Before & After, sort of

Disclaimer. The photo below was originally sent to Parts as we discussed how she’s graduating her final child from high school and is still managing to screw it up. Then, we brainstormed a book about it. And we made fun of nearly everything serious in her life, roast fashion.

But, I really wanted to post the photo with a caption about how I needed to pee while out waking and was worried to find a bush/patch of ground because my butt would be ambushed by mosquitoes.

Which then prompted my thought about how I don’t post those things on social media yet I save them for the blog which does get posted on social media. So basically I just add another step to read the good stuff.

Anyway, we graduated my nephew this past weekend which resulted in a very quick trip to my hometown, complete with the most humid run I’ve encountered in quite some time, a lot of dirty looks from people in my old life, and a hug from my ex’s grandmother with the words “Yes, I remember her, I liked this one”. HaHA. What’s funny is I thought she hated me, but I did spend time with her and listened to her stories. She even invited me to visit her. Seriously, though, some of us have not aged well.

And, on aging, late night and early morning conversations with my aunt and uncle resulted in a conglomerate of topics, such as educators, the education system, federalist papers, and the Constitution. Then, work ethic, Mark Twain, the Roman Empire, and the Bronze Age. What I enjoy most is these are discussions based on our interpretation of what we know, or have heard, and less about what we can research and clarify in the moment. For all we know, we have missed the mark entirely, but it’s those reasons which make it fun, thought provoking, and eye opening.

On that note, this is my final thought: people generally have little fear. But, the fear of being forgotten trumps many.

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I ask you –

What would you have done about the mosquitoes?

Do you fear being forgotten once you’re gone?

Name a subject you often discuss with others.

(The post Before & After, sort of first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Always the Dramatics

I knew that the short 7 day reprieve from coursework would fly by, so I gave myself something every day to look forward to, something just for me. Besides, what’s a moment compared to the avg 3 hrs/day I typically spend on schoolwork, right?

First day, I found this: “Half of the battle of anxiety is realizing when you’re entering the battle. This is mainly because our fears and insecurities feel so true. We tend to go along with whatever pops into our heads.”

Days 2-7 didn’t go according to plan. What did I do for myself these days? I survived because it never, ever, ever fails that my body ditches all common sense during a break and caves to sickness. Sure, it was just a head cold meets some seasonal allergies but I was convinced this might be the end. I didn’t even run for a few days! Then, the meds worked wonders and I was back at it.

Finally, on the newest episode of “Where Did These Bruises Come From?!”, twice-a-week volleyball is kicking my butt. And hands. And knees. Seriously, every time I shower I find a new discoloration and/or painful area. But is it worthwhile? Absolutely not. I mean … of course it is!

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I ask you –

Do you battle anxiety or anxious thoughts?

Have you been struggling with allergies, too?

On a scale of 1 to holy crap you need to chill out, tell me how dramatic you are! 12.

(The post Always the Dramatics first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Never Seen Before

It’s fascinating to me how often I hear the words, or some variation of, “We’ve never seen this before.” As it’s almost always said with shock, eliciting fear and a call to action, I’ve realized we don’t often say the complete opposite, “Oh I’ve seen this before.” Guaranteed many, many, many situations, events, or challenges have been seen before. Maybe it’s the generalization that bothers me most. I’m opposed to words like always or never because it’s rarely true. No one always does something, there will be times when they don’t. No one never says the right thing, surely this is a lie. The human behavior side of me rests on believing people do the right things. A cynic I am not.

As a generational statement, the phrase is incredibly subjective. Just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t. The start of WWI was thousands of people going “We’ve never seen this before”. Do you think by WWII people were suddenly saying “Oh, it’s fine, we’ve seen this before “. Eye roll.

On a slightly different note, family drama – at least in mine – is the result of unsupported mental health, trauma, and lack of adequate coping/communication skills. Basically everything. To protect the innocent and guilty, I won’t be slandering anyone on here – even if the truth does need to be told. Perhaps it’s not my story to tell, yet I will say one thing: when someone speaks up for themselves and emphatically stands behind their decision, I believe that’s the epitome of strength and healing. And it’s something we don’t often see or congratulate in the way it deserves. So despite the snarky last word and the passive aggressiveness of future interactions, I’m here for it. And I’ve seen all that before.

I know I’m super geeky about human behavior stuff, but this is interesting to me! The innate versus learned, nature vs. nature – whatever you want to call it. We’re all products of multiple pieces of our lives we have zero control over. It’s what we do with the pieces defined as choices that make us human.

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I ask you –

How often do you state “I’ve never seen this before!”?

Do you have family drama, too?

Tell me about a time when a choice impacted your life in an unexpected way!

(The post Never Seen Before first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)