Pleasant Surprise

I had a couple of pleasant surprises today.

I wore a bluish blouse to work.  I realize that's not big news....it was actually brighter out in the sunlight than I anticipated.  But one of my co-workers surprised me when he said it made the blue in my eyes "pop" (his word).  That was very nice.

I went to the gym - not once, but twice.  My favorite time to work out is during lunch, or early afternoon.  That's often problematic.  First, I often have meetings scheduled that infringe on the quote-unquote "lunch hour" so I can't get away.  Second, and no less limiting, is the fact that going to the gym    during lunch can involve re-doing hair and face.  As a result,  the process of getting there, changing, cleaning afterwards, getting ready to go back to work, actually getting back, then cooling down can take an hour all by itself so it's just not worth it.

Anyway - the pleasant surprise in all of this happened when I weighed myself.  To my surprise I'm within a half dozen pounds of the consistent weight that I maintained during my entire transition.  I actually had no idea how much I weighed - it's been months and months since I've been on a scale.   But as life goes on and years pass it can become easy to let things go little by little.

A couple of posts ago I talked about dilating and someone wrote a comment saying that paying for this particular new body part and not using is was like having a Porsche and keeping in the garage.  Well, that's how I feel about my body.  It took me a long time to build it into a comfortable house for my soul, and it involves ongoing "housekeeping".  For me, it doesn't just happen.

Admittedly, watching my dad fade away from diabetes had a significant impact.  He died when he was 8 years older than I am now.  But my goal is admittedly to leave this world in as healthy a body as I can.  That process is ongoing.  Dark - perhaps.  But honest.

A dear friend of mine, who's my age, called me last week to say that she was having quadruple bypass surgery to fix a significant blockage.  She had the surgery today, and from the status updates I've heard so far indicate she's doing well.  Thank God.  I've been thinking of her all day.

One of my favorite shows each week is CBS Sunday Morning.  It has a "pace" that appeals to me, and the stories are always fascinating and relevant in some way.  This past weekend they had a profile of Carol Burnett.  Watching the clips of her variety show was like opening a time capsule - I so remember watching it on Saturday nights as a teen.

One of the projects I got to work on for my college degree at Syracuse (in Radio, Television, Film production) was as a production assistant on the Phil Donahue Show.  On one of the episodes, she was a guest.  After taping was over I went onto the set and took the plastic cup she had been using home to show my fiancee - it had a ring from her lipstick on it.  She was unimpressed, and threw it out.

Over the years I've asked myself "whatever happened to Carol Burnett?" - she seemed to disappear after her daughter died a couple of decades ago.  But she's still as funny and full of life as ever.  It was - well - a pleasant surprise.

I've had a couple of unpleasant surprises recently, too, so it's not like life is ALL rosy.  But I think the key is to appreciate the pleasant surprises and not dwell on the rest.

Lastly...

A friend invited me over dinner last night with her spouse and some of their friends.  I had a very nice time.  As I pulled up into their driveway in the early evening the flowers along their driveway were almost glowing in the unique late-day light.  I took a photo with my iPhone (click on the photo for a larger version).  I like it so much I may print it and frame it - I've got nothing on my walls and this would be a nice addition.  A simple scene from everyday life...but I think that's one of the reasons I like it.