Progressive Painting!!

This is the beginning of something wonderful.

Can't you tell?

I started it a few months ago...

and maybe someday I'll finish it :)

a looong day

I ran seven consecutive miles yesterday! Believe it or not, I felt perfectly fine afterwards. I think it felt easier than expected because of those darn racquetball courts in the basement of our gym. Daily one-hour sessions of racquetball with Zach and three mile runs afterward definitely have worn me out but built up my endurance for a longer run.

Two hours after my run, I worked for 1 hour at the flower shop, then 8 hours at the restaurant (my first time as a hostess!), slept 5 hours and woke up at 5:30am to work my first 8 hours as hotel desk clerk. WOW! I have worked 16 of the last 24 hours, which is more than I worked the entire month of January. Don’t even begin to think I’m complaining because I loved it!

At Merge (the restaurant) there is energy, fun, and always something to do. At the hotel, there’s a group of really good people who work together and I can tell I fit. For me, having a close community is key and two jobs plug me into two great ones. I do realize it was only my first day at both places so…we’ll see how it goes.

On a different note, have you ever considered how you convey your life stories? What words do you choose? What character do you make yourself? I think the way you tell them says a lot about how you want people to see you… I mean, take this post: do I want you to think I’m super woman? Other things I’ve posted are wise and inspirational, Dalai Lama-like writings. Still others make me into a comedian!

Have I ever made myself the villain? Have I ever shared a flaw without smoothing over it with ten other talents afterward?

With this infernal internal drive to paint myself in all pretty colors, will anyone ever really see me?

Does anyone ever really see you?

Zach

I'm pretty sure

 in the course of my lifetime,

this will be one of the things I see the most.

giving and receiving

Sometimes I think I must have done something really good in a former life. Every single time I become disheartened with the state of the world and how many people make un-loving choices, some amazing act of love, generosity, or goodness catches my attention.

I stand in equal amounts of awe and gratitude for the people in my life. A woman I took only one class from my freshman year of college, burst spontaneously into tears when I saw her a last spring because of how much she loved me. A man gave me money for snow boots to survive the Buffalo winter because I couldn’t afford any myself. An entire cafeteria full of people started screaming like a flock of turkeys when I told them I had eloped last October. What did I do to deserve people who get so excited about my life?

The truth is I try really hard to love people. Words are empty without action and love is just a word until you embody it. I am my best self when I live like Love is my identity.

This week, love whispered in my ear and I nearly fell over in surprise! My heart is set on finding a job in Residence Life for this fall. I signed up for a job fair in Wisconsin but could only afford the registration fee, not the cost of plane tickets there and back, a hotel room for the weekend, or the professional apparel I need for it. I was planning on scrimping every penny from my newly acquired job to get me there until a few days ago, my college girlfriend asked me to let her pay for my plane tickets! Who does that?!?! I didn’t even tell her about it. Zach mentioned it and then she called me.

The next amazement came today when I found out another old friend from college is attending the same job fair and her Dad used his hotel points from his work to get us a free room! It feels like all the world is conspiring for my happiness and success!

Since being in Buffalo, I’ve attempted to become a long distance lover and stay close with many people, despite geographical differences. I can see that many people are doing the same and I couldn’t be more grateful.