She ZIPS (!!) This is a monumental milestone. It's still too tight on the top, but I've never been able to get the zipper up. When I started (a year ago), the zipper wouldn't move past my waist. It goes all the way up the back and I had a moment of panic that when I zipped it that I wouldn't be able to get it unzipped. I had visions of a walk of shame to my neighbor, but I was able to get it off easily.
Spurred on by the zipper, I FINALLY tried on the backup dress I bought for the kids' wedding. My "real" dress was lost for about 6 months in China and then at a port in NYC and I was worried so I ordered another dress online. I knew it wasn't close to fitting, so I never tried it on. Sad, but true -- it's much less expensive and I actually like it a lot. (I need to go for my other dress fitting soon.) The "real" dress might end up being way too formal for a modified wedding. I'll do some pictures soon (I didn't think of pictures until just now.) The only thing that dress needs is a fancy belt -- Etsy has a lot of good options.
Well, we're getting a STORM this morning. High winds, heavy rain and it's scary. I wonder if we'll keep power. It's flickering a lot. The worst should be over in a few hours.
Ended up doing a Costco run yesterday because I was finished with my workout and still had time to get there for opening. The rain was light in the morning and I got stocked back up on the usual suspects. I also got Christmas wrapping paper (we finally ran out last year) and tissue paper (that also lasted years). In and out just as the masses arrived.
I made another batch of the veggie lentil soup -- dang, it's so tasty. It freezes well too.
I JUST panic made a couple of espressos and full boiled my tea water in case the power goes out -- phew, gotta have my morning drinks. Now I'm all set for any power issues :)
Taking a big turn ... here's a rambling story.
This year has been a lot of letting go of people for me. People who have shown themselves and they're not who I want in my life. Letting go is a big deal for me and this year feels that much more lonely given the isolation necessity. One of my biggest "wishes" is a community of friendships at a deeper level with people who are thoughtful and inspirational, etc. It's hard to build "new" relationships when I'm not doing anything.
I decided to reach out to a couple of people yesterday. This is WAY out of a comfort box for me.
The first was a woman I met through a dog adoption. She works very closely with a refugee community in the city. I love her activism and her kindness -- someone I'd like to know (at least a little). We give a donation every holiday and the last few years have been to the dog rescue. This year we'd like to help a family that has been singled out by the hatred of this current administration. I reached out to see if she knew of a family/person who could use some help this year. Anonymous gift. BTW, the gift isn't about getting to know her, but reaching out to see if her community has someone in need was the out-of-the-box for me. Since I don't know her well, I normally wouldn't have contacted her. She already has an incredible family in the works -- fingers crossed.
The ATL chapter of the JH bookclub has a new member who just moved from Florida. She doesn't know anyone (what a tough time to move). She mentioned how she loves gardening and someone in the group suggested she try Gibbs Gardens. I decided to reach out and invite her for a walk at Gibbs. No pressure, just a friendly invite. This is also way out of the box for me, but I thought, she made a point to tell us all of this and maybe that was her way of being vulnerable and hoping for some connection. We're planning next Friday -- she seemed happy for the invite. This might not be a "friendship" but it felt good. Reaching a hand out to someone (I now how lonely moving feels) and taking an opportunity to meet someone new is a good thing for both of us.
So, this long rambling sorry has a point. I have no expectations that either of these "reach-outs" are anything but an isolated moment, but building ANYTHING starts with taking a step forward. Life has been so much letting go, this felt nice to step into something new -- even if it's just ONE MOMENT of connection. I was proud of myself for ACTING on my thoughts. Often, I think of these things and then think I'm being silly and don't follow through. There's a reason these thoughts keep tapping me -- not sure what the reason is, but I'm listening and ACTING on them.
Okay -- lots of chatting today as I sit through this storm. Have a happy day and stay well. Later gators.
No comments:
Post a Comment