Keeping it in perspective.... part II
So tonight after leaving a late work meeting for our fall campaign kick-off one of my newer colleagues said on the way out the door "Michelle, I was going to tell you this tomorrow but I thought I would tell you know. I really like working with you. We're a very good team." And instead of saying "thank you", I stammered on "well, I enjoy working with you too." I couldn't just take a compliment and appreciate it.
I had to learn this in the Peace Corps. Someone would give you their village's only chicken and you could not give it back, you could not refuse it, your only option was to say "thank you". Learning to receive is one of the toughest lessons. It's easy to give - give a compliment, a gift - it makes you feel good, it's easy. But to receive is more humbling and more difficult.
Saying "thank you" can be the hardest thing to do sometimes.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Keeping it all in perspective...
This weekend my league smashed it's goal to raise $4,000 towards our skate floor with the most fun event - a Solid Gold Disco skate-a-thon. Like every other walk or run, you could have gotten pledges for laps or just a flat donation. A friend of mine burned 2 hours worth of AMAZING 70's music, about 25 people showed up and we took over the skate floor - kind of. We really just skated some leisure laps around the track, (some made an effort to actually skate a decent amount), stepped over falling children and had to tolerate a mix of disco and modern tween music that kept getting requested when too much disco had been played. Here's some photos from the event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67749380@N00/sets/72157602152541185/
We had every intention to go out with some of the skaters (Hell'en Skate, So Sue Me, Cia WoodnWanna-Bia) for "the retros" but landed at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Everett (and Seattle for that matter), Gorditos, where Marlene works. Ok, actually she owns the place. She's someone I met in PFM and she now skates on Rat City's Socket Wenches. She's got to be one of the nicest people ever. We meant to go hear music and dance and instead we ate and drank at her restaurant, talked about skating, about plans, life and all of that. It was a great and completely random time.
However, come Monday, work needs to be done and emails need to be answered. My friend Annika IM'ed me from Egypt (where Kelly Rae, Lara and I are going in November!) I have been before and am thrilled to go to Egypt again! When I came back from the Peace Corps (and the first time I went to Egypt), people use to ask me what I wanted to do next? I would say I didn't know, but I hoped one day to be the ambassador to Egypt (of course now I realize I'm sleeping with all the wrong people.) Anyway, we talked about what we had going on in our lives and she resent me the link to her blog: http://stompercat.nomadlife.org/. Oh right - so much going on in the rest of the world! Sometimes you need a little dose of other people's experiences and perspective to remember there is so much else going on... and it's not about your job on Monday....
This weekend my league smashed it's goal to raise $4,000 towards our skate floor with the most fun event - a Solid Gold Disco skate-a-thon. Like every other walk or run, you could have gotten pledges for laps or just a flat donation. A friend of mine burned 2 hours worth of AMAZING 70's music, about 25 people showed up and we took over the skate floor - kind of. We really just skated some leisure laps around the track, (some made an effort to actually skate a decent amount), stepped over falling children and had to tolerate a mix of disco and modern tween music that kept getting requested when too much disco had been played. Here's some photos from the event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67749380@N00/sets/72157602152541185/
We had every intention to go out with some of the skaters (Hell'en Skate, So Sue Me, Cia WoodnWanna-Bia) for "the retros" but landed at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Everett (and Seattle for that matter), Gorditos, where Marlene works. Ok, actually she owns the place. She's someone I met in PFM and she now skates on Rat City's Socket Wenches. She's got to be one of the nicest people ever. We meant to go hear music and dance and instead we ate and drank at her restaurant, talked about skating, about plans, life and all of that. It was a great and completely random time.
However, come Monday, work needs to be done and emails need to be answered. My friend Annika IM'ed me from Egypt (where Kelly Rae, Lara and I are going in November!) I have been before and am thrilled to go to Egypt again! When I came back from the Peace Corps (and the first time I went to Egypt), people use to ask me what I wanted to do next? I would say I didn't know, but I hoped one day to be the ambassador to Egypt (of course now I realize I'm sleeping with all the wrong people.) Anyway, we talked about what we had going on in our lives and she resent me the link to her blog: http://stompercat.nomadlife.org/. Oh right - so much going on in the rest of the world! Sometimes you need a little dose of other people's experiences and perspective to remember there is so much else going on... and it's not about your job on Monday....
Friday, September 21, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Here she comes...
Autumn that is. Saturday night was cold crispy rain that smelled like musty leaves even though there are few to be found and rather chilly. This past weekend found me and some friends over in the Olympic Mountains, up in Hurricane Ridge, at a roadside winery (where the original grapes are from Germany) and then over in La Push where I tried to grab a bit of rest before welcoming autumn. We grilled squash, corn, brats, fish - went on small hikes and got to see some "reluctant creatures" bobbing around the ocean. Sea lions were in the turbulent surf as were pelicans. There were other people hanging out in the National Park getting ready to welcome autumn with one last Hurrah!
I took People Magazine (I had two having accidentally grabbed the fall fashion issue), a new book I didn't even crack open and two letters I have been trying to write for weeks - a thank you to a friend that is shamefully late and another - an update to my great aunt who turned 93 this summer and still lives on her own. I finished the People Magazine and wrote the letters where they still sit in my bag, needing a stamp.
I can't say I'm going to miss this summer. Always an optimist, I feel rather ripped off. The weekends were damp and chilly. It never got very "warm" yet alone hot. People have told me that the summers in Seattle are the reason you stay through the 9 months of winter. I've been here for two hellacious winters (one that nearly broke a consistent days of rain record) and one rather glorious summer. And really, if you're not going to have a snowy winter than you should be allotted more sun in the summer!
Autumn that is. Saturday night was cold crispy rain that smelled like musty leaves even though there are few to be found and rather chilly. This past weekend found me and some friends over in the Olympic Mountains, up in Hurricane Ridge, at a roadside winery (where the original grapes are from Germany) and then over in La Push where I tried to grab a bit of rest before welcoming autumn. We grilled squash, corn, brats, fish - went on small hikes and got to see some "reluctant creatures" bobbing around the ocean. Sea lions were in the turbulent surf as were pelicans. There were other people hanging out in the National Park getting ready to welcome autumn with one last Hurrah!
I took People Magazine (I had two having accidentally grabbed the fall fashion issue), a new book I didn't even crack open and two letters I have been trying to write for weeks - a thank you to a friend that is shamefully late and another - an update to my great aunt who turned 93 this summer and still lives on her own. I finished the People Magazine and wrote the letters where they still sit in my bag, needing a stamp.
I can't say I'm going to miss this summer. Always an optimist, I feel rather ripped off. The weekends were damp and chilly. It never got very "warm" yet alone hot. People have told me that the summers in Seattle are the reason you stay through the 9 months of winter. I've been here for two hellacious winters (one that nearly broke a consistent days of rain record) and one rather glorious summer. And really, if you're not going to have a snowy winter than you should be allotted more sun in the summer!
Friday, September 07, 2007
100 Million Details...
And if you had a magnifying glass in my life you might notice a couple of things that might pass by unnoticed...
My knees are better - I can touch both heals to butt, which if you're use to being able to do this regularly, it's a pretty big, fantastic deal. I can't say that the idea of falling on them is appealing at all but skating, which I've been doing lightly, feels so much better.
Phase II, is the HIV Trial Unit I recently joined. I'm actually in my second month of the vaccine and the most reaction I've had is a dream that my RN, David, pulled all of "us" (I don't know any of the other participants) into a room to tell us that the vaccine wasn't working and the trial was over. That was a dream. It's been pretty easy and I am just hoping beyond belief that this is going to create a positive response. We so need a vaccine...
Derby Girl of the Month - who knew there was such a thing and who knew I would get it! I was completely surprised and flattered - when they were reading the description of the recipient I was thinking, she is great! Ha. I'm honored and thrilled.
The Poor Earth... a friend and I were watching a public TV show about penguins - two icebergs collided and all of these penguins died (read:global warming). Some were crushed, but many more got stuck in deep crevasses and died of starvation and cold - they can't just climb out of deep holes. It was a very sad show and it lead to many conversations about what we can do for the "poor poor Earth". My roommate is getting rid of her penguin killing car (bad emissions); I'm thinking of going back to being a vegetarian (low meat diet); a bunch of us are working on NOT procuring plastic bags... two hurricanes on the same day. Come on, something is going on... and there is something we should try to do about it.
It's all in the details...
And if you had a magnifying glass in my life you might notice a couple of things that might pass by unnoticed...
My knees are better - I can touch both heals to butt, which if you're use to being able to do this regularly, it's a pretty big, fantastic deal. I can't say that the idea of falling on them is appealing at all but skating, which I've been doing lightly, feels so much better.
Phase II, is the HIV Trial Unit I recently joined. I'm actually in my second month of the vaccine and the most reaction I've had is a dream that my RN, David, pulled all of "us" (I don't know any of the other participants) into a room to tell us that the vaccine wasn't working and the trial was over. That was a dream. It's been pretty easy and I am just hoping beyond belief that this is going to create a positive response. We so need a vaccine...
Derby Girl of the Month - who knew there was such a thing and who knew I would get it! I was completely surprised and flattered - when they were reading the description of the recipient I was thinking, she is great! Ha. I'm honored and thrilled.
The Poor Earth... a friend and I were watching a public TV show about penguins - two icebergs collided and all of these penguins died (read:global warming). Some were crushed, but many more got stuck in deep crevasses and died of starvation and cold - they can't just climb out of deep holes. It was a very sad show and it lead to many conversations about what we can do for the "poor poor Earth". My roommate is getting rid of her penguin killing car (bad emissions); I'm thinking of going back to being a vegetarian (low meat diet); a bunch of us are working on NOT procuring plastic bags... two hurricanes on the same day. Come on, something is going on... and there is something we should try to do about it.
It's all in the details...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)