All Over the Place

This post might contain a little bit of everything but these are things that have been on my mind a lot lately. Some of them might resonate with you more than others but that's okay. Yesterday I turned 24. Not that I am old by any means but I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday in a contemplative state. A full day of phone calls and emails and meetings at work gave me plenty of time to sit and think. And here's what I thought about:

1. Expectations of failure never quite turn out the way we think. I had a track coach in high school who repeatedly said, "No fear of failure." It's a mantra I should have adopted in my garden this summer. I had never had a garden and didn't know what would happen. I anticipated more plants dying, not watering them enough, rabbits getting into the garden and eating the early plants, etc. None of it happened. I expected a certain amount of failure and now I'm up to my eyeballs in tomatoes. Also taking suggestions for what to do with so many of them...

2. Time goes faster the older you get. Last night I had drinks with a girl I met in preschool. We now find ourselves 20 years later living in the same city. It doesn't seem that long ago we were going to tumbling together every Tuesday night but now we have adult jobs and are living on our own. She told me about her brothers being well into their school years and I still picture them as little toddlers. Stepping away and not seeing something, be it people or buildings or cities, you realize how much can change in the blink of an eye.

3. Always use a travel coffee mug when transporting hot liquids in a moving vehicle. This one is actually from this morning. I spilled my coffee on my dress and car seat this morning as I was pulling out of my driveway. There was no time to turn around and fix it. I just had to go. Luckily I wore an abstractly patterned dress. Other than smelling like Mississippi Grogg coffee, I don't think anyone will notice the stain because it blends in so well. Nonetheless, use a lid whenever possible. Not that I didn't already know this but it's always a good reminder.

4. In the age of telemarketers I'm not surprised no one answers a call from a strange and unknown phone number. I make a lot of phone calls on a regular basis. I can only assume people don't like answering strange numbers because they assume I am some automated scam on the other line. They don't want to be bothered with such a nuisance. Maybe I'm wrong. Who knows but that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

5. Why are we so bad at taking care of our own health but never miss a vet appointment for our pets? I haven't taken a multi-vitamin in weeks. My salad kick ended months ago. I haven't been great at working out lately because of an unpredictable schedule. But by golly I am going to the vet tonight so that my dog can get her monthly flea medication to take tomorrow. No way around that. I don't know at what point we start putting other people and pet's health in front of our own but it has happened to me and it makes me feel like a 40 year mom of 5.

And here's a cute picture of my dog to remind me to go to the vet tonight.