I HAVE EVERYTHING!

I feel a bit sheepish as I glance over last week’s blog. After I hit "send" last week, it occurred to me my counselor would have asked me to think about what I do have. So here are just a few things that come to mind. Please understand they are addressing the complaints from last week. I am very grateful for my family, health, home, food – a very long list.

I have the opportunity to work with an organization I feel really passionate about: working with kids who would benefit from adult mentoring. Now that makes my heart sing. Kids make my heart sing.

I prayed for the chance to take on some change in my life. Boy, am I getting that opportunity. I’m seeing from this past week that I can succeed; that it’s okay to have failures (while not fun, it is progress in the perfectionist department); and that having the support of wizard techno people to help me with my Cra- – I mean Blackberry issues has saved my sanity.

I am still struggling with the crabby virus this week, but I am fortunate to have family and friends who are patient. I am hearing myself more in the midst of my crabbiness and apologizing quicker (at least I hope so – confirmation, dear?).

So to quote a wise sixth-grader from his first English paper of the year, “I’m not perfect, but I’m going to keep trying new things and having fun.” Thanks, buddy.

I HAVE NOTHING!

Over the last couple days I’ve tried to sit down to write my weekly blog and realize I’m stumped. I have nothing. I’m on information overload.

Throughout the last couple weeks I have: officially started my new volunteer position three days a week; started to learn Word and Excel; received an offer for a paid writing assignment and an opportunity to review a show at Indy Fringe Festival; my kid started school; and to top it off, I’ve switched over to the dark side – yes, a Blackberry. Have I mentioned before I am technologically inept? Email and court reporter software was the extent of my knowledge for over a decade.

I am 100 percent excited about all of these latest developments (except my kid starting school), but with these opportunities comes a high amount of stress with my learning curve. Add to that my perfectionist personality, phew. I’ve been snapping at my family, defensive, all-around crabby. Every bump in the road gets blown way out of proportion.

The one consistency through all of this is I stopped running before my summer trips due to a minor injury. Since the trips I’ve been making excuses as to why I haven’t started again – too busy, too hot out, feeling rundown. Well, not anymore! I started today. I was so frazzled, I threw on the shoes (screw the 80-degree weather) and ran. So it didn’t feel all that fabulous (lungs screaming – legs jelly), yet I am a little calmer, and I’m glad I’m finally back to doing something I love and makes me feel so much better.