“You look good.”
“You sound good.”
Or “you sound happy.”
Heard those often the last couple of days, which I didn’t really think much about at the time. The “look good” comment usually was followed up with an inquiry, which resulted in a simple answer: running. It’s my stress reliever, my centering activity. And a weight loss mechanism. Dropped 20 pounds last year, and have probably lost a couple more since the move. I’ve noticed that my clothes are a little looser, and I get cold easier! Need to wear more layers these days. Lame. So wimpy. I’m from #Chicago. I do cold yo!
Anyway, so the the “look good” comment has a simple answer. And it leads to rather entertaining conversations. Almost like a conversation starter. Just about everyone has some kind of activity, and they like to talk about it. Running. Biking. Surfing. Skiing. Snowboarding. Something. And they like to talk about it.
The “sound good” comment though, didn’t really click until I called home and my mom said the same thing. What does that mean?
“You can only go up when you’re down in the cave,” she said.
That prompted Shania Twain’s song “Up” to play in my head. That was pretty much my theme song for 2010-2011.
“Up! Up!
It can only go up from here!
Up! Up!
Up where the clouds gonna clear.”
Seems even more fitting now, no? And when I had iTunes on shuffle, and that song was followed by the theme from Superman, I knew it was going to be a good day. Pretty much any day when the theme from Superman plays on shuffle is a good day. John Williams is a master at movie theme songs, and that is arguably the best movie theme song ever. Hands down. Was a bit disappointed he didn’t play it when he played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but oh well. It was awesome watching him conduct. Live.
I can tell there’s a change occurring. It’s a cautious change, kind of slowly testing it out, and rightly so. I was reminded today of all that I left behind, which caused a *pang* but that passed. A little more quickly than a week or two ago. Progress!
I guess something has settled somewhere, some switch has flipped. I’m more interested in enjoying the moment, enjoying the time now than trying to figure out answers to the long list of “what ifs.” There’s no way to know, and no way to answer them all. I can only do what I can with what I have right now. And right now, I’m living in a completely different country, in a completely different city that puts me on the West Coast.
And there is much I want to see along the West Coast. So the “what if” is more what to do or where to go first?