Self

Self
Personal interest.

There are aspects of this world which I love so deeply, but there are those elements that seem to sting beyond annoyance. This earth has so many contrasts and tensions that its often hard to formulate an opinion over one simple topic. My beef of the day; why do people live solely for themselves? I am not here to claim that I am the second coming of Mother Theresa, but I do feel as though there are others beyond myself who deserve even a morsel of respect.

What then is respect? Is it simply nodding in unknown agreement and removing shoes at the door of a strangers home? Obviously, I'm looking for the negative head tilt in the general direction of those questions, truly hoping that people believe respect to be something far more genuine and sincere.

If I could, I would truly ask the "human race" what their deal is (and I guess I'm clustered into that group as well). People move about their days making sure that their agendas are complete, often before taking a moment to even recognize the person with the coffee stain on their new white shirt sitting right beside them. We tend to get so consumed in our own routines that people become part of the blurry background. Decisions are based on merit, motive is inspired by reward and success is determined by praise and mathematical calculations. Simply put, it's stupid and frustrating.

I try to see people for who they are. I try to recognize the perspectives of anothers opinion. I try to smile when I'm grouchy and I try to remind myself to forfeit the comfy seat when I know I'll survive without it. None of this makes me a saint and none of it should. These simple actions should not even be tried as they should be the basics of habit and common sense.

I sometimes wish that I was satisfied without asking "why", but that just isn't me. Unfortunately, I may not have the opportunity to ask the entire planet what their deal is, but keeping tabs on myself will hopefully encourage others to do the same. All I'm asking is that the focus goes beyond your own reflection, if only for a moment.

"Human history is the sad result of each one looking out for himself."
- Julio Cortazar

Labor

Labor
To be in the actual process of giving birth.

I am certain that my hands were merely moments away from delivering a baby, along with all the extras, into this world this past weekend. I shiver at the thought and shake my head at the memory, yet some part of me thinks that the possibility did have the potential of being one fantastic story (or a great contribution to the game Two Truths and a Lie).

At work, where soon-to-be-mothers prey, I was suddenly informed that a lady was in labor. This tid-bit is oddly familiar to me at work, so I was quite laid back about it, questioning if the woman could wait 10 minutes for the next available ride to the hospital. To my dismay, waiting was not an option, as the contractions were merely minutes apart and she was feeling "low pressure". My own pressure then raised, still at a healthy level, as I picked up the phone to call 911. Being my first 911 call, I must say that I was a little excited and overcome with a sudden boost of adrenaline. All was well and good until the second dispatcher came onto the line...

- 911, what is your emergency?
- I am at work, there is a lady in labor.
- Oh! In labor?
- Uh... yes?
- Oh!

The double "oh's" were unexpected on my part and not very appreciated... Again, my pressure levels raised.

- Ok, well, how far along is the mother.
- I have little medical information, I am only a receptionist.
- Oh!

Again, note the "oh".

- How old is the woman in labor?
- 25
- How many children has she had?
- This will be her sixth.
- Oh!

The "oh's" continued as my panic rose. The dispatcher then told me to remain calm, with a less-than-solid tremble of assurance in her voice, as she led me through precautionary delivery protocol. I was asked to get towels, blankets, a shoelace and safety pin (for the umbilical chord of course). At this point, I was less than calm as the idea of childbirth, led by none other than myself, became a little more probable.

Finally, and probably only 7 minutes later, a team of 9 paramedics and medical crew arrived with both the fire truck and ambulance. I was then saved, relieved and once again stress free.

- You did really well! Be proud of yourself, you did very well.
- This wouldn't be the first baby born at the Centre.
- Oh!

"Sweet is the memory of past labor."
- Greek Proverb

Tag

Tag
To follow closely; go along or about as a follower.

32 definitions of "tag" to choose from... sheesh! So, it has been forever since I've blogged and now I have been tagged so figure I may as well blog now, seeing as how I need something to aid in the procrastination from final studying...

Here goes...

6 weird things...

Premise: blog a blog about six weird things about yourself. Then "tag" via inter web 6 other people to do the same thing. Don't forget to let them know on their own Bloggy McBlogs that they've been inter-tagged.

End result: everyone gets to learn about your lovely little quirks (goody)!

1. I cannot put my socks on until I have turned them inside out and pulled all the little fuzzies out. I have been turning socks inside out for about 6 years now.

2. I have a beyond normal fixation with candles. Once they're lit I cannot bring myself to just let them burn. I must play with them, make the wax dribble in different shapes and dip my fingertips in, making imprints of all 10 fingers then slowly re-melting and dipping, continuing the cycle.

3. I have to trim my fingernails. Any white showing and they're clipped.

4. When it was raining, on road trips when I was young, I used to pretend that the raindrops were racing down the window and I'd cheer as they zigzagged to the bottom of the glass. I still find myself secretly cheering from time to time.

5. I love tape! I often take a peice of tape and wrap it around my fingers, pull it off, re-tape (similar to the wax actually) until it is no longer stickable. Then I grab another piece and continue.

6. I talk to myself - a lot.

Now that you will all define me as completely kooky, I choose to tag Jennie, Wes, Nicole and Jordan... just for kicks!

"When I was about 7, there was a blackout in Manhattan, and I grew up in this huge building with around 365 apartments, and it had long, long halls. We were playing tag in this building, and I'm running around on the ninth floor, and I ran straight into a wall and busted my lip."
- Vin Diesel

Opposition

Opposition
The action of opposing, resisting, or combating.

I have watched SOOO many movies lately. The majority have been about football, which is odd as I do not understand the game. I know that there are two teams, depicted in movies as the good guys (the ones you cheer for) and the bad guys (the ones you boo). I know that the ultimate goal is to have the bigger number on the board, touchdowns are worth a back flip and getting the ball through the pitch fork at the end of the field is pretty much a given. From what I've seen, the team that Disney is not focusing upon quickly becomes the ultimate opposition. Random men on these opposing teams are somehow despicable and I find myself excited when they are bulldozed right onto their backs by the movie's hero quarterback (or whoever does the bulldozing).

The football movie that stuck out from the rest in this regard was We Are Marshall. Sidenote: This movie is more about grief than football... rip my heart out. There is a moment in the film that continues to play through my mind in random glimpses. I'm not going to tell you the plot or a summary of the movie (catch it on quicktime.com if you're completely lost), but this amazing scene occurs when the coaches of the hero team go to the opposition for help. Maybe the drama is intensified knowing that this movie is built upon true stories. Perhaps I found it so overwhelming because I had just witnessed, from all the other football movies, just how much of the enemy opposing teams are supposed to be. Whatever the reasons, I was just blown away. My heart melted right there in the movie theatre. As if this wasn't enough, some of the players from the opposition arrive and the camera zooms into a significant symbol on their helmets. My poor brother - he was sitting beside me... For those of you who haven't seen it, sorry for writing so vaguely, and for those of you who have seen it and have no idea what part of the movie I'm referring to - ah well, we all see things a little differently.

All this ramble to say... Sometimes the ones we label as our opposition, those who seem to be on the complete other side of the field, are perhaps the ones who are able to provide the most. Maybe the opposition deserves a complete tackle from time to time, but how would the hero team ever win if there was never anyone willing to battle?

"You can measure a man by the opposition it takes to discourage him."
- Robert C. Savage

Bombardier

Bombardier
A snowmobilelike vehicle driven by an internal-combustion engine, equipped with caterpillar tracks at the rear, steered by skis at the front, and designed for travel over snow (trademark - Canadian).

This past Christmas break was one of the greatest in a really long time! My holiday began in a garage and ended on a bombardier, and to me, that really just equals Thompson! There was a lot of family time, a lot of laughter and just good 'ol chillin'. I think it's fantastic that the best moments occur in the ordinary - with the exception of the bomber, which is far from ordinary!

Something needs to be said about Thompson. If you've had the pleasure of visiting, residing or vacationing (ya never know) in the chilly city then you will definitely know and understand the joy! Thompson is a place like no other, where there is little choice but to awaken creativity on a daily basis and invent adventures of your own. From cars and puzzles, to road signs and northern lights, fun is always around the corner and "remember whens" are sure to follow for years to come (by years I mean decades).

I love my home, I love where I'm from and it is always a pleasure to get there when I can. Already looking forward to the next escapade!

"Bomber!"
- Joel Behrendt

Baby

Baby
A newborn or infant.

I frequently encounter brand new babies where I work, the average size weighing in around 5 lbs. The mothers often trust me with these new babies and hand them over for brief moments as they run around trying to get things accomplished. So there I stand, behind the front desk, with a tiny being in my arms. Their eyes are never opened and movement only happens randomly, and let me tell ya, freaks me right out.

The last little gaffer grabbed my attention in a new way. As I was holding this little body I began to think about Christmas. Ultimately, the One who created everything, including tiny babies like the one in my hands, had come down to earth in this very form. There was a time when the Lord of all was small enough to fit in the corner of my elbow and was so fully dependent on the love and care of others. The God who formed the Universe with His own hands once had hands small enough to fit into my palm. As you can tell, I formed a little bond with this tiny baby.

Along with many others, I want to encourage us to see beyond the baby this Christmas, see beyond the familiar story and somehow make it more real than it has ever been. Picture the cross beside the manger, the stars beside little fingers and the truth within the Word. Oh Christmas, more than a season I'd say!

"A baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it."
- Frank A. Clark

Coincidence

Coincidence
A striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance.

My science class just boggles my mind! I cannot get over the fact that brilliant people continue to attribute many of the world's most marvelous moments to sheer coincidences.

We have been studying our galaxy, just in little peaks. The latest phenomena to be discussed was an eclipse. An eclipse is "an astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object moves into the shadow of another", for example, when the Moon's shadow crosses the Earth's surface. One website that I was looking at says; "the Earth happens to be in the midst of a cosmic coincidence". Hmm... Really? "During a solar eclipse, the Moon perfectly covers the Sun. This is because the Sun is 400 times farther away from the Earth than the Moon, and the Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon..." We're talking about the Earth, Sun and Moon here! These are not little objects where being exactly 400 times larger or perfectly 400 times farther away can accurately fall into the "coincidence" category!

In today's world all must be explained. For some reason, every little thing and every immense wonder has to have a reason for being, and when in doubt, if reason cannot be found, thank chance. Well I don't know about you, but I don't believe in coincidence. Whether it be a sudden meeting with a long lost friend, "being in the right place at the right time" or having something perfectly 400 times larger being placed exactly 400 times further away than something else... none of it is by chance. Life moves in a plan, He has a purpose and there is great reason for everything... everything!

"There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from."
- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross