5 things I'm thankful for are right this second are...
1. Peeps who love me. I'm not going to question it (though at many times it seems kind of crazy), but I'll just soak it up. :-)
2. A quenched thirst. Even if, as Angela says, "God saw you were thirsty and sent you a tsunami," I'd rather have too much than nothing at all. Bring on the rain!
3. Music. You know.
4. Things to look forward to. Way underrated. Way appreciated.
For as long as I can remember, Monday has been the dreaded day for everyone (who says anything about Mondays, at least).
I've decided that I'm going to start taking an international friend's approach to Mondays: look at them as the beginning of something new -- time for productivity, or as she says, "a reboot."
Isn't that a great perspective?
You're welcome to join me as I try to adopt Sheetal's perspective. :-)
This is absolutely one of my favorite songs, probably because it reminds me of my crazy-wonderful friends throughout the various stages of my life.
I have been inordinately blessed by always having been surrounded by incredible people. I'm not sure how that happened, or why, because goodness knows I haven't deserved it. But I've had such amazing friends, whether forever friends, dating relationships, or seasonal friendships.
So this song really makes me think of all my fabulously spotless friendships through the years -- from those lifelong relatives/friends, to my precious kindergarten & elementary school peeps, to those crazy kids from d'Iberville, to church friends from over the years, to the BSU crowd at J.D., to the Melrose Place apartment buds in Hattiesburg, to the crew at First Baptist Jackson, to my Brandon girls, to all the lovely Baton Rouge cajun peeps, to the priceless once third-party ancillary friendships that thankfully just stuck despite ended relationships, to the many friendships I've developed in work settings along the way.
For those forever friends... You know who you are, and why you're in that category, and why you couldn't shake me if you tried. Many of my relatives are best friends, and my sister is at the top of that list. Why I got to grow up with her, and with my cousins who are hilariously integral to my world, I will never know. But I'm grateful beyond measure for that. There's nothing quite like knowing you'll be loved unconditionally by the people who have literally known you your whole life.
For those seasonal friendships: I used to really be confused by and hate that friendships and relationships ever had to end. I wondered why everything can't be forever. (Sometimes I'm 6. It could be worse.) But what you contributed to my life at the time.... wow. I'm incredulously thankful for what we shared, and I've grown to be so thankful that it had its own timeframe. Some things aren't meant to last, and would not end well if they did last longer. I pray you're in a good place, that your memories of our time together are as sweet as mine, and that you're contributing the best of you, even now.
For those who left this world long before I made enough memories with you: Thank you for sharing yourself with me. I'll see you again one day, and our time won't ever end.
To all: I'm amazed to have been and to be part of your world. I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you!
I said remember this moment
In the back of my mind
The time we stood with our shaking hands
The crowds in stands went wild
We were the kings and the queens
And they read off our names
The night you danced like you knew our lives
Would never be the same
You held your head like a hero
On a history book page
It was the end of a decade
But the start of an age
Long live the walls we crashed through
All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
I was screaming, "long live all the magic we made"
And bring on all the pretenders
One day we will be remembered
I said remember this feeling
I passed the pictures around
Of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines
Wishing for right now
We were the kings and the queens
You traded your baseball cap for a crown
When they gave us our trophies
And we held them up for our town
And the cynics were outraged
Screaming, "this is absurd"
'Cause for a moment a band of thieves in ripped up jeans got to rule the world
Long live the walls we crashed through
All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
I was screaming, "long live all the magic we made"
And bring on all the pretenders
I'm not afraid
Long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life
Fighting dragons with you
I was screaming, "long live the look on your face"
And bring on all the pretenders
One day we will be remembered
Hold on to spinning around
Confetti falls to the ground
May these memories break our fall
Can you take a moment
And promise me this:
That you'll stand by me forever
But if God forbid fate should step in
And force us into a goodbye
If you have children someday
When they point to the pictures
Please tell them my name
Tell them how the crowds went wild
Tell them how I hope they shine
Long live the walls we crashed through
I had the time of my life with you
Long, long live the walls we crashed through
All the candlelight shined just for me and you
And I was screaming, "long live all the magic we made"
And bring on all the pretenders
I'm not afraid
Singing long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life
Fighting dragons with you
And long, long live the look on your face
And bring on all the pretenders
One day we will be remembered
Along with most of America, I've been watching a lot of football these past few months.
(And, along with most of my region and family and friends, I was highly excited about LSU's Cotton Bowl win last night and sadly disappointed about the Saints' wild card playoff loss today.)
But I digress.
As football season quickly dwindles away for 2010-2011, I've become more and more aware of "the two-minute warning." I can't count the number of times I've heard that statement in football and wished that more facets of this game of life contained a heads-up for what's about to happen: prime time to make pertinent decisions, a glimpse that the end is in sight, or just the chance to wind down from the past (often very emotional) game that's occurred.
That two-minute warning.
Man, the times I could've used that. I'm guessing I'm not alone in this, and that we all would appreciate a little advance notice -- before the slam of a door, the opening of a window, the end of a game, the opportunity to make a crucial play.
I guess the bottom line is that we don't get a two-minute warning in life, but we do get a heads-up. Vibes, gut feelings, prompting by the Holy Spirit -- I've heard them referred to by many names and in many forms.
In the Communications/PR field, it's common to create plans for crisis situations. It's also recommended. And while it's highly unlikely (and a little freaky-sounding) to do the same for every possible personal crisis, I am learning more and more that it is really incredibly wise to be prepared. That way, when the two-minute warning (slash nudge slash gut feeling slash sixth sense) comes around, we're not caught so off-guard. We can start taking deep breaths, looking to the future instead of beginning what can turn into an endless dwelling on what's about to happen.
This might sound jaded, but I'm going to start thinking a little more about being prepared for that two-minute warning before it comes.
Knowing the future is near, being optimistic about it, putting myself in gear for good times ahead, and wrapping up my current game/status/situation. That can't be too bad, right?
Let's hope not. Because this year, for this redhead, focus is the name of the game.
Watch out, ADHD thoughts and tendencies! You're about to get a run for your money!
5 things I'm thankful for are right this second are...
