Are You There God? It's Me, Dawn

All of this is kind of new to me. Lent that is.

I was raised Protestant (and still am), so I never had to go get ashes on my forehead on Wednesday. I never had to give up something that I really liked for a long period of time. And I didn’t have to have fish on Fridays.

But my new church (which I love!) celebrates Lent, so I’ve had to learn some new things about my faith.

What I love about Lent is that it’s a unifier…tons of Christians all over the globe are in some mode of sacrifice to remember the one that Jesus made for us. They’re serving the less fortunate…it’s just super cool.

So I gave up a bunch of stuff: meat, fish, dairy, white flour, white rice, caffeine, sugar, sugar substitutes, and “party foods”.

That’s a lot.

I really feel like God was calling me to do it though…but that’s really not the point. The point is that with all of the veggies, fruits, and beans that I’m eating…there’s just one word to describe me right now.

Regular.

I went to the symphony last night. 

Before the performance, I was feeling all proud of myself for doing something cultural and artistic.  After the performance, which was excellent by the way, I was thoroughly relaxed.

Why?

Because I fell asleep.  Yep...asleep.

How embarassing!  Like Rudy from Fat Albert used to say, "N.C.--no class!"

I mean, I didn't sleep the entire time, just for a moment.  I'd been fighting it for a while when I felt the telltale head bob.  I snapped my head up and me and my friends proceeded to silently giggle.

Seriously, who starts a show at 8 pm?!  I go to bed at like 9:30...I knew this was going to be a stretch from get go. 

I guess the good part of my short cat nap is that my heart was racing so from snapping myself awake from my public slumber that I was able to enjoy the rest of the performance without struggle. 

So yeah, I went to the symphony last night and it was really good. 

Sometimes being alone is tangible.

This is one of those times.

I’m sick…really sick actually. My joints ache, my stomach is doing flips, and my head is pounding.

What do I want? Medicine? A hot pack? Nope. I want someone to take care of me.

A friend, a boyfriend, a mom, a husband, a brother…whatever. Just someone that I know loves me and is willing to put up with my whining and complaining.

But there’s no one…I’m alone.

I saw it earlier today while just doing the mundane tasks of my day. Trying to haul my groceries out of my car, unlock the gate to get into my complex, haul the bags up three flights of stairs…along with my purse and my computer bag.

All the while I was thinking, “this is why being alone bites it!”

I just want someone else to do it for once. Or at least someone else to come along with me.

But there’s no one…I’m alone.

I wonder if I’ll know the real thing when I see it.

I wonder if I’ll scare the real thing away.

Is there really a big difference between the real good thing and the pretty good thing?

Is it better to go with the pretty good thing that’s ready…or to wait for the real good thing that needs some time?

The real good thing is really good…but the pretty good thing has potential to be really good as well.

Good things (really good or pretty good) are hard to find.

I hope that I’m able to recognize and appreciate the good things in my life.

The real thing?  Now that’s something worth waiting for.

So I was driving behind an H3 today and getting quite frustrated.

I thought the idea of the sport utility vehicle was that you could off-road it, four-wheel drive it, whatever with it.  So why was this driver slowing down at every pothole?

I drive a Kia...I've got to slow down or my car might just fall apart in the middle of the street.  But a Hummer?  They should've been plowing through those horrible Houston potholes, laughing in a snotty, my-car-is-better-than-your-car way.

But no, all I saw was brake light after brake light.   They also seemed to swerve to avoid the crappy road environment just as much as they hit the brakes...so going around them was a little sketchy. 

Note to drivers of H3's, SUV's, and other ridiculously large vehicles:  go ahead and drive your cars for goodness sakes!  Leave the braking and swerving for those of us in wind-up cars.

Thank you...carry on. 

I had a fun Wednesday, but I learned that I can't hang out like I could back in the day...I require rest. 

So this is the anatomy of a late night...the day after.

5 am: alarm goes off..."uggg" *hit the snooze button*

6 am: finally get out of bed...hit that dang snooze button too much

7:30 am - 6 pm: work

6:30 pm:  arrive at home, think about eating dinner, decide to take a nap before eating

9 pm: wake up from "nap", get up, brush my teeth, wash my face, go back to bed 

5 am: alarm goes off..."uggg" *hit the snooze button*

Clearly, I can't kick it like I could back in the day...clearly. 

My friend has breast cancer.

She's the best person that I know. And I say that mostly because I've never met a person who's more similar to me unless I was looking in a mirror.

We have the same ridiculous sense of humor. We both have a passion for volleyball. We both are incredibly easily entertained. We share a passion for working out. I guess I should just cut to the chase and say that we're both awesome and amazing people.

But now I see that she's the amazing one. I talked to her last night and she's on her last round of chemo and headed to radiation.

Has she stopped working? Nope. Has she stopped recruiting student-athletes? Nope...as a matter of fact, she just landed a great one. Has she stopped working out? Nope...she actually challenged her players to a race. Has she stopped loving her boyfriend. Nope...she was cooking them dinner when I talked to her.

She's amazing and I love her. I love her like the sister I never had.

I love God for putting her into my life. I love Him for showing me the awesomeness of the human soul. I love God because her faith has grown stronger through her trials.

So this Valentine's Day I'm thinking of her and hoping that she knows that my heart swells for her.

Carrrrrrne asada.

Caaaaaarne asada.

No, no, no...say it sexy like Ricardo Montalban.

Carrrrrrne asada.

Caaaaaaarne asada.

Why I love this commerical, I'll never know...but I think it's hilarious.

Hee, hee.

Harrumph.

*arms crossed, eyes rolling*

Why am I all huffy, you ask? Because I'm being force-fed love...or should I say, Valentine's Day. There is a huge difference between the two things!

You can't walk into any store without seeing candies, chocolates, cards, hearts, cupids, arrows, reds and pinks...that is what love is all about apparently. So I'm torn.

I love holidays, I love sending people stuff, making cookies and whatnot...so this is a perfect time for that. I also love getting cards and candies and being reassured that there are people out there that actually love me.

But I also think it's a sham.

Like I said, I'm torn.

So I harrumph when I walk into the store and hope that I get all sorts of fun valentines at the same time.

FYI... 

Kilt is not a verb.

Improper usage:  I just kilt that ant.

Proper:  The Scotsman wore a traditional kilt. 

Thank you...carry on.