Walking

The past week, I had no access to my car, since it was in the shop, so I had to walk to work, take the bus, or beg poor Ashley to drive me places.  We got our car back today, but I'm actually quite glad that I had that week without a car.  It made me slow down, get up a bit earlier, and enjoy some fresh air.  As it's been quite nice compared to the dreadful heat we've had all summer, I was able to walk to and from work without breaking out in too much of a sweat.  There were some nights when Kyle would walk to the mall and then walk with me home, since I was too afraid to walk home in the dark.

It was nice to be able to walk like that, and not feel rushed to go to work or go home.  I got to have nice conversations with Kyle during our walks, just like we did when we were dating.  They were good quality, half-hour or more walks at a time, and it made me realize just how lucky I was to slow down and have some time with him, and if I was alone, to myself.  I got to listen to songs on my iPod that I hadn't been able to slow down and enjoy, and even though I'm quite out of shape, I felt a bit healthier every time I did it.... so much so that I might actually just continue walking to work from now on.

It's not just those things about walking that make me happy, though -- a lot of what made me writing it down as one of my little joys is the fact that I have the ability to walk.  I noticed throughout the week of my increased walking the people who had trouble walking or couldn't walk at all, and it made me appreciate that I am, in fact, much healthier than I give myself credit, and that all of my body parts actually work as they should.  It also made me really appreciate and admire the athletes that have disabilities yet are still active and can compete in so many sports I wouldn't even know how to do.  Their strength makes me want to do more, and it makes me want to be more than I have been.

I suppose knowing, wanting, and appreciating the things that we have (yet take for granted most of the time) is something that we should all practice doing.  I love that I can walk, and to do so more often would be a way to appreciate not just that I have been given that ability, but also all the things I can experience because of it.

Like holding hands. :)

Being Appreciated

Today, I had a somewhat hard day at work.  I work at a nail salon here where I live, and have been working there for a little more than three years.  Today, it was busy and stressful and my coworkers were rushing through every customer.  I noticed a girl who was unhappy with the polish job one coworker did on her nails, and she approached me after having bumped one, telling me she wasn't too happy with the job.

Instead of fixing just one nail, I redid the polish on all her nails, apologizing for her bad experience and telling her that I hoped she would return since it was her first time at our salon.  When I looked up at her face, she was beaming, and said she would only ever return if I did her nails.  I could tell that I had made her day, and she was perfectly happy with the job I had done.  She offered to pay, but I refused, telling her that my only concern was that she left as a happy customer.  She certainly was.

She and her friends stayed and chatted as they dried their nails, striking up conversations with me and coming up with about 20 different nicknames for me, including but not limited to: DaBombDon, DonnaDawg, DonnaDaBombDotCom, D-Dogg, DaBombDonDog, etc.  We joked about Austin Powers, Chicago accents, Kentucky accents, and they made faces at each other and to me.

I was happy to have made her day.  And it made me remember all the other customers whose days I've also made better, from a birthday party of 10-year old girls who created the "Donna Fan Club" complete with theme song, to the woman who felt fat and ugly and left feeling more confident about herself after hearing a bit of encouragement from me.  It made me remember that although this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, I have learned so much about myself and other people.  My experience with Alli (the girl from today) helped me remember that though I don't exactly enjoy this job every day, I have people who appreciate what I do and care about who I am.

And that kind of happiness -- being appreciated just as I am, right now, in this moment -- is wonderful.  I have the ability to make others feel special, and that, in itself, makes me feel pretty special myself. :)