Disclaimer: this blog post may be a stream of consciousness… be aware, tangents may ensue. 😉
SCENE: Right now, it’s 68 degrees, there’s a slight breeze, I’m sitting out on my patio, writing, I have a Magic Hat Circus Boy in hand [in a Christopher Newport University alumni coozie], my dog is sleeping at my feet, and I’m listening to a mix tape I found that I had made in the summer of 1993. Yes, an actual cassette tape with songs recorded from the radio. [WPGC 95.5 and 93.9 WKYS, FTW!]
Thumbs up for painted Elvi
I worked for 14 hours straight today, yet I’m totally relaxed. This is the first time this has happened in easily, uhh, a while. For those of you that know me, those of you that don’t, and those of you who just read this blog, you may or may not know that a lot has changed in the past year. A lot. Some good, some bad, some happy, some sad, but needless to say, I’m a stronger person now than I was 365 days ago.
And the truth is, I’ve been incredibly stressed lately. Like, I honestly think the last time I felt this much stress for this amount of time, was my senior year of college when I was going through all that stuff. (Not going to rehash it all… I’ll simply link to the blog post where I discuss it.) Loss of sleep, migraines, back pain, the works – I’m going through it all right now. I’m not complaining by any means – life is a “rollercoaster” (or some shitty cliche like that) – and good and bad happens. It’s how you deal and how you handle it that matters.
So, to not digress any further than I already have, and in this solitary moment of relaxation I seem to have found, I wanted to “Yes, And!” the awesome day I’ve had and list the things that for realsies make me swoon (i.e. things I lurve):
Spending time with my family
A Diet Coke from the soda fountain
Crushed ice
Chipotle burritos
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds LIVE recordings
Writing
A really good laugh
Romantic comedies
LOST
24
A really good heart-to-heart with someone
The way my dog licks my face in the morning to wake me up (even though her breath STINKS)
Even though I hate running, the way I feel after a long run
Naps
Walking on the beach holding my flip flops in my left hand
Comedy bits
New York City
Getting flowers when I least expect it
Spending time with my best friends in the whole wide world and giggling for hours
The feeling I get when I’ve just played in an amazing improv set (it’s like no other feeling in the world)
Sleeping with my window open and waking up a little bit cold so I have to put another blanket on
Watching old home videos or looking at old pictures
Googling my mom and reading old pieces of her writing or news articles about her and remembering her for just 5 minutes
Telling “you had to be there” stories
Holding an impromptu dance party… anywhere
Taking a longer than necessary shower
Using a brand new toothbrush or brand new tube of toothpaste
The way a brand new magazine/book smells
Karaoke
Sitting outside at night and staring up at the moon