The Way I See It

Inspired by Young Adult writer Sarah Dessen, I have decided to write a post every week or so dedicated to the things going on in my life.  Her posts are called "The Five" and focus on random thoughts and happenings that she comes across through the course of a week.  While I by NO means think any of this would interest you as readers, I think it's important to step away from the BIG questions every now and then and just enjoy the details.  And if I'm really being honest, I'm desperate to get back into writing for the sake of writing... even when I don't have big things to ponder.  So what to call these posts? I have no idea.  Quite frankly I think I like The Five best, but there's a little thing called plagiarism that I'd like to stay away from.  The French version of The Five, Les Cinq, sounds kind of cool... but I had to Google how to say that which totally takes away from the allure.  So for now, let's go with The Way I See It.

1.  It has been an exhausting week of shuttling to and from the hospital since last Wednesday, when my Grandpa Mac was admitted for severe stomach pains.  They found a bunch of scar tissue caused by radiation treatment from a few years back, and were finally able to operate this morning.  I was surprisingly calm about the whole situation until yesterday, when it really hit me: as people get older, something that's supposed to be as simple as a routine surgery can quickly take a turn for the worse.  Cue a night of very little sleep.  But this morning I was struck at how relieved I felt to be sitting in the waiting room with my family, finding things to laugh about while sneaking periodic glances at the clock.  How lucky am I to be close enough to spend moments like this with the people I love?!  Pretty much so if I do say so myself.  Good news: Grandpa Mac is a-okay!

Wawasee Sunset - August 2010

2.   IT'S SUMMAH TIME.  Nothing makes me quite as happy as when the calendar finally rolls over from May to June.  During the winter I'm like a kid who has had WAY too much sugar and nowhere to run.  And then boom.  Hello June and warm weather!  Ever since the thermometer began to read above 70 degrees, it has taken every ounce of willpower not to ditch my little cubicle and head north to Wawasee.  There's something about spending the summer by the water.  Maybe it's the unavoidable urge to relax, the ability to crack open a Stella on the edge of the pier and soak up the sun. Who knows.  But whatever it is, I'll take forever more of where that comes from.  I won't be able to get to the lake for a few more weekends, but I know that once I do it's going to be really difficult for me to leave.  Life makes so much sense at the lake.

3.  Hi, my name is Jill.  And I never in a million bajillion years thought I would actually enjoy watching race cars speed around in circles.  I had the absolute priviledge of going to the Indy500 this year with my friends Paige, Ashley and Craig.  Thanks to Paige's dad, we had a police escort to the track, delicious boxed lunches, and GREAT seats right at the start/finish line.  I have to admit that I never realized just how cool the race could be.  My only experiences came from the infield, where I seriously found myself wondering what the prevailing definition of "white trash" would be each year.  We all experienced an overwhelming sense of pride as military personnel marched on the track and I'm pretty sure I said "Ahh, I just love America" at least 5 times.  Needless to say, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go back to life on the infield now that I've had the opportunity to do the race in style.  I'm already excited for next year.

4.  I have always considered myself to be pretty good with words.  But when it comes to terminology in the dating world, I think I must have been born in the wrong decade.  During our family lunch today, my brother (home from his first year of college) was trying to explain the various terms used to define boy-girl relationships these days.  Take "talking" for example.  As far as I am concerned, "talking" is a verb used to signify a conversation between two people.  But noooo.  You can also be "talking" to a girl or a boy as a replacement for dating... less of the commitment and soberness, more hangouts and hookups while binge drinking.  I'm sure there's actual talking involved in that too, but that's beside the point.  According to a certain sister of mine, you can be "talking" for 8 straight months and it doesn't have to be considered dating!  Ridiculous.  What ever happened to asking a girl out to dinner and getting to know each other without excessive amounts of alcohol?  Don't get me wrong, I'm no stranger to this reality... But seriously. Kids these days.  (Disclaimer:  It's also no secret that I walk on the awkward side when it comes to dating... I'm working on it, I swear.  But my cluelessness to how dating terminology works isn't helping, that's for sure.)

Loyola University Chicago 2010... Hollaaa

5.  Lately I've been having trouble wrapping my head around a year.  365 days ago, I packed up my Jeep (using every inch of space I could) and drove away from that beautiful Chicago skyline.  I cried for like, a week.  And then as some of you witnessed, thanks to this blog, I considered about 75 different life plans in the span of the following 4 months.  It seems like that was only yesterday, but all of a sudden I'm not a "recent college grad" anymore.  I've got an apartment and a car payment and I've worked in the same building for an entire year.  Moral of this story is:  I've begun to notice that years are passing at an alarming speed.  I feel like it's only after things blow right by that I sit back and realize... Holy crap.  It's already June.  AGAIN. Yes, I know I'm only 23 and that I probably (hopefully) haven't even seen the half of what life has to offer.  But I'm almost 24.  When the heck did that happen?


Have a great weekend, world!  Try to enjoy the sunshine!