Ever In Your Favor

As the sun comes up on this unseasonably warm and gorgeous St. Patrick's Day, I find myself having one of those, 'so that just happened' moments.

More often than not recently, the days, weeks and months have been flying by, characterized by a very positive sentiment rating. But this week, I hit an aberration. A week where the work never seemed to have a stopping point, the stress took a tole on my appetite, my headache wouldn't stop drilling into my temples, no amount of water could ease my scratchy sore throat, and the addicting young adult novels that I was reading took me away, but to a place far, far scarier than my existing state of mind. It was the kind of bad week that crawled by, giving me ample time to truly appreciate the painful moments.

But whether it was the luck of my quarter part Irish or just the way things worked out, life inevitably gave me a hand to hold, pulling me out of the rut.

On Thursday it came in the form of dinner and a special dinner guest, my friend C - Who didn't only warm the Ranch with his illuminating stories, hearty chuckle, and generous compliments toward the brews and beets on the table, but also thoughtfully warmed our future home with the grace and beauty of Simon Pierce.

(What better to serve to a fellow Marathoner than pasta?) 

On Friday morning, it came in the form of a wink from my boss - a gesture that spoke a thousand words, bringing back my composure, relieving my on-the-job stress, demonstrating that you should signal when you need a little help.

And on Friday afternoon, it came in the form of the iconic iPhone ring tone, sounding off inside my bag. With Peter's face smiling back at me, I answered. 'Hi.' In response I heard, 'Hi homeowner.' Yep, the house is ours. I am a homeowner. We have a home. It's cute as can be. And we Moet and Chandon toasted the great news last night.

It took a ten-day cold, one ton of stress, and several liters of tears welling up inside of me to bring me down this week. But it only took dinner for three, one wink, and two words to bring me right back to the sunny side of life.

Despite what we're told, we do end up sweating the small stuff, especially when it adds up. But when you keep looking for the little gestures, appreciating the generous gifts, and listening to the kind words, it's much easier to put on deodorant and move on.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Lo.