.
- 10. and loyalty is a two way street and for my daughters – When it comes to men that are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do. It’s that simple. It’s that easy
- 11. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity – be prepared.
If I raise my children to have the kind of spirit that Randy demonstrates in this lecture, I’ll feel really good about my parenting. And despite his illness, and the double sided sword it poses. I think his children will always know how lucky they are that this man was their father. I say double sided sword because, while it totally sucks to die young and full of energy with so much life you want to live, how many people wish they knew the end was coming for a loved one or themselves so they could say things or do things differently? It stnads taht people always say you should live everyday to the fullest- but how often do you forget to? Randy knows and is taking full advantage of his heads up from fate, and if I can live my life now like Randy is living his, I’ll be happy with not only the way I parent but the way I lived my life.
I am on day three of my no complaining change. And they say it takes 21 days to form a habit. I’ve had two first days so far, but that’s okay, I’ll have a hundred if its necessary. I’ve posted Randy’s speech for those who haven’t seen it yet.
by raquita
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