Things that DO and DON'T make my world go round

Things that make my world go round:

~Having an underwear drawer containing more than a month and a half's worth of clean underwear!! Yess to only doing my laundry once a month! 


~Listening to Elvis Duran and the Morning Show's Phone Tap on the way to work in the morning.

~Starting my work days out with a medium mocha frappe with chocolate, no whip cream.

~Having the guys at McDonalds greet me by name and hand me my frappe made exactly to my liking before I even get to say, "Morning!"

~One of my patients at work (who is a businessman and runs his own organic farm on the side) comes in with a carton full of organic eggs for me saying, "Cristine, I had picked these, hand washed them, and hand package these myself, just for you." :) I told him that was the sweetest thing anyones ever done for me. I smiled for the rest of the day. :)


~Buying something on sale WITH A COUPON and only paying a few cents afterwards!! Oh yeah baby!!

~When friends and even the patients at work take notice of the baby belly roll going down (ever so slightly), when I wear a new outfit, or take extra care with my hair. :)

~Someone unexpectedly comes up to me to tell me they noticed how hard I've been working on something or what a good job I did on something.

~Walking into a clean kitchen knowing I can cook and bake until my hearts desire!

~Compliments on my cooking and baking.

~A stranger offering to help me with the groceries with or without Lorenzo.

~The silky smooth feeling of just shaved legs on clean sheets.

~The clean smell of laundry detergent and softener on clean clothes.

~Being treated to eating out.

~Incredibly nice waiters/waitresses who refill your drinks without having to be asked and are friendly. I've been known to tip said waiters/waitresses very very well.

~Finding awesome things for the baby or my kitchen from my local Freecycle groups.

~Helping an elderly person carry groceries, park their car, walk up stairs, or running their errand for them. Too many times people are impatient with older people. That person is from a generation far greater than our own, was taught values and integrity lacking in todays youth, and has lived through some of the hardest times our country has ever faced. Have a little respect and show them not all is lost in today's young people! 


~Saying "Ma'am" and "Sir" when I speak with people older than myself.

~Having EXACT CHANGE when cash for something. I never carry cash. So when I do and have exact change, it's a big deal. ;)


~Finding a great item at a consignment shop for just dollars what the retail stores are selling it for!!

~Seeing my friends blogs and Facebook status about me, whether by name or not. It bring a smile to my face and makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy. :)


~Writing little note cards to my friends and family and sending them in the mail. Snail mail?! Is that when your email just goes really slow? LOL


~Catching someone else doing something gross in public like picking their nose or farting. Hahahahaha


~Catching the person in the car next to me singing their heart out to the radio and then they look over and get that shocked, embarrassed look, then start singing to me. LOL


Things that DON'T make my world go round:


~Running into the bathroom to take a poop, throwing yourself onto the pot, going to wipe, and realizing the person before you didn't change the roll of toilet paper!! Now you have to go a jiggle, drip dry, and somehow shuffle with your pants around your ankles, to the cupboard to grab another roll, all without getting any drips on you or the floor.


~Finding some girl's nasty fake nail stuck to the bottom of your shoe.

~Having to clean the kitchen before I can cook and bake. Cleaning before I make a mess doesn't make sense to me.


~Speaking to rude customer service representatives on the phone.

~Having a sucky lunch at work.

~The dog pooping or peeing in the house ON PURPOSE.


~Seeing people talking on their cell phones and/or texting while they drive.

~People throwing out perfectly good, reusable items. Don't they know that's wasteful! It's going into a landfill and someone could use that! Hello, FREECYCLE! 


~Realizing I forgot my coupons when I make an impromptu trip to the store.

~After finally admitting you need to use a public restroom, checking all stalls to find some form of pee, poop, or unflushed toilets. Come On!! I've gotta go and now I have to stand here doing the potty dance while I clean up a toilet and wrap 8 layers on toilet paper on the lid. God knows I'm not putting MY butt on that NASTY thing! 

Perspective

When I'm at work, I'm ok. I feel more like myself than ever. My thoughts and emotions are clear. I'm not in a fog. I'm just ME. Most days, I feel really good at work. I don't feel like I'm wearing my thoughts and emotions on my face and "sleeve" so to speak. 

But when I am at home is when I'm at my worst. Sometimes the depression is so deep and dark. It follows me around like a cloud. Nothing can shake it. Not a shower. Not cleaning or baking. Not even my little baby's 14 month old antics. I noticed that when I have my friends over, I throw myself into the cleaning and cooking/baking. I tend to make extravagant meals and desserts for them so that I have something to concentrate on. When I don't have anything to concentrate on, the emptiness inside me grows stronger. The deep, dark, emptiness surrounds me. Sometimes it's different but the emotions that go with it are anger escalating to rage or numbness, joyless, purposeless. I end up walking around feeling like an empty shell of a person. It's not a pretty site to be around me when I feel like that. It's very hard for me to see passed myself and my feelings (or lack thereof) when I feel like that. 

It takes extreme effort for me to push passed that depression but I'm trying. 

Here is where I find my perspective.

Cherisse DesJardins Lipps. 

I know her from years of church camps and various other functions. Growing up, she was always considered the popular girl. I don't know if she knows that or thinks so but it's true. Everyone always loved her, myself included. I think it's because Cherisse never cared what's cool or in style or the "IT" thing to do or say; she always did what she liked regardless of what everyone else thought. That always made her stand out from the crowd of culture driven, peer pressured, pre-pubescent teens. She's even beautiful and has a beautiful voice! I personally loved it when she would sing specials with her brothers. When the DesJardins would get up there, your ears were in for a treat! 

Fast forward to adulthood and Cherisse got married to a man perfect for her in every way! She's graduated from college and teaching in a classroom. And then she gets diagnosed with a brain tumor. I, like everyone else, was shocked!! But she's so young! She's so beautiful! She's so popular and loved! Ladies and gentlemen, sickness and diseases are no respecter of persons. Sickness and diseases do not discriminate. Poor Cherisse has had over 2 brain tumor surgeries, more than a year trying to recover, daily seizures and medications  chemotherapy, radiation, she's been taken out of work, can't drive her own car, shaved her head, and has had to adjust to the changes in her everyday life that this has brought upon her. She has to learn a new "normal." And I'm positive that most days, it must suck.

If Cherisse can find the courage and strength to muster up a smile after all her treatments and being sick for so long, then I most certainly can snap out of my depression bubble and somehow grow some gonads and make it through my day.

Alice Pyne. 

I don't know her personally but have started reading her blog. She is a 15 year old girl diagnosed with terminally ill cancer. She says she wanted to create a bucket list and blog about it since she isn't winning her fight. 

How horrible to realize at 15 that your life will be cut shorter than you'd like. At 15, I was flirting with boys and worrying about my homework and test scores. I can't even imagine what her family and she must be going through right now. 

SNAP. OUT. OF. IT. CRISTINE.

I may be having a tough time but I'm physically fit and healthy. My family is physically fit and healthy. My husband and I both have good paying jobs in this terrible economy. While we have debt up the wahoo (thanks to his student loans and paying for our wedding all by ourselves), we are living in a beautiful gated condo community, have 2 cars that are in good and great condition, a home where we have what we need (ok so the bridal registry didn't completely render what we need to fully furnish our home but we make do), our 14 month old son is happy, healthy, and starting to walk and eat solid table foods, our Silky Terrier is annoying but lovable. All in all, I have no room to complain when clearly, others around me are going through a much harder time. 

It's quite selfish if you think about it. If you have your head so wrapped around your own problems and shoved sooo far up your you KNOW what that you can't see the struggles others around you are facing, you have missed your opportunity for healing through helping. Helping someone else during their own time of need (and momentarily putting yours on the back burner) will help to heal and strengthen you emotionally and in turn, you'll be better equipped to tackle your own difficulties! A new perspective and fresh outlook are the undoing for trials and tribulations! You'll get a great self esteem boost! You'll feel good about yourself, that in some small way you are making a difference! And maybe, just maybe, someone will come along and be your help through your struggle! 

Click HERE if you're interested in seeing the Facebook page set up for fundraising to help Cherisse with the growing medical expenses. I personally purchased the tote bags and I LOVE them! They have a zipper so my groceries don't fall out when I'm driving. :) 

Click HERE to read Alice's blog. She currently is not looking for donations but just readers to share her experience with. I believe she'd like to touch as many lives as she can, while she can.