Short & Sweet

on believing in new beginnings

This week:

I had some tough conversations.

I cried in class.

I had oodles of stress-induced tummy troubles.

I endured sleepless nights.

I overslept.

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I swam in the ocean.

I made connections with students.

I advocated for myself.

I leaned on and confided in my partner.

I said yes to a social event.

I made it to the end of Friday.

I let go.

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I woke up on Saturday and saw this on Pinterest:

and it hit home

I was going to write about how long and hard this past week felt for me — which is was and did — and I’d make sure to include a little bit of the good, too; but then I was reminded by the universe on Saturday morning, that each new day is an opportunity for new beginnings.

Despite my exhaustion from the week, I laced up my running shoes and headed outside to take photos of our neighborhood — which also happens to be the neighborhood where my grandparents grew up. My grandpa turns seventy-five next weekend and to celebrate him I wanted to make a collage with photos of us, and of the places that mean a whole lot to him — like this neighborhood.

While I was posted at a street sign trying to get the perfect shot, a kind woman who had parked her bicycle in nearly the exact same spot smiled at me. I explained to her the birthday project I was working on and she seemed enthralled with the idea. Thinking about my grandparents when they were young and the memories they would have made back then, she and I bonded over our common desire for a slower, quieter life.

She and her husband had recently moved here from a coastal town two ferry rides away.

She told me a story from one of her recent nightly bicycle rides: She ran into a group of people who had just witnessed an owl being hit by a car. She stopped and joined them in their efforts to save the poor, injured bird by moving it to the side of the road — to a safer spot on a nearby property. She knocked on the door to let the owners of the house know what had happened, but they refused to answer. She was struck — though not entirely surprised — by the choice to not respond to a knock on the door. She reflected on how sad it made her that that’s the world we live in: a world where we live in fear of who could be outside our door.

They called the appropriate rescue team to come take care of the owl and believe that it will recover.

After exchanging names, we bid one another a good rest of the day, and off I went to carry on with my run after snapping a few more neighborhood photos.

When I turned the corner onto the main stretch a beautiful rainbow lit up the sky right in front of me:

said rainbow

I then rounded another corner and witnessed a giant, brilliant bald eagle scanning the shore. I slowed a little to watch it do it’s thing, and waved up at it — a Saturday morning greeting.

Throughout my entire run the world kept gifting me beautiful moments; the smile on my face grew wider with each step, so wide that passersby couldn’t help but mirror my smile back to me.

I felt energized, grateful, and alive.

I ended up running farther than I have in a while because I was genuinely enjoying myself so much.

I’m grateful for the lovely connection with the kindred spirit on her bicycle.

I’m grateful that I said yes to an invitation from a few folks from my cohort.

I’m grateful for a delicious Saturday night date night with my honey.

I’m grateful for the smiles in solidarity from every runner I cross paths with.

I’m grateful that I got to have an awesome Facetime with my incredible sister.

I’m grateful that I have less than one month left of this semester (I’ve started my “December Bucket List” hehe.

I’m grateful that I have so much to be grateful for.

I’m looking forward to celebrating my grandpa next weekend.

I’m looking forward to having family over for dinner tomorrow night.

I’m looking forward to an afternoon of professional development on Wednesday.

I’m looking forward to putting together my crafty birthday project and a homemade card.

I’m looking forward to dinner tonight with my love and catching up on the latest episode of The Golden Bachelor.