Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Lucky day Monday?

So I had a three day weekend...Saturday, Sunday and Monday! So much fun. I didn't think about work for three days. Usually, even on my weekends, I am thinking about work. Forty-eight hours just isn't enough time for me to divorce my self completely from this thing we call work. And my typical work week is 50 hours plus. So it takes up a considerable amount of my time, and my mental well-being.

So the age old question of "what did you do with your weekend?" Well, Saturday I ran some errands, took the dogs to the river, and basically took it easy after that. Sunday I played roller hockey for the first time in 2 or 3 years, afterwards went to brunch with a friend and chilled out and recuperated the rest of the day. On Monday I met my mom for lunch and then went to visit friends at my old workplace, as well as running a few errands. So it wasn't really an exciting weekend. There weren't any big parties, or mornings after. It was just a nice, relaxing, forget about the job type of weekend.

Monday morning came much sooner than expected. Five thirty A.M. has a way of doing that. So I got up, hopped into the shower and began my day in the usual way. I started to get dressed. I pulled on a pair of khakis that I had laid out-smelling fresh from the laundry. I pulled them on and zipped up. The zipper comes off in my hand. Well, okay. It happens. I pull off the trousers and grab a second pair. I pull them on and zip up. The zipper separates while I'm zipping. Two zippers both gone in one morning. What are the odds?

I'm livid at this point, yet still amused. So I look around for another pair of trousers. I can't find any clean ones, since I neglected to do laundry whilst on my holiday. I grab a pair of bluejeans (which I rarely wear since they do tend to grab my butt and they also bind in front just a bit.) I pull them on and begin the ginger process of zipping up. After this particular "pantsing" is successful I load up the pockets and begin my day again.

Now I truly know what Mondays feel like for everyone.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Soaring to new heights

The other day I was at a stoplight. I noticed a bird, not a hawk, nor an eagle, nor a condor, but a lowly turkey buzzard. They are ugly creatures when viewed in close, but the majesty of flight makes them beautiful, as with any soaring bird.

This buzzard was low, maybe 30-40 feet off the ground and looking for a thermal current to propel it upwards. It would flap it's wings a moment then glide, change direction and flap again. When it finally found the thermal, the buzzard stopped flapping and started circling. Within seconds the buzzard went from 30-40 feet to over 100 feet and climbing.

It was truly a zen experience.

I think there is a lesson to learn in seeing that experience. Probably many lessons.