July 4th
Happy Independence!
This is a picture of the card I sent my sister Cindy for her birthday. I love the sentiment.
Life is short!
I had a reminder of that last week when I met a woman, around my age, fighting cancer. Despite being in pain, she had an amazing warrior spirit. She was organizing and preparing for battle. She was taking care of herself and her family’s needs. I was in awe of her.
Life is short! I need to continue to live each day to its fullest. I need to not feel I’m in a perpetual state of waiting for the next chapter to start. I need to embrace this current chapter and enjoy every moment of it. I need to smile more.
To be honest, I did do a lot of laughing and smiling this month while I was…
Serving = 20 shifts! I worked three Saturday doubles. I even had a quadruple with a Friday evening, Saturday-double and Sunday brunch. I’ve added orthotics to my icing, Advil, Aspercreme routine. They definitely are helping! I also became the Monday night host which accounts for four of the twenty shifts. It’s not as much money as serving can be but it’s a fun role to play once a week.
Job Search = 12 applications, interviews, and my consulting gig! I continue to apply for interesting opportunities. I’ve had several conversations, online or via phone, in my efforts to be seen and heard as a viable candidate. I also continue to consult on multiple projects for Children’s Home & Aid. Yes, the money is wonderful but more importantly, I’m doing mission-driven work. I’m able to use my experience and education to support critical work for families in Illinois. It’s incredibly rewarding for me intellectually, emotionally and yes, financially.
Workout with Josh = 7 times! Although I did cancel one session for a nasty tendonitis flare up, I continue to train hard. I credit Josh’s training for getting me in form to work a quadruple. He’s tough and so am I!
Yoga = 2 classes! I was going to focus on getting in more yoga this past month. It didn’t happen. I am meditating regularly which is part of my yoga practice. I want to continue to carve out time for yoga. It’s so good for my body.
Life Learner
*2 books! I completed one and 2 halves of books.
I finished the second half Melinda Gates’ “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World”. I highly recommend it. It’s inspirational. I am so impressed with the work she and the foundation are doing for gender equity that I applied for a job. I also related to her coming to terms with growing up Catholic and promoting reproductive rights. The book is a powerful read.
I also finished Jim Gaffigan’s “Food: A Love Story”. The light and frothy food tour was the perfect accompaniment to Melinda’s book.
I listened to my second Brene Brown book, “Daring Greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead.” She has tremendous insight into the human psyche. When I’m listening to her describe research findings, I find myself continually thinking ‘that makes so much sense.’ It’s very relatable. In this book, she talks a lot about shame. She describes how people might be acting to cover up their own shame. Her work is fascinating! And her delivery is so approachable, I feel like we are becoming friends.
Theatre Reviews = 3 reviews! “Emma” at Lifeline Theatre, “Queen of the Mist” at Firebrand Theatre, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” at Theo Ubique Theatre.
Journaling = 8 entries! I continue to chronicle this journey in my third book, “Unexpected Changes.”
Playing = YES! I played hard! I went to lunch with Sue C-F/Schooler, Michael L, Rich and Bill (twice). I went to dinner with Josh, Bob, Ellen/James/Bill, Rich/Bill/Ellen/Michael/Joe/Madjid/James, and Scubi/Bill/Roger. I had Maryam and Keith over for dinner. I also had Bill, Scubi, Ellen and Sharon over for dinner and the democratic debates. Patrick and I breezed through Adler then ate lunch lakeside. I went to “Wonder Woman” at Millennium Park with Collin & crew. Collin also scored us VIP invites to the Mercedes Benz Pride Party on the Virgin Hotel rooftop and I took Bill as my plus one. I spent a lovely respite at Jenny’s lake house and enjoyed plenty of meals with the family.
June was a great month. There was a weird amount of fog, rain and cool temperatures but on the positive side, my electric bill was only $29. I hadn’t even turned on my AC until last week. A low electric bill is certainly something to smile about! 🙂 And now, I’m going to ask my sister to take me on a boat ride because life it too short and I never regret a boat ride!