Days that set you back can be turned into motivation to gain momentum and move forward and be productive the following several days in a row.
This semester is going to whiz by so fast. I’m excited, scared, happy, and sad about it all at once.
I watched the rest of the second half of the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring tonight with my parents. Now I’m watching the second half all over again, this time with the actors’ commentary. (HAHA)
I thought I’d write today because it’s been a few days since I’ve written. Not much has happened, although today I was rather productive. I woke up early (9:30=early?), then went to the living room couch and fell asleep for another hour and a half. Then I woke up again, ate breakfast, and started my day. I went outside and started to pull weeds growing in the grass– I really want to get rid of a large portion of them before my return to Orlando. After, I bathed Daisy (I bathed Luna yesterday).
The latter half of the day I worked on sanding a chair so that it can later be stained and glossed over to match the furniture in our house. Our neighbor’s two granddaughters came over and helped me sand the chair, all the while ripping the strips I had cut because they were applying too much pressure to the see-saw like strokes that I demonstrated. My sister had left some green nail polish lying around, so the girls wanted to paint their nails (of course). The older one, 9, ended up spilling the polish on the garage floor, and the younger one, about 6 years old, was consistently restless. I was relieved when my dad came home from work as he helped me entertain the girls.
Much to my surprise, they were determined to play this game: Let’s-go-around-the-house-and-guess-which-things-are-antiques-and-which-are-not. I asked myself, “For real?” LOL The older one was really into it, and she was really good too. It also proved another purpose in that I learned a lot about my dad’s antiques, and I stood corrected about a couple of items in my house that I had always believed to be antiques. Not a bad game to play, Molly, not a bad game at all..
When we sat down for dinner, the little one had found Daisy’s collar in the bathroom, (since I had taken it off to wash her), and she decided to latch it around her neck and act, yes, as a puppy. (1- Daisy’s not a puppy anymore, and 2- yes, Daisy’s collar actually fit around Lexi’s little neck).
Needless to say, for dinner she was quite hyper, and proceeded to stab her rice with her fork, poke her fingers in her food, and lick her milk repeatedly from her glass. It was an interesting night. The most stress came when they found my beloved Russian Matryoshka dolls and wanted to take them apart and then put them back together– in the fastest time possible.
I wonder if there’s anything to say from the fact that all the while the girls were here and touching, poking, and lifting all our antiques or belongings, I winced and freaked out more often than my dad. Maybe I just need to relax..
I’m in Orlando right now, kicking stones (no, not literally), bored inside my sister’s new house. She has the car, I am car-less, I can’t go anywhere. I’m thinking maybe I should make myself useful and help her clean this room, since she just moved in yesterday. This house has more potential than I’ve given it credit for in the past. I’m surprised with myself with how excited I am for my sis and her new living arrangement.
I have so much coming up ahead of me. I hope I can make some important life decisions in the next five months about what I’ll be doing for the next five years with a wise and insightful frame of mind. Whatever I do, I hope I’m happy and that I make a lot of money and that I don’t have any regrets. HAHA -doesn’t everyone?
This has been a really good summer for me. A relaxing one, a clearing-of-the-mind one, and a friends and family-reuniting one.
I still have SO much to learn about life, I can’t wait.
I should use this blog not only as an outlet to talk about my everyday events, but maybe also as a “counseling session” of sorts to talk (er, write) out my thought processes on where I see myself going in life.
Despite years of rejecting people’s suggestions that I would make a really good teacher, I’ve really been thinking about perhaps teaching for a little bit (but definitely not as a lifelong career). Either history, government, or social studies of some sort at a middle or high school level, or perhaps world geography at any level.
Maybe I could teach English in a foreign country, i.e. Spain, and in turn learn the language to a completely proficient level.
I see myself also working at a consulate or embassy, or in some way representing the United States for all its glory amidst all its ugliness. I love my country more than I ever have, and I want to help make it a better place. I want to be a part of the movement that falsifies this pathetic stereotype of the fat, blissfully ignorant, doesn’t-know-when-to-stop-consuming American. Ugh, PLEASE PEOPLE– CONSERVE!!
I am going to teach my future kids to never run the water while brushing their teeth (no need!), turn lights off when they’re not being used, recycle, buy and eat only as much as they need, not run the shower 5 minutes before getting in to “warm it up” (that’s nonsense), learn to appreciate exercise and being fit and healthy, and just teach them how to be globally-conscientious environmentalists.
Ok my sister is going to feed me now.
My neck hurts right now. For the past half hour I picked up the violin for the first time in probably at least an entire year. It felt good to pick it up again, as well as nostalgic. Today I went to the beach with my cousins and Tia Chila and Tio Carlos. I had a great time.
I love the beach, but I hate the nuisance that is sand.
I think I’ll update when I’m feeling more creative.
I don’t deliberately not follow the advice of others for a targeted purpose of being disobedient. I do take everyone’s word into contemplation, but the hardest consideration above all others to not take into account is that of my own, because it speaks the loudest. People give me advice paralleled with what they see best for me because they love me, and I know this. I also know everyone’s perspective on life is different, and no one else has experienced mine except for me. I therefore have information that no one else has- information that would be impossible to repeat precisely and make others understand just as I understand it- and with that known, I know I am the only one who is capable of making these fully-involving decisions about which direction to take in life.
I know I am still a young adult, and that is probably the largest factor that makes me question the wisdom of my decisions. Maybe I haven’t lived life long enough yet to realize my mistakes as I walk straight into them blindly. I hate saying, “That’s part of growing up,” because I’m not particularly the adventurous type- the one to test if the burner is hot by touching it. I believe when people tell me that the burner is hot, I really do. However, before me, I don’t see a burner. I see a young soul yearning and begging for a second chance, to right what was wrong, and to erase the past by living truthfully in the present and future. I see hope. I do not enjoy inflicting pain upon myself, and that is never my intention, and although that’s how others may see my decisions, I am taking a leap of faith that what I’m dealing with is different. I hope and pray this leap isn’t a foolish one. In fact, I hope and pray this isn’t a leap of faith, but a calculated jump taken with mathematical consideration. I will learn soon enough if it is.
Some people learn huge lessons in life after they make one big error, an error that they will never repeat again. For some people, that’s all it takes– one time down the wrong road, and it was so ugly there that they never go back. Others, however, might repeat their errors, and once the second time has been committed, then a chronic ‘error-maker’ is on your hands. That’s the only point in time, I believe, I’ll know I’m dealing with something dangerous. That’s when I’ll know that, albeit all the information that only I was privvy to, it was useless. That’s when I’ll take a step back just as everyone initially suggested. That’s when I’ll learn my lesson.
The sadder part is, were this latter circumstance to occur, when will he learn his?
~-~-~-~
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost
Something I think I’ll never understand about my family is their constant habit of placing their junk in my room when I’m not around. It’s like the best quick fix in the house. When I first went away to college and Jessica was still in high school, I’d come home during holidays to find that all of her reject and ugly clothes found their way into my closet and drawers. Wedding souvenirs from cousins and cassette tapes (no one uses them anymore!) of yoga found their ways into my vanity drawers, (credit goes to mom), and the huge rolled up rug that once took place behind the elegant sofa in the living room is now fit snugly alongside one of my walls, (credit goes to dad).
Going to France for five months straight must’ve been a glorious let’s-throw-our-junk-into-nana’s-room-instead-of-getting-rid-of-it fest for my entire family. I distinctly remember clearing out my drawers before I left and when I returned, of course, I magically couldn’t get my top drawer open anymore due to junk finding its way back in while I was gone. My closet also had junk in it that wasn’t there before since I had left.
Then my family takes a vacation to Ohio. My sister and I returned five days after my parents, so of course, since I wasn’t there for five days, my parents saw the opportunity to put the empty suitcases into my room, as if that’s where they belonged!
I mean HONESTLY!!!!!
I probably keep the least junk of everyone in this family (or if not, I at least keep it the most organized), so I guess my parents and sister see that as an excuse to place their junk (instead of having to bear parting with it because that would be too painful) in my room.
I need to find a way to end this.
Yesterday my sister and I slept over my uncle Jerry’s house and then the next morning our cousin Chris came and picked us up to hang at his place. I played so much badminton, I’m in pain! I can’t believe how fast all his kids are growing up- it’s amazing.
Today we’re having a cookout at my cousin Nick’s new house. It’s Day #4 of family get-together time. Day 1 was the wedding (which was pretty much an all-day event), Day 2 was the boat picnic day, Day 3 was the cookout at my cousin Chris’ house, and now Day 4 is Nick’s. I could go like this for the rest of the time here, haha. (uhh.. probably not though).
It’s been so good to catch up with all of our cousins and aunts and uncles. I bought three little beanie babies for all the baby great grandchildren. I don’t want this week to end. I think I underestimate how happy I could actually be if I lived here.
I am finally in Ohio after a semi-hectic day of traveling. I say “semi-” but I’m not sure why because I can’t really think of other traveling days that are more hectic, but I guess the positive side of me says, “it could have been worse.” I am SO tired but I don’t want to go to sleep until it’s time. I’m really excited to have access to my grandparents’ subscriptions to TIME, U.S. News Worldly Report, National Geographic, and Newsweek. I’ll be reading a lot here!
My cousin’s wedding is on Saturday. I can’t wait to see all of my family, and I’m especially looking forward to seeing little Alexis! I’m excited to see how much she’s grown in the past year and from what my aunt tells me, she blabs up a storm and asks for affection from even the nurses at the doctor’s office. What a little socialite!
The weather here is beautiful, we had a safe plane ride, and I just ate a great homemade meal. There’s nothing to complain about- I am so grateful to be here surrounded by family that I love who I’m lucky to see once a year if at all.
Well, I suppose I can hope I’ll have a little patience whatwith all the O’Reilly Factor that I’ll have no choice but to watch…
Today my mom called me from her cellphone while she was on a walk and asked me to meet her where she was and to bring a bag with me. I knew what she was up to. I called Luna and Daisy for the short car ride, and about 300 yards into our little adventure, the car stops. Luckily my mom was within sight, walking with the bottom of her shirt curled up holding the mound of mangoes she had collected from front yards where they were destined to rot anyway. We ended up having to call my dad and sister to come and help out, and with the car in neutral, my parents and I pushed the car back home while my sister steered. We all agreed it was a good thing it broke down where it did and not on some busy road or even worse, the highway.
Since I wasn’t here for most of spring, I’ve been doing “summer” cleaning. Ohio in three days…
