RouletteWeekend

Yesterday was a really good connection day. I think we, humans, need to make a more conscious effort to have connection days. I don’t mean a day out in the crowd and the hustle and bustle of life. I mean a day with people you like to be around. Feel free to insert a joke about trying daily to avoid people. I feel you on that most days. But occasionally, a day will appear that unintentionally throws you into connection.

Yesterday was that day for me.

I got an early morning text from a friend asking me if I wanted to go sailing on Thursday (today).

A writer friend who always hosts a monthly lunch at a local restaurant invited me again this month. I usually don’t get to go because I have work, but yesterday, since I quit my job, I was all freed up to get social. So it was me, my friend, and 7 ladies that I don’t know ranging from 55 and up (I think).

I think it would be safe to assume that I was the youngest one at the table. It’s always been that way for me. My friends are not bound by a circle of age restrictions like some people. I have friends in their twenties and I have friends in their eighties and every age in between.

They say having friends of different ages helps you live longer. I don’t know who “they” are. I never do. But I believe them, wherever and whoever they are. Or I want to believe them. Mostly because I want to live for a very long time. I’ve just reached middle age (49) and if I live 49 more years (or beyond), I will be content as long as it’s a healthy 49 more years and beyond.

But I digress.

I went to lunch and had a grand time with a bunch of ladies that I would not have met had it not been for my friend’s monthly luncheon. And it was really nice. We talked and laughed and got to know each other.

And then last night, Will and I went to Trivia at a local bar that a different friend invited us to. Those friends are younger than us, not by a lot, but ten years give or take. We came in 3rd place which was kind of cool. Who knew Toy Story 3 was a money maker? None of us, but in hindsight it makes sense.

So as I was getting ready for bed last night, I was hit by this bubble of gratitude for having people around me who can fill my cup when I am not able to fill it myself and over the last few months as the job I was doing was sucking all of the energy and wellness out of my system causing it to stress and swell and gain weight and lose patience, I was relieved to finally be in a place where I can say yes to doing things that are good for my soul.

The friend who invited me sailing was just as bummed as I was that we got rained out of our excursion today. So now we are keeping an eye on the weather to see when the next day will be a good day to get on the water.

Connection to people.

Connection to nature.

Connection to self.

It really sounds simple when you think about it. I hate that sometimes the simple things seem so dang hard.

But if I can leave you with one thought, it would be to be brave enough to make the changes you need to make in your life that support your goals and your dreams or even just your health. Nobody really needs to know why you do something or why you did it the way you did it. You don’t even need to know why. But if you can wake up tomorrow feeling like the first day of fresh air being pulled into your lungs after weeks, months, or years of inhaling toxic fumes, then good on you! You don’t really owe anybody anything. If I had to guess, I’d say you’ve probably been giving more of you to others than is necessary for quite a while now. And it’s ok to turn the giving on to yourself for a bit. So give yourself permission to be free.

I still don’t know what I’m going to do with my life. But I feel like I’ve been on this tightrope more than once so I’ll do what I do best and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

See you tomorrow.