Moments 737: Spring is coming....I can FEEEEEEL it

There are days when you wake it's challenging to get out of bed.  You REALLY don't want to.  Maybe the day's challenges seem overwhelming, or it's simply a drab-grey day that warrants a "pull-the-covers-over-your-head" moment.

Of course, most of us don't have the luxury of heeding the desire to stay in bed.  This morning proved to be one of those days for me.  It's a grey day and I didn't get much sleep last night with my mind racing through many (MANY) variables in my life.  When I finally did succumb to sleep, it was not the good deep sleep that a gal needs.

So yes, it was hard to get out of bed this morning for me.

And then, as the sunlight grew in intensity, I could hear the faintest chirp.  It was solo, but it was a welcome sound.  I listened for some time, as the single chirp was joined by others.  A smile crept to my tired face.  Yes, that is a sound I love dearly, the morning choir of birds praising the start of a new day.  Given that there are fewer birds in the winter, it's always a welcomed moment when the choir of birds return.

Today was that day.

As I lay there in bed a moment longer than I should have, I let myself be enveloped by the sounds of chirping birds.  Sometimes it still surprises me what can inspire a moment of calm in my often chaotic world.

Moments enjoying the sound of spring arriving.
Moment knowing that I still have the ability to pause and appreciate!

Moments D714: Spring Flowers

Last week, with everything going on, I missed an appointment with my CFA.  Terrible of me.  So very unlike me, but, so it seems, a new side of me as I let things become less structured.  (I've been told I'm too scheduled and structured....letting loose, for me, means missing appointments apparently!)

And so, today was our rescheduled moment.  I was determined to make sure my CFA knew that I was appreciative of her time and that I didn't mean any disrespect.  I offered to pick up a coffee for her, but she politely declined.

So I arrived early and with with a tiny pot of purple flowers.

She couldn't say no to flowers, right?

Sure enough, it was something that certainly brought a smile to her face.  And one to mine for bringing her a smile.

What a delightful moment.  What a wonderful way to start the week.

Moments sharing a tiny bit of love to show some respect and appreciation.

Moments knowing that a small gift will bring many days of smiles ahead.

Moments D697: The first day of spring

Today I celebrate the first day of spring.  Yes, I know, it actually still feels like winter out there, but it is officially spring.  No matter what the grumblings are around me, I'm dancing around celebrating the promise of spring.  Today's moment - loving Google's spring logo today!  

Moments smiling because Google dressed up their logo to celebrate your favourite season.

Moments celebrating the change in season, if only for the promise of the spring flowers to come.

Moments D641: Push Pins

Yes, really! Today's moment is about push pins.  What can I say, they caught me off guard after an insanely busy day in the office.

So busy, that not only didn't I leave my office all day, I barely left my desk.  So busy and focused on getting through things that I didn't even notice that I hadn't eaten my lunch (brought from home) until nearly 4 pm.  At that point, I ate my apple and kept ploughing through, right until the lights were turned out on me.  (Yes, we are "kicked out" at 6 pm now that we're part of the retail store, no late nights in the office allowed!)  

Suffice it to say, it wasn't an easy day.  

But, if ever a day to avoid going outside, it was today.  It was a silly cold day, with biting winter winds.  I knew this.  I had heard the complains all afternoon.  On my way to the car, I decided that instead of walking around to the parking lot outside, my typcial route, I would take the warmer shortcut through the condo building.  I rarely ever walk to my car this way, but today's weather begged of it.

And there they were, on the condo clear-of-news news board.    White push pins arranged in a hand-sized heart with a single red push pin dead centre.  Even my amped-up-post-work-anxious self, in that moment, making my mad dash past the news board, couldn't help but smile.

It was a perfect way to shed some of the energy from the day and re-focus on the coming weekend.

Moments noticing that someone took the time to send a smile.

Moments pausing to enjoy that simple smile.

Moments D631: The Hard Sell

Today, in the office we opened the last of the holiday treats.  There was a box of calendars for 2014 and a couple of boxes of holiday treats.  Panettone, Baci chocolates, another box of chocolates and yet another of Italian candies.

Just when we thought all the bad food influences of the season were behind us.

Not so much.  Today's moment comes from the fact that Chica is now in full steam ahead mode to get herself in shape for her upcoming nuptials in June.  She's not really dieting per se, but she is being very careful about what she's eating these days.

Enter the Baci chocolates, stage left.  Enter Chica stage right.

Oh, the look on her face was priceless.  It was obvious that she wanted one.  It was more obvious that she wasn't going to have one.

Enter our Art Director stage left.  Within seconds, he leaped at the opportunity to tease Chica and before anyone realized, he was in a full on hard sell of the Baci chocolates sitting in front of Chica.  What a hilarious moment, watching her squirm and him finding ever more delightful adjectives about the chocolate or why she shouldn't pass up on this "last" opportunity to enjoy the chocolate.

In the end, he won.  I think the fact that the Baci's have inspirational messages inside won Chica over.  That said, she didn't go quietly!  With a big huff and puff, she snagged a single Baci from it's nest and stomped out of our office and into hers.   So much for saying "I love you the Italian way!"

We all had a good chuckle at the theatrics.  That's a good moment!

Moments having too much fun in the office.

Moments enjoying the banter between co-workers.

Moments D574: Teacups and Poppies

Today on my drive into work I saw a very tall, thickly built man walking in the opposite direction.  Not really anything interesting, afterall, it's rush hour and people are heading to work.

But, as I watched, a flash of white caught my attention.  I watched as he delicately sipped from a blue floral, intricate china tea cup.  You know the kind, the ones with fancy handles and metallic rims.  How very strange to see, but it made me stop and smile.

And then, I watched him climb into a big 'ol white pickup truck that had a big, bright, red poppy attached to its grill.  So awesome!  That's one cool, I-know-who-I-am-and-what-I-like kind of person.  I chuckled at that visual and I loved sharing that moment with him.

It was a great start to my day!

Moments being caught by surprise by complete strangers.

Moments appreciating someone else's morning ritual.

Moments D557: Baby Brother Smiles

Today was my "little" brother's birthday. (Why the quotes?  Well, he may be my baby brother, but he's not so little!  I've always teased him that he could have shared some of his height with me!)  My moment comes from a brief phone call with him this evening.

I sent him a text early this morning wishing him a happy birthday.  His reply seemed a bit flat which had me sad that he wasn't feeling more excited and loved on his birthday.

After a busy day at work, and a fun evening out with Arizona & EQ to see Evil Dead - The Musical (SO MUCH FUN!), I called my baby brother to wish him happy birthday in person.

He sounded surprised to hear from me.  Good!  I could hear the smile in his voice.  Better!  He was in his truck on his way out for drinks with the boys.  AWESOME.

Even more surprisingly, we ended up talking the entire drive from his house to his friend's house.  The five minute chat I had expected turned into a deeper 15+ minute conversation filled with laughs.  It was really great to have the time to catch up with him and hear him smiling on the other end of the phone.

Moments to send birthday love.

Moments turned into sharing laughter and smiles.

Moments D547: I'll Sleep when I'm dead

Tonight I stopped at a Shoppers Drug Mart on my way home from (a new) volleyball outing.  It's a Shoppers  that I've never been to before, so I wasn't familiar with their staff. 

In the cosmetics area, there was a very cool esthetician.  She had this amazing updo that was bright blue on top/front and the back of it was short and as black as night.  It reminded me of my own hair 10 years ago.  Black, with blue & purple streaks.  For me it was a fun, silly way to incorporate that silly "something blue" nonsense into my then wedding day.  Today, I had a moment where I appreciated her commitment to being different and out there.  It made me pause and remember a time when I was as outwardly committed to marching to my own beat.  

I loved that she owned her look and she made me smile without even saying hello.  

As I paid for my toiletries, I complimented her on her hairdo.  She was polite and reserved and said thank you.  I thought it an odd response for a woman walking around with such a big personality outwardly showing.

It was late at night.  As we waited for my credit card to be processed for payment, she brightened up a bit more and made some small talk with me.  She asked me if I had to get up early tomorrow.  I simply laughed and nodded and admitted that I would and then I quickly quipped that "...that's okay I don't need a lot of sleep.  I'll sleep when I'm dead!"   Followed by a big laugh.

HA!  Then, I had her! 

Her laugh was deep and genuine at that point.  With a belly laugh that she couldn't hold back, she told me I was adorable.  As I walked out of the store, she called after me to have a great night.  I could still hear the smile in her voice.

I'm glad I could make her smile.  I love those moments.

Moments being silly.

Moment appreciating a stranger and finding a way to make them smile.

Moments D497: Lemonade anyone?

As we were driving to the Milwaukee Skydive Centre this morning we happened across a cute lemonade stand at the end of a driveway.   We blew right past it, after all it we were on a country highway.   And then, in a blink of an eye, EQ hit the breaks and threw the car into reverse.  I was a whole lot surprised at the action and very, VERY happy that he did so.  And yes, fortunately there weren't any other cars on the road this time of the day!

And so, we met Andy and his lemonade stand:

As we parked, I put the window down and asked him if he would deliver.  Poor Andy looked a bit perplexed and said no!  When I explained that I was only looking for him to make his way from his table to the car he brightened and said, with an enthusiastic nod, "...yes, yes.  Just one?"    When I asked for two he brightened a little more.

He walked over his two lemonades and proudly handed them over to me.  We gave him a $5 bill and told him to keep the change for the delivery.  With a wink, we sped off again.

It was just one of those fun, silly feel good moments to bring a smile to a entrepreneurial boy.  It was a lovely reminder of my childhood when my brother and I would do silly things together.  I remember our Kool-Aid stands!  What fun we had!  Sharing a smile and walking down memory lane was a great way to start our day.  

Moments stopping to appreciate the little things.

Moments bringing a smile to a child.

Moments D494: Norm!

Have you ever seen Cheers the TV series?  I kinda felt like Norm today as I went to my local salon to be pampered before the long weekend!

As I walked into the salon I was very warmly greeted by the entire team there.  The warm welcome also included questions of my well being, what I was up to for the coming long weekend, and a couple of them were wondering if my long distance boyfriend (who they recall being in a hot tub the last time I was in) was going to help me pick out a nail polish colour again.

Yes - I felt the love.  My 90 minutes with the team at Five Star Nails  was relaxing and entertaining as always.  From watching the prima donna beside me file and shape her own nails, to the low key mother and daughter on the other side of me.  

It's always good to feel welcomed.  It's even better when they remember your name, your favourite colours and where your boyfriend is from!

Moments taking time for pampering.

Moments enjoying where everyone knows your name.

Moments D484: Convertible of Singing Kids

This morning as I put out my recycling and compost, I spied a very fun moment that made me smile and followed me through the day.  It reminds me that while we live in a world where the humdrum of life can pull us down, we have a choice to inject love and light into moments when and where we can.

As I was dropping off my refuse curbside, a convertible with a Dad and two very cute blond girls in the back seat slowed on the street to say hi to a contractor getting out of his truck.  Both of the girls were singing at the top of their lungs to tunes that Dad had blaring.  Huge smiles were upon the three arriving faces and the contractor quickly joined the ranks with a huge smile of his own.

Dad turned down the tunes as he said hello to the contractor.  The girls quickly followed suit in very bright, eager voices.  (If I had to guess, the contractor was their Uncle.)  They all had a couple of laughs and then Dad looked back at the girls and said that it was time to go because "...who's got to make money today?" And the girls chimed back, "...YOU do Daddy.  Time for work."  They all waved at that contractor and in a blink the tunes were blaring again and the girls were loudly singing along as the convertible drove off.

The scene brought a smile to me too.

And as I walked past the contractor I said to him, "...there is a happy bunch."  His reply, "Yes.  I love those kids.  Lots of fun."  And then we exchanged good day pleasantries and we went about our day.

Moments with strangers.

Moments realizing that we're not such strangers after all.

Moments D410: Teamwork and Perserverance

Today was deadline day for two very large marketing projects. The day was busy from the start as we were, of course, complications yesterday as we neared the final stages of our projects.

Today, however, we fought through them all. Together, as a team. We pushed forward. I learned a lot about graphic designing and working on Apple computers. It’s been a wonderfully strange day, it doesn’t feel as long as it’s been. Nineteen hours later, we are heading home. We had a big day, and the four of us dug deep to get here, but it was also filled with lots of smiles and laughter.

I will fall into my bed exhausted, but with a sense of accomplishment.

Moments of incredible teamwork.

Moments knowing you are part of something incredible.

Moments D387: Puddle Jumping

Today I was fortunate to have a couple of great moments. From an amusing photo of my Dad up and walking today in the hospital, to watching two friends (strangers to me) literally run into one another on the street and watching the laughter that ensued. Many moments where I paused and smiled or contemplated. A bright day of light.

But the one moment I want to focus on happened as I was walking to class tonight. It became significant for me for I had thought of doing the same. Instead, I chose not to for fear of “looking silly”. (This is not normally something I worry about, but today I didn’t want to stand out.)

On campus there is a man-made shallow pond. In summers past, it’s been filled with water. It is still early in the season and it remains mostly empty, minus a few puddles of collected rain at its edges. Walking through the “pond” when it is empty is popular as it is a faster path than walking around to get from one building to another.

As I began my crossing I deviated from the shortest path because of a big puddle. I walked around it, even though I thought about jumping over it, or {gasp} through it. And then, as I neared the other side of the pond, a student walking in the opposite direction did what I could not: he jumped the puddle. In fact, he jumped to a dry spot surrounded by water and then hopped from there over the rest of the puddle. I could help but smile and nod at him. I think I even giggled to myself as I finished up my walk to class.

Puddle jumping. Definitely underrated.

On my way back to the car after class, I jumped that dang puddle! OF COURSE I did. I don’t see a sign like that and not accept it!

And then I smiled all the way back to the parking garage.

Moments of being grounded.

Moments of letting loose!

Moments D313: Coffee Walks

Today I did something different. I was cooped up all day yesterday so this morning I got up and walked to the local coffee shop.

Strangely, the door opened wide for me as I approached. There stood a strikingly handsome man. What a pleasure that moment was as we shared a smile and morning pleasantries over coffee.

In the end, a great morning for a walk to pick up coffee.

Moments D295: Terrifying vs. Terrific

Today my nephew turned 9. I spent almost two hours in rush hour traffic to get to him in time for cake.

I made it in time! It was glorious and I couldn’t have been happier than to have had the opportunity to hug the little guy on his special day.

But the best moment, wasn’t when I was playing “Little Big Planet” with him, it was when he opened his card from me. He laughed when he read it. This drew attention from the rest of his guests. The rest of the family wanted to know why and asked him to read it aloud. And he said:

“For one terrifying guy, I thought I’d treat you to some French cuisine…..”

(this is when I started to laugh to myself….)

He finished reading the card and one of his aunt’s looked at me and was - was that supposed to be TERRIFIC guy? We all laughed again. Yes - OF COURSE it was supposed to be terrific!

Guess he got a little nervous reading aloud, but it was so darn cute. I think it brought a smile to us all. Thank you dear nephew for that moment.

Moments D291: Snow Angels

Today was a study day. My cold, getting better. I'm still coughing,but not nearly as much or as often. That’s a win in itself!

Studying went. Not to bad at all actually. My mind was more clear. Phew. I needed that. Here’s hoping tomorrow will be as productive and the information will stick in my brain.

But today’s moment was celebrating the snow. My apartment gets very, VERY hot. That’s because the basement apartment in my triplex gets very, VERY cold if the heat isn’t turned up higher than normal. To counter-act this heat (and I actually hate to be warm in the winter - after all it’s winter and I WANT to wear my sweaters and fuzzy socks and curl up on a blanket!) I open a window in nearly every room.

This morning as I started my studies, my first floor neighbour and her very adorable 7 year old daughter were outside shovelling the side walk. This was what I overheard through the open window:

“Mommy, I love the snow today……Mommy, I think there is more snow today…….Mommy look at my beautiful snow angel…………..Oh Mommy, I LOVE the snow today.”

How can you not just ooze with love and smiles after hearing that?

I won’t lie, I’m a wee bit jealous that I’m not out there enjoying the snow too. I love shovelling. But not with this cough!

I loved the snow today too - but from the 2nd floor. Watching it sparkle in the sunlight - that was quite lovely.

Moments overhearing joy & happiness and soaking it in.

Moments to pause and enjoy the beauty of winter.

Moments D283: Jack & lemon post shower

Today, a brilliant day enjoying yet another shopping morning and sun by the pool. It was also a brilliant day in that my niece was accepted to her preferred university for next year. She was beside herself in happiness!

But, my personal personal favourite moment post shower. We decided that tonight we would go out and celebrate the good news. That meant showers for us all. The moment of the day? That was the moment when I stepped out of the shower, peeked out of the bathroom to let the girls know one of them could step in and I was handed a Jack & lemonade garnished with a sliced strawberry and a couple of blue berries. Damn! Now that was service. It was the biggest smile of the day, and likely will be for the week. My aunt? She’s a damn superstar that way.

Moments enjoying being pampered.

Moments when your mind was read!

Moments D282: Quiet moments chatting

Today was a day of shopping with the family. We had a late start and finished out the day strong. A couple new bling pieces for the belly button, a couple of (ironically) new warm Columbia sweaters and we were done for the day.

Though the day was filled with many laughs, the best moment was when everyone else was busy getting ready for dinner and my Aunt & I were alone in the living room just chatting and catching up. In those brief 15-20 minutes we touched upon many a topic. Some were worrisome, others were simply a sharing of stories over the past couple of months. All the words shared help to remind me of the things that were most important to me.

The story that I most connected with me was about my niece. It reminded me that it’s never okay to settle, but it is okay to explore. It also reminded me that it’s okay to fight for more and it’s normal to expect more when you aren’t happy. I know it sounds simple, but sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we get bogged down into the mundane and we settle. We settle because we’re comfortable. It’s easier to accept less and remain comfortable. This is never a good recipe for a happy life path.

Moments to remember who we are.

Moments with your family reminding you.

Moments 280: Singing Stewardess & Moon rise

Today was an incredible day. After a 2hr drive in torrential rains (yes in the middle of winter!) I was finally on vacation. As I drove through the spectacular rain storm, I really thought things experience would be my moment. After all it was beautiful and, at times, frightening.

But this wasn't the moment of the day.

On our flight from Buffalo to Baltimore, we made a new friend with the lady in the window seat. She was lovely, insightful and overall quite pleasant to chat with. I thought her stories might be the moment of the day. But I was wrong.

When we were preparing to leave Baltimore for Florida the unexpected happened. One of the stewardesses introduced a soon-to-be-married couple. After the introduction, she asked us to listen up as the soon-to-be-groom had something to share with us about his bride-to-be. Three next thing I knew. .. the stewardess began to sing From This Moment. What an incredible voice she had too! I was thoroughly impressed. It brought a tear to my eye and a warmth to my heart. First because this stewardess sang the whole sing and did so with such passion. Secondly, because of the groom's request to share his feelings with us. Beautiful.

Then shortly after we were in the air, we watched the moon rise. How incredibly spectacular. As we banked away from its grande finale, I paused and just made a note to myself about how fortunate I was to have been able to experience these two magical moments back-to-back.

Today was about unexpected moments. I loved them all, but these most of all.

Moments D279: Customer service with a smile

Today I had the best customer service ever and it totally made my day!

When I arrived at work this morning I saw that I already had a voicemail. It seemed strange to have a voicemail already, so it was the first thing I did when I sat down: I checked my voicemail.

Low and behold it was a message from my dentist's office. It was from my favourite hygienist in fact. She had called to tell me that she was taking some vacation time when I was next scheduled in to see her. (In March, quite some time from now! )She went on to comment on how much she knew I would want to see her and suggested alternative dates for me.

It was such a lovely gesture. I've been seeing her for over 6 years now and she didn't want me to show up and not see her. I loved the personal touch!

Moments taking care of your clients/customers. It is the little things that matter most and that which sparks word-of-mouth sharing of stories.

Moments being pleasantly surprised.