Happy FRIDAY!!!!
I'm getting into the groove of things--I'm simultaneously less tired and more tired than last week.
Say what, now?
Well, last week's tired was the overworked kind of tired--I'd been running myself ragged and hadn't taken a break. On top of that, my weight was going down. For most of the world, that's a good thing. For me, it's bad. But, I've upped my calories (going to the grocery store soon--part of me wanted to say that I was going to, "brave the store," but if words change brain chemistry, do I really want to make myself afraid of buying food?), taken some time to chill, and am now feeling much better.
However, that does mean that I skirted my responsibilities yesterday: I didn't write my thank-you notes. Shocking, I know--this task that comes so naturally to us all. However, I'm going to do them a little bit differently this year. See, normally I'd either give them to people in person, or send them off. However, with the Quarantine (eventually that capital Q will catch on) I will probably not either a) see any of my family soon, or b) want to risk sending them a card, traveling through who knows how many places in numerous hands. Instead, I'm making them--with a hand-written one following in a couple of weeks!
But, before I do, a little caveat. See, yesterday at Toastmasters one of the speeches was about giving thanks. All critique aside, the main idea was that thanks are best given and most effective when tied to a specific action. After all, many Americans just say, "thanks" without almost realizing it--the word has no meaning any more. So, instead, I'm going to give mine that personal edge.
And, since I'm a teacher, I'm tempted to create a sentence scaffold.
1) To my students (who, frankly, don't read this and so won't ever see this): Thank you so much for singing me happy birthday. Yes, you were all off key and out of sync, but that made it all the more authentic. I'd take that song over 1,000 perfect concerts, and it made me tear up and--frankly--was one of the highlights for the day.
2) To my family: Thank you for joining the Zoom call. I know that it's a little awkward and imperfect--heck, only one person can speak, and you have to listen to them--but the effort of showing up was more than enough for me.
3) To my sister & brother-in-law (it's been six months since the wedding, I'm still getting used to it): Thank you for the card and gift cards. I do realize that someone had already purchased me the game that you were hoping to get me, but the money won't go to waste.
4) To my dad and step-mom: Thank you for all of the offers of support and the (soon-to-arrive) gifts. It feels good to know that I have a safety net if everything were to fail, and I will put them to good use.
5) To my mother: Thank you for the idea of the Zoom call, as well as the gifts. The jelly bean starburst were (note the past tense) delicious, the TP has been stored somewhere safe, I still haven't gotten anything from Amazon, but the memories of the call will last me a lifetime. Thank you for helping make my birthday special.
6) To my grandparents: Eventually I will take a course on how to drive better, and I will appreciate your support in that endeavor. Thank you for joining me in Zoom for my birthday, and for bringing your authentic selves.
7) To my friends: Thank you all who came to the Zoom call--or whose face I got to see. It was really nice to have you join us--even if joining what turned out to mostly be a family call could get a little awkward at times.
8) To all of my well wishers: Thank you for taking the time to wish me a happy birthday. Even if it's only a habit on Facebook, at least it's a few seconds that you didn't have to spend.
And thank you everyone who has read this.
I'm going to finish up by saying this: yes, on its face the birthday was different than the rest. Not being able to see anyone definitely put a strange twist on things...but just on the surface level. The substance--people coming together to celebrate, helping me to feel special just for a day--stayed the same, and that's all that I really could have asked for.
This has been another Adventure of the Austentatious. If you liked it, tell your friends; if you hated it, tell your enemies; and if you don't care either way then tell everyone! Stay safe, be amazing...
And happy quarantine.
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