WARNING: The following blog post may be cheesy. Approach with caution.
I try to avoid highly sentimental and/or cheesy blogs, because I tend to think that people don't really like to read about other people's epiphanies (or maybe just mine). But I'm in a grateful mood so I felt like sharing some perspective.
For those of you who know me, you probably know that I try very hard to avoid making mistakes at all costs. Not that anyone tries to make mistakes (I don't think anyone does anyway...), but I really HATE making mistakes. Most of the time I feel like mistakes are avoidable. If you know that you shouldn't do something, it's usually pretty easy to acknowledge that beforehand and not put yourself in a bad position where you are likely to make a mistake. But, while mistakes are often hurtful and typically avoidable, they do have one quality that I appreciate: Mistakes are educational. If you make a mistake, you are being given the opportunity to learn from it. The guilt or dissatisfaction that you feel after making a mistake is sometimes enough to keep you from making the mistake again, and that is a wonderful thing about life. You will not be condemned for every mistake you make, only if you fail to learn from the mistake and use your knowledge in future endeavors.
Some mistakes are bigger than others and harder to rectify, but if handled properly, you may be able to show people that what you did really was a mistake; one that you will do your best to never make again. In order to correct your mistakes, you must acknowledge that it was in fact, a mistake. Some people are unable to do this, and it takes them much longer to learn their lesson. One of the hardest things in life to do is to admit that you were wrong. People do NOT like to be wrong, and they especially do not like to admit when they're wrong. If you are able to admit it, however, you will reap the rewards. You will earn the respect of your peers, co-workers, teachers, and family members if you are able to admit your errors and do your best to fix them.
I am grateful that my parents taught me to be honest, and to admit my mistakes. They also raised me not to regret things, but to learn from them and make the best of all situations. I am grateful for those lessons above all, and for the kindness shown by those who have forgiven me for the mistakes I've made in my life. As much as I hate to admit that I have made mistakes, I am willing to do so because I've learned from them and they will make me a better person in the future.
I hope that you all are as lucky as I have been in my life, and I hope that you're able to forgive yourself for the mistakes you've made in your life; because if you can't forgive yourself for your mistakes, how will anyone else?
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Cotillion Update!
The 3rd grader known as "Timmy" in my last blog changed his tune at the last cotillion.
I saw him the moment he walked in. There he was, acting all nice and innocent. When the kids were numbered off I kept an eye on him to see if he tried to switch numbers with anyone, in case he had ended up in my group again. He looked suspicious, but did not try to switch numbers with anyone. That was a good sign. He did not end up in my group, but I was told to tell his group of children what to expect as they approached the snack table on this particular day. They were to introduce their partner, thank the snack patrons for inviting them to the cotillion, and tell the patrons what they would be doing for their "Winter Break" (I prefer to call it Christmas Break but soon found that children who do not celebrate Christmas were confused, and I had to correct myself by saying, "Oh. I mean WINTER Break." I miss the good old days.)
I walked up to "Timmy" and his partner and tried to act casual. He gave me a look like "C'mon you. You know me!" So I looked at him and said, "Hi 'Timmy.'" I was very casual. Very cool. He said hi and started GUSHING about his pets and his partner's pets and how "[His] best friend is dancing with [his] MORTAL ENEMY!" It was precious. And I felt silly for getting flustered over an 8-year-old.
That's my story.
I saw him the moment he walked in. There he was, acting all nice and innocent. When the kids were numbered off I kept an eye on him to see if he tried to switch numbers with anyone, in case he had ended up in my group again. He looked suspicious, but did not try to switch numbers with anyone. That was a good sign. He did not end up in my group, but I was told to tell his group of children what to expect as they approached the snack table on this particular day. They were to introduce their partner, thank the snack patrons for inviting them to the cotillion, and tell the patrons what they would be doing for their "Winter Break" (I prefer to call it Christmas Break but soon found that children who do not celebrate Christmas were confused, and I had to correct myself by saying, "Oh. I mean WINTER Break." I miss the good old days.)
I walked up to "Timmy" and his partner and tried to act casual. He gave me a look like "C'mon you. You know me!" So I looked at him and said, "Hi 'Timmy.'" I was very casual. Very cool. He said hi and started GUSHING about his pets and his partner's pets and how "[His] best friend is dancing with [his] MORTAL ENEMY!" It was precious. And I felt silly for getting flustered over an 8-year-old.
That's my story.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Happy Reminder
So tonight, as I shuffled busily around my place of employment serving fantastically profitable amounts of alcohol to my party of 30, Boyfriend reminded me that I have this blog! I tend to forget about writing on here, but each time I remember, I vow to improve my loyalty to my beloved blog. So once again, I will say that I WILL TRY to be a better blogger!
In other news, I started assisting at a local cotillion/school of etiquette last night and it was so much fun! The kids were all so cute, doing their little formal introductions, and tiny merengue dance steps! I did, however, scare a child.
The evening began with the 3rd-4th graders. We numbered both the boys and the girls off one to four and told the children to go the corner with the corresponding number. From there we had the girls get into a circle facing outward and the boys get into a circle facing inward toward the girls. My group was short a girl, so I stepped into the girl's circle. As I expected, none of the boys wanted to be partnered with me for too long, but most of them were relatively nice about it. They would quietly tell the boy next to them "I hope we rotate soon..." but they made the effort to spare my feelings about the matter. All except for "Timmy" (Name has been changed... just because I felt like changing it). "Timmy" did NOT want to be my partner. Unfortunately for him, I ended up being his partner for snack time. This meant that he would have to offer me his right arm, take my gloves (if I had been wearing any), introduce me to the Snack Patrons, get me a snack, and converse with me for the ten minute snack period. He wouldn't have any of it. Reluctantly, he offered me his arm, and I tried to assuage his disappointment by telling him that unlike the other boys, he didn't have to take my gloves, because I didn't have any! This did not make him happier. We waited in the line--almost silently, except for my futile attempts to make small-talk-- until we made it to the snack table. The Snack Patrons prompted "Timmy" to introduce his partner to them, to which he said, "I don't have a partner." He kept his head down all the while, as he poured himself some lemonade and grabbed himself a cookie. The patrons, bless their hearts, tried once more to get him to perform properly, and they asked him if he would like to offer his partner a snack. He simply said, "Nope," and walked away.
I was not going to give up. I followed him to his seat and sat down beside him as he scooted as far away from me as he possible could get on his two foot-wide seat. He tried to talk to the couple next to him, who clearly sympathized with his having to be paired with one of the patrons. So I talked with them. The other little girl was perfectly amicable while the other boy made a point not to make eye contact with me. "Timmy" begged the girl to switch seats with him so he could sit next to the other boy, which she politely did. The girl was nice and tried very hard to make me feel better about the situation, but then she decided that it was best to return to her proper seat and follow the rules that had been set forth by the coordinators. So "Timmy" slunk back into his seat beside me. I tried again:
Me: "'Timmy' why won't you talk to me?"
"Timmy": "Because you're scary!"
Me: "Oh I'm not scary. I really don't mean to be scary."
::SILENCE::
Me: "So 'Timmy,' do you play any sports?"
"Timmy": "Soccer."
Me: "Oh I love soccer! I used to play every year. What position do you play?"
"Timmy": "Defense. And offense."
Me: "It sounds like you like to play all over. Do you like to play midfield?"
"Timmy": "Yes."
Me: "Midfield was always my favorite position."
"Timmy": "I don't like it."
Me: "Oh okay. So how old are you 'Timmy'?"
"Timmy": "Almost nine."
Me: "Wow, that's cool! I'm 20."
"Timmy": "THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SO SCARY!"
Luckily, at this time they called the end of snack and said that we were about to begin dancing. As I expected based on his snack time behavior, "Timmy" did not want to dance with me. He would not grab my hand and he would not move his feet as the dance instructor began explaining the simple steps of the merengue. I told "Timmy" that he didn't have to hold my hands, but I tried to get him to move his feet. He wouldn't. Well, that's incorrect. He DID move his feet, but only to get as far away from me on the dancefloor as he possibly could. I finally decided to recruit another patron to get him to dance so that I would not scar poor "Timmy" any more on his first day of cotillion. He was a very cute boy and I am determined to become his friend within the next 6 months of classes! I guess I'll just have to be less "scary"-- less... 20.
In other news, I started assisting at a local cotillion/school of etiquette last night and it was so much fun! The kids were all so cute, doing their little formal introductions, and tiny merengue dance steps! I did, however, scare a child.
The evening began with the 3rd-4th graders. We numbered both the boys and the girls off one to four and told the children to go the corner with the corresponding number. From there we had the girls get into a circle facing outward and the boys get into a circle facing inward toward the girls. My group was short a girl, so I stepped into the girl's circle. As I expected, none of the boys wanted to be partnered with me for too long, but most of them were relatively nice about it. They would quietly tell the boy next to them "I hope we rotate soon..." but they made the effort to spare my feelings about the matter. All except for "Timmy" (Name has been changed... just because I felt like changing it). "Timmy" did NOT want to be my partner. Unfortunately for him, I ended up being his partner for snack time. This meant that he would have to offer me his right arm, take my gloves (if I had been wearing any), introduce me to the Snack Patrons, get me a snack, and converse with me for the ten minute snack period. He wouldn't have any of it. Reluctantly, he offered me his arm, and I tried to assuage his disappointment by telling him that unlike the other boys, he didn't have to take my gloves, because I didn't have any! This did not make him happier. We waited in the line--almost silently, except for my futile attempts to make small-talk-- until we made it to the snack table. The Snack Patrons prompted "Timmy" to introduce his partner to them, to which he said, "I don't have a partner." He kept his head down all the while, as he poured himself some lemonade and grabbed himself a cookie. The patrons, bless their hearts, tried once more to get him to perform properly, and they asked him if he would like to offer his partner a snack. He simply said, "Nope," and walked away.
I was not going to give up. I followed him to his seat and sat down beside him as he scooted as far away from me as he possible could get on his two foot-wide seat. He tried to talk to the couple next to him, who clearly sympathized with his having to be paired with one of the patrons. So I talked with them. The other little girl was perfectly amicable while the other boy made a point not to make eye contact with me. "Timmy" begged the girl to switch seats with him so he could sit next to the other boy, which she politely did. The girl was nice and tried very hard to make me feel better about the situation, but then she decided that it was best to return to her proper seat and follow the rules that had been set forth by the coordinators. So "Timmy" slunk back into his seat beside me. I tried again:
Me: "'Timmy' why won't you talk to me?"
"Timmy": "Because you're scary!"
Me: "Oh I'm not scary. I really don't mean to be scary."
::SILENCE::
Me: "So 'Timmy,' do you play any sports?"
"Timmy": "Soccer."
Me: "Oh I love soccer! I used to play every year. What position do you play?"
"Timmy": "Defense. And offense."
Me: "It sounds like you like to play all over. Do you like to play midfield?"
"Timmy": "Yes."
Me: "Midfield was always my favorite position."
"Timmy": "I don't like it."
Me: "Oh okay. So how old are you 'Timmy'?"
"Timmy": "Almost nine."
Me: "Wow, that's cool! I'm 20."
"Timmy": "THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SO SCARY!"
Luckily, at this time they called the end of snack and said that we were about to begin dancing. As I expected based on his snack time behavior, "Timmy" did not want to dance with me. He would not grab my hand and he would not move his feet as the dance instructor began explaining the simple steps of the merengue. I told "Timmy" that he didn't have to hold my hands, but I tried to get him to move his feet. He wouldn't. Well, that's incorrect. He DID move his feet, but only to get as far away from me on the dancefloor as he possibly could. I finally decided to recruit another patron to get him to dance so that I would not scar poor "Timmy" any more on his first day of cotillion. He was a very cute boy and I am determined to become his friend within the next 6 months of classes! I guess I'll just have to be less "scary"-- less... 20.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sore.
Three nights in a row of 6 hours of serving plus two hours of softball and going on 1-2 walks per day, while getting very little if any sleep has left me a bit tired and sore.
But luckily everything else is beautiful at the moment! It's a gorgeous, sunny day and I will most definitely be spotted lounging around the pool reading "Down and Out in Paris and London" within the next two hours :)
But luckily everything else is beautiful at the moment! It's a gorgeous, sunny day and I will most definitely be spotted lounging around the pool reading "Down and Out in Paris and London" within the next two hours :)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
3 Hours and counting...
Some people might say that I'm pathetic for sitting at home on a Friday night, eating Dove chocolate and Jolly Ranchers and watching the Disney channel. Lucky for me, I have an excuse! As I mentioned in my last post... BOYFRIEND COMES HOME TONIGHT! I turned in my last poetry essay, took my poetry final, washed my car, got the sparkling cider and champagne for my WONDERFULLY ROMANTIC scheme tonight, and I had RA for dinner :) Today is basically the best day ever!
I do have a moderately exciting story from today as well!
As I'm driving home from school, I come across a small queue of about three cars that seem to be stopped at a green light. I began pressing down on my brake pedal about 100 feet behind the car in front of me and come to a stop a safe distance away. Had I been in a hurry I probably would have changed lanes and avoided having to wait behind the stopped cars altogether, but I was in a good mood, a good song was playing, and I wasn't in any rush. I had been stopped for all of five seconds when I look into my rearview mirror and see a cream-colored '66 Mustang driving full speed towards me. I saw the old man's face as he realized that my car was not moving, and he quickly pulled the e-brake and fish tailed to avoid rear ending me. My heart stopped. I can only imagine what his poor old heart was doing. Luckily there was no one behind him or to the right of him, so his maneuver didn't affect anyone. It's times like those that you realize how lucky you really are. Worst case scenario the man could have slammed into me, causing me to hit the car in front of me, possibly causing any other number of cars to hit each other (yeah, he was going THAT fast) and any one of us could have been seriously injured. I drove away from that intersection feeling even more refreshed than I did yesterday when I had had no "near-death" experiences.
I attribute my good fortune to my safety shell. If you're ever in my car feel free to ask me about it. I'll show you :) It has protected me since I was sixteen (aka no accidents/tickets/etc.)
Good story. I know.
I do have a moderately exciting story from today as well!
As I'm driving home from school, I come across a small queue of about three cars that seem to be stopped at a green light. I began pressing down on my brake pedal about 100 feet behind the car in front of me and come to a stop a safe distance away. Had I been in a hurry I probably would have changed lanes and avoided having to wait behind the stopped cars altogether, but I was in a good mood, a good song was playing, and I wasn't in any rush. I had been stopped for all of five seconds when I look into my rearview mirror and see a cream-colored '66 Mustang driving full speed towards me. I saw the old man's face as he realized that my car was not moving, and he quickly pulled the e-brake and fish tailed to avoid rear ending me. My heart stopped. I can only imagine what his poor old heart was doing. Luckily there was no one behind him or to the right of him, so his maneuver didn't affect anyone. It's times like those that you realize how lucky you really are. Worst case scenario the man could have slammed into me, causing me to hit the car in front of me, possibly causing any other number of cars to hit each other (yeah, he was going THAT fast) and any one of us could have been seriously injured. I drove away from that intersection feeling even more refreshed than I did yesterday when I had had no "near-death" experiences.
I attribute my good fortune to my safety shell. If you're ever in my car feel free to ask me about it. I'll show you :) It has protected me since I was sixteen (aka no accidents/tickets/etc.)
Good story. I know.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Life should have a "refresh" button.
There has been something about this week that has been oddly refreshing. It could be because of the fact that despite the oodles and oodles of things I've had on my agenda (daily)I haven't felt stressed. I've forced myself to stay awake all day (meaning none of the naps I love so dearly) in order to be productive. I've been more actively engaged in school, my sorority, and my family life this way. It's weird how the busier you are, the happier you seem to be. You would think that a busy person would knock himself out trying to do EVERYTHING and be EVERYWHERE at the same time, and that having a full schedule would be tiresome-- but it's oddly refreshing.
The other refreshing aspect of this week could be due to the fact that Boyfriend will be coming home TOMORROW and I successfully avoided getting sick all week! [I felt the sickness coming on last Friday, so I let myself sleep approximately 30 hours over the weekend to get my energy levels back up. I also have been taking my Esberitox every day, as well as daily multi-vitamins, using the Neti pot, and avoiding milk products.]
It's a weird coincidence but every time Boyfriend is close to coming home either he gets sick, or I do. Without fail. OR on the off chance that neither of us gets sick before he gets home, one of us gets sick WHILE he's home, which is even worse. No matter. This time will be different. We will both be healthy and happy and productive and everything will be wonderful!
But before he gets home I have to write a poetry essay, study for my poetry final, turn in my essay and take my final, finish the part of his belated Valentine's gift that I'm making, buy the part of his belated Valentine's gift that I'm buying, buy a Coke in a glass bottle, buy champagne and some Martinelli's, and wash my car.
::Refresh::
The other refreshing aspect of this week could be due to the fact that Boyfriend will be coming home TOMORROW and I successfully avoided getting sick all week! [I felt the sickness coming on last Friday, so I let myself sleep approximately 30 hours over the weekend to get my energy levels back up. I also have been taking my Esberitox every day, as well as daily multi-vitamins, using the Neti pot, and avoiding milk products.]
It's a weird coincidence but every time Boyfriend is close to coming home either he gets sick, or I do. Without fail. OR on the off chance that neither of us gets sick before he gets home, one of us gets sick WHILE he's home, which is even worse. No matter. This time will be different. We will both be healthy and happy and productive and everything will be wonderful!
But before he gets home I have to write a poetry essay, study for my poetry final, turn in my essay and take my final, finish the part of his belated Valentine's gift that I'm making, buy the part of his belated Valentine's gift that I'm buying, buy a Coke in a glass bottle, buy champagne and some Martinelli's, and wash my car.
::Refresh::
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Death by Peanut Butter.
If you've been hip to the latest news, you may be aware that there have been over 400 salmonella-related illnesses in the U.S., and three deaths. What do all of the victims have in common? They have all consumed peanut butter. Now before you run to your cupboard and evict your jar of peanut butter, you may be interested to know that most of the cases involved peanut butter that was distributed from food service providers, not directly to consumers. King Nut and Parnell's Pride peanut butters and suspected to be the culprits. Two years ago, ConAgra recalled Peter Pan Peanut Butter for causing over 650 cases of salmonella food poisoning in almost every one of our 50 states.
I was thankful to find that my favorite peanut butter brand's (Skippy) reputation appears to remain untainted, and I intend to continue eating the Duane ____ Burger as often as possible.
In lighter news, the mayor of Guanajuato has declared Mexico City the "kissing capital of the world." He did not do this to encourage romantic PDA, however. He did it to prove that he had not, in fact, placed a ban on kissing in public as it had been rumored. He set an ad campaign in motion with a picture of a couple kissing that says, "Guanajuato, the kissing capital." This is a sweet idea and all, but couldn't he have just denied the kissing prohibition? Does he need a full-fledged campaign to prove he's not the anti-cupid? Whatever his reasons, it looks like Rome and Paris are being given a run for their money ;p ...or not.
I was thankful to find that my favorite peanut butter brand's (Skippy) reputation appears to remain untainted, and I intend to continue eating the Duane ____ Burger as often as possible.
In lighter news, the mayor of Guanajuato has declared Mexico City the "kissing capital of the world." He did not do this to encourage romantic PDA, however. He did it to prove that he had not, in fact, placed a ban on kissing in public as it had been rumored. He set an ad campaign in motion with a picture of a couple kissing that says, "Guanajuato, the kissing capital." This is a sweet idea and all, but couldn't he have just denied the kissing prohibition? Does he need a full-fledged campaign to prove he's not the anti-cupid? Whatever his reasons, it looks like Rome and Paris are being given a run for their money ;p ...or not.
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