Thursday Thoughts (in lieu of Wednesday Wonders)

It's been a very rough 7 days... last week, on Friday, we found out that the daughter of one of our beloved coworkers was the woman shot in Tacoma over the teens who were arguing via text.  The coworker hasn't been back to work yet, and I am looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time...

For me, the hardest parts are 1)my "gift" that allows me to feel what other people are feeling, and 2)it reopens all of the wounds I've worked so hard to suppress after losing so many people in my life. 

Things to remember, if you are even in the situation of experiencing tragic loss or helping someone who is:

• It's not going to be okay.
• Don't ever say "I understand." because, well, you don't... you can't... unless you've had personal experience with the same/similar situation.
• It's okay to cry.
• It's okay to be angry.
• It's okay to be happy.  Don't feel guilty about it.
• You will never "get over" the loss, you will just get used to it.
• Start back with a task list for the next 10 minutes, then up it to the next 20 minutes, the next 30 minutes, the next 45 minutes, etc, until you make it through a day.  It won't be normal, but it will be the "new normal".
• Don't ever make someone feel like their feelings are less than important.  While they may not make sense to you, that person needs the validation of their emotions to help them heal.
• Pray.

Penguins Are My Favorite Sort of Frogs

And advil is my favorite sort of candy!

Do you remember these posters from back-in-the-day?  I do... I remember thinking how dangerous it was, and I was always so paranoid that I'd end up eating medicine instead of candy... now I prefer it, on some days!

I had a vein burst in my leg last week & was told not to take any blood thinners until the bruise started to heal.  I never realized 1)how much advil I'm used to taking & 2)how much my body aches without it! 

Oddly enough, penguins are not frogs, no matter how much fun Raffi's song is, and advil is not candy.  This old house is sure feeling those creaks and groans.

¡Viva España!

This is how I had to watch the World Cup updates today...   I was VERY happy to see the final score, and will be watching this On Demand tomorrow night. :-)

Wow

It's been one month & five days since Spain... courtesy of the little counter that I haven't quite gotten rid of. :-)

It was really surreal being there... being back there... I have so much to write about, it's taken me this long to even begin processing it!  And photos, oh the photos, I promise- I will have them posted by Monday.  Nothin' like a 3-day-weekend to get things done, right?!

(more to come soon)