Bucket List

I have checked one more thing off my bucket list.  Funny thing is, I don't have a bucket list.  But I keep trying new things and I guess if I had one, I'd be checking things off.  Most of the new things I do were never things I considered doing before I did them.  I think my Facebook status last week really explained it, "I never think about what I'm going to do. The voices in my head g. ive me very clear directions."
Well, yesterday I went to the PRIDE parade here in Atlanta.  And I marched in it for a little while.  It was fun, we smiled and waved at the people we passed on our way to our new destination a little bit farther down the parade route.  And when we reached the spot where we were meeting our hosts, we jumped out of the parade.
I had never attended a PRIDE event here or anywhere else for that matter and I had a wonderful time.  Everyone was extremely friendly, especially the gay men.  By 2 PM I was sniffing men and admiring male bottoms.  After the parade, we attended the festival in the park.  There was live music, food and drink.  
The group we were meeting had fewer people than expected but I happened to see some people I knew and they joined us.  We had a good crowd on our blankets.  Which just happened to be the items we were supposed to bring.  And bring them we did.  We had a rolling duffel bag full of blankets.  Kelsi and I don't usually do anything halfway.  But I digress.
Kelsi and I walked around and saw some people she knew made some new acquaintances.  We danced in the park and commented on everything we saw.  There were people offering free hugs and who doesn't like free hugs?  I accepted the free hugs but drew the line at the free breast exams.  A girl's gotta have limits.
I can't wait for next year!

Buddy System

I have recently decided that I needed to work out more.  I feel a little flabby and out of shape, but rather than complain about it, I decided to do something about it.  My good friend has been going to the Y and tried to entice me to join her.  I finally decided to give it a shot and downloaded the free 7 day pass.  I have gone 4 of the past 7 days.  Tonight, I wasn't really sure I wanted to go.  This is where the "buddy-system" comes in handy.  Here's our conversation:

Buddy: You going to the gym tonight?
Me: Sure! (I'm nobody's punk and I'm not going to say no.)
Buddy: Girl, I didn't really feel like going, but I guess I'll go if you're going. (She's no punk, either.)
Me: See you there.

We decided to take the Step Challenge class since it was at the right time for our schedules.  I haven't done a step workout in years, but I dance all the time.  How hard could it be?

All I can say is thank goodness my buddy was there with me.  I was sweating within 5 minutes and ready to give up at the halfway mark.  But we laughed & joked and made our way through that class.  It felt good to complete the class even at our beginner (half-dead) level and we have lots more to learn.  We'll be back for more on Wednesday.

I want to wear one of those cute tight outfits and take the challenge spot at the front of the class and I can't do that if I give up.  Besides, I'm nobody's punk.

Keys

What does it mean when you keep forgetting keys?  They aren't lost, I just don't have the right ones where I need them and have to make a second trip to correct the situation.  Maybe there isn't a meaning, maybe I'm reading too much into it.  It wouldn't be the first time.  It just seems odd that I forgot to leave the key for the apartment next door to mine accessible.  I had to go back home and put it in place.  This morning at work,  I was supposed to open the door to the theater but I had the wrong set of keys when I approached the door.  Fortunately, there was an open door but I still had to return to my office to get the correct keys.  Weird, huh?  Or maybe it points to the fact that I'm doing too much and forgetting things is a result of trying to remember too much.  If that's the case, then I'll have to deal with it.  I'd rather do too much than too little.  Like that physics law: a body in motion tends to stay in motion while a body at rest tends to stay at rest.  I'd rather stay in motion.  
Speaking of keys, here is something I was discussing this morning with a friend.  The key to a happy child is a happy parent.  The key to being a happy parent is to continue to be a person.  I have always felt that I needed to maintain my own interests and activities.  I remember telling my best friend when Tale was born that if she grew up to be a mass murderer or something else horrible like that, what would I have accomplished if I hadn't done anything outside of her?  Fortunately, my child has not become a mass murderer, but I also have a life and interests.  (I didn't think there was a possibility that she would grow up to be a mass murderer, I was being dramatic.)  I think it also makes it easier for the children to get on with their own lives.  They are not worried about me.  And they shouldn't be.  I'll be fine.  And so will they.
Now, where did I put those keys?

Why is it we do what we do?

I saw a note posted on the overpass support beams as I drove to work this morning.  I was just thinking about the same thing - why is it we do what we do?  It was probably some advertisement or something, but the timing was just too perfect.  So here I am sharing my thoughts and opinions on this age old question.
I have a friend who believes in astrology and feels that everyone acts a certain way based on their astrological sign.  I don't have a problem with that, but I don't think it's that simple.  First of all, astrology is not simple at all.  Astrology can be very complicated if you really want to use it as a predictor of human behavior. Our astrological sign (sun, moon or other) may give us a predisposition to do certain things or have certain preferences, but so do our genes.   Our upbringing and our life experiences help to mold us, too.
For example, I am a Sagittarius and therefore averse to commitment, astrologically speaking.  But I was raised by a single parent and I'm also a divorced mother of four, wouldn't that make me a little cautious in the relationship department?
I also believe in free will.  We may have a predisposition to do a certain thing, but in the end we decide what we want to do.  As a child, we didn't have many choices.  Our parents or the other adults around us made the choices and we had to live with the consequences.  Now, we're in the driver's seat.  It may not be easy or fun, but we have to make the hard or uncomfortable choices to have the life we want. 
A new season is about to begin, a time to reflect.  Do we like the place we find ourselves?  If so, great, keep doing what you're doing.  If not, it's time to ask ourselves what we should do differently to find ourselves in a different situation.  It may be time to do the hard or uncomfortable things.
Why is it we do what we do?  A combination of what we bring with us at birth and the experiences we have had since getting here.  I know I need to make some changes and some hard choices, but I feel that I am up to the challenge.