Staying positive

Last night we went to a bowl-o-rama going-away party for Barry, one of SMH's coworkers. Barry is leaving the paper and ditching OlyWa, which is a crying shame because he is a very cool guy. It may be presumptuous to say this, because maybe he hated my guts, but had we known each other longer, I think Barry would've been a great friend and an awesome running partner.

The party was fun, but a surreal experience: being surrounded by people (and friendly people, at that), but feeling like the loneliest person in the world. Everybody has experienced that to some degree...right? Um, right?

This weekend was a tough one. We both felt exhausted by Sunday, not having done much of anything. It just seems we're constantly living for what will be instead of what is. Somehow, we are convinced that things will get better when: we move into a "real" home; I secure a "real" full-time job; I make more money; I have a car; we meet more friends; I am able to run regularly injury-free; I can sleep through the night on a regular basis...the list goes on and on.

But in reality,
- the apartment, though nowhere near the 700 sq. ft. they claimed it was, is dirt- cheap and offers a great view of the city.
- I have a job that I enjoy.
- I am not making much money, but we're getting by just fine.
- I don't need a car; I live within walking distance of my job and a grocery store. (And, for crying out loud, I lived the first 28 years of my life without a car!)
- we're still new here, and it takes a while to build a social system from scratch.
- I haven't had a major injury since the fracture of my "alarmingly thin bones."
- Sominex works wonders for getting a good night's sleep.

I think I'm just being overly dramatic about adjusting to life as an OlyWa newbie. It does seem like a roller coaster ride, though.

So, I have to stayed grounded by focusing on the positive things. And, this weekend, that positive thing was receiving a return e-mail from Peter, one of my oldest friends. Pete and I attended grade school together, and then we remained good friends through high school. We kind of lost touch through the later college years, though we would occasionally see each other and chat from time to time.

Isn't it fantastic to hear from somebody who has drifted to the back of your mind, and be reminded of how lucky you have been to have that person in your life? Pete is one of those people. He has an amazing life story, and I'm sure if he wrote it down on paper, it would make it into Oprah's Book Club. (I assure you, it would all be true.)

Pete is full of anecdotes, most of them beyond hilarious. He has the refreshing quality of not taking himself too seriously. And in being able to laugh at himself, he has never failed to crack me up.

One summer—I think it was the summer after our freshman year in college?—Pete interviewed for some amazing job. The rest of us had typical, boring summer jobs, but Pete somehow landed this fabulous interview. Of course, one of the interview questions was, "What is your greatest weakness?".

You know the drill. You ponder this question ahead of time, then carefully craft your answer to reflect a positive quality. And finally, you add a little polish to impress the interviewer, only to have it sound like a rote reply. "I'm a perfectionist..." "I'm a workaholic..."

Pete's answer: "I'm kind of a slacker."

HA!!!!!!

I totally love him for giving that answer. And, apparently the employer did too, because he got the job.