It’s been nearly three weeks since I last wrote a post. Have
you missed me? I’m sure you have, so I will employ roughly 700 words to
describe my life since I’ve been away from the computer.
Hectic. That is an adjective. I use it solely with the
following definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary: Characterized by intense action, excitement, and confused, rapid
motion.
Many of you who have been reading the He/She series of
posts over the last two months are probably wondering about what’s happening
now. Well, don’t worry, everything is going well. In fact, I haven’t been this
happy since… maybe ever. It is very probable that I am engaged in the
healthiest relationship I’ve ever been in, and I have immersed myself in her
life which includes two beautiful girls whom I have begun to spend quite a lot
of time with. Things are different, that’s for sure, but I really love spending
my thoughts and time on other people: this is my new philosophy on life.
I’ve been spending a lot of time working through step 10 of
A.A. which suggests I continue to take personal inventory and continue to set
right any new mistakes as we go along. My job is tough, I need to watch out for
selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear, and when they crop up—and they
will—I need to address them and move on immediately, for my new way of life is
love and tolerance of others. I need not worry about mistakes other people
make, they can deal with those, the little bit I focus on myself these days is
all about cleaning up my side of the road and seeing what good I can put into
the stream of life. I forgive, I love, and I pray. These things set me free day
to day. It’s a work in progress, and sometimes I dwell on things for too long
and I find myself in my head, not able to pay attention so I have to work on
this daily. I will never be perfect, and I cannot expect perfection from
anybody else.
Kids have a lot of energy. A six-year-old and a two-year-old
seem to have a never-ending supply of concentrated Mountain Dew coursing through
their veins and it’s a lot to keep up with. I do my best to help out when I’m
over at their house which has been about five days per week for a little while.
I read a lot of books, cook a lot of food, and go on a few fun trips when we
can. It makes me happy to see them happy. This is my life now, more to come.
My grandma has been home for a couple weeks now save for a three-day
trip to the hospital for some nausea which turned out to be some bleeding on
the brain which is normal after a stroke. She still has her three therapies,
twice per week, and she is quite mobile now. Here’s the best part: she has
regained nearly all of her ability to communicate. She still has some
difficulty reading and writing but that will come back with time. We can have
complete conversations and she is alert and humorous. She has to wear a heart
monitor for 30 days to determine if she has an irregular heartbeat which may
have triggered the clot to move from her heart to her brain, only time will
tell. For now, everything seems to be ok, and we are finally able to breathe
again. It was a tense moment in time, but we made it through as a family.
Yesterday I brought my girlfriend over to meet her for the first time. We sat
around with some family from out of town and had great conversation for a
couple hours, and today she and I will be bringing the girls over to my mother’s
house for my birthday celebration where she will meet some more of us.
Winter is coming, but fall is still here. Enjoy this
beautiful weather while you can, and take time to notice how beautiful our
surroundings are. Take time to forgive somebody, you will never make it out of
this world alive so let go of that resentment before it destroys you inside.
Take time to tell people you love them—let them feel how much you care. And
take time to help somebody that needs you. People are struggling everywhere,
and you may know somebody right now that is afraid to ask for help. You could
be the change in somebody’s life. You might have the answer in your heart, in
your mind, or in your wallet. If you are the one struggling right now, reach
out. People will help if you ask them, and not everybody will know your stress
unless you open up. Communication is the essence—you can control that.
I challenge everybody
to put something good into the stream of life today, and leave it there. You
don’t need to brag or boast, just help. Try to be a good person, even when
nobody is looking.
