Take That, Random Stranger!

Have you ever scared a random stranger so thoroughly that they literally appeared to be on the verge of a heart attack? I have. And I didn't even apologize. Cut me some slack though, because I was barely a teenager and I was absolutely mortified. Here's the story.

My sister had recently given birth and was still in the hospital. Mom and a few of my other siblings (I can't recall which ones) visited her one afternoon. As we were getting ready to leave, mom left before the rest of us to get in the car. We made our way to the parking lot a few minutes after she left, and I noticed our vehicle idling near the hospital entrance. Being the weird and obnoxiously energetic young teenager that I was, I ran up to the driver's side window where my mom was sitting with her head lowered, banged my hands on the window, and smashed my face against it while making some type of grotesque noise. I expected to see my startled mother looking back at me, but instead my eyes looked right into the terrified face of some random woman. Her expression was a mixture of horror and complete confusion. I could almost hear her eyes screaming "Why????". I think she may have peed herself.

Meanwhile, in my absolute mortification, I could not figure out how to react. So... I just walked away. I literally walked away with no hint of apology on my face and no outward sign of remorse even though I had just died a little bit from embarrassment. I can only imagine the stories that poor stranger had to tell about the heartless young girl who nearly gave her a heart attack in the hospital parking lot and then simply walked away with complete indifference. 

Life Is Hilarious!

My first post isn't remotely comical, but I felt it was important to write it. Life is so beautiful and hilarious and tragically glorious, but I have been missing out on all of it for a while. Sure, I was enjoying little moments of fun and experiencing happiness regularly, but I was slowly starting to lose myself to the pressures of life. Without noticing, I began to suppress the more creative and life-loving part of myself in favor of the more studious, hard-working part of myself that wants to get the debts paid off and the house clean. But I am tired of being entirely that person. I am ready for a rebirth of the person I used to be. The thought makes me giddy with excitement, and I want to share some of that excitement with the people I care about.

So, this blog is dedicated to those I love the most and who love me the most, despite my flaws and my annoying habits. This blog is for all of you who have continuously asked me to write down the funny happenings of my life so that you can laugh along with me. Heaven knows the world needs more humor, inspiration, and moments of free-spirited glee, so I am pledging to share at least one uplifting thought or smile-inducing moment every week. Let the journey begin! :)

Waking Up

I have been sleeping for a while. For years I have slowly allowed the stresses of life to overwhelm me and sedate a piece of my soul that I absolutely adore. I became so busy making a living that I forgot to live. REALLY live.

Since I have slipped into my slumber, the same sun has always risen each morning, but I haven't taken the time to appreciate and revel in its blazing and glorious beauty. The same winds have blown through my backyard trees, but I have been temporarily deafened to the way they whisper through the leaves as if revealing some precious secret that only the sincerest and simplest souls can hope to understand. The same enchanting world has surrounded me, but I have not allowed my heart to feel its calming and enlivening presence. Life has continued on, as beautiful as it ever was, but I haven't even noticed it. I have been sleeping.

But yesterday, something awakened in me. Perhaps it was the change in the weather and the crisp, pure winds that tousled my hair as I baby-stepped down a pebble-littered sidewalk with my beautiful daughter. Maybe it was the way her eyes lit up when several birds dive-bombed each other in free-spirited play before lighting on the branches of a gently swaying tree. It could have been the way the thunder clouds billowed in absolute power and enveloped the mountains that stand like sentinels over my modest home, or the scent of the falling rain as it washed away the earth's regrets and left it laying naked and pure like a newborn baby - the way my soul felt at that moment. 

I can't put my finger on it exactly, but something has slipped into my heart, pulled back the covers of indifference from my mind, and awakened a beautiful spark of who I once was. I played with my daughter without inhibitions yesterday, and I looked at my husband through grateful eyes and with renewed love. I have a long way to go still, but I am waking up. And life is beautiful.