Happy New Year Y'all!! I'm not talking about the WICKED trip to Austin to see a show at SXSW and the Nossa Clan, which was really great--mostly because i am keeping it my little secret adventure happy place in my head that i can retreat to when the research project and paper due Monday for school finally catch back up with me. Suffice to say, that it was great to see Anea and Arash and I LOVED being in the sun again with 80 degree heat turning me red in seconds. It was so cute on the plane, some lil girl was acting up and her mama, in this soft lilting drawl went, "No ma'am, Miss Allie, we are not going to act ugly on the plane. Now i'll thank you to stop that." It was like my whole soul just gave a collective sigh of calm for a few days and gave me a chance to think about how to really establish a sense of balance and being present in my life.

 

Its the start of spring, of Naw-Ruz, and of my New Year's resolutions---which i am keeping to myself so that i have a greater chance of suceeding.

So i've been short lately on good stories, but here's one since its the start of the new year and i have to remember where the priorities lie:

I have this co-worker, Jay, who i really appreciate and admire. He's funny, keeps things lively and has a sort of take no prisoners attitude which is enjoyable to be around.  Jay and i however have a running joke about how every assumption he makes about me is wrong.  He thought i was a bar hopper, nope sober i replied. He thought i would be into all-american foods, nope don't eat that nonsense...bring on the injera...on and on. So a few weeks ago, he had just given up, writing off all assumptions and impressions as being more or less the exact opposite of what he thought. Today Jay wanders into my office and chats for a bit, its a nice change since he rarely makes it this far down the hall. We chat about his kids, insomnia, why i'm doing the crossword puzzle at work. Then Jay says, so, i know all my assumptions are wrong--aside from you being confusing and complicated--but i think i might be right this time about one. Okay, i say, lets hear it (i'm bracing for some kind of, you were a debutante down south when you were younger kinda comment). Well, Jay starts (all 6'4 of him looking a little tentative and as though i might start laughing at him for being way off base--which is typical, but i am trying to be nice today since its the last day of the Fast), i get the impression you are a pretty spiritual person--and given the round about things i know about your life, i have this guess that you are Baha'i.

 

My jaw must have dropped, but a grin spread over my face and i said, that's brilliant! For the first time you are ABOLSUTELY RIGHT.  This look of relief washes over his face and he tells me that given how my ideals and beliefs seemed and the tattoos, he figured that perhaps i was the same faith as some random roommate from years ago in Portland.  He said the more airy fairy tenants of most Faiths didn't seem like something i would believe in---and the pragmatic and non-prosteltyzing ness of the Baha'is seemed more up my alley.

 

Anyways, i am flattered and appreciative of the reminder that my life is not a compartmental thing, but a wholistic one ;)