Happy Boobd... uh, I Mean Birthday!

Today's my birthday, and I have all kinds of great things planned. I'm leaving any minute for my morning pool assignation, and after that - after I've showered and dried off - I'm heading out for two major life events. That's right, you guessed it: I'm celebrating with a bone density scan and a mammogram! Woo-hoo!

When I called for appointments, I asked for the earliest possible...so when they offered me an 8:30 a.m. on my birthday, it seemed somehow fitting that I begin this auspicious day by taking care of myself - something I've not earned high grades on in the past.

Maybe starting a new year this way will cement my intentions for better health and fitness over the next twelve months. Maybe this is a sign, like many others I've had in recent weeks, that my life is to be cherished and honored.  Or maybe it's just this, as my friend Brenda said to me yesterday about this appointment: "You know it's going to be a good birthday when you start it out by taking off your shirt."


© 2013 A Bit of Brie/Anitabrie

Premature Articulation

As a communicator by trade, I'm pretty careful about the way I compose just about everything I write - even quick emails and throwaway notes usually get more of a business focus from me. So it makes me crazy when I accidentally send one before it's a perfect little slice of information.

You know what I'm talking about: premature articulation. Hey, there's nothing shameful about it. Sometimes it occurs when you least expect it; when you really thought you were going to be able to finish an entire letter. Or it might happen because you're just so enthusiastic about the person who will receive your note that you hit "send" out of sheer happiness.

And it doesn't just happen electronically. Oh, noooooo. Despite my penchant for diplomacy with the written word, I've done it in conversation when I didn't have the opportunity to edit myself, like the time I told my colleague of just a few weeks, "Those are nice shoes. They're not like the ones you usually wear." Or told another friend that she could surely figure out how to develop a simple web site, because "lots of people who are stupider than you have done it."

Yes, I confess. I am, on occasion, a premature articulator. But I don't want that to be a problem in my relationship with you, readers. And I'm hoping that you'll be gracious if that ever happens between us, and act like it's not a big deal, that it happens to everyone once in a while, that you didn't feel like reading a complete blog post after all, and suggest that maybe we should just use this time to cuddle. 



© 2013 A Bit of Brie/Anitabrie

Too Much Think!

In my last blog post (I Love the Smell of Chlorine in the Morning), I referenced my new Korean friend Kim, a 60-something avid swimmer I met during my mornings at the pool who has taken a shine to me, and I to her.

There is a significant language barrier between us, but we make do with a lingo that presents as part words, part acting out what we are trying to say. She is sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes wise in her comments. I like watching her try to figure out what she wants to share with me - the feelings flutter across her face like the play of light on water.

Today, I told her that I was tired, and she said, "Why?" I said I don't sleep well, and mimed sleep, then wake, then sleep and wake again. She thought for a minute, and then laughed and said, "Oh, Nita, you too much think! That's it! Too much think!"

She's absolutely right. Even more than insomnia, "too much think" has plagued me my entire life. I analyze, and examine my analysis, and parse out conversations, and ponder why some people behave and process the way they do. I map out my own actions and develop a Plan A, B, C and sometimes D, just to be sure I'm covering all the bases. And yes, I'm one of those people who always thought themselves to be impulsive. It took four personality tests to show me that I was not the carefree imp I imagined: I am far more careful than spontaneous. I need to consider all the possibilities. Yes - yikes - I am one of those!

A friend close to my heart has told me I miss a precious moment here and there because I don't simply "enjoy the now:" I have to figure it out, and then decide if it's okay to savor it. On the other hand, "too much think" makes me a good writer and communicator. It makes me deeply observant, creative, sensitive and intuitive. I'm a more treasured and thoughtful colleague, daughter, sister, girlfriend, cousin, client and service provider, thanks to "too much think."

Oh, and a better blogger. Or not. You know, maybe I need to think about that a little more before I make that claim...


© 2013 A Bit of Brie/Anitabrie