The Little Things

Quote: "There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." - Jane Austen

Boy is this quote true!

I've never liked to be gone ALL the time. I like my down time at home...and I've realized this again after the last month of being SUPER busy at work. This means that I've put in way more hours than I normally do and have gotten home later each night than I would have liked. This is always why I haven't posted a blog entry in almost a month! Yikes!

My "off" weekends I usually spend with my family, but even those weekends have been booked. It's kind of sad when I'm looking forward to being "on-call" and have to stay home at my apartment. Haha! So today I took the opportunity to sleep in (much later than planned...got a call at 4:45am and then didn't wake back up till 11:30am...oops!), do some cleaning around my apartment, and of course, watch some football!

Staying home definitely provides REAL comfort. I don't have to worry about saying the wrong things or making someone mad. I don't have to look a certain way or really do anything (if I don't want to). It's where I can relax and not worry (too much) about things. And THAT...is real comfort.

An Open Mind

Quote: "You can always trust information given to you by people who are crazy; they have an access to truth not available through regular channels." - Sheila Ballantyne

Alright, so I've already 'failed' at keeping up this blog every day. I guess I need to rethink my strategy. I thought about going back and writing a blog for each day this past week, but then I thought that would just be too much work...and probably not worth it. So...here I am, starting again. I'll lower my expectation to a post at least once a week. Let's see how that goes!

Now to the quote and the point of this blog. I don't like to think of people as 'crazy' per se...especially those who are mentally ill. Being called 'crazy' is more of a negative term, in my opinion.

If you have ever worked with someone who is legitimately mentally ill, you may have a different opinion. It can be a very strange thing when you listen to someone talk about seeing transparent spiders crawling on their walls or having someone tell you they fully believe they are God. Are they 'crazy'? In some sense, yes. Not quite put together right. But...that doesn't mean they are any less of a person. And sometimes? It makes me wonder "what if their view of the world is correct and mine is wrong"? What if the things I see are not real? Do I believe things that others would consider delusional? Boy...now THAT is a strange idea...

Found this picture online...just for laughs!

I'm not sure if I would always trust the information given to me by someone who is 'crazy'...but I would definitely acknowledge that they fully believe the information to be true. Because they do. And I know this from experience.

What Really Matters

Day 7
Quote: "I figure if I have my health, can pay the rent, and I have my friends, I call it 'content'." - Lauren Bacall

Content. I have actually used this word recently to describe how I feel. Just the other day we had to fill out professional development plans at work. One of the questions asked about our future plans. What do I want to do in the future? I talked with my supervisor and decided that where I am right now and what I'm doing...makes me content.

I am happy where I am and happy with what I'm doing. I'm living on my own, in my own apartment and am able to support myself. Although it's been pretty stressful lately, I have always been able to pay the bills. Yes, I have gotten some help from my family, but I try not to ask. I know they are there if I need them, which is a nice feeling.

So for the time being, I am content with where I am in my life. If it's not broken, why fix it? When the time comes, I'm sure I will take the next leap. But until then, I'm going to enjoy single life and living on my own. Life is good.

Learning To Give

Day 6
Quote: "Generosity with strings is not generosity: It is a deal." - Marya Mannes

People like to think they are helpful and giving, but in reality, many people are usually looking for something in return. Isn't that what is expected? You do something for someone and you automatically expect something back. But are you really helping someone else? Or are you just helping yourself by putting yourself in a position to make a personal gain. 

I'm not innocent in this matter. For example, at work I have offered to do things to help out without asking (verbally) for something in return. However, there's a part of me that would like people to notice and WANT to do something for me in return. And sometimes I even find myself annoyed if I don't hear even a 'Thank You'. I know I need to work on my thinking in this area. 

And there are times that  I balk at the sound/thought of donating money to charities. Not because I don't think they're a good cause, but because I'm barely getting by financially the way it is. I couldn't possibly give some away. Is this me being selfish? Partly...yes. Instead, I should try to find things to do that would not cost any money. And you should, too.

I challenge you, readers, to go out and and learn to give. Do something for someone else without even the slightest thought of getting something in return. I guarantee that you will feel better about yourself for doing it.

Helping Others

Day 5
Quote: "In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us. " - Flora Edwards

I can honestly say I love my job. I am able to directly help people in need and make a difference in someone's life, even if only for a few minutes on the phone. People who want to 'help' are the ones who get into the human service field. They want to make a difference.

But helping our clients is not the only way we help at my job. In my office/building, everyone helps everyone. Whether it be a last minute transport for a client or maybe just finding a phone number. It's the little things like that that make going to work easy. I know that when I go to work, I have people who are there to help and support each other, as well as the clients we serve.

My coworkers and I with a 106.7 Kix radio crew after our Bailey's Office Outing
 (We won lunch catered by Baileys paid for by 106 Kix radio. It was a blast!)

Is it always rainbows and butterflies? Well, no. There can be workplace drama just like any other job. However, it's how you react to those situations and what message you try to spread throughout. It's all in how you handle yourself in each situation. Set a good example. Be positive. Because it may not cure everyone's grief, but it will sure make it a lot easier to handle!

The Time is Now

Day 4
Quote: "Death twitches my ear. "Live," he says. "I am coming"."

I am not one to always go, go, go. I don't like to be rushed from one thing to another. I like time to sit and relax and think. Do things for myself. This mentality has problem hindered in expanding my social life, but I am OK with that (at least for right now).

But there are some things that I just WON'T pass up. Attending a Husker football game, for instance. I try to go to one every year to enjoy the atmosphere of tailgating and the roar for the sea of red. As a born and raised Nebraskan, being a Husker fan is in my blood. Today, with the help of a VERY awesome cousin, I found two tickets to the opening game on Saturday. I am going to be taking a friend who has never been to a Husker game (can you believe that?). He will get to see the balloon touchdown tradition one last time before it is banned due to the helium shortage. It is going to be AWESOME! And as much as I am not looking forward to getting up and leaving quite early Saturday morning to get down to Lincoln in time to do an ample amount of tailgating, I need to remember that the time is now.

Now is the time to take chances and to be adventurous. We don't know when our last day on Earth will be or when the Good Lord will call us home, so let's make the most of it. GO HUSKERS!

Exercising Self-Restraint

Day 3
Quote: "Half of the harm done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them." - T. S. Eliot

Not gonna lie...today was tough. I had a hard time keeping it together and not either screaming at someone or breaking down. It was just one of those days. Work didn't exactly go as planned and that wasn't even what topped it off. What almost tipped me over the boiling point was this:

After finding out I needed to make an unplanned trip out of town for work, I went out to my personal car to grab my license before getting into my agency car. As I'm walking up to my personal car, I see something written in the dust on my car. (Yes, my car is dirty and it's black, so it shows dirt well). I could almost not believe what I saw. Someone (no idea who or when it happened) had written "I [heart] Penis" on my side window and actually drew one below it. (see picture below). 

Seriously?! The immense immaturity of the human race is astounding. I'm sure that whoever did it was probably laughing quite hysterically while they were doing it, thinking they were being sooo cool and not thinking that it could harm anyone else. Nope. Not cool. Stupid and immature. I very much hope that when I have children of my own, they will not grow up to have that kind of disrespect and immaturity. I can only hope for as much with the rest of the youth of this world.

Working Hard

Day 2
Quote: "It is easier to demolish a house than to build one." - Irish Proverb

Oh, how true this is. Today I took on the task of "deep cleaning" my apartment. It took me all afternoon and I didn't even get done! (I still have my bedroom left) It always seems to take longer to clean the apartment than it does to make it dirty.

But...this quote doesn't just apply to house cleaning. It also applies to trust and relationships. It takes me quite a long time to fully trust someone (yes, I may have some trust issues) and once that trust is broken (even a little bit), you can't get it back. Something that took years to build is gone within seconds/minutes. I've learned from past experiences to not let my guard down, even if it feels safe. I work hard at building my friendships and relationships with family/friends. 

You will continue to build relationships throughout your lifetime and you will always be working hard and improving those relationships. Don't let one one stray stone topple everything that you have built. Because after all, it only takes seconds to bring down a lifetime of work.

Joy in Times of Hardship

Day 1
Quote: "Hope costs nothing." - Colette

In a time when everything seems to cost SOMETHING and the costs keep rising, it is hard to find things that DON'T cost anything. Even water has a price, especially when there is a drought (which we are currently experiencing).

One thing that does NOT cost, however, is hope. There is no expiration date on hope. You can never run out of hope. Hope is always there when you need it.

Hope is believing things will work out for the best.

I hope for a lot of things. I hope this drought will end. I hope rain will come. I hope I will be able to pay all my bills every month. I hope those who are always negative realize how their actions are not only hurting themselves, but everyone around them. I hope for a decent crop for my parents. I hope our restaurant/bowling alley receives enough business to stay open for many years. I hope my family is happy. I hope my friends know how much I care about them. I hope for contentment in life.

Hope is looking towards the future and believing that everything will be just fine.
There is always hope.

What An Idea!

I had a great idea while walking through the Hastings book store today! I should re-start this blog and do something entirely different with it. So here's the plan:

I picked up a book on positive quotes (see picture) and each day for the next year I'm going to (try) to blog about one of the quotes in the book. The blogs will chronicle my thoughts on life in relation to that quote, including stories and opinions. I have realized there is too much negativity in the world and I hope that this will help whoever reads it to become more positive. And of course...enjoy my stories! :)