When life gives you lemons, go to Jamaica? This has been an eventful fall/winter to say the least and one that has challenged our family in ways I didn't know was possible. But everyone has challenging times and it is during those times that you grow and change the most. Some of you are going through those times right now. Some have in the past and some will in the future. In these times, you learn about your environment, your relationships, who you can and cannot rely on and mostly about your inner strength. What you are capable of handling seems to expand when it is necessary. And then you grow as a person as well. I can say in my 48 years I have not stopped learning from my many mistakes and challenges and I hope that is the case in my future years. That does not mean it is easy and it does not mean that you don't take steps forward and many, many steps backwards in the process but it sure does help you grow. I have said before that Buddhism suggests that struggling is what binds us together as humans. I know that on the surface it may seem like everyone is happy and living the best life but to be a little more real, a little more honest is not a bad thing. It isn't a sign of weakness. It is actually a sign of strength. Reaching out for help is not a bad thing. You may not get the results you strive for but you learn from that too. Life isn't always going to be cherries and that is okay.
So, we spontaneously went to Jamaica. One week we decided we needed to feel warm sun and see the ocean and we were very fortunate to be able to do so. I felt incredibly lucky and grateful that we were able to do something like this - and thoughtful of those that cannot. It was financially irresponsible of course (not in the budget!) but it did feel good to be together and away, for even a few short days.
Something did happen this winter though that brought me back 12 years. Yes, 12 years. In a single moment. Many moons ago, I commuted by train for about 10 years. It was a 25-30 minute ride. When you take the train, most people wait in the same spot for the train, sit in the same car and usually the same seat so you get to know people that you are traveling with quite a bit. I have made some of my closest friends to this day on the train.
One person that I got to know was named Ted Dooley. He worked for the Superintendent of Schools for Boston and lived in Needham, like me. We knew each other over the course of time when I was pregnant and with small kids. His kids were in high school and going to college. I always loved talking to him because he would share life lessons about his family and living with kids at the ages of sex, drugs and rock n roll, whereas I was dealing with small kid issues. We had an easy and great friendship. I learned a lot from him and I respected him in a tremendous way. His wife worked with a friend of mine and there was that common connection as well.
Ted was an avid runner-never missed a day in the work week and his daughter was an incredibly talented soccer player. She was actively being recruited when I knew him and ended up playing for Columbia.
Over time, I switched positions and my train schedule changed. I had not seen him in over a year. I found out through that mutual friend that Ted had died suddenly a year prior of a heart attack, the day after finishing a novel. The year he passed was 2006. When I learned of his passing, I was pretty devastated and I wrote a note to his wife (whom I didn’t know). I left it in their mailbox and always wondered if she had received it.
A few weeks ago, in 2019, I received a phone call completely out of the blue from Ted's wife saying that she had in fact received my note and had kept it all these years. She wanted to drop off the book Ted finished right before his death, which she had just gotten published. When she realized I wasn’t in the area, I quickly told her I’d buy it on Amazon and I read it in a day. It is called The Bicycle Kick. It is an easy read and one with a wonderful theme and story. I can't recommend it highly enough. In a bicycle kick, you turn your body upside down to kick the ball. Your life can change in an instant. Just like a bicycle kick. Your life can bring you challenges but you grow and change with those challenges. This book is a great representation of that.
One person that I got to know was named Ted Dooley. He worked for the Superintendent of Schools for Boston and lived in Needham, like me. We knew each other over the course of time when I was pregnant and with small kids. His kids were in high school and going to college. I always loved talking to him because he would share life lessons about his family and living with kids at the ages of sex, drugs and rock n roll, whereas I was dealing with small kid issues. We had an easy and great friendship. I learned a lot from him and I respected him in a tremendous way. His wife worked with a friend of mine and there was that common connection as well.
Ted was an avid runner-never missed a day in the work week and his daughter was an incredibly talented soccer player. She was actively being recruited when I knew him and ended up playing for Columbia.
Over time, I switched positions and my train schedule changed. I had not seen him in over a year. I found out through that mutual friend that Ted had died suddenly a year prior of a heart attack, the day after finishing a novel. The year he passed was 2006. When I learned of his passing, I was pretty devastated and I wrote a note to his wife (whom I didn’t know). I left it in their mailbox and always wondered if she had received it.
A few weeks ago, in 2019, I received a phone call completely out of the blue from Ted's wife saying that she had in fact received my note and had kept it all these years. She wanted to drop off the book Ted finished right before his death, which she had just gotten published. When she realized I wasn’t in the area, I quickly told her I’d buy it on Amazon and I read it in a day. It is called The Bicycle Kick. It is an easy read and one with a wonderful theme and story. I can't recommend it highly enough. In a bicycle kick, you turn your body upside down to kick the ball. Your life can change in an instant. Just like a bicycle kick. Your life can bring you challenges but you grow and change with those challenges. This book is a great representation of that.
Time to put on Run Right Back by Moon Taxi and let's get cooking.
OK - so I am going to input a link here to the best Shrimp Tacos!!! Sooooooooo good. Everyday Dorie is a cookbook that my sister in law told me about and I have really enjoyed reading and trying some of the recipes. This recipe takes a little bit of time so don't make when you need to cook a quick meal. Maybe an hour is needed. My mother in law made them and then I did too. They were a huge hit and I can't wait to make them again.
Enjoy and have a happy day, everyone!
