Updates, Upsets, and Blessings

Updates

I have returned! I apologize for my sporadic blogging habits. Over the summer, I tend to neglect my blog. (Bear with me if there are any missing 'T's in his post...my key seems to be sticking!)

Mulder

Now that the school year has resumed, I can finally relax and keep myself sufficiently busy writing papers, seeing friends, and working regularly. Actually, this motivates me to blog more. Probably because there's more to write about!

Here's my summer recap in five words: Sister, Bored, Alaska, Skydiving, Waiting.

The summer has concluded and we've dipped into the fifty-sixty degree weather that I love. I got a kitten last Tuesday, as well! He's adorable, but he's quite the handful, and my cat Pepper isn't enjoying the new company. I've also acquired a new job, which is working out wonderfully.


Upsets

It's been a wild weekend. (It really hasn't. I don't like to leave the house.) However, I did happen to step out of my comfort zone and attend a hot yoga class with my sister Nancy. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, hot yoga is where they heat the room to some outrageous temperature above 100 degrees and make you exercise. Needless to say, it's not my cup of tea. I had to take plenty of breaks. I was basically a big, hot rain cloud of sweat during this class.

After that finished up, I did feel good. Light and energetic, tired in that nice way that tells you you did something. But i will not be going again anytime soon. I'll stick to my half hour to an hour runs, thanks.

After this yoga class, we stopped at Jewel so I could grab dinner. We were in the cracker aisle when a man walked up to us and said something along the lines of "Man, I must be in the beauty aisle!"

My sister and I laughed. I laughed because I had no idea what he was talking about. Make-up products?? These are Wheat Thins and Triscuits. You can find beauty products a few aisles over if you're looking...

Apparently, he was complimenting our looks.

Fine.

What wasn't fine was when he looked us up and down and suggestively said "Damn girl! Uhn!"

No. nOnonononon nooooooooo. At first I laughed because that's my nervous reaction, and I fully processed what he said once he had already passed me--far too closely. After that I felt absoultely disgusted and furious. I was angry with myself for not catching on quicker and telling him off, which is what I would have loved to have done.

I am simply sick of disgusting men who are old enough to be my father acing as if I'm looking at Cheez-Its just so he can look at me. Absolutely not. I'm here for the processed cheese crackers, thanks.

The encounter put me off for the rest of the day.


Blessings

It was the next morning that righted my attitude. I was making my way downtown (Palatine), walking fast...to the Farmer's Market.

A man in black wearing a beret and some kind of silver necklace, which I am guessing denoted him as a religious authority of some kind, climbed out of his car. Almost as he set his foot down on the pavement, he surprised me with his enthusiastic greeting. "Bless you, my child."

Need I explain my nervous laughter again? I giggled and said a quick "hello" back, to which he responded with a joke about his attire. Then I regained my wits and thanked him.

This exchange was a vast contrast to that in the grocery store. I myself am not very religious, but I always appreciate any offering of goodwill. It was enough to change my mood, the warmer feeling extending even into this moment.

Since that brief encounter, I've taken note of the positive things that have happened in my life. I found two perfect blank unlined journals, which is hard to do since I am picky with my writing tools. Even better, one of them happened to be marked with the wrong price. I paid half of what I'd expected to.

It's strange how one small event can impact our outlook on the day, life and society. From here, I hope my week remains positive.  How you face a situation can determine its outcome and the effect it has on your attitude.