I'm Watching You

Sometimes, there are no words necessary...

Things I learned this week - It's Not L.A.

They say you should try and learn something new every day. I think that's a fabulous plan. I try to pay attention to my surroundings so I can do just that.

Some days, I learn BIG things. Life changing lessons.

Other days, it's little bitty trivial things.

For example, this week I learned:

- That this thing: exists.

What is it? It's a little "stopper" for the starbucks coffee lids, a little plug..so your coffee doesn't spill...and can also be used as a stirrer. See:

http://www.pointsincase.com/articles/starbucks-big-invention

Who knew?

I also learned:

- That the capital of California is Sacramento. Okay, fine, I realize I should PROBABLY be embarrassed by this one, but here's my excuse: I was 1o years old when I moved to the U.S. and I NEVER had a geography class in school. I know Portuguese geography pretty well. But the U.S.A.? All I know is self taught, and I'm an East Coast girl, so the west coast details are a little fuzzy. And don't even ask me about all those rectangles and squares in the middle of the country...I have no idea. But, I have decided to try to teach myself more about U.S. geography, because really...I should know...

I learned as well:

That the word "redound" actually exists. A friend included it in an email to me, and I thought it was a typo...I was wrong. It actually has several meanings in current language, but since my friend was using it in old English terms:

redound

1382, "to overflow," from O.Fr. redonder "overflow, abound" (12c.), from L. redundare "to overflow" (see redundant). Meaning "to flow or go back" (to a place or person) is from 1382; hence "to rebound" (c.1500), and "to contribute to" (the credit, honor, etc.), c.1500.

See? Now maybe you learned something new today! What other things have you learned this week?

Breathing...

In case you missed my post yesterday...I'm a little overwhelmed on the road to "burnt out"...

So today...I just need a little serenity:

That's all.

How Do You Spell Exhausted?

Cooked. Baked. Done. Spent.

Exhausted. Stressed. Overwhelmed.

At the end of your rope.

All out of steam.

Nothing left to give.

In essence…burned out.

Ever feel like this? I know we all do, at one point or another, we all reach a level of too much to do in too little time and we just can’t seem to catch our breath long enough to recharge our batteries.

I am about 12 days away from this point.

No, seriously, I can time it exactly.

Because every year, around this time, is hectic, insane, overwhelmingly busy for me.

See, every year, on Thanksgiving weekend, I help to run a youth retreat. This is a pretty involved retreat, with weeks and weeks of prep work leading up to the weekend itself.

I have been in meetings since late summer, and this coming Sunday is our final prep meeting.

Next week, is crunch time. Along with my work’s monthly Board meeting, and Thanksgiving, I will also be finalizing all the little odds and ends necessary before heading off to the retreat center on Friday afternoon.

The weekend itself will be exhausting, very little sleep will be had, and emotions will likely run high all weekend long.

And on Monday, November 29th, exactly 11 days from today…I will collapse.

But here’s the thing…I wouldn’t change it for the world. Every year around this time I ask myself “why do I do this to myself?” The month of November is crazy enough as it is, with the approaching holidays, and to throw all this other stuff into it…well, we must be crazy.

We are crazy. But there is no better feeling than to know that our sacrifice is for the best cause there is. For our youth and for our faith. How could we not be glad in that?

On that Monday, when I am feeling the burn out, when I am sleeping in (because I’ve learned to take that Monday of work after many years of doing this), recovering, attempting to recharge my batteries before the craziness of Christmas ensues…I will also be feeling fulfilled. Enlightened. Blessed. Loved.

The stress, the anxiety, the feeling of overwhelmedness is real. But so is the anticipation, the excitement and the amazing feeling of knowing that this is the absolute right thing to do with my energy, my time, my everything.

This post is a response to one of Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop Prompts.

All The Boys - Runaway

Well folks…I figured I owed you an update on little runner boy here at the good ol’ blog…so here goes.

Are you ready for this?

Wait for it…

Wait for it…

…

Yeah…sorry, I’ve got nothing.

No, I mean, it, nothing.

The latest news was good. I was biding my time, and waiting to see how it would turn out, but it was looking good.

He was calling and texting, and we were attempting to make plans. Our schedules weren’t meshing, but the attempts were there on both sides, and the interest seemed mutual.

Then on Sunday 2 weeks ago, we chatted in the morning and discussed the Celtics game which was later that evening. He asked if I’d be watching, I said yes, he said he would too, and that I should call him.

I’m not a mind reader, but he made it sound like perhaps we could watch the game together. That was the impression I got, and the few friends I shared with felt the same way.

So, that evening when I came home, I called him before the game.

I got his voice mail.

I left a message for him to call me back.

And…

That was two weeks ago. I haven’t heard from him since.

Yep, dating sure is fun. (ahem, sarcasm)

Back to the drawing board we go then…