At A Glance...
Last Week At A Glance:
Last week was eye-opening in a few ways. It definitely had more meetings than I'm used to. Two of them in particular I personally consider awe-inspiring.
During one of them I was, again, exposed to the positive repercussions of simply being nice to people and making myself an available source of information to them. I did some "schmoozing" after the meeting was over, and have some more follow-up meetings this week. It never ceases to amaze me how far natural charm combined with a decent amount of hard work will go. I emphasize "natural" charm, because that's quite a different animal from that "fake, smile in your face, then go talk about you to anyone who will listen" crap that many people seem to engage in. No, one of my few strengths includes an ability to look into people's souls when I'm with them and communicate to them that I actually care about what they're discussing with me at the time. But if you cross me, you are screwed. That's not tough talk at all, just a sad reality. The good news is that everyone gets two chances with me, though, so it's not as bad as it sounds. :-) But I SERIOUSLY digress....
During the other meeting I'm referring to, I was exposed to some SERIOUS irony, karma, whatever you want to call it. We see it everyday, but a colleague and I now use this situation as our inside joke. Life is really something. Now that I am approaching 35 years of age (considered by many to be the halfway point of average life-expectancy), I am really coming into my own. I'm done trying to figure out who I want to be. I simply am who I am, and I'm learning to be content with who I've become.
I am a working mother. Those of you moms who stay home all day, great. But why do so many stay-at-home moms judge working moms? If you're content in your personal situation, stop concerning yourself with what other people are doing.
I am a Christian. I am proud to be a Christian. I don't wear my Christianity like a fashionable piece of jewelry that I take on or off depending on the situation. It IS the biggest part of who I am and I'm proud to exalt my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!! If you have a problem with who I am or any of the tenets of Christianity, I don't mind fielding/answering questions about why I believe in and trust God and His Word. But I will absolutely not engage in debates and arguments about who I am and why I believe what I believe. I don't go questioning people of other lifestyles who make certain decisions, and I expect the same respect in return. If I do not get it in return, I'm not shocked, but I will not be baited into heated discussions about something that is so precious and sweet to me.
I am a Conservative. This is something I've only come to realize about myself over the past 7 or 8 years. I'm what is commonly referred to as a "9/11 Conservative". This is not to be mistaken with a Republican, by the way. I don't align myself with any of the major political parties in this country. This choice to not politically align myself has much to do with the fact that my Christian walk is SO important to me and something I have to work at daily. I can't let an undying association with fallible humans and their political swayings mar my testimony of faith. And that's exactly what I believe happens to those Christians who do engage heavily in politics. Simply my opinion.
I'm very obsessive. This is either my greatest weakness or strength. It depends on the object of my obsession. When it's my relationship with God, hubby, kids, or something related to my career or personal growth/development, it's a major strength. When it's a hot actor or sports player, it's bad (I keep writing about this, but I really need to share my Tiger Woods story one day!!). We're not talking minor crushes, people. I always take stuff to the EXTREME on either side. I used to obsess over my husband while we were dating. It was borderline predatory; really surprised he didn't call the police at some point. Sadly, it changes with the wind, and you never know where I am at the moment, or where I'm headed with this. But this is who I am, and at this point in my life I finally understand that trying to be something else is so futile. All I can do is channel this obsessive nature into positive things that will leave a positive stamp on my family's livelihood and well-being.
In closing, I just want to say something to all of the 30+ year-olds who may be reading this. Most of you may have already figured this out, but for those that haven't, you ARE who you ARE now. Those of you actively trying to be someone else or change major characteristics you have, it just doesn't work. I promise I'm not being mean intentionally, but you really are not fooling anyone but yourselves. Not to mention that you really look silly to everyone who notices, if you care about stuff like that. It's impossible to truly like or truly know someone who tries to hard to go against the grain of who they are. If you're a total a$$hole who turns people off with your personality, I'm really sorry to hear that. But in my opinion the best thing you can do at this point is just own up to it, and try to choose a profession that gives you the most limited contact with people as possible. When you try to appear nice, you appear very strange. Especially because the real you is going to show up again at some point anyway, and will cause people to wonder who the heck "that other person" was. I'm speaking from personal experience. I have really enjoyed writing this post. It feels good to share things like this that have been on my mind for a really long time. :-)
Next Week At A Glance
I'm leaving work early on Tuesday to go to a doctor's visit.
I'll also have a MUCH needed visit to my hair stylist to get some cute layers cut and my hair pressed out. It's been way too long, and I'm just looking a hot mess right about now.
Let's see, what else...oh yeah, the hubby, kids and I are going on a trip to Alabama to visit the hubby's family. We haven't been down there in years, and it's really sad because we were so close to this part of the family before we had kids. At this point we have completely lost touch with everyone. Looking forward to reconnecting with as many people as possible. My hubby has 8 aunts and uncles on each side (yes, 16 total) and about a gazillion 1st cousins, so there are usually cookouts/fish-frys and the like to look forward to whenever we go down there. My hubby is the oldest granchild on his Dad's side so they always make an especially huge deal when we go down there. Something really special about the first Gran, I always hear. :-)
Ta Ta For Now, readers!!
Labels: character, family, hair, meetings, personalities, work