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I seem to be writing quite a lot these days, but nothing I'm comfortable posting here. Here's a little update, something that really made my day last week.

My job entails picking up garbage along the exits on the interstate. I found a phone, which is a surprisingly frequent occurrence, but this one worked. I found the back of it first, and then the main piece, and then the battery. It was about a $ three or four hundred dollar phone. I didn't expect it to work, but I popped the battery in (not as simple as all that, because it has some road rash) and voila! it booted right up. It was an AT&T phone, and I have Tmobile, so i would have to have it unlocked for it to do me any good. It also had an 8GB SD card in it.

The thought crossed my mind that I should keep it. But in about 5 phone calls, i was able to track down the owner and return it to him. He insisted on giving me $20, shook my hand and said "And thanks for your honesty, that's just great!"

I wish I hadn't kept the $20, I feel like it kinda put a damper on a good feeling.


*Turns out the guy had pretty good taste in music*

short thoughts on the road home

I awoke from a nightmare to learn it's all true
things I have done that I cannot undo
things I have said that I cannot take back
paths I have taken that I cannot re-track
But there someone who can take it away
and settle a debt I could never repay

Attitude

Hi,

Thanks for stopping by. I haven't posted in a while, but I am feeling really, REALLY content right now, and I want to capture the moment.

I pulled weeds at work for about 8 hours today. It really takes a toll on one's joints. The bed we were weeding is on about a 40° slope, so my ankles were constantly being strained in one direction or another. For footing, I had my choice of either loose gravel, or rocks about the size of a loaf of homemade bread, neither of which is comfortable for kneeling on and we're not allowed to "sit" on the job. The end result is a back ache and raw feet. weeds are no fun.

There were storm clouds brewing in the distance all morning. I was just praying, literally, that it would rain. Rain (at least in sheets) means I get off work early. If there was any day that I would like to cut short, it was today. I was miserable. On top of the physical discomforts, time was moving like a granny peaking over the steering wheel of a surprisingly undamaged Cadillac--unbelievably slow.

So, I prayed again "make it rain, please..." it occured to me that I should add in an 'if it be wisdom in thee', so I tacked one of those on, too.

Then I started thinking about it. Why would God make it rain, just so I could get of work? Perhaps if I truly needed it, and asked in faith... but here I am; not really needing to leave work, just not overly enjoying myself. And as far as faith goes, sure, I believe God could make it rain, but why would I specify that I would like it "if it be wisdom in thee?" That's bunk, and I know it. I'm not considering any sort of "grand scheme" or using an "Eternal Perspective", I just want an excuse to get off work early. So I apologized.

I thought about how I wasn't enjoying work, I thought about how I don't think I could ever stick with a job that doesn't totally thrill me to do, at least not for any sustained amount of time (I have had 15 jobs in the past 7 years). I thought about all the negative things about my job. Like how my boss is lazy, and how she hired her friend's son for the summer and just totes him around all day. The two of them pretend to be working, but in all reality, they just drive from park to park and manually operate the switchboards for the sprinkler systems, which are fully automated. I came up with some nicknames for them that aren't repeatable here.
Then I noticed my attitude, I was really hung up on how tedious and arduous my job was. I was nursing my wounds simply for the sake of cooing to myself little echos of the "injustices" I was being subjected to.

I decided to change my attitude right then and there. And as soon as I made the decision, everything became a joy. It was amazing, I just chose to see things positively and they BECAME positive!

It really works. TRY IT!

Also, this is really cool. I saw a sandpiper in the pebbles by the road, and it kept tweeting every once in a while. as I watched it, I noticed that it would occasionally squat down on the rocks, as if it were sitting in a nest. Strange.... then, I noticed that anytime I would move towards it, or move suddenly, it would hunker down in the rocks. I realized that it was trying to be inconspicuous. Later, I saw it's nest (and to my bewilderment, remembered having seen it yesterday, when I thought that it was a wrecked nest from a nearby bush, (since I've never seen a ground nest before and this one looked pretty weathered). I'd assumed it's eggs to be left for dead, and I squished one with my trash-grabber. leaving 3. MAN! why'd I do that?) anyway, I came back upon the nest. When I approached it, the Sandpiper came running at me, stopped about 7 or 8 feet away, and plopped over on its side, flapping its wings as if it were lame. NEAT! the bird was trying to lure me away from its nest by appearing to be an easy target. One of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. It was really good at appearing to be hurt, it could even ruffle it's feathers to look like its wing was broken. it did it every time I passed by the nest. So cool!

Flesh Worms

I got a job with the city. The Parks and Rec Dept. My first day was, coincidentally, the first day the sun came out in full effect this year. I was burned before my lunch break, and I went back out for another four and a half hours after that. I was burnt to a crisp for the next several days.
Anyway, the job is immeasurably preferable to my call center/tech support job. I can truly appreciate the meaning of the phrase "honest, hard work". I don't have to do anything unethical. I don't even have to interact with more than a handful of people on any given day. I just break my back from 6am to 4:30pm, and get paid.