Moments D638: Question. Always ask Questions

"Never let life impede on your ability to manifest your dreams. Dig deeper into your dreams and deeper into yourself and believe that anything is possible, and make it happen." ~ Corin Nemec

Today was an interesting day.  Swirling energy.  Personally.  Professionally.  Boy oh boy were my boundaries pushed on all fronts.

But that's good, right?  Growth.  Right?

My day started with a workout, and then a light reading of this list of questions to ask yourself.

These questions were with me as I began my work day.

I was thankful for that as out of the gate, I was dealing with a sensitive issue at work.  In my numerous discussions over the course of the morning and into the afternoon,  I had an opportunity to share some of the insights of the article that I had read earlier and I found myself asking questions that I wouldn't normally ask.

As the conversation meandered, I found myself drawing out information that wouldn't have otherwise seen the light of day.  How incredible it was.

Because of questions.

The one question that came up more than once at work was this:  "You do know that it is not your fault, right?"  This, of course spanned a deeper conversation and deeper thoughts within myself and how I engage with the world around me.

(the proverbial light bulb went off!)

Yes, it's true.  I admit it.  I own too much responsibility in many situations that I need not.  I am aware of this (more so than ever) and I'm working on it.   That said, I really don't want to turn into that person that shirks responsibility.

I found myself reflecting, questioning my words, questioning my position.  For the most part I know what I did (or didn't do).   I can look long and deep into the mirror and accept my faults and apologize for them when I need too.  This is not always easy and many times I falter during the process.  Sometimes I apologize too much and other times I completely miss the point.  Successful or not, I am always asking questions, either of myself or of others.

But what I realized during this introspection is that there are some that struggle more to look into the mirror.  Hey, there are some are unable to do it at all.  Just look at our mayor, Rob Ford.  He openly believes he's done nothing wrong!  My point:  It's not easy to question.  Not yourself.  Not others.  And certainly not when the emotional stakes are high.

But there is a strength in questioning.  With the right environment, with the right words, it brings depth.  It brings clarity. And, if nothing else, I continue to believe that communication is the key to healthy deep relationships.  To dig deeper within yourself and to see the relationship from another perspective.

The energy of those conversations and my introspection spilled into a personal conversation later in the day.  I found myself explaining words from two months ago.  It's not easy having a daily blog.  I've been questioned more than once on my motives for my words, but my blog has helped me to grow and evolve.

Because every day I ask the question "What moved me today?"

Questions.

Today I celebrate asking questions because not only did it help me navigate a challenging situation at work, it also allowed me to navigate (with a different voice) a tumultuous personal situation.

Moments being inspired by powerful words.

Moments sharing those powerful words and realizing just how important it is to always ask questions.

Moments D637: Coffee for three

Sometimes people surprise me.  This morning when I stopped at Tim's for a morning coffee, I watched a very pleasant exchange happen between three people ahead of me.

There was a gentleman four people ahead of me who was ordering.  He turned back to the two ladies immediately in front of me and asked them what they'd like to order.  It was surprising because up to that point it didn't seem like the three knew each other.  It brought an immediate smile to my face.

To further amuse me was watching the gentleman just in front of these two ladies, but behind the gentleman ordering.  He was not happy as the two ladies passed him and met up with the gentleman who had just ordered (and paid) for their drinks.

This too I was surprised by.  So I looked the grumpy gentleman in the eye and said to him as the women passed him, ..."isn't it sweet of him?"

He did not look amused.

But I was!

Moments enjoying a kind offer.

Moments trying to spread the joy.

Moments D636: Breathe Easy

Today was a work day. School work. Having been lazy yesterday meant that all day today I focused on my readings.

So not much excitement right?

That's true until my BFF informed (via instant message) me that she fell down her front steps, likely hit her head and injured her already sensitive back. And oh....did I mention that she is only 5 weeks post knee operation? And that she's home alone for awhile?

The mama bear in me kicked in. I immediately called her. I needed to hear her voice to be sure she was ok.

She seemed surprised at my call, but I could hear that though she was slightly shaken, she was happy to hear from me.

I promised her I'd check in a few times over the course of the day to make sure she was ok.

All of my subsequent check-ins were a-okay....until the one around 9:30 pm. I didn't hear from her right away. I left it and then I tried again  20 minutes later.  Still nothing.

I knew it was possible (and likely) she had simply fallen asleep, but it was also possible that she wasn't ok given her injury run down earlier in the day. So I called her.  Both her cell and her home land line.

Nothing.

Now I had a choice.  Pretend everything was okay and go to bed, or be persistent and find out.

EQ & I set a time limit.  If we didn't hear back from BFF by 10:30 pm we were going to call the police and have them drop by to check in on her.

I didn't much like that option, but given the circumstances, it was on the table.

Fortunately, shortly after EQ and I decided on our plan of attack, we hear from BFF.  All was fine, she was indeed sleeping and the phone calls had woken her.

Phew.  

I felt badly for waking her knowing she's had troubles sleeping the past few weeks, but I was also quite relieved to hear she was doing okay.  

I promised to check in first thing tomorrow.

Now I can restfully sleep knowing she's in pain, (albeit wide awake now!), but safe.  Ah...what are friends for, right?  

Moments when things shift and decisions need to be made.

Moments knowing all is well and you can breathe easy again.

Moments D635: Lazy Cooking Days

This morning was an incredibly lazy morning.  I awoke at my normal time, 7am.  There was no way I was getting up that early today, my weekend day home in bed for 6 weeks.  What a sweet treat it would be to sleep in.

Little did I know!

Two hours later, I awoke.  EQ and I snuggled and chatted for awhile, then promptly fell back asleep.  A few hours later we awoke and did much of the same.  Did I have a long list of things to do?  Yes, but boy oh boy did it feel good to be lazy and enjoy some quality time with my love.

And then it was time to make the recipe that Mr. B gave me yesterday.  Cabbage Roll Soup.

We ventured out to the grocery store for the ingredients, then to the health food store for more supplements for me.  By the time we meandered back home, it was time to start prepping & cooking.  It was the first really opportunity I've had to test out my new Shun knife that EQ gave me for Christmas.  OOOOh I loved it nearly as much as the end result of the recipe.

Moments enjoying a slow day.

Moments enjoying a (delightful!) new recipe.

Moments D634: Expanding Circles

Tonight EQ & I met up with Cherry & Kailua for a late dinner at an old restaurant in the beach under new management.  Brussels Bistro.  While the four of us enjoyed the delightful fares of the restaurant over a three hour dinner, that isn't the moment I'd like to focus on for today.  (Though I was pleasantly surprised and recommend the restaurant!)

No, today's moment comes from my circle of friends expanding tonight, with EQ.  This a moment that I've been eager for since October.  I like Cherry & Kailua's easy nature, I love the way they love each other and I had big hopes that the four of us would have an amazing evening together.

We did and that is today's moment.  It happened.  An amazing evening with new friends.  But that's not much of a story, now is it?

As EQ and I made our way to the restaurant, I knew EQ was nervous.  To make matters more challenging for him, where we were seated, there was a very loud table of guests right behind us. That's never a good thing when EQ struggles to hear on the best of days.   I forged ahead and caught up with Cherry & Kailua post Christmas & New Years events.

Dinner was not rushed, which allowed us a lot of time to simply enjoy one another and our stories.  As time passed, the energy shifted and I could tell EQ felt more at ease.  No longer was the conversation simply an exchange of questions and answers, but a fluid give and take of thoughts and ideas.

Just after our appetisers, as we awaited our mains, I realized that Cherry & I were chatting while Kailua and EQ were chatting.  That for me was the moment that made me smile.  No longer was I trying to orchestrate the conversation to keep things fluid, but we has split into two engaged mini conversations.  Brilliant, right?

By the time dessert arrived, we had dug into an even deeper conversation; a fairly controversial discussion about performance enhancing drugs in the world sports.  Interesting, challenging and enlightening are adjectives that come to mind.

YES!  A great conversation with wonderful people.

Not only did I enjoy the evening, but EQ did as well.  Yes, sometimes it's good to open  up your circle and allow others in.  I'm so very happy to have made that decision earlier for tonight, it was great to see my circle expand.  Our new friends, Cherry & Kailua.

Moments enjoying dinner and conversation.

Moments realizing that this is a friendship that will grow.

Moments D633: Welcome Back - Part II (and three)

Tonight was my first night back to playing volleyball with my competitive women's team in 6 weeks.  I was nervous.  Afraid to be rusty or worse, a downright drag on the team, I arrived a touch nervous for the games ahead.

I changed with some of the other girls in silence.  While they too had taken a 2 week break over the holidays, they had all been back over the last 2 weeks.  I was definitely the odd (wo)man out.

A quick warm up with a girl I've played with outside this league and I was starting to feel back into the swing of things.  A little rusty, but the cobwebs were quickly being shaken aside.

Before I knew it our first game started and all nerves left me.  It's been awhile, yes.  I haven't seen these girls in a long time, yes, but I was ready to dive back in.  And dive in I did.  (Over and over again.)

We had our full roster tonight.  Seven players for a game that only needs 6.  I was one of the lucky two that didn't sit for a full game.  I offered.  The captain didn't want me to sit because I was playing so well.

DANG!  How's that for being away for 6 weeks?

Not bad.  Not bad at all if I do say so myself.

According to one of my teammates, it must have been all that California vitamin D.

Maybe so.

Four (winning) games later and I was feeling relieved that I "hadn't lost it", revived, and damn hungry.

Moments diving back in.

Moments feeling at home again.

(and part three) - EQ and I ventured to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant that we visited back in October.  "Jenny" recognized us as we were seated and welcomed us back.  Our second time ever in the restaurant.  That was a very sweet welcome.  Looks like Thursdays nights will be Vietnamese dinner nights for awhile.

Moments D632: First Day (evening) of School

The first day of school, even after this many years, is always a day (or evening in my case) of hope, of some excitement to learn something new (even if it is about taxes), of the anxiousness of meeting new interesting people and where there is an expectation of doing well.

No problem. I can tackle this.

Easy.  I'll have lots of time to dig into the readings and be a good student.

And then the prof says to expect at least 10 hours of work outside of the 3 hours of class to do well.

Dang.  {brushes off a bit of disappointment, knowing this will be a full attention course}

No problem.  I can tackle this.

Moments enjoying your first day of class.

Moments knowing that the hard work you put into it will show in the end.
(just like most things!)