In the midst of this reflective holiday, I spent the weekend living in the moment and sometimes at the edge of my comfort zone.
Friday I had a first date, which will always put me at the edge of my comfort zone. The date was interesting and nice, but we aren’t seeing each other again. No romantic chemistry.
Très domage. C’est la vie.
Saturday I started my day by cycling to yoga and back. Then I donated blood. It was the first time I’d donated in a long time. I found myself feeling nervous as I sat in that chair. I’m glad I did it, and I’m glad it’s back on my radar to donate regularly. I just fell out of practice. It only took 30 minutes, maybe 40 with paperwork. Easy peasy, and I even got a $10 gift card to Amazon.
Sunday started similarly to Saturday. I cycled to yoga, but stopped on the way home for breakfast at The Indy. A friend texted me about going for a bike ride later, so we set that up for 5:00. I was a little nervous to say yes to the bike ride. Before this, my longest ride was 3-ish miles. I wasn’t sure how far we’d go, and if I’d be able to keep up since I was already sore from yoga. But at 5:00 I left my house for Ybor, and what ultimately became an 11 mile bike ride. We did a loop from Ybor to Channelside and back. We stopped for conversation and adult beverages before I headed home. It was hot, but the distance never felt bad. Even today I’m not too sore. I might have to put some longer rides on my schedule.
When I got home from the bike ride, I saw that Shaun Hopper was playing in Dunedin at Stirling Wine Bar. I didn’t have any other plans for the evening, so off I went. Dunedin is about a 45 minute drive for me, so it was uncharacteristic of me to take this mini-road trip at 8:00 on a Sunday night. After a long day, jammies and Star Trek Voyager were starting to sound like good ideas. But I’m glad I made the trip. Shaun played with Chris Sgammato (saxophone), Phil Quin (percussion), and Joe Smothers (guitar). Everyone was extraordinarily talented.
The place was packed when I got there. So much so that I ended up standing by the door that led out to the patio where the band was playing. But the place had a cool energy. Nearly like a house concert.
Today started as a beach day. I woke up at 8:30 to head out to Treasure Island Beach. I updated Facebook with a picture of the turquoise, flat water. Not too many people were there that early. The water was the perfect temperature. A pirate ship even showed up!
A friend replied to my Facebook status update, and we made plans for lunch at VIP Lounge. It’s a bit of a dive, but man was their wet burrito tasty! The flavors melded together wonderfully, and there was so much cheese! Delicious.
I feel like this impromptu lunch meet-up and me seeing that Shaun was playing in Dunedin are some of the best examples of the good that Facebook can do. See a friend is near your favorite place, or see one of your favorite musicians is playing nearby? Get up and go! Huzzah!
So this weekend has been full of last minute plans, stretching my comfort zone, testing self-imposed labels, and relaxing.
It has also been filled with thoughts about the meaning of this holiday. One of the best ways to “celebrate” this holiday is to elect folks who don’t want to send us to war for every little thing. But another? Well, I think it’s to celebrate those freedoms that have been earned at the cost of military lives.