Allow myself to talk about...myself

So one of the reasons I never, ever wanted to start a blog is because I am pretty sure that nobody cares what I have to say.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do have a Facebook page. On this page I post things about my daily life that I'm absolutely CERTAIN do not matter to anyone else - so I really don't know why I've been so hesitant to do this in blog form.

And I LOVE reading other peoples' blogs, especially when they talk about the mundane details of their daily lives. But I have a total block when it comes to sharing mine. I just don't think my life is all that interesting.

But today, because P-Dub says that bloggers should blog frequently, I'm going to write something.

Yesterday was a rough day at the ole' office. Nothing special or noteworthy happened, it was just stressful. I am being asked to take on some additional responsibilities in the face of some stuff that's changing 'round these parts, and yesterday the full force of what is about to happen hit me.

Hard.

[Allow me to interject here with an important detail you'll need to know about me if what I'm about to say is going to be at all shocking to you.

I love my couch.

I love my couch a whole lot.

Not quite as much as The Good.Sport (but almost).

If you ask me what I'd like to do after work, my answer would be to curl up on the couch with [insert carby fatty food here] and [insert beer or wine of choice here]. Maybe, on a good night, I'd be knitting while I watch horrible reality TV that makes me feel better about myself. More than likely, I'd fall asleep within an hour.]

Last night, some of the stress had abated by the time I got home, thanks to an amazing drive once I get off of H1 get out of town. This was great! I wanted to sit down, study (I'll talk about this some other time), and pet my dog. But then it happened - a quick check of Facebook showed the status update of a friend who chose to go to the gym rather than sit around the house and eat.

And I knew what would make me feel better.

I changed clothes, put on my sneakers, and took the pooch on an epic walk around the neighborhood. I voluntarily spent more than an hour not just off the couch, but MOVING.

(I'm really not a lazy slug, I regularly engage in outdoor activities like hiking, stand-up paddling, snorkeling, and SCUBA diving. Just not normally on weeknights.)

My point is, I chose to do something good for myself - and for my pooch - rather than wallow. I won't say the stress totally melted away, but I did feel better.

So I also accomplished #4 on the list I linked to above.

Boo-ya.

I may have come home after the walk to sit on the couch with homemade mac 'n cheese. But if I had done that, at least I would have earned it!

I might even get off my duff and go for a long walk AGAIN tonight.

Perhaps I've turned a corner...




Side note: I don't even know if my friend knows the effect her post about going to the gym had on me. I started thinking about how, each and every day, we affect others in subtle ways. We probably don't even know it. I'm making it my personal goal to make all those effects I have on people positive ones. I want to uplift, inspire, and encourage all who come into contact with me. I want to make peoples' lives better. I strive to be a kinder person as I never know when someone is at their wit's end. Sometimes it's just showing a bit of kindness that can draw someone back from the proverbial edge. I'm going to work harder to smile at strangers (I promise not in a creepy way), to be happy with store employees even when I want to cry inside, and to "be the change [I] wish to see in the world." (Gandhi said that, in case you didn't know)

Civility and kindness are disappearing from our world. Won't you work with me to bring it back?