Get You Through the Day

“Ah, I forgot my lunch this morning.”

“I very rarely eat lunch.”

“Really? Why not?”

“Well I hate buying it for one thing..”

“Oh and you hate carrying things too.”

“Yeah, so I’ll usually fill up on a good breakfast to get me through the day, but I’m usually pretty hungry by dinner.”

I overheard this conversation about 3 minutes ago as two middle-aged men gathered at the MARC exit door to Rockville station. I’m not sure if they were friends or just frequent riders. The conversation was simple, but revealed so much more about the man who was just sitting next to me in the seat too small for the both of us. It made me think about the way he makes decisions and prioritizes things in his life. When he first said he didn’t each lunch, I figured it would be followed up with some statement about being too busy because I saw him dialing away at emails on his blackberry earlier. I thought lunch was another one of those in the way steps of feeling accomplished in our to do list driven lives. His reasoning was simple really, but it’s the “to get me through the day” part that sparked my interest.

Breakfast would be his first and last meal until dinner to get him through his day. Whatever he ate that morning would have to hold him through the day because that was the decision he made from cost and comfort. Does he put extra thought into his breakfast? Does he think before pouring a mediocre sized bowl of Cheerios will this get me through my day?

What gets you through your day? I don’t mean what meals or snacks do you consume to provide that physical energy, but what gives you that spark to get through another day that could be just like the other?I know everyone in student affairs says no day is alike, but I mean really they are. We aren’t really that special. What gets you through the monotony of your fifth committee meeting where nothing seems to get done? What gets you thorough that boring one on one where you just want to through your hands up and walk out? It’s crazy to think how often people’s professional lives are eight hours of “getting through” until they can work resume their personal life or vice versa.

I’m reading this book that talks about how to live a happier life blah blah and it talks about how your work and personal life shouldn’t be separate. You should bring the same passions to your work as your do your personal. What you do for work is serving your organization and those impacted, while what you do for home is serving and providing for you family. No matter the location, it’s all service driven by some passion. If you don’t love your personal or professional or really what should be the marriage of the two, maybe think about reconsider what you’re doing to get through the day.

In a perfect world, everyone would be in their dream career with their dream lives. That may not always happen to the tee, but there are ways you can influence your life to do more than just get through the day, but actually embrace and enjoy your day. It’s always the little things that make me remember why I love what I do and who I am. It’s the little Facebook notes or emails. It’s the little laughs or moments I want to punch someone in the face. There are things that get me through the day beyond waiting for it to be over. If you can’t find this is in work, take on a new hobby or a new pet. We are charged with keeping our lives rich and fulfilled, so do something to spark your inner child and do more than just get through the day.

What Are You Wearing On Your Face

So everyone says your clothes tell a lot about you right? Or something like that. What you put on says a lot about your style, the way you carry yourself, what you do for work, your age or lifestyle, and several other things. We spend our mornings picking out the perfect pattern and ironing in the perfect crease or some of us pick up the closest thing on the floor. Regardless, we spend some intentional (ugh, student affairs) time thinking about what’s going on our body. We think about what it might communicate and if it’s appropriate for the occasion. It matters, right?

Well what about what we wear on our face?

And I don’t mean make up.

I’m sitting on the train right now and looking at all the faces. Many of the faces I see are sleep, blank, engulfed in an electronic device or newspaper, staring into the distance, and only one on the whole train is engaging in conversation with a stranger. As people get up to exit the train, their faces turn to a dark “it’s Monday” look as they finish their commute to their destination. As the line gathers near the exit door, not a single smile comes across the busy commuter’s faces. What are you wearing on your face? What does your face communicate?

It seems like the art of dialogue is a dying talent. A train well over 50 people and there is only one conversation, that I can hear, occurring. Now, I’m blogging so I should slap myself on the wrist, but think about it…what did people actually do before we became so distracted? Did people talk to other people before they got lost in the faceless screen of our addictive cell phones? Did people drag their feet to work with a look of death on their face? Did people shy away from the person that looks like they talk too much?

I know I’m guilty of it. I’m sure my face is communicating some young adult typing away the latest rap song on Facebook (HA! they’re wrong. I beat the system). But think about it. What does your face say about you? Are you smiling and embracing the time and space you have around you or are you blankly walking to the next step on your to do list? You never know if you have that last smile that could make someone’s day. As corny as it sounds, someone might be depending on your smile.

It’s unrealistic to walk around ear to ear everyday, but why not give it a try once in a while. I just looked up at a lady and smiled as she exited the train and she quickly looked down in a nervous glance at the same shoes she put on this morning thinking…is this lesbian looking at me? Lol ok, maybe I’m being dramatic. It just blows my mind that a friendly gesture, a simple smile makes people uncomfortable or unwilling to do as we have the greatest opportunity each day– living.

Think about your face today. Who’s smiling at you as you nervously
look away? Yes, it’s you they are looking at, not their long lost grandmother, so smile back and say hello. You could be that first or last hello of their day. Imagine if you were the first person someone opened their mouth to to speak today. What if there isn’t someone at home to say good morning to them? Be that person today.