Keepin' Busy

Or, I should say, "TRYING TO" keep busy. It's amazing what work can do for a person, whether it's postive or negative. I'm 'on call' at my present job and did not get called this week. I totally love working for there and the team of people are complete dolls, however, when there is a lack of employment, it certainly can take a toll on the pocketbook, as well as, the spirits.

So, in the midst of finding myself wondering if and when this week would ever end, I decided to not give in to self-pity (lol, try, anyway) and keep myself busy with little projects. Of course, this was at about the half-way point of the week when my daily jaunts to the gym and Target were just not cutting it. I decided to make lists of things that needed to get done and mark things off one by one upon completion. This simple act can give a person the most amazing sense of accomplishment despite how menial the tasks may be.

What I feel like sometime :-p
Image from here



Well, McCracken certainly hit on something, lol
Image from here

 I also embarked on a cleaning spree yesterday that will spill over into today I'm sure. Not to be forgotten is a bit of online shopping that needed to be done. I've been without camera for the past few months and am finally feeling the effects of having to scour the internet for photos for most of my blog posts. So I'm impatiently awaiting my little new Nikon. And since time cannot usually be found for cooking, today I'll make my special chickpea curry for a good friend.

 Totally love Amazon.com

My curry or 'chana masala' ;-)

And, of course, I've been trying to devote more time to my blog, devise goals, and plan for Along the Way's future. So thank you to all of my lovely readers for dropping by! You certainly help brighten my day!! :-)

Would love to hear how you all keep motivated and goal-oriented...

Change

Location: 42nd Street, New York City, worldwide

 

Well life isn’t all peaches and cream. Today, I need to vent.

Sometimes I see very interesting things on the train to and from work. Other times, I’m a witness to distressing situations. Yesterday an extremely disabled man, who was not able to walk very well at all, was in my car. The sheer helplessness I felt of just having to sit there and observe his plight was overwhelming. In fact, I was in one of those moods that I probably would have just sat there and cried had there not been so many people around. And then I thought, ‘Well, Annie, imagine his frustration and helplessness.’

To add to my misery, after going and spending money on things at Target, I happened upon a well suited, yet quite overweight man inhaling his McDonald’s burger and fries in the middle of the train station lobby. Now I don’t know that guy’s circumstances, but I couldn’t help but think, what has it all come to? I didn’t have any answers; I just wished I was going to the gym to burn off my vexation; instead it was home to do laundry. Needless to say, I collapsed into bed thoroughly exhausted.

So today, as I walked along 42^nd Street, sipping my $4.63 Tall Caramel Lite Frappuccino from Starbucks, for some reason, I was piercingly reminded of my angst toward the rotund man I had so much disdain for yesterday. I didn’t even need or really want the blasted drink – it was just something to do to fill time on my half hour lunch break.  Then I thought of the famine taking place in East Africa. Yes, I remembered watching something about a man from Cairo who has to support his family on $4 dollars a day. Here I was spending more than that amount on a drink that I didn’t even want.

Now I know that my not buying a $4.63 beverage will not help anyone unless I personally was to escort the money to those in need. Nor do I have anything against caffeine. However, I can’t help but think about this society we live in. We are taught to believe we need things that we most certainly do not. And it is that very attitude and feeling that big business has exploited and cashed in on.

I just keep reminding myself of the huge change we need – one to permanently help man and animals alike.