Tag: life experience

Less is more… when trying to pay attention

In conversation, or lecture, when a sort of wording or phrasing is said, it strikes something within me. Almost like a small epiphany. And that, more often than not, is a big reason why I have trouble paying attention. At least in school. But I am a great listener, typically in conversation. I have gotten better now but still find myself in very similar situations quite often. Just recently I was watching a video on YouTube and could not help myself wandering through my thoughts when I heard these words/phrasing in a sentence. In a way, it’s too thought-provoking. Even if the video can be easily understood.

Here’s the thing though, some people who do feel the same way, especially in conversation might almost interrupt the person they’re talking to. Which by the way, can be rude and sadly, I’ve been there myself. But from my past experiences with a certain type of herb that made me feel like I was on a cloud, I caught myself doing that. Now for the most part, I patiently wait. I let the person I’m having a conversation with finish their statement before chiming in. See… people can change. Just take me for example. And if you don’t think that’s enough proof… my answer to that is, “trust me, bro.”

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Why A.D.D. became one of the reasons I write

At my current job we have training on the computer that’s anywhere from yearly to every few months just so we have knowledge to do our job to the best of our ability. Essentially, keeping up to date with work information. Recently, one of my supervisors asked why I didn’t finish all my training, and it was now time for me to clock out. Only finishing one of my four training programs. Sadly, I didn’t really have an answer only because I was a little hesitant to say why.

The truth is how do you tell someone in that situation about having A.D.D.? I mean I know quite a few people have it themselves but on top of that, I’m also a slow reader. Always have been. Seriously, how do you tell something like this as an excuse for why it takes longer to complete any similar types of tasks? Which I really don’t like to look at it as an excuse but more of a reasoning. So instead, I just kind of shrugged my shoulders with no words.

The thing is though, it’s who I am and just part of me being me that makes me read slow and have a difficult time paying attention to most things. And the reason I read slow is so I can understand the information and use it to help me and possibly others, which I have many times already. Honestly, with this particular situation I feel like a lot of my fellow colleagues would just skim through so they can get it done and over with. Thus, leading to not fully understanding how to do things properly or maybe even correctly. But good for them if they know what to do afterwards.

Me though, I’m just going to continue taking my time, and not just for this specifically. I already know I have this tendency to get around to things a little late. It took a whole pandemic for me to enjoy the craft of writing and pages after pages later… I started a blog. And this blog here lets me talk to you all, indirectly. But it’s a place where I can share my thoughts, my feelings and especially my experiences. And a bonus is giving you all insight on life and hoping you could take each moment with you that maybe bring value in some ways.

So, I’ll do my best to continue sharing my life with you, whether it be meaningful or playful. Even if it’s not all the time and I know it hasn’t been. But I’ll do what I can to try to be more consistent.

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It’s Just a Competition… Right?

“And the winner is…”. There I am, standing between 8 other competitors. As second and third place was already announced and I’m still waiting to hear if my name will be called. My heart starts beating faster and faster, despite already doing my presentation a while ago, my anxiety just suddenly kicked in without a moment’s notice. What’s about to happen? Is this my moment?

The Beginning

In my line of work, I’m a barista… but with a little extra flair. From all my past experiences and mistakes that I’ve made, I almost always tend to in a way evaluate myself and what I could do better or differently. In other words, I can be pretty hard on myself. And when I first started out as a barista, it was no different. I was not great, but it was also because I didn’t have enough experience from the work. Oftentimes I would be the one that just connects with customers more than anything else. As I finally began to put in more hours at work, I was given time to bar and make fancy lattes and whatnot. Eventually I got in a rhythm of my own and the speed progressed with it and now I’ve been considered dependable no matter what role I’m given. And that’s what it’s all about for me really.

The Competition

This year alone has been more about praising myself and acknowledging that it’s okay to mess things up or not beating myself up too much if I don’t stay on task. Like my bingo card, it’s actually a lot. I see it every day and have to know it’s more up there as a guide. I’m okay if I don’t complete everything I set out to. With that, I decided to take a chance on something new. I saw a posting within our company website about a barista championship competition. What’s funny is I didn’t notice this post until the very last day to sign up. So, I thought, “why not!?” Let’s try this out!

Overall, this competition has 5 levels you have to compete in, advancing from one level to the next. Let’s just say, if you found yourself at the very last level, you could be competing in front of potentially thousands of people on stage. Sounds nerve wrecking? It is, but I had no fear… at the time.

And Here We Go

The first level was going up against any other fellow barista within your café. However, in my situation, nobody else signed up. So… I moved on! By a technicality. And once my boss figured out what the next level was going to be, she helped me out every step of the way. Supporting me through it all to the very end. What we had to do was practice making latté art and work on connecting with the judges, making conversation.

I practiced so much leading up to that moment, and seriously there’s a whole science behind latté art and to this day, I feel like if I make a good latté art, it’s strictly out of coincidence and luck. When that time came, I was with my boss, her kids and a fellow colleague to cheer me on. When everything started, to me it felt like nothing was what I imagined it would be. Like one of those reality vs expectation type of situation. My heart was racing the entire time. I did not expect this feeling. My anxiety may have peaked more than I could imagine.

We were given 3 rounds and on the second round I felt like a ghost. I made no conversation whatsoever with any of the judges and knew this was it for me. My break in-between the final round I just told myself I would just tell my story of how I became a barista and did exactly that. Plus, my latte art in that last round looked like a mixture of the Michelin man and marshmallow man (accidentally).

At the end, when they announced the winner, I’ll admit I still accepted I had lost but deep down felt maybe there’s a chance. I still had hope. And then it happened, my name was announced and I just stood in silence for a moment not sure what had happened. I was moving on!

By celebrating, my boss took us all out for ice cream. I pooped later that night!

Let the Games Begin

In that last level, I found out I barely won. But I won which is all that matters. However, even for this next level, I still had the mindset to just do my best and to only focus on my own craft. That was not the case, just like that last level, I had conversations with other competitors leading up to the competition. Just a bunch of baristas from around the nation getting to know each other and a little bit about our stories, which I tend to be more fascinated by. In this particular competition, we had to do a coffee tasting. For that, you get to choose your coffee of choice and essentially describe its’ origin, history and talk about the flavors and what your story and reasoning for choosing it.

There’s 9 of us total and I was right in the middle of it all through random drawing from a hat. So, once we broke away and the competition began, there were 5 minutes interval between each competitor that was given 10 minutes to do their presentation. At the beginning I left those that came to support me, but only to the back of the café to run my presentation over again in my head. I really wanted to get it right and make sure everything flowed naturally. Typically, when I go thru these story tellings, I like to have a good transition from one topic to the next.

Honestly, everyone that I interacted with could not be more supportive and helpful. This was more than just a competition. After seeing how some of the other competitors did their presentation, it gave me an idea of how I would showcase mine. And before you know it, I went and did my thing. Overall, it felt like a solid performance. One of the competitors I talked to I actually helped him with just a few things here and there. Afterwards, he did his thing and ended up taking the bronze metal.

So, here we are… in front of 8 other people competing to move on to the semi-finals. And the winner… was not me. The room fell silent, at least in my head. I remember applauding the winner, but the feeling was seriously like something you see out of a movie or TV show. As I stood exactly right in-between the top 3 finishers giving each other high fives then when the winner held her hand out for a high five to me, honestly, I didn’t even realize she was doing it. Eventually I did. I didn’t leave her hanging.

Au Revoir

I studied; I practiced and kept working on my storytelling like I was rehearsing because the way that I saw this felt like it was a role and I didn’t get the part. Now, I will say I had about a solid 4 to 5 weeks to practice which I did a lot of studying but only until about a week prior, I started my story like it was my lines. There was a lot of information to know and remember, and I did the best I could, but you can only ask so much for someone with A.D.D.

When the top 3 were being announced, all I was hoping for was to be a part of that. To be on the podium. That’s why when second and third place was announced and I still haven’t heard my name; it really did feel nerve wrecking. And where does that leave me? After having some time to let it all sink in… I was sad. Maybe even depressed (but honestly for about a day and a half). Like to the point where I’m uncertain if I need cheering up or just to decompress what I went thru on this little journey.

Overall, I know I could have done better. Absolutely. What I was still trying to work on was fine tuning my craft. I believe the story telling was great but after a little more reflecting, I rushed myself and didn’t open up opportunities to connect with the judges as if they were just any other person. I know those that came out to support me let me know I did really well and thought I should have at least placed but these things happen. I’ll learn from it. But I told myself that this here was just a one-and-done type of competition just to see how far I’ve come. And honestly, I have come a long way. I’ll take this as a learning curve and will continue to better myself every day. For me.

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What It’s Like to Do SOLO Adventures

As an introvert, this here would sound like it’s right up my alley. But when it comes to doing so many things alone, there is still this sense of anxiety that I get from going outside my comfort zone. And by that I’m referring to going outside my home. Now, unless I’m meeting up with people I don’t mind going out in public by myself, but when it’s intentional, well, that’s when I feel vulnerable. Although, I still feel some type of way about being out alone, I have started doing things to slowly break out of my comfort zone.

Fish On!

One of the first things in I’ve done without hesitation really since my 30s was going out and fishing. Besides planned trips with friends or meeting up with them, I have from time to time just gone out on my own. Even if it’s not much considering you’re more than likely out and almost no one is around, you’re still out there. I believe it had something to do with the excitement of hooking a fish on your line. Almost as if you get a quick burst of adrenaline and/or dopamine in your system.

Wine & Canvas

At one of my last apartments I lived at on my own, every so often there would be almost like a community board but it’s plastered in random spots throughout. But one thing that caught my eye was how an instructor was visiting and they had sign-ups for this wine and canvas class. What’s not to like about drinking and trying to paint and not caring if you’re any good?! For me though, I always had a soft spot for art. And whether that be painting, sketching, etc. I signed up anyway, once again without hesitation.

Being how (at the time) I had this tendency to run late almost everywhere I go, this time was no different. But I still made it before they started. When I arrived at the community room… all women (not that it mattered to me but why leave it out of the story). At one point I wasn’t sure if I was in the right spot. Once I had the courage to ask, they welcomed me in. Somewhere in the middle of our class, I heard one of the girls whispering to her friend, “His is really good.” Inside I was blushing but what they didn’t know was that I took a lot of art classes in high school.

The Big Screen

I think depending on the type of person you are, there’s still no feeling like experiencing a movie at the theater. I mean you could have your entertainment system at home but neighbors might come knocking on your door (that’s if they’re nice enough. Because too often will they just bang on the walls instead), of course that’s assuming you’re in anything other than a house with no connecting walls.

My first movie experience alone from what I could remember was Ready Player One. And it was a great watch. The only reason this came to fruition was eventually one day none of my friends or any family members were either able to or just wasn’t interested. Plus, a colleague of mine at the time really recommended it. And this might have been the first film I watched without even asking anyone if they wanted to go. Almost like a spurt of the moment thing.

Bar & Restaurant

The only time frame I’m getting from this is sometime after covid. When everything was in full bloom once again and golf courses nowadays are more expensive than they once were pre-covid. When I would doordash, there were so many restaurants I picked up from the food I would deliver just smelled so good. This was the time I did a lot of take-out myself but one day I just decided to dine in.

As I’m writing this, I now realized why I did less take-out and more sit-down. One of the restaurants I ordered from used a lot of packaging that goes to waste. As in you can’t even recycle it even if you wanted to. I didn’t like that. I know I’m just one person, but it was one of the reasons I decided to dine in so I could use actual plates and silverware. Trying to save the planet might be the most difficult task there is. But someone has to do it!

Final Thoughts

Exploring and taking on new adventures, specifically when it’s a solo one can be nerve wrecking. But from my experience, overall I really do enjoy it. Like when I did the wine and canvas, I was a bit closed off yet still managed to make small talk with my fellow painting neighbor. With the restaurant, on average I would go maybe once a week to every other but one of my servers took to my company so much she invited me out to a bar where they had a few DJs playing house music. And same goes for the movies. Had the leap not been taken, who knows what else I would have missed out on, big screen or with just life altogether.

There are still many things I plan on doing alone just for the purpose of it being a new experience, whether I have done it before or not. And depending on what it is there’s a chance you can get in touch with who you are as a person. Maybe you’ll find out things about yourself you never knew existed, and that could be a good thing.

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The Right Title

When you’re making up your own story, which can be for a book, movie, or even a blog post, it’s never easy. Sometimes it can be a cinch, but lately for me, it’s been a struggle. No matter how simple or complex the story, I put in the research so I can make it right. The less voids/holes in the plot the better. Of course, it’s not going to be perfect.

However, once I have an idea of the story I’m going for and a little research later, I find myself going further down this sort of rabbit hole of a title. Could be simple or catchy, but I also want to make sure it isn’t copying anyone else’s which I find incredibly difficult (just because I don’t know how the world of copyright works and that it’s everywhere no matter what you do). And by this time, it’s almost impossible to come up with your own title that’s an original, unless of course you make up your own words. Like putting two words together, and somehow unfortunately for me, some made-up words I’ve looked up were also taken. Now I’m at a crossroad. But at this point, I think I’ve just accepted no matter what I decide to make my stories title, it’s my story, and no one else’s.

And that’s currently the story of my life lately…

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The Biggest Lesson I Learned from My First Job

Because I was only 16 when I first started working, mistakes were common but learning lessons was rare. Now, to be clear, I’m not just referring to my jobs. It’s my life altogether. As we stick to the working portion, one thing I know for sure when it comes to retail is you have to have good customer service skills. Other traits and your personality are more of a bonus to have when it comes to making conversation and having a connection.

Going back to my first job, McDonald’s. I’m not exactly sure how I was able to ace my interview but I did. My boss who interviewed me was amazed with my answers, but when it came to the job itself, there was so much to take in being in a fast-paced environment. For the most part, all I had to do was run the register, taking customer orders and greet them with a smile, which I did. However, there was a lack of motivation in my speech and how I was speaking to customers. How I know that: it was what my boss told me when she was letting me go. And unlike what we see in movies and television (at least from my experience), I was never told the words, “you’re fired.” It was almost always, “… we have to let you go” or “do better next time, stupid!” … okay, that last one was made up. But maybe a little transparency isn’t such a bad thing.

I personally prefer honesty, because that gives me insight on what I need to work on. Hence, the transparency. Having constructive criticism on our work is a good thing, but we cannot forget the how of it all. Like how to deliver the message to those so they can understand it and make the necessary adjustments needed to perform better at their jobs. Like I said before, it’s not just with our jobs, career, but with life.

Depending on your relationship and how you are with others, it’s easy to do or say something that could be taken out of context by someone else, just by saying the wrong thing… even if it’s not. That’s why I believe a huge part of conflict comes from misunderstandings. And how we react to it is mainly just our personality and lifestyle. These are the effects of life choices.

The choices we make determine how people perceive us, even if it’s one thing that doesn’t really define us. Unfortunately though, people are also quick to judge. But that’s also what makes us human. Whether it’s being bold in the moment or just trying something new, which I do quite often. And the end result: there are both rewards and consequences. For me, a good chunk of the reward is entertaining people like making them laugh. Then there’s the consequences…

As it may seem like I have this huge list of consequences, I’m pretty sure the positive outcome/rewards are about even, if not more. Like my constant battle with choosing to stay up late and almost every time waking up tired and unmotivated. Again, it’s all choice. The choice we make that has its’ consequences, has its’ rewards, all lead to the potential of having misunderstandings to conflict, and that gives us our personality.

My biggest takeaway from learning that I lacked motivation from my first job made me understood, knowing what I know now, who I was at that moment in my life. Quiet, in my shell and has yet to find my voice in the world. In public, I’m as shy as it gets, which makes it easier for people to take advantage of me, and have. Despite that, when I’m in my comfortable surrounding, I am quite expressive. Being around a smaller group of people or with one other person, I can just have a conversation with nothing held back. And that’s trust. Probably the reason why my inner circle was so small considering my life experiences. I put a lot of trust in people and there were times it backfired, but other times, it was incredibly rewarding.

So, no matter how long it takes you, if you haven’t already, take a moment to yourself to reflect on your life. Whether it hurt you or pleased you, just know, it’s a part of your life and your own. The outcome is what you make of it!

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I’m not a player, I just crush a lot

Unless you work from home and see nobody but maybe your pets, you’re going to have a colleague you become attracted to. Also, not to get things mixed up with having a thing for your pets. Uhh, anyway, could be right away or maybe it takes a little time first. Then again, attraction is one thing but developing a crush is another. If you asked me about all my work crushes, I would be a wh*re… without pay. In the many jobs I’ve had… and current, there’s been one or multiple for each job where I find myself crushing over someone. But the longer you work at one place, the more crushes you will find yourself having. At least, that’s with my situation.

Barista

Let’s take my current job for example, especially while my memories fresh! But for me, I have two jobs so we’ll start with the first. Been working as a barista now for three years and I love it! The vibe is great, customers are wonderful (for the most part), and my colleagues are just incredible. I will say, I do work with mostly women, in both my jobs actually, which explains the many love interests I have. But honestly, when I first started working here, I felt like my teenage self again back in high school. Everyone just so beautiful and me, just this quiet kid hoping not to make a fool of himself. I was mostly known, and still am to this day as having these one liners that makes everyone laugh. It really did take me a while to be a little more open just because everyone else seemed like they just connected with each other so easily, all while I’m just observing and taking it all in. It was a fast working environment as well, so I did my best just to try and keep up. Some things took me a lot longer to figure out, but other things were just natural.

Of course, during my time learning something new like this, there’s no denying I started catching feelings in the process. One individual (I won’t name names this time), just had something different about her. Something new that I had yet to experience. As always though, there was “the look” that you just have with certain people and it’s more than enough to put a smile on your face. With that, she almost knew what I was thinking half the time. On multiple occasions, she actually finished some of my sentences. And on top of that, this one time around the holidays, we were both randomly singing the same Christmas song. Once we caught ourselves singing when we crossed paths, our eyes locked for a moment… right before we went back to work. The best way to describe, whatever this was between us, was the chemistry we shared.

Unfortunately, despite all the chemistry, we also had different religious views. Me personally, I just like to consider myself spiritual (something I talked about from a recent post). She on the other hand was very religious and was only interested in someone that was the same. Even with that, I still had this feeling she felt a certain way towards me. But hey, I’m not going to judge someone just because they have specific standards in a partner of what they’re looking for. We all have them. It’s just too bad because of our chemistry and only for it to be disregarded by this one particular thing. That’s okay though because life goes on, and you got to keep moving forward.

Nurses

Right around the time I had accepted it wasn’t going to work between this other barista I really liked… and also, because she was leaving this job to move in with one of her siblings out of state (no, I had nothing to do with it. I promise), I came across a second job working at the hospital. I wasn’t a nurse or anything, just because a. I never considered it an option and b… well, I guess that’s just it. I thought I had more. But my primary role here would be to help out the nurses with any non-medical needs and tasks. A completely new program that I got to be a part of the new pilot. With me like pretty much every new job I start, I like to observe as much as I can so I could understand what my role would be and get a feel for the vibe. Whatever the energy is, I’ll try to match it. At least when it comes to the work itself. Again, being in the hospital setting there are not just female nurses, but doctors, secretaries, physicians, and many more. As I always tell myself being somewhere new, “David… be on your best behavior. But also, don’t be afraid to crack a few jokes every now and then.” Just to keep everyone on their toes. That and to see who’s actually paying attention to me.

Like this one time I was talking to one of the nurses about why my eye was itchy. For a moment, I really thought I had gotten pink eye from the night before. Well, it was more or less from when I was sleeping in the middle of the night. I was really gassy and every time I would wake up, I let out a fart. It was this on top of my fan blowing towards me with the gas, so I’m soaking in my own stench and whoo! It was quite pungent. Hence, the reason I thought I had pink eye. Also, I really liked working at the hospital because yes, I help out whenever I’m needed or anything I can do to alleviate the workload from the nursing staff and anyone else in the department. But if I feel like I’m having issues with myself, I’m getting a free diagnosis… in a manner of speaking. Or rather a consult.

Anyway, it wasn’t long after I started this new role where I found myself wandering towards the beauty of the staff. Knowing that I am in a work environment, I still know to keep things professional. But there was this nurse that just stood out to me, where she had this aura of lust. And something almost immediately told me that she was special. Throughout the year that I was working there, I could just hear her voice and how she was with patients. She had such an amazing and positive energy. And her laugh, wow! I mean, it was so affectionate. With all that being said, whenever the two of us would bump into each other, I would strike up a casual conversation just to be able to get to know her more on a personal level. And there were also times when she would ask me personal questions as well. Even though we would maybe see each other once a week, sometimes if I’m lucky enough, I get to have these little conversations with her. Despite the short amount of time we do talk, it’s still a moment that we got to share with one another. And that alone just made my day so much brighter.

Sadly, so many good things tend to be almost temporary. My work there changed so much. At one point, I was only helping out on the weekends considering my other job I had. Then, another moment I had switched over to weekdays with an opportunity that only lasted so many months before it was gone. But not only that, this nurse that I was so into ended up switching to another department and rarely do I ever see her again.

Something that I wanted to add to why nothing ever came to fruition with these two individuals, is because we worked together, and I just couldn’t do that. Like I mentioned earlier, I do keep things professional. Almost like dating in the workplace is not allowed. But I see so many people do it all the time… which is just my excuse.

Truth is… and I’m sure you already know this, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what might happen if things don’t workout or if I get turned down. What that will do to our work relationship and how it might affect things. Could I stay professional after the fact? I’m not sure, but people meet their lovers so often from work. Maybe it’s time I change it up. I mean, why not? There’s this scene from Ratatouille between Remy and his father when he shows Remy the dead rats. His dad mentioned to him that the future is only more of this, and that you can’t change nature. Remy refused to believe that and told him, “Change is nature. The part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide.” And where I’m getting at with this is, well, if you’ve followed along the journey throughout my love life, you’ll know I haven’t really made a whole lot of changes. So, when I choose to make that change, then we could finally have a plot in this story of my love life. Let’s find out!

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How Saying Yes Changed My Spiritual Journey

Not so long ago, right after Thanksgiving day, I was approached at home by a couple of sisters from the missionary. My nephew was the one that originally answered the door but started saying some silly things which led me to intervene. I was curious, so I introduced myself. They were incredibly nice and asked me where I stand on religion.

Despite my family being Buddhist and when I was much younger, I do remember a friend of my parents offered to take us to church but I was too young to really understand and retain any memory of it. As I got older, I never really saw myself leaning towards any religion. I just did my own thing really and believed in whatever I suppose I wanted to believe in… and of course, that means Santa Claus! Even if he doesn’t believe in me.

So, when I told the sisters I didn’t have any belief, they asked if I was at least spiritual, which I most definitely am. They were more than happy to hear that. Considering Christianity is incredibly broad with many different denominations, they were Mormon, and asked if I was okay with them reading a scripture from the bible. How could I say no? This ended up leading to where they asked for my number and then offered me the book of Mormon, and that eventually led to me being invited to a Christmas party and going to church the Sunday before Christmas. With all this, I also ended up learning quite a bit about the religion.

But why did I agree to any of this in the first place?

As we started approaching the new year, about a week or two prior to the sister missionaries knocking on the door, I was rewatching the movie Yes Man from anywhere to about the tenth to fifteenth time. Overall, in my opinion, it was a great movie with how simple, easygoing, and of course, because it’s Jim Carrey, its’ comedy and his perspective on showcasing two different types of people in one.

But one thing stood out the most to me about this film: its’ relatability. This most recent time that I watched it, something triggered in me that got me reflecting on my past. The countless times I would have friends and family invite me to whatever it would be that they were doing, I would come up with an excuse not to go, causing me to miss out on so many opportunities in my life. And who knows where that would have taken me to this day.

The reason I feel that I am this way often could be because I like sticking to what I’m comfortable with. Getting out of my comfort zone does raise my anxiety and then I start to feel awkward in my surroundings. I am a bit of a homebody.

So, I took a chance and said yes.

On a weekly basis, I met up with the sisters to learn more about the book of Mormon. Now, other than my reasoning to saying yes, in these last few years alone, I became obsessed with learning. Because there’s so much out there in this world alone, it would be a waste to stay couped up in only so many places. That’s why I had to break out of that.

Being older and wiser (sort of), I wanted to understand more about this religion. So, I took it upon myself to be educated by the sisters. I was very much intrigued, although, when I was asked if I knew anything at all about the book of Mormon, my mind went straight to South Park. I didn’t tell them that. Just let them know that I have heard of it. And from there, the education began and the rest was history, as they say.

Something that I missed way back when, when I was still going to classes in grade school, was that feeling of wanting to learn. My much much underdeveloped mind at the time just wanted to make friends and hangout with them as often as I could. And even that was difficult for me. Especially when you’re typically the quiet kid in school. I couldn’t tell ya how I was able to make the friends I did, but hey, it happened and we all got to hangout as much as we could. It did lead me to constantly waiting to do my homework at the last moment before being due. But I’ll always be grateful for the friends that I made and the memories we shared.

The thing is, you don’t have to say yes to everything. As per the movie. But it’s there to just give you that kick start that you may need to the possibility of something wonderful. And if you don’t want to, you could always just say no instead of making an excuse not to. For me, I’m just getting started and already I got to have this story to tell if I didn’t. Do what feels right in your heart… or gut… or wherever. Whichever you prefer. You got this!

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Rediscovering Excitement: Embracing Field Trips as an Adult

It’s almost here. The day you’ve been waiting for. You got your Lunchables packed in your little brown bag, and that’s when you know you have a good lunch. That is if you’re like me and typically eat lunch at school. Your permission slip has been signed by your parents (weeks in advanced I’m sure) and it’s a day off from your routine schedule. It’s possible you might be too excited to sleep, and you’re just looking forward to hanging out with your friends. When that day finally comes, you’re soaking it all in. Whatever trip you’re on to learn, to educate, but most importantly, to enjoy yourself with the wonders of what life offers you. It’s a spectacle. Having a life changing event that you would be more than happy to share with everyone the next time you’re in class.

Now, fast forward many years later to adulthood. What’s changed? Do you still feel that same excitement you had when you were a kid?

When it comes to the working class, we typically follow a routine schedule. Wake up, get your day started, head to work, eat, do an activity, sleep, and repeat. Pretty identical when we were going to school. If we’re not looking forward to the weekend, then it’s the next time we get to go on vacation. Even if it’s just a little weekend getaway. It’s something out of the ordinary. Something that hasn’t personally happen to me in a long time. But that’s probably because my schedule with work is constantly changing. Especially since I’m juggling multiple jobs at the same time. That and the fact that I can’t really afford to go on a field trip myself. Nowadays, I spend most of my extra money on groceries or going out to eat. I really don’t know how my parents were able to raise us kids and have the money they have. I’m right between the lines of surviving and living.

Responsibilities really do get the best of us. I mean once you’re an adult you have so much you have to prioritize with life itself. No wonder field trips happen only so often. But sometimes that’s what you have to do. Take care of priorities and think about something you would like to do. Something that could be educational, yes, even as adults. You’re never too old to continue learning. Take the science museum that I went to as a kid. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the details but I know I enjoyed myself and had a blast. Especially trying to spend as much time as I could with our teacher assistant/chaperone. She was definitely a fox! So anyway, the museum of science. From what I was told, so much has changed since I was last there that if I were to go now, I wouldn’t remember a thing. But there’s a lot that could be learned from just taking the time to experience this event. If not this maybe there’s something else you’ve been putting off for sometime and never have the funds for. But you have to start. Set a goal for yourself. Start budgeting towards this field trip, or vacation, whatever you want to call it.

I was having a conversation with a customer about how they just recently came back from vacation to Pictured Rocks. A destination I would have loved… still would love to go and trying out all sorts of things they had going on in the area. One thing we talked about was how you can have a much different perspective and unique experience kayaking through the rocks. And later on in the day, I seen someone wearing a shirt from the place I wanted to visit. Coincidence or a sign, perhaps?

All I have to do is a little research. Check out everything going on in the area depending on when I’d like to go or at least when I would be able to afford it. What’s it cost to visit for “x” amount of days and start prioritizing towards that goal. For instance, with summer coming to an end, if my goal is to visit next spring or early summer, I can breakdown what I’m able to put away on a weekly basis. Sounds simple enough. Now just have to execute!

What’s your field trip goal? Don’t forget your Lunchables! (pepperoni pizza for me!)

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Distractions

Even though you’re in the zone, you can still be thrown off by exactly that… distractions. Life’s biggest issue. Distractions plain and simple, throw us off. They take us off our groove. Our vibe. An idea that has the potential to be something brilliant, can easily be washed away by such a simple distraction. At this point, I’m sure you already catch my drift.

I had an idea that came to me and wanted to share it with whomever. Unfortunately, I was bothered and lost my train of thought which derailed my entire universe. And if that could not get any worse, what else is there?

Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to living alone in an apartment, you have mainly two things: independence and neighbors on the other side of the wall. But from my experience, it’s almost like you’re not living alone, not by yourself. Your neighbors can be incredibly distracting, but you have to do what you can. Distractions are just a part of life. Which is why I know that if someday I can make it and get my own place without walls that have random strangers on the other side of it, I know that I… made it. And that’s what matters to me.

Make the most of what you have to work with. No matter what surrounds you. Life is going to be exactly just that. It will distract you; it will frustrate you, but in the end… life cares about you. Forget the negativity and the bad. Those are distractions that you need to put aside to what really matters. You are the best thing life has given you and it wants you to blossom into something beautiful. Cherish it. Don’t ever take life for granted. As Christina Aguilera has said, “you are beautiful, no matter what they say.” And I stand by that whole heartedly.

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