I know at times I look at my life and say to myself, "Self, you really should..." or, "Don't you wish..." or, "If only I..." The old "grass is always greener" trap. (Come on, admit it. Once in awhile you, too, think things in your life could be better.) I think that's part of human nature. If we pay attention and listen to ourselves, we are then motivated to change the things we can (and accept the things we can't) and try to improve ourselves and our lives.
We can't let ourselves, however, ignore the things that are good in life. And there are two things in particular this week that reminded me that I life ain't all bad. (Yeah, I said "ain't." It's my personal, informal blog and I'll say it if I want to.)
I have been working on a freelance proofreading project all week (with a few more days expected next week). It's for a client I've had before, but this particular project surprised me out of the blue. That's good, naturally, because they pay me to do it (and the money will be put to good use, I assure you). It's more involved than it first appeared, so that's like a bonus on top of the good fortune. The team has been great to work with, and they all seem genuinely appreciative of the benefit I am bringing to the project. Who doesn't love positive feedback? Even more important, though, is the satisfaction I get from doing this sort of work. Some of us actually enjoy fixing, cross-referencing, tweaking, double-checking, and polishing. I don't claim to be the perfect proofreader. But as I look at my work, I can see that I do a pretty darn good job. It was a good time for a reminder of that, and positive feedback is even more valuable when it comes from yourself.
Because I had been proofreading all week, I didn't have an opportunity to call my mother when I usually do. We don't live in the same town but try to talk on the phone once a week, just because. So, I got comfortable one evening and dialed her up. By time we'd both run out of things to say, do you know how much time had passed? More than two hours! Now, we average about an hour each time we talk, but this was a long call even by our standards! I couldn't even tell you many of the specific topics. Sure, we cover the weather, local news and events, a little TV or movie chatter, old school friends of mine. We might talk about the laundry or distant relatives as I still try to remember the names of all her cousins. We rarely have anything planned to discuss (though this time we both had notes of one or two items we wanted to remember to mention), but each subject somehow leads to another, and another, and so on, and so on. It has not escaped me that I know many people who no longer have their mothers in their lives, some by choice, others by circumstances beyond their control. Not everyone can just pick up the phone and say "Hi, Mom" whenever the mood strikes. Not everyone would want to even if they could. I am truly thankful to be able to share my inherited (though selective) gift of gab with my mother.
See? Life is good!
We can't let ourselves, however, ignore the things that are good in life. And there are two things in particular this week that reminded me that I life ain't all bad. (Yeah, I said "ain't." It's my personal, informal blog and I'll say it if I want to.)
I have been working on a freelance proofreading project all week (with a few more days expected next week). It's for a client I've had before, but this particular project surprised me out of the blue. That's good, naturally, because they pay me to do it (and the money will be put to good use, I assure you). It's more involved than it first appeared, so that's like a bonus on top of the good fortune. The team has been great to work with, and they all seem genuinely appreciative of the benefit I am bringing to the project. Who doesn't love positive feedback? Even more important, though, is the satisfaction I get from doing this sort of work. Some of us actually enjoy fixing, cross-referencing, tweaking, double-checking, and polishing. I don't claim to be the perfect proofreader. But as I look at my work, I can see that I do a pretty darn good job. It was a good time for a reminder of that, and positive feedback is even more valuable when it comes from yourself.
Because I had been proofreading all week, I didn't have an opportunity to call my mother when I usually do. We don't live in the same town but try to talk on the phone once a week, just because. So, I got comfortable one evening and dialed her up. By time we'd both run out of things to say, do you know how much time had passed? More than two hours! Now, we average about an hour each time we talk, but this was a long call even by our standards! I couldn't even tell you many of the specific topics. Sure, we cover the weather, local news and events, a little TV or movie chatter, old school friends of mine. We might talk about the laundry or distant relatives as I still try to remember the names of all her cousins. We rarely have anything planned to discuss (though this time we both had notes of one or two items we wanted to remember to mention), but each subject somehow leads to another, and another, and so on, and so on. It has not escaped me that I know many people who no longer have their mothers in their lives, some by choice, others by circumstances beyond their control. Not everyone can just pick up the phone and say "Hi, Mom" whenever the mood strikes. Not everyone would want to even if they could. I am truly thankful to be able to share my inherited (though selective) gift of gab with my mother.
See? Life is good!
