Musings of an Unfinished Woman

Texting, Kindred Spirits and Spring Break!!

This post is in praise of texting, kindred spirits and spring break!

My second term of school ended yesterday…what a long three months this has been. Still waiting for two of my grades to be posted, but so far I have 5 A’s…which makes me happy! Going back to school has offered me the opportunity to meet new people, although the vast majority of students are younger than me, I’ve enjoyed getting to know so many different people. In my Digital Acquisition Class, we were put into groups. As a team, we had to create an advertising pitch for a specific product. The idea was that there would be one student from each of the four programs (digital photography, graphic design, video production and radio broadcasting). Our final presentation, where we “pitched” our product to the instructors and all the other students was yesterday. Oh my goodness…I was so thrilled to be finished with that project.

 

I can’t imagine working in a group setting like we did, trying to coordinate the schedules of four busy people, without texting. I clearly recall a conversation I had in 2007 with a group of friends who all had teenage girls. At the time, we didn’t have texting as part of our cell phone service. All four of my friends assured me that I would need to get on board the texting thing, but I wasn’t convinced, until we received a huge phone bill resulting from Shanna’s discovery of texting. Needless to say, we subscribed to unlimited texting for her and then for Russell and I. It truly is the way that teens communicate. I wasn’t big on texting until I got my new phone, the LGnv3 with its wonderful little keyboard. So, back to the school project…we discovered quickly that our best communication method was texting followed up by longer emails.

 

The whole group process gave me a new appreciation for people who step forward and go the extra distance. We started out with two guys (one in video and one in radio) and three women (two in graphic design and myself). Our video guy dropped out mid-term and the radio guy, well, let’s just say he’s a nice guy, very young and more committed to other aspects of his education than this class. Being the team leader meant that I spent a lot of time coordinating, communicating, pushing and nagging. However, the bright side of the story was how much I enjoyed working with Serina and Hunter. Serina is 24 and has rheumatoid arthritis but despite her disability, she’s an amazing graphic artist. For her age, she’s very “together” and was wonderful to work with. Then there was Hunter. I met her in my first term at MHCC. Sometimes, you meet someone and are instantly “drawn” to them…it's that feeling of being “kindred spirits” (from one of my favorite movie series, “Anne of Green Gables”). She’s an amazing musician, has a great sense of humor (an essential in life) and was so fabulous in getting this project done. She’s one of those people that I hope I have as a friend for a long time. While we have very different lifestyles, there’s that connection. Finding good friends, who accept you as you are, is such a gift.

 

It’s a beautiful sunny day and I have 10 days off…looking forward to sleeping in, getting creative in my scrap room, taking lots of photos, maybe even spending time with my girl…if she has time in her busy spring schedule for her Mom. Happy Friday!!

 

Why? Being Thankful

Another wonderful reminder of spring (don't you just love daffodils?!).

Why is it that when you CAN sleep in, you can't? Doesn't make sense...seems like our bodies would want that extra sleep, but no...after years of getting up at 5 am, my body seems adjusted to getting up at that time. Admittedly, I am a morning person and can get more done in the morning than later in the day.

Why is it that children, regardless of age, announce that tomorrow is their band concert (where was the parent notice?), and by the way, she has a collage that she needs to "whip up" by Wednesday. Hello, how long have you known about these two events? I thought that by this time in her schooling (senior year), she would be more on top of things...not so much. Spring break is next week and since I've been in school full-time, I'm looking forward to a week off...have nothing planned...sleeping in (ha ha), perhaps getting some scrapping done. Spring seems to be here and don't you just love daylight savings time? It was after 7:00 last night before it was dark...love that!!

It seems that there's always someone in our life who needs that extra prayer or a RAK...I'm working on being more conscious of that kind of thing. The Grandma of one of my dear ladies in my life group is in the hospital and not expected to make it. One of Shanna's good friends from school, who is a sophomore, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is starting chemo this week. Shanna hasn't really had to deal with this kind of situation. From what I hear, the doctors think they've caught it early enough and that the chemo will work...praying for peace and healing.

 
Gratitude…more aware of what you have than what you don’t. Recognizing the treasure in the simple…a child’s hug, a golden sunset, relishing in the comfort of the common.

Be thankful today for health...for life...for friendship...for the everyday things that we each take for granted. Life is so very precious. My prayers are with Felicia and with Cindy's Grandma.

Friendship

Happy Friday!

 

Having a day off…no school, no obligations, is rare and really wonderful. One of the things that seem to suffer with insanely busy schedules are our friendships. I have spent some time thinking about friends and how precious they are. So why is it that we (women) take so little time for ourselves, for nurturing ourselves and our relationships (not just friends but marriages too)? For so many years, I spent so much time working and didn’t make time for friends. It’s hard to get through life if you don’t have friends who love you, who will stand beside you in good times and bad. While I’m not one of those people with a ton of friends (my daughter has 447 contacts in her phone…how could she possibly know that many people??), but the friends I do have are there for me, and I for them. I’ve learned that friendship isn’t necessarily convenient, but it’s about being there, being willing to go out of your way for a friend.

 

My friend Sue came over today to scrapbook. It’s been awhile, since my 50^th birthday party last September since we’ve spent time together, but we’ve been in touch by email. We spent the first two hours just talking…catching up, laughing, sharing health and life issues (spouse and children)…you know! It was wonderful. Being with a good friend is so therapeutic. When I opened the door, I told her how cute she looked. She was wearing a comfy outfit with slippers and she made the comment that she could come over and be herself with me. Isn’t that how friendship should be? Isn’t it wonderful to have a few close friends in your life that you can be you…all the wrinkles, personality flaws, less than perfect parenting moments…and they will give you a hug and share their own stories, commiserate and offer advice and sympathy. I love that. I didn’t get much scrapping done…made 8 cards but more, I was able to be me and talk about stuff going on in my life with someone who would be honest with me. There’s nothing like some good girl time to heal the soul and regain some perspective on life. Thanks Sue!!

 

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great weekend!!

Music and Spring

I just realized that Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend, which makes me deliriously happy. I LOVE it when it's lighter outside. We've had some great spring days and while today is wet and windy, I have some fabulous photos I took on Saturday to share.

 
Spring is God thinking in gold, laughing in blue and speaking in green. 

 

Our daughter Shanna is in the Jazz band at her school and on Tuesday night, they played at Jimmy Mak's and fronted for the Mel Brown band. My sweet girl had a solo...don't you just love those moments of pure happiness when your child is using her God-given talents and everything is right with the world. I love that the kids are being exposed to the wonderful music of the big band era...Buddy Rich, Cole Porter. Good stuff.

Happy Thursday...only two days of school left for me this term. Looking forward to a bit of time off. Hoping to get some scrapping done and learn how to use Photoshop Elements 8 (I tried Photoshop CS4 and hated it!).

 

Ups and Downs

Today has been one of those days…a little sunshine, some rain…actually it’s been more ups and downs today. I had a physical therapy appointment this morning for my knee…I have osteo-arthritis and for whatever reason, my knee pain has flared up, which means that I’m in pain. Kneeling down to take photos for a school project has exacerbated the problem so my physical therapist wants me to avoid stairs whenever possible, continue my knee exercises and…use a walking stick/cane to take the pressure off. I came out of the appointment numb and avoiding the thought of needing a “walking aid”. On my way home, I get a phone message from a recruiter who saw my resume on MonsterJob.com…it’s an “administrative-coordinator” position in a small office close to home so tomorrow, I have a phone interview. This is a huge, well-known company with a great history…the opportunity came out of nowhere. My unemployment is running out in three weeks, and while it may be renewed, I need to be pro-active, so on Monday, I created my resume and posted it online. I’m really praying that God will lead me to just the right job…being close to home is important to me and I want to be in a small office environment rather than in huge impersonal workplace. Honestly, I’m ready to go back to work…IF it’s the right time…otherwise, I will continue attending school. So, here I am, icing my knee and back, shopping online for a “walking stick”, in tears and thankful for good insurance, upset that at the age of 50, I need a walking assistance, thankful that my resume is already being viewed. I’m a jumble of emotions today…if I didn’t know otherwise, I would think it was hormonal…but it’s just life!

Being Worthy

I haven’t blogged in ages. I’ve been trying to keep up with all my classes (taking 16 credit hours is a much heavier load than I anticipated!) and I’ve learned some truths about myself this semester. As much as I wanted to love the Digital Photography program, it just wasn't right for me and after meeting with advisors, I have switched to the Office and Project Management program. I love photography and assumed that love would translate into a new career path. Trying to learn Photoshop and Dreamweaver was an exercise in futility for me - it was like learning a foreign language without a guide. Between having to purchase additional expensive equipment and hating the technical aspects of photography, it was becoming a dreaded job, not a passion, and I don't want to hate something I love.

 

I need to acknowledge that I am very good with office and administrative work. I am very competent at organizing and event management, so I am concentrating on enhancing my current skills to get a job that will fit my skills and talents. One of the classes that has been surprisingly difficult is my Writing class. I’ve always loved to write and haven’t ever had a difficult time putting my thoughts down. This class was all about making x = y thesis statements and writing about a “value”. We had to evaluate other classmates written assignments. Apparently, I’m too “verbose and wordy”. Talk about taking the fun out of writing. I just submitted my final paper for writing and am back to blog writing, where hopefully, I won’t be criticized for my writing techniques, style and lack of “value”.

 

Speaking of not being good enough…why is it that we (speaking mostly to women) find ourselves always trying to measure up to something that is often unattainable? One of my favorite blogs belongs to author, scrapbooker and artist, Ali Edwards. Today she wrote “You are Worthy: You are Enough”, which is the subject of a new DVD by Dr. Brene Brown, entitled “The Hustle for Worthiness”. Why do we feel we have to justify ourselves? Dr. Brene writes:

“Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone; I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.”

 

Have you ever felt that way? I believe so much that God created each of us in His image and He loves us just the way we are…so why do we not love ourselves? I am struggling with that very issue…

· I am overweight

· I don’t have a job

· My daughter is having eating issues, what can I do to fix it?

 

So just for today, I want to embrace the idea that “I am worthy now”. Check out Dr. Brene’s blog and join me in acknowledging and believing in your worthiness.