Change. Only 6 letters and it carries such a huge weight, doesn’t it? Whether positive or negative, it can make such a difference in your life.
Though there have been many changes for me over the last 20+ months, they’re not all negative or sad. Though sometimes I have to remind myself of that. I’m on the Dean’s Honor List for Spring semester (3.75 GPA), and I’m eligible to apply to a student group called Phi Theta Kappa solely because of my cumulative GPA. I’ve never belonged to a student group ever, much less be more than a C average student. How cool is this?
My mock interview (a requirement for school) with Park Nicollet went supremely well, I have a very high chance of getting a job there quickly, once I’m ready to look for work.
I’ve been able to figure out financially how to not work this summer with little to no dipping into my investments (25 years at one company was a good thing in that respect).
I changed my hair color to red with blond highlights and not one negative comment to date – in fact, actual strangers have commented on it. Seriously. The other day the UPS driver came up to the door, I tried to say hi but had a hard time as I have a cold and was losing my voice, she looked up, handed me the package and said, “You have pretty hair.” I don’t get it. How can hair color make that much of a difference? People actually talk to me differently in stores. Neighbors have made note of it when we chat. What’s the deal?
Most importantly, I had an amazing trip up north in May. The cabin was everything I wanted it to be. The beach, though mostly rocks, was exactly what I needed. I hung out on big slabs of rocks every single day and just soaked up life and whatever presented itself. I found beautiful agates and other rocks too, brought a lot home with me.
A couple of friends come and visited too. During a campfire and thunderstorm one night with one of Frank’s friends, Sean, we experienced what I’ll call a profound moment -the cloud streaks in the sky from the storm were – we think – Frank’s hand. For those who knew Frank, the first joint on each of his first two fingers on his right hand were lost in a snow blower accident. We could tell at first the cloud streaks resembled a hand, but during one of the next lightning strikes I noticed the first two fingers and said “Look, it’s Frank’s right hand!” Sean seemed just as surprised but agreed, I mean, what else would it be? There was no way to catch it on camera but trust me, I don’t think either of us will forget it.
The storm itself was quite moving, it just kept working its way around us the whole time. We could hear the thunder but there wasn’t any rain. We could see lightening but still no rain. Once in a while the moon would pop out of the clouds, then go back. Same with the island on the lake, until we couldn’t see it anymore. I think we stayed out there until midnight, maybe later. I didn’t want to go to bed, I wanted to keep watching the sky and enjoying the campfire as the wood smelled crazy good.
The next morning I really hated the thought of leaving. I was so completely content. I had gotten used to going to beach twice a day to hang out on the rocks, riding my bike, walking up and down the hilly roads, and staring at the island while listening to the seagulls. I could have stayed another 10 days, or 20 or heck, the rest of the summer. It was so peaceful being there and it calmed me. I think Sean and Lock thought the same thing. In fact, when Lock walked into the cabin the first thing he said was “I could live here!”, and he was in no hurry to leave that day. Bought himself a load of chocolate at the candy shop too. Said he MIGHT share with his wife. 🙂
So life is changing for me and though I’m not always liking it, there is more positive change happening than negative. It’s good for me and I think I deserve it, I just have to remember that. And remember the hand in the sky, because I think Frank was letting us know he was okay, too.
