a day in the life

it's funny how many different kinds of things strike me in the course of a day that i think could lead to a blog topic....i'm reading 3 different books right now and i'll catch a line here or there that i think might lead to something.  and i try to jot things down as they occur to me....but often i'll pick up my note paper at the end of the day and have no real idea where i was going with any of it.  today was a day like any other, i guess...except that it wasn't :)

if i could sum up, i would say today was all about connection.  i think it's normal to get so caught up in our day to day lives that we don't often reach out....we think everyone is just as busy as we are or we just don't make the effort unless some event creates an opportunity.  i have been so pleasantly surprised by the number of people who have taken the time to shoot me a note on facebook, or a send a text with a comment about the blog.  in and of itself, this "process" is creating an opportunity to reconnect with people, which i find amazing.  it certainly was not the purpose of the blog, but is definitely a happy side benefit.  in the same vein, i had an old friend drop by the house today to pick up a lacrosse registration.  we haven't really spoken in a couple of years - our kids lives took very different paths, and we just didn't seem to have or make the time for each other anymore.  which is sad, but unfortunately one of those things i've talked about before.  so ANYWAY, when she came over, it was like she'd never left.....we picked up right where we left off, and i'm just SO HAPPY that that was the case.....and i hope i'll be seeing more of her now that we've rebroken the ice, so to speak.

i also spent a good part of the day emailing with OLD college friends....you see, one of the best things about college friends is that they RALLY....especially in a sports community....so when OB got the PSU job, immediately the "group" from brown decided we had to make sure we got out to show him some good ole bruno love......which led to today's email frenzy of making reservations and getting people together for a game IN SEPTEMBER i might add.  but it was great to hear from people who played such a large part of  my life during that time.  and i'm super excited to see everyone in the fall.  and i'm so glad that i have the opportunity to let my kids know them, too.

and it just so happens that kb is at a lax alumni event in dc tonight....and he sent me a text that just said "such great guys here....really great to be  part of it"....and i know when he comes home there will be a million stories from those guys that were such a huge part of his life at that time.  it just reinforced to me that the connections we make as we travel along our individual paths all remain a part of who we are.....and while it gets disheartening sometimes when we lose touch for a while, it's such an awesome thing to know that those connections aren't broken.

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.  ~Lois Wyse

the other interesting way i felt connected today had to do with the boys.  as it happens, i'm lucky that i really do feel like i "know" my kids.  but now that jake is driving, and i'm working more, sometimes i feel like i don't get much deeper than the surface info....how was your day, anything new type of stuff.  but over the last couple of days, i feel like they have all taken a bit more time to share things with me.  with josh right now it's all about making his movies, and how much he has learned about spray paint of all things - but its so interesting to me that he actually has a PLAN for these movies he makes.....and that he wants me to know about it......and then jake and i have a heart to heart about his life.  he has not had such an easy road, athletically speaking (which i'm sure i'll go on and on about during lax), but i'm so glad that he feels like he can share his frustrations with me...and his what ifs - believe me, i know all about what ifs, especially as they relate to injury -unfortunately for jake, he has had to deal with that much earlier in life....but at least we talk about it - and what other opportunities it creates for him.  and then there's luke....my silent warrior.  he came up to me today with a PLAN for his future.....apparently he's been stewing about it for quite some time, but has managed to work it out in his head.....and he wanted to share it with me.  how incredibly, amazingly lucky am i?  of course when i asked them for a picture for the blog, this is what i got.....

 so i guess i have to take the bad with the good :)  at least they are managing to keep their sense of humor, living with their crazy ass mom!!  it's just so interesting to me that when you take the time to LOOK around, there is very neat stuff going on.  i feel like i was living with my head in the sand for a while there, and now that i've looked up, my mind is so much more OPEN than i can ever remember.....and i can't wait to see what crosses my path next!

"It is better to travel well than to arrive." -Buddha

that's it for me.....i'm not sure where exactly i'm going, but i'm determined to make the most of the trip!!