Coffee shop crazies

Currently I am sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a delicious cup of coffee and people watching. And let me tell you, there are some crazies up in here! Now the coffee is nothing special but the environment is nice enough to get some papers graded.

However I have experienced enough people watching to make myself feel a lot more normal. Allow me to illustrate. The man in the chair next to me sounds like the kid in a wheelchair from Malcolm in the Middle. And he's not shy about joining your conversation. Or about watching videos with the sound on and laughing. Hysterically. Loud hysterical giggles.

Then there's a lady who has a bad back. You might wonder how I know that. That's because she told me. She told the barista. She told Giggles. She even took Giggles's seat because it was softer. But don't worry, he's used to sitting in hard chairs. After all, he has been sitting in one for 12 years. Must be rough.

Then there's recently divorced guy. Again I know this because he told me. I know his kids aren't too happy and that he is trying to begin dating. Between you and me though, I know why he's divorced. After I got settled and started grading he came over and started talking about an article in the New York Times. The article is about a how our bodies are keeping us fat. Apparently if our bodies get used to a certain weight, then if we lose weight our bodies will fight us to get back to that weight. Who says that to a stranger?

Then there's motorcycle man. His helmet is on my table and when he sat down RIGHT NEXT TO ME, he opened with the very cool opening line of,"I'm nosy...what are you reading?" Now he and divorced guy are talking about knives. Perhaps they are southern mobsters.

Then there have been 2 police officers. One of them shook my hand and the other one talked with motorcycle man about knives.

Now this might be a normal day at any given coffee shop but what I am finding it hard to believe that these are the ONLY people who have come in here this afternoon. I am tempted to come back every day to see if this trend continues.

I guess the one thing that I have learned is that I am not the weirdest person in my little town. That's something, I guess.

Christmas Reflections

• This year, my husband I and I spent our 3rd Christmas as a married couple. I can hardly believe it. It doesn't seem like it has been that long, but it has, I checked:) My husband loves Christmas. He LOVES it. He loves giving gifts, decorating, celebrating. He loves everything about it. He is a very thoughtful gift-giver and gets so much joy from giving a great gift. He spoils me. This year, he got me some amazing gifts that I am incredibly thankful for. 
• I was sick on Christmas this year. I don't know who gave me the cooties, but I did not ask for them! Seriously, it was on my list of things I specifically did not want for Christmas. I spent all of Christmas Eve coughing and was so stuffy I couldn't taste Christmas dinner. The food looked amazing though. 
• I am excited to get all of the Christmas stuff put away. I feel disheveled when the decorations are out and the furniture is in a different spot to accommodate the tree. I don't like change, so it will be good to have things back to normal. I am even going to put the mistletoe away this year. It has been hanging in our doorway since last Christmas. 
• We have spent a lot of good quality family time with my inlaws. They are so good to me. God knew what I needed when he gave them to me. I secretly believe that I am their favorite, but that is probably because I took my husband off their hands. 
• I am loving my time off from work. Being a teacher certainly has it's perks, and vacation time is the best. Of course, I still have some work to do, but at least I don't have to teach all day. My time off has given me some much needed me-time. Time to be lazy. Time to read. Time to drink a cup of coffee. Time to be a better wife to my husband. And the best part is that I still have a week left! 
• This year I tried not to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. I didn't over-commit myself to lots of parties, too much shopping, or too many self-made deadlines. It really made Christmas enjoyable for me. My husband and I worked hard to plan ahead and shop early for Christmas. The only real shopping we did in the month of December was online shopping and that made for a really happy me. Nothing can steal my holiday spirit like a trip to Wal-mart a few days before Christmas. 
• Now I am looking forward to the new year. I like getting a fresh start. I like to make goals for myself and trying to follow them. I have already begun on my list of resolutions. I don't believe that making a resolution will make me follow it or make me a better person, but it is a good time of goal-setting. Simple goals like flossing my teeth every day, drinking more water, being a better friend, establishing a plan for world peace, solving the U.S. debt crisis, eliminating skinny jeans from the world, formulating a way to keep bad things from happening to good people. You know, the usual. 

I pray you and yours had a very Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! 

Fear not

Have you ever given much thought to the phrase "fear not"? Recently, I have thought about this over and over. While I was teaching the Christmas story to my students this year, I was drawn to the verse where the angels told the shepherds to fear not. Obviously, it was not a normal evening for the shepherds in the field when the angels appeared and announced Jesus's birth. I am sure that the shepherds were afraid and the words "fear not" were of comfort to them that evening.

When things don't happen as planned or expected, fear usually appears. I am not usually one to divulge weaknesses about myself, but fear is a very real thing that I deal with continually. Whether it is something silly, like coming in an empty house while it is dark or checking the bathtub for lizards, I am a big wuss. I have fears that don't even make sense, like a fear of falling and breaking my elbows, or a fear of having my armpits touched. Then I have bigger fears. Getting up in the middle of the night, staying home alone all night, speaking in public, failing. This list could go on and on. I even have unspeakable fears. Fears that I am so afraid of that I can't even speak them aloud, for fear that saying them would make them come true.

I don't want to live my life crippled with fears that keep me from doing all of the things I want to do in my life. So, as I prepare to get my New Year's Resolutions ready, this one tops my list. I am going to face fears this next year. Now I am not going to let people touch my armpits or fall down on purpose to see if my elbows don't break, but I am going to do some things that I have let fear keep me from. So stay tuned, I have some big things to face, and it is my goal to not let fear keep me from doing them all.

Bah Humbug!

I have been accused recently of being a Scrooge, and I can't say that I completely disagree with that title. This year I am having a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit. We have our shopping finished. Our tree is up. There are decorations everywhere, but somewhere between watching people stuff cart-fulls of presents into their already full SUVs and hearing tales of people's homes being robbed and having packages stolen from their front porch, I have lost some of the joy of the season.

If you know much about me, you know that Christmas was never a big deal for me growing up. We were poor and we didn't have much at all, so the holiday was never something to get too excited over. We did always read the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas morning, and I do love that tradition. Now that I am married to a man who gets as excited about Christmas as Santa himself, I try to enjoy the season as much as possible. I don't need a million presents to make me feel special, but I do love a gift that shows that someone really knows me. My husband is the King of Gift Giving. He is incredibly thoughtful and is an amazing gift giver. He makes Christmas really special.

So now it is my responsibility to get myself out of this Scrooge-like state.  I am going to buckle down, focus on the reason for this festive season, and try my hardest to get in the Christmas spirit! On tonight's agenda, gift wrapping. Complete with hot chocolate and a Christmas movie. Perhaps that will do the trick!