Flying Toaster Oven

It’s awesome to have a great day at work.  Or any day for that matter.  A great day at work could be a compliment you receive from a coworker or just feeling like you really accomplished something…made a difference for your customers/clients or even your boss! 

Well today was a great day.  We were half staffed and it’s blissfully quiet.  So quiet, I can hear myself think and there were no frivolous interruptions at all.  I was able to devote a substantial amount of time on one problem and succeeded in solving it, well at least 90% of it.  Although it took over half a day, it was time well invested.  By 3:30 pm, I was on a roll and just blasted through the rest of my work.  I still have a few more deadlines but I’m feeling a bit more in control now since I was able to get more organized this week.   I really cant stand it when I’m behind on my timelines.

I just have to remember the big picture in that I make a difference for the company I work for and for our all our customers.   Sometimes we think our contributions are insignificant but when we care and show passion about the work we produce, it shows and the results have a domino effect with everyone around you.   When you start focusing on the mere petty issues, it’s time to re-evaluate and focus.   

I’ve learned over the years it’s not just about being a good worker but the relational part of the biz.  You have to make an effort to not just be great at what you do but be the kind of person that people want to work with.  I strive for this each day.  I know my whole outlook at work dramatically changed.  The birth of my son was the catalyst that caused this significant shift in my attitude about work.  I have so much more compassion for the single parent and stay at home moms.  Wow, it’s really a lot of work!  It makes going to the office for 8 hours a breeze!   But I really believe God wants me to do a great job not just for Him but for our employers/bosses/customers/the general public.   I look at it as my actions contributes to an product that consumers rely on and helps the economy.  With that in mind, it makes going to work easy!

Consistency is key.  I’m lacking major discipline in the area of fitness.   Just getting in my daily after dinner walk is a challenge.  Yet, I always feel good afterwards so what is it about exercise that is so challenging?

I recall my younger days when running a few miles was no big deal.  Then college happened and so did no more PE classes or any extracurricular sports which led to my downfall.  No longer was I able to consume copious amounts of grub and not gain weight.   I gained 15 lbs my freshman year alone.  Each year thereafter, I gained a few lbs.  Then senior year, i lost that weight.    However, i gained the weight before my first job. 

I lost the weight again in my early twenties.  However, the weight creeped up again when I moved to Cali and started working for my current employer. 

Strangely enough, my confidence and self esteem is higher than it was when I was thinner.   I’ve come to accept that I’m no contender for a marathon but I really must get back on track with exercise.   Now that my son is a little older, I can probably sneak in some am exercise which is more intense than the daily walk.  I notice walking doesnt really do a whole lot for me.  I lost just 11 lbs after my pregnancy which helped me get back into my non maternity clothes but I still have a long way to go.

I just really long to be back to where I was.  It was easier to shop for clothing right off the rack.  On the contrary,  another interesting factor is the additional attention I got when I was slimmer.  Personally, I wasn’t flattered so much as annoyed with the attention.  It really irks me that people judge ,as well as, determine friendships based on how a person looks.  I’m still the same person regardless of my weight!

Ok, I am noticing now more than ever how forgetful I am.  for instance, i remember to obtain an object from one room and when i get there, i hesitate wondering why i am standing in that room.  what is happening here?  do i need more herbal supplements to help me with memory short fuses?  ive learned to adjust to these senior moments by writing reminders everywhere.  At work, it’s adding it to my daily to do calendar.  however at home, i dont really have a system.  bills are just dropped into my purse so i can pay them online at work.  shopping lists are sporadically written but no so much referred to and neither are coupons that are clipped but forgotten to be redeemed.

since i had my son close to 4 years ago, i recall remembering what day it was and now i HAVE to refer to a calendar and my pc to tell me what day/date it is.  

i also notice that i have to look at calculations more than once and even second guess myself when it comes to reading.  Did i read that right?  Or did I assume what the next word was and made another error?  is my vision playing tricks on me too?   It’s very puzzling and flustering.  I saw grandma go through Alzheimer’s which was very challenging for everyone.  The last thing I would want to be is a burden to hubby or son.

Good grief, I’m just over 40!

In the past two years, I’ve lost two personal friends and three relatives.  Not to mention friends’ parents.  Last night was no exception.  We attended another funeral.  I want to ‘x’ the term funeral because it was nothing close to the negative connotation that the term evokes.  We truly celebrated Mrs. A’s life after her 4 + year battle with cancer.  She’s the mom of our good friends R & E and a sweet awesome lady plus a fellow foodie.   This celebration was her new life in heaven more so than even her life on earth.   You can feel the joy amidst the sadness of missing her.  There was so much love that emanated from her family which had a ripple effect on the congregation.  

Her son R led the worship with much heart and passion giving it all to Him.  It was a rockin’ worship so deserving of Mrs. A’s love for worship songs.  The eulogy was so moving too. 

I’ve been to several funerals.  Not to rate them as social events but there’s a difference difference in our outlook when we have the assurance and faith that our beloved departed are heaven bound.  It doesn’t get better than that.  When I looked around, I was among my friends from churches we were former members of and it was a bittersweet reunion of sorts.   Not the kind of reunion we had in mind years before when we all met.  We were mostly singletons meeting weekly at our different bible studies which eventually crossed over to the same folks and expanded with new acquaintances.  We had our share of wonderful weddings, blissful baby showers and now memorial services. 

I had two friends who passed away just a few years ago within a 9 month period.   I drew a parallel in that that’s the timeframe for when a baby grows in the womb.  I also looked at the contrast between these two friends.  One was a woman of faith “I” who lost her battle to cancer just one month after her beautiful wedding to her soul mate.   The other was a guy “K” I had befriended just a few years before.  Interestingly enough, I had encouraged him to attend church.  It seemed as though he had tried just about everything else.  He had a massive heart attack while driving and crashed his car.   Another contrast between these two friends is that I was able to attend “I”’s funeral.  The service was so focused on salvation and our faith that her work on earth was done.  She was with Jesus.   There was a nice turnout considering it was a Friday afternoon.  I wasnt able to attend “K”s funeral service but I heard it was a huge showing of over 1000 folks and a real party to celebrate his life which was cut too short by the accident.  Both of my friends were “good” people but I felt assured that “I” is in heaven.  I’m not sure about “K”.  I can only hope.   Both were humble people.  K would always tell me that I had so many friends.   When I heard that over a thousand showed up at his funeral, I was shocked.  We even had mutual friends that I wasn’t even aware of.   I think I barely know just over 200 folks.   This is a testament that you can have so many friends, be a “good” person according to the world, but still feel lonely at times.   K would tell me about his personal problems and just not being totally happy.  He was just going through life mainly for his kids.  My friend “I” on the other hand, was fighting for her life.  She so desperately wanted to be healed and God could do that but He had other plans for her.  After meeting Mr. Right, she wanted so much to live out the rest of her life on earth with him, serving the Lord, etc.   These two lives really touched me to the point that I really feel the urgency to do more with mine.  It shook me up that really our lives here are so short.   The world wants us to live it up, try everything for hedonistic pleasure but as believers we have to do more than just that one mission trip or volunteering sporadically.  I think he wants me to be radically on fire for Him.  No fear but completely trust Him…

So the other night at our moms and dads bible study I attend, we’re going through a video series on raising kids.  The lesson was about how our culture focuses on providing our kids experiences vs. nurturing relationships.  How we are so caught up in the busyness of all the sports events, musical lessons, trips, etc.  I’m the first to admit that I try to provide a diversity of experiences for my son.  In essence, I’m trying to give him more of what I didnt have growing up.   Plus, I’m giving him what I did get too.  I do recall the most memorable family moments growing up were dinnertimes and vacations.  I want the same and perhaps in more frequency for my son.   I justify my actions that hubby and I are not as young as other families and started off late.  We figure we should do whatever we can while we can. 

I realize my son has been to Disney and flew on a plane more times in his 3 years than I did before I turned 18.  I admit that our annual Disney passes are just as much for me as they are for him.   Perhaps, I’m being a kid again whenever we go to D-land.  Hubby said it was a treat growing up to go to Disney.  Now it’s the norm to have an annual pass.  I didnt want to succumb to the commercial excess of Disney but I broke down partly to keep up with the Yamadas and partly to ensure I wasn’t depriving him of a happy childhood.

The best revelation came when after a fun because- we -had-company but otherwise, garish and underwhelming trip to Vegas, my son declares to me during his nightly bath, “Mommy, I dont like it there.  I like home.”   Tears welled up in my eyes and I thought that’s all I want…that my kid likes coming home and finds it to be a source of comfort.   I only hope that this feeling continues into his teens. 

I also recall fond memories of relatives coming over or us going over to relatives homes’ during the holidays.  Sure it got boring esp being the oldest of most of my cousins and having to either babysit, help set up the table or do the dishes, etc., but the best part is that my cousins are more like my other siblings.  Each one has that special bond with each other with memories that will last a lifetime.

What is it with the F bomb being dropped so regularly in casual convos?  And is WTH less worse than WTF?  Personally, “hell” is a bad word in my vocab (years of conditioning from mom) ,so I feel guilty even saying that. 

Is it just me or do more peeps swear more regularly?  Has this become the norm?   I see it on FB all the time.  Is it a generational thing?   I notice that the new so-called Millenials generation swear like it’s nothing.  Like an overused cliche, the f bomb just causes me to stop focusing on the subject. 

It totally cracks me up to hear “frack” replacing the f bomb on tv.  Case in point, Battlestar Galactica.  Replacing the term distracts me to the point of LOL.  C’mon, how can I take this Sci Fi show seriously when I hear “frackin” whatever.  Or is it “frock”?  How about just not using the term at all?  The audience is predominantly geeky, so it’s safe to assume that the f bomb inference was implied.

I recognize that out of anger, the f bomb may inadvertently slip out of my lips, however, I just cant comprehend the overcasual use of the term in everyday language.   I’ve heard peeps using it in lieu of a proper adjective that would better describe the situation, person, etc.  Example:  that effin’ b’yatch effin said, effin did, on the effin thing, ef that!

Ok, you get the point.