Last week in Phoenix, after admitting that I had turned they symphony concert into a philosophical thought-event about call, meaning, and life-significance, Boss looked at me and said, “I say this in the nicest possible way, but…YOU THINK TOO MUCH!!!!!” I laughed and agreed. I do think a lot.
That thinking has gotten me into trouble this week. Don’t worry, it’s not been literal trouble. I’ve just had a lot on my mind. That fact, coupled with a seemingly overwhelming amount of work, has made for a pretty not-so-good week.
Usually, when I’m in bad space, I’m a pretty negative person. I don’t mean to be. I don’t want to be. But when things feel bad, it’s sometimes hard for me to see or feel anything good. Yet this week I’ve tried not to be consumed so much with the bad as much as just allow it to exist. In the process of this existence, I’ve experienced a couple of really funny moments and a couple of really beautiful moments as well.
Funny Moment #1: The Lunch Box
Mel (my assistant), via text: Uh-oh! I may have taken your landlord’s lunchbox by mistake! If you see her, tell her I’ll bring it back tomorrow!
Me (thinking, “Valerie (my landlord) has a Vera Bradley lunchbox. Mel does not. How in the world could she have taken Valerie’s lunchbox by mistake.”): How did you do that?
Mel: We bought our cars from the same place.
Me (thinking, “Yes. But what does buying a car have to do with a lunchbox?!”): Did they give you a free lunchbox or something?
Mel: Yes.
Me to Valerie (after watching her walk into the building, stay a few minutes, walk back out of the building and search her car, then walk back into the building looking really confused): Mel just wrote and said she accidently took your lunchbox. She’s really sorry and will bring it back tomorrow.
Valerie, via text: I was wondering what happened to my lunch. I went downstairs to eat and it was gone! Thanks for telling m. At least I know I’m not crazy.
:-)
The really funny thing (besides Mel's response about the cars)? I spoke to Valerie at the pool last night and she admitted that she’d been a bit scattered lately. She’d gotten up yesterday and chopped vegetables for a nice salad and neatly packed her snack and lunch. Around 11am, she went down and got out her snack, an apple, prepared it and took it back to her office to eat. Around 1pm, she decided to go to the store to buy some nuts for her salad. When she got back and saw that her lunch bag wasn’t there, she began to doubt whether she’d even brought her lunch at all. She thought maybe she was remembering the day before! Now, that’s a lot of stress right there!
Funny Moment #2: The Sleep-Texter Strikes Again
I had a dream last night that I was in a downtown area that was set up like a grid. Because of the gridded set up, I could easily find my way around town and tell people where to meet me—on the corner of such and such and so and so. In the dream, I liked that feeling, so I when I woke up to turn over, I naturally thought I needed to share this realization. Trying to write something that communicated my dream, I very carefully wrote:
The grad sys6x 9susten is is good ya of dissiining ligor .
Yes, folks. The sleep-texter struck again!
Positive Moment: I love you, friend.
After writing a very difficult e-mail to my prayer partner at Mundo Vista, I received this response. These words are so powerful that they bring tears to my eyes:
I want to encourage you. I think that facing the paradoxes that point out our own faults (whether current or in the past) are perhaps the toughest battles we will ever fight. I think that you are one of the bravest women I have ever met. I think that it's ok at this point for you to let me help you carry this burden. Let me be your friend. Tonight and in the nights to come, if you cannot let go of the negative thoughts, send them to me. I am in a good place, and I will happily help you combat them. I will take those feelings to the Centennial Building for you, and let them dissipate into the air to be carried away by the thousands of prayers you (and you and I) have sung in that space. Don't forget, either, that ugly moments do not make us ugly. I am honored to be your friend, and I think you are beautiful. I love you, friend.
What about you? How has your week been? Have you had any funny or beautiful moments? Will you share them now?
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