Great Documentary

Because of the rain mentioned in my previous post, it has been a very slow day at work. I have been watching this documentary that has been on my must watch list for quite some time. You can watch it on PBS' website. A great documentary from Frontline about AIDs in Black America. I strongly encourage setting aside two hours to watch it.

Watch ENDGAME: AIDS in Black America on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Exploring a City

I have a new goal to explore a new thing in Detroit and the surrounding area each week (surrounding area is relative...I will take suggestions that are farther area as well). Anything is fair game...not matter how big or how small. I am looking for help in expanding my list of things to explore. I am looking for suggestions for museums, parks, food, hiking, anything....

For instance, here are a few things on my list:

• Detroit Institute of Arts
• D-Town Farm
• Heidelberg Project (I have been but it is good to go back)
• Detroit Film Theater

I already have a bunch more things on there....but I am looking for your help...if you are familiar with the area or just heard of something...I will take it.

When it Rains

This isn't a post about when it rains it pours...you know lots of good things or lots of bad things...I am literally talking about rain. I woke up this morning it was pretty much downpouring. No in a previous month or week this probably wouldn't have been a big deal. But now I am carless and well had to get to work by 10am. Luckily enough I have slowly been buying rain gear over the years to use while biking...but every time it rained before, I would just drive.

Today I had no other option. I put my work stuff in water proof bags, put on my rain paints and jacket and hit the road. And you know it wasn't too bad. The worst part was the rain hitting my face and there is nothing I can do about that. I also forgot to wear shoes covers so my feet got soaked...but I planned ahead for that and brought an extra pair of socks and shoes.

All in all it was a good experience. I am glad I finally was forced into using all my rain gear and I made it. My shoes and socks were soaked but I expected that. My ears got a little cold but I can deal with that in a future ride. I am totally going to do it again :) Not that I want to ride in the rain but I am excited my gear works so well. Use this as inspiration to get out on your bicycle and ride to work....in rain or shine...cold or warm. I have been doing it all summer and it is pretty great!

One Year

It has been one year exactly since I left my job in Washington, DC. On September 17th, I headed to New York City from DC for a weekend of biking and spending time with friends in the city. It was the first of many adventures I took this past year. I can't believe how quickly the past year has flown by and sometimes I wonder what exactly have I accomplished if anything. Then it struck me...this past year wasn't about accomplishing anything. It was about learning to slow down.

Up until Sept. 16th of last year, I was living each day with constant stress and worries. I had a never ending to do list for my life and work life. I always had a vague sense in the back of my mind that I was forgetting something and would often lay awake at night going over everything I needed to do in the next day or worrying that there just wasn't enough time. Finally I decided enough is enough. I wasn't happy. I was removed from many of the things I was passionate about in life. I made the drastic decision to leave my job and pursue some personal dreams...and ultimately move back to MI. In my decision to leave and move home, I hoped to do some discernment, figure out what it is I really want to do and enjoy time with my family. What has this past year brought?

Travel

I have traveled to multiple state and countries. Before I left the country, I had the great opportunity to drive my little red car (now sadly gone) up the east coast and throughout the midwest visiting friends. I also took a trip to the west coast as well. I experienced amazing food, hospitality, adventure, new cultures, dangerous situations and much much more. It was always a dream of mine to spend some significant time traveling. If you include my bicycle trip from last summer, I spent 5 months on the road last year. Here is a tally:

• States Visited (some multiple times)
• Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Washington, and Oregon
• Countries Visited
• Bolivia, Peru, Israel, Romania (just the airport but it counts), Jordan, Palestine (I am choosing to refer to it as such and not the West Bank), and France

Friends and Family

If anything, this year has been full of connecting with friends and visiting with family. On my travels, I was able to connect with almost all of my greatest friends from various parts of my life. I wasn't able to get to a few (Deanna you are currently at the top of the list) and some I had some surprise drop in visits like with Allison in Connecticut and Suze in Massachusetts. We were all in the same place at the same time which doesn't happen very often. I have been able to spend much more time with family which was one of the main goals of moving home. I went to all of my cousin's weddings this summer...which is a first for me.  I played a bunch of bridge with my grandma. I enjoyed many short trips for family events that normally would have been missed living out of state. I visited with each of my nieces and nephews and Leah even left me alone with all three of her's at one point (it was a success but lets just say when she walked back in the house I let out a big sigh of relief and gratefully handed her Zeke while I slopped food on plates and told the kids to eat after I had been busying them by watching a movie for longer than the approved 45 minutes from their mom).

Detroit

I was lucky enough to get a job at a bicycle shop in Detroit. A week after touching back down in the US from France, I moved my stuff to Detroit and started working. Overall, it has been pretty good. There are definitely times when I wonder what I am doing working part time at a bicycle shop in Detroit and doubt many of the decisions I made to get me to this point. But I try to remember back to the distant call or desire I felt more than a few years ago to move close to home. It might only be for a time...I have no idea at this point but it has been worth it. Even with my car getting stolen :)

Discernment...Yes and No

Spending some time in discernment about my future was also a goal...and I say yes and no because I wasn't always great about setting time aside to really think about the future...but I also determined a few things I definitely don't want to do. I found myself easily distracted by the good book I was reading or damn Netflix and it's never ending stream of watch instantly shows with every single season. In case you are wondering, How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men and Breaking Bad are all great shows...and since I last checked, all are still on instant streaming. And reading...I have had so much time just to read and not feel guilty about it. In the past, I always felt there was something else I should be doing with my time. Discernment will come but I also know I need to make a concerted effort. I am attending a retreat for former volunteers in November which a mentor friend of mine encouraged me to attend. It is still a few months out but his nudge to attend this retreat was just what I needed. I have already spent more time processing and just beginning to think about what's next.

Now I am struggling through the job market and trying to find anything. My job at the bicycle shop is just seasonal and coming to and end in the next few weeks. I am finding increased levels of compassion in myself for people who have been at this a lot longer than me. I am probably too picky but I really want to find some time of work that I am passionate about...even if that means being unemployed a little longer than I would normally care for....or continuing to work part time so I can focus more on what it is I would like to do.

It has been a great year of many ups and downs. I wouldn't take any of it back and I am sitting here wondering what the next year holds...because at this point I have honestly no idea. I haven't lost the travel bug and constantly wonder what it would be like to just pick up and go somewhere. For now, I am trying to plant my feet for a few and find some solid ground here. 

Strange Things Happen To Me All The Time

I meant to write about this story right after I got back from Philadelphia but life intervened...you know my car and other things...it happens.

Anyway, I had a wonderful visit to Philadelphia. The whole purpose of the weekend was for my friend Simon's wedding on Sunday, August 19th. I made a weekend out of it and visited with old friends and enjoyed running in the city. Sunday morning, my friend Mali and I were getting ready for the wedding. We were running a few minutes late but felt good about the time. The wedding was at 11am in Doylestown which is about 1 hour from where Mali lives.

As we were leaving the house, we debated whether we should take 95 or 76 to get to Doylestown. Neither is  perfect...they both basically go around Philadelphia and meet up via 276 or 476. The only direct route through the city is Route 1/Broad Street...that would probably take 14 hours because it is stop lights the entire way. I have done it in the past and it is mind numbing how long it takes to get out of the city that way. We decided to take 95 because it was closer to Mali's house. In a last second consultation, we looked at the direction's provided with the wedding invitation. They suggested taking 76...so we changed our route and were on our way.

About 10 minutes later, we were cruising down 76 in the far left lane probably going a little faster than the speed limit. The expressway was four lanes wide at this point just on our side of the median. The next few realizations happened within split seconds...

All of a sudden, I saw a man running on the right side of the highway...well he was more jogging. I then noticed his bright blue street shirt that looked a lot like a Students Run Philly Style shirt and also a many color mohawk wig he was wearing on his head. Just as I was about to say to Mali that it looked like a kid from Students Run, she yelled out, "Oh my God! Is that Tim*?" I looked quickly and agreed that it was in fact Tim! (For those of you familiar with Philadelphia, this is the general spot on the expressway we picked up Tim...marked by the B)

*Name changed

BACK STORY (must read): I was a running leader for Students Run for a little over two years. Through Students Run, I met a ton of people including Simon and Mali. Simon and I have maintained our friendship though my multiple moves and I was so grateful to get an invite to his wedding. If you are over involved in Students Run (like I was), you get to know a ton of other running leaders and especially a ton of students beyond the students on your own team. Mali used to work for Students Run so she knows even more students because she was one of the faces of the organization. Anyway, there are Students Run teams from all over the city and one of the teams is from the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Each year they have a ton of students but they always have their regulars...Tim being one of them. Tim is probably around 20, deaf and also has a variety of other learning disabilities. He is a wonderful young man and I have known him for a few years...but he doesn't necessarily know me. I would recognize him anywhere and so would Mali!

STORY CONTINUED: Mali yells, "Oh my God! Is that Tim?" We quickly realize it is...and Mali somehow manages to get across four lanes of traffic and we pull over on the side of the expressway. Mali gets out of the car and starts jogging to Tim. She says he started jogging towards her not out of recognition but thinking...hey there is someone else running out here too. I get out of the car and start calling anyone I know who will be able to help us figure out why Tim is running on the side of the highway (mind you we are both in dresses and look like we should be at a wedding and not running down the highway). I first get a hold of Becky, a running leader and friend, who was a leader for PSD. Meanwhile, Mali leads Tim to the back seat of the car. Becky knows Tim and trying to help me learn how to sign, "Where is home?" over the phone because she is pretty sure he can direct us home. I started signing (or what I think is signing, "where is home?" and Tim does not show any sense of recognition. For all I know I am signing, "Hey what's up?" or something sinister.

Mali starts typing on her iPad, "Where is your home?" I ask Becky, "Can Tim read?" And she quickly says no. We are in a bind. We finally get a hold of Heather who is the Director of Students Run, who gets a hold of Tim's dad. Apparently there was a Students Run race that morning and Tim thought he should be there but missed his bus to the race or something like that (we never got the full story). Tim Sr. agrees to meet up with us about 3 miles away near a big city park in West Philly. We drive over there and pass over Tim Jr. (bright colored mohawk wig and all) who the whole time was just signing to us that he was running. Tim Sr. dropped him off at the park an hour or so earlier and said he was supposed to be running there. Regardless, Tim. Jr. was safe and we were back on our way.

At this point, we have already missed the wedding. We start driving again towards Doylestown completely in shock about what just happened. What if we took 95 instead of 76? What if we didn't see Tim on the side of the road running? What was he doing there in the first place? How did he manage to just run onto the expressway with no one stopping him?

We arrived at the wedding in time for the reception. We had a few mimosas and had a great story to tell. We were incredibly sorry to miss Simon and Melissa's (his bride) wedding. It sounded amazing though! The brunch was excellent and we sat at a great table of old friend's of Simon's. His Best Man gave one of the best wedding toasts I have ever heard. Simon understood (I think)...he too knows Tim and knew Mali and I could not just drive by this deaf kid on the highway without stopping and helping. It's just not in our nature....and trust me we debated...what do we do...miss Simon's wedding...for a split second we thought about bringing Tim to the wedding with us. It would have saved us a lot of time!

The best part...strange/weird things happen to Mali all the time as well...we decided the combination of the strange attraction to weird things happening to us combined to create this epic occurrence and one heck of a story.