Surrounded

Hello dear friends of mine!

Well I've been neglecting writing because I've had such an eventful past week! It's true! And you know it's funny, the more I write, the more I feel like I'm able to pinpoint the lessons I'm learning, which is kind of cool, because I've got them documented for myself, and hopefully others may find them useful as well. In any case, at this very point in time, I am overwhelmed in how blessed I feel.  Forgive the cheesiness, but I'm just in such a thankful place right now that it's hard to avoid....

Let me begin at the beginning. Last week I was under the impression I was going to be participating in something I was beyond excited for. I'm not even sure how to describe my excitement, but I really couldn't contain myself. I'm pretty sure "a dream come true" escaped my lips. And then out of nowhere last Monday, I found out through an unfair series of events that my participation was no longer needed.
Ok, so I was crushed.
Yes. I was heartbroken.
But, friends, this is when I got a dose of how lucky I actually am.

First of all, I've never really had someone around when I've been upset at something. My friends are always a phone call away, and believe me I called them, but those calls always have to end at some point, and then you're back to being along again. I found myself crying, and my man was right there beside me, listening to my nonsense (and believe me, it really was). He just sat there and listened and comforted me. It was actually so weird to me. But I'm so thankful for him. He always seems to give me exactly what I need.

I ended up telling everyone at work about the heartbreak- mostly because they all knew how excited I was in the first place, and I just wanted to douse the fire so I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. My bosses were utterly and ridiculously supportive, and so sweet.
And then... well...one of the amazing girls I work with was kind enough to anonymously send me flowers. Me. Flowers! From someone I work with. I mean... I simply can't describe how special I felt. And how kind of her. It's almost hard to believe that someone outside of my family and closest friends would care enough about me to send me beautiful flowers to make me feel better.
And it worked. (Thank you SW)

After that I came home and saw that one of my lovely friends had written something very kind about me on her facebook page. And I was stunned! So much love!!! Such amazing and kind people in my life! How can I possibly let anything bring me down when I am surrounded by so much love?

Anyway, the sadness isn't exactly gone, in fact it reared it's ugly head in the passing away of my family dog on Saturday, but it certainly has been overshadowed by the beauty of the wonderful people in my life.
(And besides that, all dogs go to heaven, and Emily is no exception.)

And that's what has become apparent to me lately there are always going to be ups and downs- that's just how it goes. But it is so incredibly important to surround yourself with solid, loving, wonderful people. We all need a support system, no matter what we're dealing with.

I also want to point out that at some point we need to take control of the things that happen to us in our lives, and decide how we're going to let them affect us. I think it is important to be human and go through the motions of mourning, but I also think we need to make the choice as to what we will let control our lives. And no sadness, anger, jealousy, fear: it will not be you.


Just something to chew on.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

A

Are you 'avin' a laugh?

Wow, what a day.
Today work was fairly uneventful which is a rare thing, but I am grateful. It's a welcomed change.

When I arrived home, however is when all the fun began. Where do I begin?
I know! How about the part where I walked through the door to see the child gate that we use for the dog had been knocked over... this likely means she made her way to our bed and slept soundly atop our comfy sheets (ok not a big deal to most, but when your dog sheds like ours does, its nice to have an off limits place, where my man and I can be fur free!). Anyway, I think, ok not so bad, but as my eyes scan to the carpet I see the dog has left us a few presents there. I figure she was probably quite scared when she knocked the gate over and then left us some evidence to prove it wasn't on purpose.

Next to the stained carpet were some pieces of plastic. And ok... I don't even want to admit this because it's so terrible and I don't even know how she found these.. but she got a hold of some razor blades and chewed them to pieces. Luckily no blood or cuts (thankfully they were dull blades and she was only interested in the plastic parts, and I know you're thinking we're the worst dog owners ever), seriously though... how did she find these and where? Maybe in the bathroom garbage she broke into when she knocked the gate over... arghhhhh. I would like to apologize to the academy of pet owners. I swear it was an accident and it will never happen again.
(p.s. if my dog is playing with razor blades I think it's a pretty clear sign that I'm not quite ready for children yet....)

So after that fun event I decided to just kick back by checking facebook, only to find that a friend and her mom had deleted me off facebook. Again.
Why in the world does it hurt your feelings when someone deletes you off facebook? I get it that facebook doesn't actually mean you're friends- I'm not expecting all my facebook friends to check my profile every day for updates and comment and to be "like"ing everything... but at the very least it means you know each other and have a way of contacting each other if you ever need to.. at least that's how I think of it. And when someone deletes me, I guess it feels like they are severing all ties, never wanting to speak to me again for any purpose ever. That's sad, right? I'm not totally crazy on this one. But it is what it is and this time I think I'll take a page out of my friend Camille's book and "let it be."

On the bright side I did make some amazing carrot ginger soup last night that I got to indulge in tonight... yum! And that is where I find myself now. And you know what will be the perfect cure to the aforementioned incidents? Some episodes of Extras. If you ever need to laugh, first start by reading my blog because sometimes I can be hilarious, and then make your way over to youtube and watch Extras. Ho boy!

Thank you so very much for reading. Much love to all my friends, facebook and unfacebook.

Snowvember!

Aren't I clever? Snowvember.. pff and you all thought you were clever with Movember! (and to those that have heard "snowvember" before because I'm sure someone somewhere has, lets just pretend it was my own original idea for once, alright?)

Ok seriously though, how exciting is it that there's snow in the actual Vancouver area? And how good does everyone feel that bought their snow tires and all their gear in advance? I mean come on Vancouverites, we had fair warning this year.

That being said- that all has nothing to do with what I want to write about today.
You see, something that has become very apparent in my life lately is being human. And you know, I really don't even know what that means. From the different dictionary meanings I perused it all has a very negative undertone. Something along the lines of being weak and giving in- essentially being less than perfect.

I suppose those things ring true. And God knows I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago if I had to be perfect- the second I'm under that kind of pressure I crack (figure skating competitions come to mind..)

I guess I wanted to bring this up because it's really just something for everyone to think about. I know I need constant reminders of what it is to be human (or at least that I don't have to be perfect because it's impossible!!!). Sometimes I feel like no one can touch my stupidity, or I just can't do something as exactly perfect as someone has asked, or I'm sure the most common: that I'm not pretty enough. On good days, I know these things are preposterous and that I always try my hardest to succeed or at least to please, and that I'm a pretty girl (even without make-up!). But sometimes, no matter what you do, there's really actually nothing you can do and I know sometimes it's hard to keep that in perspective.

So to all my fellow human readers: You're allowed to mess up. You're allowed to be less than perfect- whatever it is that perfect means. You're allowed to not care some days and by gosh you're allowed to eat a whole tub of ice cream! Just take care of yourself (mind, body, and soul). It's going to be ok. No, seriously, it is.

Thank you for your lovely eyes and support! Much love!

P.S. Did I mention everyone should be listening to Ray Lamontagne's music? It's glorious. Nothing human about it. ;)

What the beef?

Ok, ok. Here's the sad truth: I'm only two posts in to my exciting new blog and already I'm struggling for thoughts to write. In fact, it's not the thoughts that are missing, but the inspiring, happy, revolutionary thoughts. That's what I was setting out to do, right? Truth is, my laptop screen was brutally attacked by a shelf that committed suicide.. and the result? I am now using my boyfriend's tv as a computer screen.

When I set out to find the proper cords that would make this happen, I felt myself crawl inside my shell at the Simply Computing store that was filled with what I can only assume are cool new Mac products... not that I'd have any idea what to do with half of them... Anyway, I got what I needed, or at least what I extracted from the slightly unhelpful staff as to what I needed.. came home and cried. Ya, not the best day. And yes, it's also very weird reading my words off a big screen tv. It's also weird going on facebook. Everyone's pictures make them look like Gods on this giant tv. Doesn't quite feel right. And for all I know, the neighbors are probably reading my words off the screen as I type.

So dear followers, the moral of the story is that I am grumpy, and I dislike passing along a grumpy vibe. But what I find when I'm not the grumpy one, is that sometimes it helps to hear someone else's tales of woes and how they acted because it makes me feel more normal for acting in a similar way. I will also admit that just when I felt prepared to tackle one part of the man's world (my previous mechanic attempt), the male dominated technological world came and smacked me across the face. Ugh.

Honestly, it's going to be ok. One thing at time. Today checking oil. Tomorrow, who knows?
But I can promise you this, it will be good.

P.S. Can I also just say that I am thankful that you didn't stop reading? Thank you for listening.
Much love.

I can do it all...almost!

Friends, what a productive few days. I have to say I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished in my mere four days off- I (with my best friend) changed the headlights of an extremely old car, baked my first loaf of bread, cleaned my house (and it has remained so..), created my blog, traveled to Victoria and back, and just finished a good book. That may not sound like a lot, but to my normally exhausted full-time working self, it's more than I get done in a few weeks. And boy do I feel good! Like I've just rejuvenated a part of myself that's been down for the count. Can I get a aww yeah for days off?

So, this brings me to my thoughts- the book I just read was called Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. From what I hear it is a very popular series these days, and I can see why. I'm not sure if I'm buzzing on the same wine as everyone else as to WHY exactly it's popular, but I can definitely say that it involves a tough young lady, who is very smart. I could stop there, but there's more. 

She is a hunter and a provider and while I really can't say I can relate to her on either of those traits, I can say these are things I don't often think about but really should. If need be, could I provide food in a world without grocery stores? Do I know how to grow food, or where to find the food that grows? Probably not.

(This may be why I was so excited about the loaf of bread today) ..I may not be able to hunt, but I'm in the right direction... sort of! (And yes I know that's silly comparing hunting to baking bread.. but they land in the same category of skills foreign to me). And heck, if I can change the headlight of a grungy, plastic and metallic machine that seems to draw mostly men to its industry, then who says I can't do it all one day anyway. I am a determined woman after all, and multi tasking (as well as showing up men ;) ) are some of my talents to be reckoned with.

:)

Newb

Welcome to anyone that is reading this. I'm not really much of a blogger, or a writer for that matter, but I do have a voice, and I'm excited to share it. One Foot on the Ground is the way I am trying to approach life. I still want to dream as much as I possibly can, but I need to be grounded, too. My goal is to inspire, and to comfort.. and get whatever it is ticking away in my head out. So please, feel free to comment, I'm open to all suggestions in the way of accomplishing my goal.
Thank you again and I look forward to seeing where this will take us.