Monday, March 25, 2013

I’m Not Wearing Pants

If you have been reading this blog for a while, then you know I am sucker for inspiration. I’ll take it where I can get it.  I will even take it form of bumper stickers if need be. Often, I am just sitting at stoplights picking my nose anyway, so why not get inspired?

Some favorites:

Wait, not so inspiring. Just creepy and wrong. This person should clean their seat immediately when arriving home and NOT stop along the way at any toll booths or drive thrus.

Okay, maybe not inspiring, but certainly honest and relatable. Once I got stuck at a train crossing and almost destroyed my upholstery. I definitely would have been speeding had it been an option.

What? I might find this inspiring if I had any clue what it means. If my vagina was on fire, I would not dance. I would scream and jump in a lake. Plus, it should VAGINA’S not VAGINAS. Right?

marathon bumper sticker

There we go!! Finally some true inspiration. I love being called a “Special Kind of Idiot

In all seriousness -  I got the best dose of inspiration today reading THIS BLOG. The post was called “8 Wake Up Calls You Need to Receive" and was an amazing reminder to focus on the stuff we always take for granted and forget to focus on – like telling people we love that we love them, realizing you’re human and that you don’t need to be perfect, and not being afraid to fail. Go read it. NOW!

This got me to thinking about what a recent wake up call has been for me (a wake up call does not have to occur from a life threatening moment or something as equally traumatic. It can be related to an every day, small occurrence).

This is my wake up:

Last week I was behind a guy in the liquor store who was probably in his thirties. He was paying for a pack of cigarettes and two small airplane-sized bottles of vodka. He slurred his words and spoke slowly as he laid a piggy bank full of change on the counter. The cashier had to help him count out the $5.93. At first I thought he was drunk. But, something told me this was not the case. Once he left, the cashier told me he had been kicked in the head by a horse. He had had several surgeries and became sicker with each one. She learned this from his mom, with whom he now has to live full time.

What I learned:

  1. Don’t judge or make assumptions about people and situations. There is usually a lot more to the story than you know.
  2. Life can change in a moment. There are no guarantees. Don’t waste your time being petty, worrying about what you can’t control or holding grudges. Be open to life. Be present with people. Be AWAKE.

What is a recent wake up call you have had (running or non-running related?)

What’s the best bumper sticker you’ve ever seen? (besides the vagina one above).  When I was a kid my favorite was always “Save Gas, Fart in a Jar”. Some things never change.

SUAR

44 comments:

  1. Thanks, as ever, for the wonderful laugh!

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  2. The latest wake up call was last week when a friends mother (recently retired and on a cross country RV trip with her husband) was walking her dog, the dog got spooked and literally pulled her so hard down a hill that she ended up falling and hitting her head. She's been sedated, on a ventilator, had brain surgery, and they are waiting to see what's next since she hasn't come to. There she was just walking her dog........

    Another was a man from my town, avid biker and runner, was celebrating his 15th anniversary with his wife in Hawaii. On their last day they were body surfing. He ended up getting knocked to the bottom of the ocean by a wave.... Complete spinal injury.

    Freak accidents that change your life in an instant doing nothing out of the ordinary.

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  3. Wow...that was a great story. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for the wake up call.

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  4. GREAT stickers -- and I have been thinking a lot about wakeup calls lately. Mine was probably when my car was totalled in January: http://biggreenpen.com/2013/01/28/no-perfect-fog-but/ -- I walked away but keep wondering if that had been "it" and "the end" was my legacy what I wanted. And, um, NO. It isn't. NOT YET.

    And I did see a funny bumper sticker the other day but I can't for the life of me remember what it said! I was too nervous to take a picture because I didn't have the sense that the auto owner's sensibilities would find the humor in why I thought it was funny ..... so nothing on that front. :-)

    And your wakeup was important - thank you for sharing that.

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  5. Two wake up calls. The first is truly terrible -- one of my friends whom I have known for 15 years lost his only child in Newtown. My kids are just a year older and that tragedy has led to me making very deliberate choices over how I spend my time. The second is happier. There is a less fortunate gentleman who I have seen around for a long time, but never knew. One morning when my husband was out running, he asked for help with his jacket. Now early every Saturday morning he comes to our house to get help with his jacket, shoes, and belt. He cannot take care of these chores because he has a neuromuscular disease. What surprises me is how good it makes me feel to be able to help someone in such a simple way.

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    1. That's wonderful that you can make a difference in his everyday life!

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  6. Bumper sticker...a window treatment company vehicle had sticker that said...blind man driving. Really got my attention as I was right directly behind him and didn't see the big sign on the door until he turned.

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  7. Lost a high school friend a little over a week ago and it was a bit of a wake up call. He was only 40. I feel like I put off things regularly to the "someday" category. It made me think about what if there wasn't a "someday". Don't have any funny bumper stickers to share today.

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  8. My big wake-up call came when my younger brother (27 yrs old at the time) died suddenly just before Christmas 2011. Thank you for sharing that link!

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  9. I love that blog post - it made my day.

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  10. Thank you for sharing the 8am Wake Up Call post...I know I lose track of what's important when I'm bogged down with work or other obligations. Message received.

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    1. Also, a quote I try to remember (and teach my students) is: "Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." It's hard to remember sometimes, but it definitely helps in tough situations when I just want to tear someone a new one; it helps to stem words I know I'd regret.

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  11. Great post, my friend!! Definitely need to not fret the small things in life (did I just say that out loud? Me, the one who worries about everything??).

    Miss you! Let's go for a run soon!

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  12. Misuse of punctuation ...

    (This is the proper way to use an ellipses.)

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  13. Make that an ellipsis ... unless you're going to use two or more ellipses.

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  14. I crapped my pants in a meeting at my office thought I was gonna die.

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  15. Wow! Thank you so very much for this, I needed it more than you will ever know.

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  16. My favorite post of yours so far, Beth. We all could learn from this. Thank you!

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  17. My favorite quote that I live by is from Monty Python (ironically, I got it from a movie called Sliding Doors)..."Nobody expects a Spanish Inquisition." In the movie, it's told to Gwyenth Paltrow's character when she just got fired, in a car wreck, and found out her boyfriend was cheating. I'm reminded that life will always have crazy things happen no matter what you do...so don't let it get you down. Granted, I try to live by that and it doesn't always work.

    Wake up call was watching my ex husband be taken off the ventilator. In that time, I had to take care of friends, talk to his current ex wife, and make my forgiveness with him before he passed. Another one includes my cat taking off for over 24 hours when he's never done that in six years. I realized...wow, I may lose two pets in three months. It was an eye opener for sure.

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  18. I do find it sad that wake up calls tend to be when someone dies. Why do we have to wait so long to get the call? I think a wake up call for me is seeing any life wasted. And by that I mean being too afraid to make the changes you want to make. Being too scared to do something different. Or take a risk. Or too afraid to just be happy. Being stuck.

    And my favorite sticker is the AssFamily: Wise, Smart, Lazy, Kiss, Dumb and Jack.

    The Kidless Kronicles

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    1. OK, that is now my favorite bumpter sticker EVER. There could also be the ShitFamily: Hot, No, Dumb As, and Jack.

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  19. Thanks Beth. Now and again, I think most of us get hung up in could've, would've, should've, instead of living in the present, being content with our selves, our lives and our situations.
    I needed this, and I needed a kick in the pants to become one of those "special kind of stupid" people. I can do it, but only if I really want to, and I do!
    Amy P. Philly runner.

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  20. My wake up call last week:
    A snowbird and her husband were out on a dolphin watch. The boat hit a big wave and she went flying across the deck of the boat, smacking into a rail straight on with her forehead. When they arrived at the hospital the doctors said that she was brain dead. Sad to say they will be traveling home without their beloved mother/wife at their side.
    My heart goes out to the family.

    To lighten things up ... (3 dots)
    I hate when I am walking on the beach and I have to poop. I'm not proud to admt it, but I have dug a hole before and used it.

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  21. Saturday morning, I got out of bed for my long run. I discovered that our house had been robbed while we were sleeping. Thankfully no one was hurt but the event put everything into perspective about how importance family and lucky.

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    1. Wow. So scary. That is truly a wake up call. So glad you are all okay.

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  22. Nice post, Beth. We do need a wakeup call every once in a while.

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  23. favorite bumper sticker:

    "Nobody cares about your stick figure family"

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  24. MAYBE that person had more than one vagina?

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  25. Loved number two in that post.

    I just went to a funeral over the weekend--the father of a friend. It was the most inspirational hour I've ever spent. The man left a huge, huge, mark on this world in all the right ways. I left knowing I need to do more (and it has probably inspired a blog post as well!).

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  26. My parents were in a car accident last night. That 11pm phone call is never a good one, so it was a definite wake up call.

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  27. Thank you for the wake up call. I needed that.

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  28. Favorite bumper sticker: "My other ride is your boyfriend!"

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  29. Back in November, while out on a run, I noticed something kind of strange looking in the the road ahead of me. It looked like a person hanging awkwardly off of the side of a bicycle but somehow not completely falling over. As I got closer, I could see that it was actually a person tangled up in and hanging awkwardly from the side of a three wheeled bicycle.

    As I continued to get closer, I couldn’t help but notice how many people were casually swerving to drive around him as though he was just some piece of debris in their path. By the time I got to him, a delivery truck driver was coming to a stop, and the two of us were able to lift the clearly physically damaged, and perhaps mentally handicapped, man and place him back atop his bicycle. The bike had a basket on the back full of what appeared to be some choice trash pickings from the neighborhood. He was dirty and smelled awful. And he embarrassedly cried as he thanked us and I felt awful for him as I shook his hand and continued on my run.

    The last time I saw him was a few blocks later as I looped around in my neighborhood. He was standing unsteadily beside his bike and eyeballing another pile of choice discarded house wares.

    I had only discovered running shortly prior to that and adopted it as a kind of healthy therapy during a time of personal loss. Seeing that man in such a bad place, how easily he was being ignored, and how grateful he was for the simplest of assistance was a huge wakeup call and perspective check on just how good my life was even when I wanted to pretend it was nothing but pain.

    No matter how bad life may seem, there is somebody out there that would jump at the chance to trade places with you. I’m lucky to be able to run, so I do. I’m lucky for a lot of things. I try not to forget that.

    And I needed that reminder today specifically. Thank you for that.

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    1. Wonderful story - thank you for sharing that. I love how not only did you have this experience, but you had insight and growth from it.

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  30. Wonderful post. It's important to have those wake up calls every once and a while!

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  31. I needed this today :) I really "live in the moment" often, enjoying hugs, touches, my cat's fur and clean smell, flowers, my comfy bed, a clean shirt or hot shower... But it always goes away so fast, I can't help but feel sad about it. Wonderful post, as always :)

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  32. I got a wake up call from my body, telling me to give it a break.

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  33. Love your bumper sticker post. Makes me laugh!

    My wake up call.. A new friend.. un-friended me just because I no longer wanted to assistant coach for her.. I want to start my own running group. It always surprises me when women can't be happy for you too.. when you stop doing a favor.. they no longer need you.. Does anyone else ever experience this?

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  34. I was confused by some bumper stickers over the weekend. On the same car I saw 'I love my granddog' and 'who's your daddy'. I kind of wanted to meet the person who thought that both of those stickers belonged on the same car.

    This story is unrelated but I have a feeling you can appreciate it: Last April I ran my first half marathon (yay!) and the week leading up to it my biggest fear was that I would need to go number two during the race. I ate oatmeal all week (it does the job for me) to clean myself out as much as possible beforehand and it worked! Made it through the race pit stop free. This coming Saturday one of the veterinarians I work for is running his first half marathon. I had a serious discussion with him last week about my biggest fear leading up to my half marathon and the steps that I took to prevent it and that it's something he should consider. I heard from our mutual friend (who heard all about my fear last April) over the weekend who let me know that I had horrified said veterinarian. Not because of the topic of conversation, but because it had come from me. That's when I realized that no matter how slow I might run, I'm a runner if I am willing to talk about my pooping in relation to my running even if it horrifies someone else. It was a proud moment.

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