Sign of Moving

Times have been crazy. I suppose that is what makes them "special" or "unique" or any other adjective inside of the ever satirical quotation marks.

I have helped friends move out of dorms and acquired a free meals.  Helped my second mom move out of her house and received free dinner plates and excellent furniture. Helped family move in for two weeks, and helped rearranged the house after they left.

It seems to me that everyone is moving.  In my recent 80 mile trek to work, I see more and more moving trucks.  Everyone is going somewhere.

Begs the question, Where am I going?

To work. Home. To doctors appointments. To sleep.

To be honest, it all feels rather circuitous. I am fairly certain that all I'm going is around.

I'm sure you have felt the same way.

But this was my sign, as I was travelling to work.

panoramio.com

Yes, it is a roundabout. Just like I expected.  But I am not the only one in it.  And in fact, I am one of those people who go around the roundabout more than once.

The sign is, there isn't a sign that says you HAVE to exit after one pass.  Sometimes it takes a few times through to clearly see the exit routes, read the street signs, and make up your mind.  But they are there. And most of life is rather circuitous (many enjoyable things are: roller coasters, merry-go-rounds, the earth). Keep going.  Keep going until you find enjoyment. Til you find the street you need. Til you are tired of the traffic. Keep going because everyone is moving.

Time For A Crazy Change

I am very familiar with crazy--both the people and the situational variety.  Just last week I had a mom scream at me, "You shouldn't be working with children!" because her child didn't get face painted. I got bitten on the arm at a restaurant on a first date and had to pay for both meals.  My brother listens to deathcore and sings--I mean  screams-- along. Oh, and my dog thinks she is a person.

All that being said, my definition of crazy tends to be pretty intense. Exhausting.  Frustrating. Daily.  It mostly comes from my circus job.  Something about the loudness of small children, being at least 20 people deep in line, the unpredictability of parents, and battling the elements just hits my bloodstream like a shot of adrenaline.

enjoyinsider.com

So when the receptionist I was shadowing for my new job at a spa exclaimed, "Today is just going to be CRAZY!"  I braced myself the impact....that never came.

Sure there were a decent number of appointments.  Sure there are a lot of duties and endless laundry to fold. But there wasn't a rush. We weren't 5 people deep with all the phone lines ringing while the rest of the staff ran towels and the tea light candles singed the silk plants.  It was a steady, non-stressful pace.

It was a great sign for change.  This time, it was a definition change. A time to reset the limits.

Maybe my definition of crazy was, in fact, crazy. Accepting something so insanely out of balance could only send the rest of my life a little off kilter. (Sometimes it is hard to recognize that, though.  We like to think that if we fight long and hard enough, things will always get easier. Unfortunately, this isn't always true.) If this is my new definition of crazy, my quality of life is about to go way up. Crazy I didn't recognize this before...

At the end of the day, the receptionist turned to me and sincerely asked, "Wasn't that just crazy?" Something about the New Age music and the fact that I could still feel my feet made me smile. "Sure was."

Blueberries

Who doesn't love blueberries? They are the ultimate snack, poptart flavor, cheesecake accessory, and antioxidant.

So naturally I grabbed them to go with my lunch as I left this morning.  There was about half of the carton left.

I went about my day, with my lunch, folders, sweater, and blueberries in my purse. Until lunch time.

See, lunch time rolled around and I reached for my super fruit, but they were no where to be found. Somehow a half a carton of blueberries escaped my purse.

It made me realize that sometimes you only have things for a limited period of time. Sometimes they weren't yours to hold or enjoy in the long run.  And sometimes they leave a mess behind (imagine 100+ blueberries rolling on the floor somewhere!!).

It doesn't mean it is the last time you will ever enjoy blueberries again.  It just means it wasn't the right time for you to have them right now.

This leaves you will two choices.

1.  Retrace your steps to find the mess of blueberries in your past.

Or

2. Take steps towards the fruit in your future.

Because it seems pretty apparent to me that opportunities--and blueberries--aren't lengthy visitors.

Sign of Self:those people

Every now and then, a great personal insight comes along that can really change your life. They are signs of self. 

This is a those people post.  Everyone know that they belong to a "those people" category.  Some of them are humorous, like "those crazy hat people," others not so much, like "those casserole bringing people."  So what kind of "those people" am I? 

http://www.123rf.com/photo_543212_crosswalk-sign.html

Today I was talking out loud to figure out a problem when I realized I am a Contingency Plan person.  I hide it in the guise of over-preparedness, and can-do spirit, but when it boils down to it, I focus on the fall back plan.  Even though I phrase my situations optimisitcally, stating "If this fails" not "when," I still have a back up plan. It is how I make situations that are absolutely horrible reasonable in my mind. Because there is a back up.

I am a living worst case scenario game!!

Whenever I hear the words contingency plan, I always think of death. And that is not what I want associated with me.  How morbid!  And to think, my security blanket of plans could even be the thing that sets me up attacks by Murphy's Law, because some of my contingency plans are better than the ones I am living. Why do I do that?!

I attest I can continue being a Contingency Plan person, but only if I can adjust my outlook: Don't have something greater than what you are doing be a contingency plan- don't wait for failure, just do it!  I don't want to be any other kind of Contingency Plan person, just like I don't want to be anybody's contingency plan.

Signs that Would Be Helpful if Applied to Real Life (2)

People seem to have this notion that geography is the key factor in change.  While this helps, I disagree.  Although, my longest running life goal consists of different geographic placement, this is not my key factor to change.  How spectacular would it be if we saw signs like this everyday?  In every moment when we question ourselves, in our searching for what we think we need?

Change is internal.  Change we breath in everyday.  The earth changes, seasons change.  And this time of year happens to be my favorite season of change.  Not because of the exchanging of gifts, or the dining on succulent food.  This is a season of change.

Late November, early December, is the time of year for shopping for new calendars.  It's the moment we make year-long commitments to pocket books, desk calendars, and wall calendars.  We look through thousands of pictures of puppies, and flowers, and optimistic sayings to find that right calendar. 

This is moment we realize that our coming year teems with endless possibilities.  Who knows what we will have scribbled on January 5th?  Or what kind of plans we will circle in red on Valentine's Day?  Anything is possible.

And just like committing to a calendar and feeling the energy of endless possibilities, we have to realize we can see this around us everyday.  Everyday is a destination waiting for us to declare, "I have arrived!"  The change we wish to garner through packed bags and new homes begins with each breath everyday, where we are right now. I wish we could see this sign every day.  To know this is where everything can (and will) change if we let it, if we let ourselves.  This is the place to turn your life around.