Must...Keep...Walking

As part of the latest shenanigans at work, we have created a walking contest to encourage healthy lifestyles among the staff and their families. We got into teams of our choice and thanks to Kellogg, we have been using some donated pedometers to keep track of our steps for a little over a week now. My team is full of competitive people, and there are prizes on the line, albeit small ones (in fact, I'm not even sure what the prizes are), but prizes nonetheless!  So, we made an additional bet with another team. The team who loses must wash the cars of the winning team. Added bonus: they will do so in the parking lot at work so that everyone can see their defeat.

Needless to say, my competitive streak has kicked in and I have been really stepping up my game (see what I did there?). My calves are burning a little and frankly a 2 mile walk in heels with my team was not the greatest on my poor toes. All in the name of victory, right?

My team and I have been going on a walk each day at lunch, and it's been a great break from the norm. Often, it can be easy to forget to take a moment to breathe and relax at work. I am convinced I'm working harder simply because my concentration is better after taking a good walk.

In short, this is a great lesson in morale and health, as well as productivity. It's too easy to get caught in the daily paperwork drudgery and forget to enjoy life. How can people be expected to work without having a chance to enjoy the sunshine? There's far more to life than sitting behind a computer screen, and I'm determined to enjoy it.

Happy walking!

The Power of Ps and Qs...

Sometimes it astounds me at how often people leave out the phrases "please" and "thank you" from their conversations.  After leaving out this common courtesy, it amazes me further that those same people wonder why others are generally unmotivated to act quickly in order to appease them. I think it is fair to say that everyone deserves a certain level of respect and dignity, no matter their story or background. Using these phrases is a great way to incorporate both of those, along with a genuine smile.

Saying "please" and "thank you" are especially important when dealing with someone who is performing a service. Almost everyone can sniff out a less-than-genuine attitude from a mile away, and it is also important to note that it's typically easy to detect a sour attitude, even through texts, emails, or messages. Leaving out common courtesies can spell disaster for the project, not to mention frustration on the part of the person performing the service.

No one actually wants to be remembered as miserly or rude, so why is it that these words are so often forgotten? I've reached my limit on the lack of respect issue, have you?

Grinding My Gears

You know what really grinds my gears? People who insist on driving below the speed limit. I'm not talking about just hovering slightly below, I'm talking at least 5-10 miles an hour under the speed limit. Why? Why must you do this? There isn't even a traffic jam. There will be a handful of cars on the road, all simply inching along, killing me slowly with their determination to make me late.

I don't really speed. I kind of freak out if I discover I was accidentally going too fast. I'm just really not in the mood to get a ticket, and the idea of being pulled over makes my heart race; I'm quite sure I would instantly burst into tears if ever I was pulled over.

But I certainly do NOT go below the speed limit. There are a lot of things I want to do in my life, and frankly, waiting anxiously to pass the snail moving in front of me is not one of them. Yet, somehow, I seem to perpetually choose to live in locations where traffic moves slower than molasses in January...on the back of a mule....which is stuck in cement.

I have things to do, people, get out of the way! At the very least, do not block all four lanes with your crawling speeds. If you want to spend your life on the road, fine, but I want to accomplish some things.

Good News for the Plain Jane

For those of us who have been accused of being a Plain Jane by certain, ahem, others...there is good news.

I consider this a win. Even though I already found my prince :)

The Life of a Nerd

Yesterday was possibly the most exciting day I have had all week.

I got a library card. Yes!! It has been on my list of things to do since I moved in, but I just never got a chance to actually get to the library. I must say, I am pretty beyond excited to brows through rows and rows of books, find the perfect stack, and come home to my brand new patio furniture (!!) and a giant cup of delicious fair trade coffee. Ahh, perfection.

Add in all the positively gorgeous weather, and I have found pure bliss.

I have also been nurturing my own little seedlings lately. Meet the first little sprouting tomato plants. Eventually, I will have three tomato plants and three bell pepper plants. The two are staples in my diet, and I suspect this will be the best summer ever.

And yes, I plan on making homemade salsa.

So here's to the beginning of another spring and bountiful fruit and veggie gardens!