A Giant Leap for Mankind

The weekend has come and gone but what happened on Friday will go down as a momentous day in our nation's history and will be a day that lives on forever.

I drew that picture up there last Monday at work (hiiiiiiiiiii #nannylife) with no idea that come Friday my rainbow would have so much more meaning behind it.  Kind of a crazy coincidence don't you think?! Or was it???

After hearing the news that ALL couples will finally be able to legally marry in ALL 50 states on Friday, I felt so happy, warm, light, positive, and surrounded by incredible goodness.  It's hard to explain really.  It was like I could physically feel the love being passed around our nation like a giant 'wave' at a football stadium, if that makes any sense?! 

I felt like there was a shift forward, a 'giant leap for mankind' kind of shift, for humanity that day.  And I could actually feel it.  Could you? 

Yes, there are million terrible things that are still going on in the world, in our country and all around us, but we are making progress. Slowly, but its happening.  I feel like more and more people are coming to the realization that we are all one.  That equality means EVERYONE, not just those that you agree with.  That united we are much stronger than we are alone.  That having pride in where you were born and raised is fine, but we are all ONE country now.  (I'm looking at you, Confederate flag.) 

I'm sure you've read and seen many blog posts, articles, photos, videos etc of how our nation reacted to the news on Friday, so I don't think there's much more I can add other than to say this is a day our generation will remember forever. 

Also, this was my favorite viral photo from the weekend:

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RIGHT?!?! Case closed.

I basically just wanted to memorialize this day on my blog so I'd be able to look back on it years from now.  So thanks for stopping by my online diary for the day!  Now get out there and keep trying to change the world all you fabulous souls!


Feel free to share your thoughts!

Silver Linings & My 100th Post!

I just wanted to say 'Thanks' for the encouraging comments on my last post.  I hope it didn't bring you down too much, but I think it's important to show all of me on here, even when it's not all puppies and rainbows, and writing about things also helps me to sort them out.  Things went much better this week and I've already all but forgotten most of what happened (although I'm hoping the lessons actually stick this time!), and I did have to endure the epic rainstorms this week with a broken jacket. HAHAHA

Now for the silver linings:

1.  I had great days at work.  This is pretty much a constant lately.  Working with kids is something I've loved doing since I was 13, and it's pretty amazing that I've been able to transition back into a career doing something that comes so naturally to me.  I take my job very seriously and sometimes I can't believe I get paid to do this.  If not for the fact that I have to feed, clothe and shelter myself, I often think I'd do this for free, and that is something I would have never said at my old job!  I still don't know where I'll end up in the future, but I know I will seek this sense of fulfillment, meaning and purpose in any future endeavor and never, ever again settle for just a 'job', or something that does not jive with my personal values and talents.

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2.  I got two unexpected, lovely gifts at work this week!  It's a great feeling to know how much I am appreciated and how much my work matters in my new job.  That's something I never, ever felt working in finance. 

 

 

3.  I SAW A DOUBLE RAINBOW!  Does anyone remember this viral video from a few years ago? This dude is so unbelievably excited about seeing a double rainbow - 'What does this MEAN?!' Hahaha.  If you didn't see the video a few years ago, I posted it below.  (No need to watch the full 3 mins - just a few seconds will give you a taste of the entire thing!)  His emotions just might have you tripping as much as he is! 

 

Well after slogging through days of torrential rains here this week with a jacket that I couldn't zip up, I saw a huge double rainbow on Thursday!  It was beautiful.  Sorry I couldn't snap a pic, but I was driving, and hey, safety first - I mean I AM a nanny after all :)

4.  I finally introduced myself to a fellow Baltimore running blogger - PICKYRUNNER!  I had seen her at the running store and at a few running events around town but was always too shy to introduce myself (what?!).  I stopped in the running store this week because I desperately needed new shoes and she was my shoe fitter!  It was so nice to speak to her in person and tell her I had been reading her blog forever.  She is super nice too :)


5.  Along those same lines, I got NEW running shoes!  This had been a long time coming.  The last time I bought new running shoes was right before the Nike Women's Half in DC last April!  So yeah, I've put way more than the recommended 300 miles on mine, and have been running on shoes that were really run down for way too long.  The past month or so I was have shin and knee pain so I knew I had to make it happen.  As you know, I am pretty much in love with my Nike Vomeros.  I've worn them for years and before that I wore the Nike Pegasus.  However, with my history of chronic shin splints, I wanted to explore other options in the Neutral/Cushion shoe category.  (For reference, I have high arches and slightly supinate.)  Sarah (Pickyrunner) brought out a few different models for me to try including some Sauconys, Asics, and Brooks.  I ended up choosing the Brooks Glycerin 11 because the shoe felt the most comfortable.  I did run in each of them in-store on the treadmill.

I took them out for the first test run on Saturday and it's hard for me to give a verdict just yet.  They are VERY different from my Nike's!  I know they are Brooks' most cushioned model, but they definitely felt a bit less cushioned than my Nike's and not quite as springy, bouncy and cloud-like. The shoe and soles are also a bit stiffer and not as flexible compared to my Nikes.  They have a firmer, more supportive feel.  I am not quite sure yet how I feel about this, but my end goal is to see if a shoe will make a difference in the constant battle with my shins.  I'd ideally like to be able to run again with 'naked' legs, meaning not having to wear compression socks on every run (especially with the hot summer months coming up!).  I am hoping I can find the perfect shoe that will help me do this.  The great thing about Charm City Run is that they will let you run in the shoes for 2 weeks and return them for any reason if you're not happy!  So, I want to get a few more test runs in these shoes before making a final decision.  Any other Brooks Glycerin runners out there?!

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6.  And finally, THIS IS MY 100TH POST!!! How in the world did that happen?  Happy Blog Milestone to me!  Thanks to everyone who reads and supports my little corner of the Internet :)

 

 

Just as I predicted there was not only one, but TWO rainbows after the storms I endured last week!  Doesn't life just surprise the heck out of you sometimes??

 

 

 

How was your week?  Did everyone stay safe in the storms?

 

What is your running shoe of choice?

 

 

There's Always a Rainbow

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When it rains it pours right?!  This post is about the Weekend Where Everything That Could Go Wrong Did, so if you're not in the mood to read about my series of disasters, just skip this one and I'll post something happier later in the week :)

 

Where to begin here.  I'm actually feeling much better today after having a day to calm down and gain some perspective.  The problems I experienced seem kind of trivial in the big scheme of things now (my personal health and safety remains intact) and I even learned a few things (there's always a lesson right?).

 

Saturday morning started out with me getting stuck inside a jacket while heading into work.  Yep, straight up trapped!  I stood in a parking garage downtown at 8 in the morning and tugged and pulled with all my might but could not unstick the $*%&* broken zipper on my jacket.  I tried tugging the entire piece of apparel over my head to remove it, but my head wouldn't fit through the neck hole! Haha George Costanza rears his large bulbous head again.  I stood there evaluating the situation and then just decided to rip the jacket in two.  So with all of my might I grabbed the coat on either side of the zipper and with pure brute force ripped the zipper right off the jacket!  BAM! FREEDOM!  Jacket: 0  Jill: 1  I was down a rain jacket but I could care less at this point - I was free!  This incident didn't really phase me, but I wonder now if it was foreboding the rest of the weekend to come...

 

Saturday evening was when I experienced two separate personal affronts.  One was work related and one came about through the cesspool that is online dating.  I'm not going to go into detail about the first, but I'll just say I volunteered to help someone out at the last minute and they completely took advantage of my kindness.  I didn't stand up for myself at all in that situation (something the Universe has tried to teach me over and over again, especially at my last job) and was not in the best mood when I received a rude/inappropriate message via the online dating portal.  What is it about being hidden behind the veil of a computer screen that gives some people free reign to say things (I hope) they would never say in person?!  I didn't learn my lesson on the first occasion but by this point, I'd had it.  I actually wrote something back to this person along the lines of "You are a classless human being and a poor excuse for a man."  And then promptly blocked him.  I actually felt rude myself when I sent it at first, so you can see how hard it is for me to actually stand up for myself!  This is something I'm trying very very hard to work on.  But then I realized I did the right thing by telling this person that they couldn't speak to me, or any woman for that matter, this way.  Someone needed to.  Why not me? 

 

I didn't get home until after 1AM that night (longest day everrrrr) and woke up Sunday morning exhausted and ruminating on the future of humanity after my run-ins with people who seemed to care only for themselves.  Why when given the opportunity do people choose to do the wrong thing?  Why when faced with a kind person, do certain people see that as an opportunity to prey on their kindness?  These thoughts were getting me down, as my super sensitive mind always wants to know 'why' and feels things so deeply.  But I realized I didn't have any answers for these questions, because I can't control other people.  The only way to feel better was to let it go and focus on the positive people and things in my life...and then my phone died.

 

What's the count for the weekend so far?  Oh yes, we're up to headache #4.  I marched into the Apple store close to closing time Sunday night hoping against hope they could fix this very expensive piece of machinery.  After much trying, they gave me the bad news.  The phone was dead with no chance of revival.  My only option was to replace the phone - AT FULL COST.  #*&^*(#&$ WTF!  Of course the phone was out of warranty and I was still under contract.  The nice little Apple Genius lady told me the price to replace my old model iPhone and I kind of lost it.  It's no secret that my funds this year are very limited.  My current salary is less than half of what I was making at my old job (yes for real, just let that sink in for a moment) so I live paycheck to paycheck.  When unexpected expenses like this come up, I can't pay them save for the fact of dipping into my savings.  Thankfully I have some because otherwise, I wouldn't make rent some months!  So there I stood with tears in my eyes and this poor girl didn't know what to do!  She was like I'm really sorry there's nothing else we can do.  I was SO embarrassed and kept apologizing for getting emotional - I just told her I had a really rough weekend and this kind of capped it off.  Who cries in the Apple store over a broken phone?!  This girl apparently.  Looking back a day later, it sounds ridiculous and it wasn't even the phone that got me upset.  I think it was the accumulation of negative experiences over the weekend, combined with the fact that when she asked me if I had anyone else that could help me out by giving me an old phone or something, I said 'No, I don't have anyone else'.  I just felt so alone.  A feeling I have been feeling for some time :( 

 

So where am I going with this whole disaster of a weekend story you might ask?  A few years ago when things like this would happen, I would think to myself that I probably did something to deserve this bad luck (crazy right?), but after the series of events that has happened to me in the past few years, I can see the personal growth that has occurred because I didn't react this way in this situation.  Well, maybe I did for a few minutes, but then I just realized, it was bad luck.  Sometimes things just happen that you can't control and you don't deserve.  The faster you move on, the faster things turn around. 

 

It started raining tonight and is supposed to rain 4-6 inches over the next two days here in Baltimore.  How appropriate that a physical rainstorm is actually accompanying my figurative rainstorm.  But I just know that on the other side of this storm there WILL be a rainbow.  There always is. 

 

 





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How was your weekend?!  I hope that it was a million times better than mine :)