My two cats, Kit Kat and Jam. They are my best pals and they “get me”…they are cats yes but they have souls. They have both been here with me for almost 10 years. I was not able to have children and these cats are probably wishing I could!!! 🙂
Food. Yep. I am small but do not let that fool you, I love to eat!!! I enjoy my little trips to the donut shop every once in a while. I enjoy a frozen yogurt with fruit. I am a sucker for a good cheeseburger. I enjoy healthier foods that I prepare for myself…fish, chicken, salads. And I am a total animal lover but I chow down on a good steak whenever I get the chance. Ruths Chris is the bomb….cowboy ribeye, bone-in. YES. Filet mignon. YES. Seafood…Lobster, crab, oysters, fish, shrimp…all of it. Sushi. Dark chocolate. Smoothies. Ice cream. Mexican food (which I could eat everyday). My list goes on and on. The trick is balance and moderation. And as I am getting older and my crazy fast metabolism is slowing down…exercise is important.
Travel. Not just going and sitting somewhere for a week to relax on a beach but the kind where you get out and explore new places and gain knowledge of things, people and places you never knew existed. I LOVE to travel…every part of it. Road trips. Plane trips. Wherever, I am there. I want to fill my passport with so many stamps that I have to replace it. I had a great aunt who took a world cruise. I remember my mom telling me about that when I was a child and it sounded amazing. I have been to Japan 4 times and I am ready to go again whenever I have the chance. I have explored parts of mexico…both coasts. I have traveled on both coasts of Canada. I still have a lot of ground to cover in the U.S. I spent one week in Germany for work but really want to go back and see more of Europe and Great Britain. Central and South America. Africa. Australia and New Zealand. My 2 bucket list places that I WILL make it to before I die are Bora Bora and the Greek Islands. In particular Mykonos and Santorini. I also really want to go back to Hawaii someday…the most beautiful place I have been so far. I am SO lucky to have had the opportunities I have had but I crave more!
Music. Music is what feelings sound like. I am not sure how I could have made it through the ups and downs of life without music. I have a couple of all time favorite artists…but I really just enjoy music that makes me feel good. I have been to 50+ Dave Matthews Band concerts over the last 10 years and when I am there I am at complete peace and full of joy for 3 hours. It is just my thing and a lot of people don’t understand it but that is ok! I have met some amazing people from my DMB experiences over the years and consider many of them true friends. I even married one of them! That didn’t work out long term but it was part of this ride and I have no regrets. Music helps me get through…
Memories. Memories from childhood, teenage years, young adulthood and even adulthood! Memories of my parents are most precious. I was extremely close to my mom who passed away 10 years ago. Thankfully I have so many memories of her close to my heart at all times. Her taking me to school on my first day of first grade and me crying not wanting her to leave me. Her dropping me off a block away from middle school so my friends didn’t see me get out of the car! Her taking my friends and me out to get fast food in my dads truck and it stalled going uphill and we all crawled into the floor board so nobody saw us….we were so embarrassed but she was laughing the entire time. Her floating on her back for hours in our swimming pool. Her frying chicken in the summer time. Her listening to me…and always being there. Her kindness to others…always helping, donating time, volunteering. Her laugh and so much more…
Nature. Being outdoors. Soaking up the sun. Taking hikes in the woods. Seeing animals in the wild. Identifying plants and trees. Breathing in fresh air. Letting go of the worry and enjoying this planet that God created. I have done a lot of that in the last 6 months since my second marriage fell apart and it has helped me heal. I have taken walks in the park alone…hiked at Garden of the Gods in Illinois…exploring a tiny island one day while in Japan this summer. These things bring me peace and joy. Appointments, calendars, clocks, schedules…we all need a break from that from time to time.
Friendship. There have been periods in my life where I felt so lost and had nobody to turn to. God is ALWAYS there for me but sometimes you need a friend to just listen. I am blessed with some AMAZING friends. My childhood friend who I have known since before I could walk. My middle school/high school friend who I have reconnected with recently. My best friend from college who lives in Japan. And MANY more. I am so unbelievably lucky to have such great women in my life.
Writing/Inspiring others. I have struggled my entire life trying to figure out what my true calling is in this life. I always wanted to work with animals in some form but I was so allergic I had to count that out. I have worked as a “lab rat” for about 15 years and although I do enjoy playing with glassware and mixing chemicals…I hated chemistry in school! It just is not my thing. More recently I have discovered that I enjoy writing as an outlet. I like to write about my travels and have entered a couple of articles in travel writing contests and my stories are going to be published. But what I truly love is spreading positivity and helping others by sending positive messages. I am doing this on a daily basis on Twitter and the feedback I get is amazing! I get so many sweet messages from people who tell me that I may not think I am helping anyone but I am helping them. That truly warms my heart and gives me a sense of purpose. Like I am truly doing something worthwhile in this life beyond myself to help someone I don’t even know. I feel truly blessed that I have found my calling. It keeps me positive and focused.
God. More recently I have started going back to church and it has been the best thing I could have ever done. I have always had strong faith but for some reason I steered away from church in my young adult life. Since finding my way back I have realized that I am going to be ok no matter what struggles or challenges I face. I am not constantly worried about the what ifs. I know God has my back. I have been unemployed for the last month and in the past I would have been so down and depressed about that. But I have been praying a lot and keeping faith and a job jumped out at me from nowhere with a company I have been trying to get hired on with for years. It is an amazing thing how He takes care of us if we believe and live our life for Him. God is good.