What a week. Back to school routine has gotten off to a rough start, and my work schedule, as nice as it's been, is now a full-time schedule and closing me in on 40 hours every week. I am glad to have the full-time benefits and pay (no pay increase, Thanks Obama!), but of course that does mean I actually have to show up 5 days a week instead of 4, and work full days instead of the 4 hour shifts I once got. I'm thankful to have a job, anyway.
There is lots of excitement going on next month, so I am preparing myself mentally for it this month. As you might have read from my July/August Road Trip Update, I am so far behind in the challenge that I need to make about 5 miles per day in September and October just to complete this and make it to the finish line! I am not one to quit, nor am I one to give up, so I will bust my ass any way I can to do this. Although it is not life or death, I tend to dramatize things and think that this is that type of situation, and this "time crunch" I feel just might be what I need to get my ass in gear to complete this.
And so, on to the weekly motivational. This week, I had a lot to learn about communication. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a talker, and do so loudly, proudly, and with lots of hand gestures. It occurred to me that in the interest of my sanity, my health, my marriage, and my life in general, that it may be time to shut up more often to truly listen to the world around me. I might be gabbing away and miss an important opportunity in my life, or I might mishear something that just may be crucial to understanding the person I am talking to, or maybe something truly beautiful is happening and I'm too busy talking to be an observer in the event.
So I ask you, how often do you stop talking and truly listen? Maybe not listening to words, but tone of voice, emotions, maybe just standing outside and listening to the sounds all around you? You might miss some beautiful sounds. Hearing my nephew's laughter tonight made my heart ache with how little I see him and how fast he's growing.
To make my point, I could be talking out loud to myself right now as I type this, which is something I do (I have a lot on my mind and talking out loud gets it off my chest even if John's not around to hear it!) Instead, I am quiet. I am listening to the clicks of my fingers on the keyboard. I am a fast, although not perfect typist. I am listening to the fan do its weird clicky thing, and now have another item for my Sunday honey-do list: dust the fan!
But, the most beautiful sound of all right now, is the sound of my car purring away next to me. And it's not a soft, pretty, purr; No, Patrice purrs so intensely it sounds like he is trying to start a lawnmower! And it is the most perfect sound I could hear right now. It means I am a good caretaker, that he loves me, and this sound can make even my darkest day a little brighter. When my grandmother passed away in December, Patrice was there to comfort me the only way he knew how. He laid on my chest, buried his head under my chin into my neck, and purred that heavy, deep purr until I had no more cry left in me. It was therapy. Patrice knows what I need, when I need it. Damn I love this cat!
