Anyway, this is another meandering, purposeless post, even though I *have* intentions. It's been quite a rollercoaster of a month. I always despise January-February (despite great events like Idol's beginning, Valentine's Day, the OSCARS [!!!!!!!], and even the Superbowl), and all through December I kept thinking "Ugh, JANUARY'S coming. Ugh." And then it began...and I was surprisingly jaunty. I had all these things I wanted to tackle, and Neil was on his way home from Ohio, and I was actually happy!
Then, we encountered a major obstacle, and we've been working on recovering from that. Because of this, there hasn't been quite a normal day since January 5th--although every day isn't terrible, or anything. In fact, most of the time, my heart is warmed being surrounded by so many loving friends and family members. It's during times of trial that they come out of the woodwork wanting to offer a shoulder, lend an ear, or give advice, and it brings tears to my eyes to be blessed with such wonderful folks. So thank you:
Lily...I love how you check on me and are so loyal.
Pops...you're the first one I call, for anything good or bad.
Joe...your quiet affection and concern touches me deeply.
Steve...thanks for making me laugh so hard, even through tears, while still expressing how much family means to you.
Roger...a constant, and you've such a knack for calling exactly when I need you!
Lindsay...I love that I can just be myself around you...I feel like our friendship, though based on something years old, is new and different. Yet you can still make me laugh constantly, as you always have done, and I NEED that now!
Betsy...I am, time and time again, touched by your presence and your enthusiasm for our renewed friendship. Your advice and "virtual check-ups" mean so much to me!
Suzy...a true gift of a friend. You've saved me from tears more than once.
Emily...you know what you mean to me. I love you always.
Shannon...what an unexpected and wonderful gift, having you back in my life...a happiness I am thriving on these days...thank you for coming on this here blog to see me from afar. :)
Brandy...who can NOT be joyfully happy in your presence? No one, that's who...
Sarah I....a sweetheart beyond compare. Seeing me every day might prove to be a trial on others' patience, but your smiling face is one that never falters, every morning.
Sarah M....you deserve sainthood, Miss Miller, for all you do for me. Let's just leave it at that...
Mel & Stef...what a treasure you two are! I have come to terms with SO MUCH during our brief sessions...thank you so.
Paul & Stacy...you continue to be inspirational, loving, and gosh DANG did I get lucky with my in-laws...!
Becca....you make me smile so often, and in this gloomy month, nothing is needed more than that. Love you, my brand-new niece!
Mama...I have 'talked' with you many an evening lately, wondering if things will get better, or asking what I need to do to help us along. I feel your presence every day.
and my Neil...through good days and bad, you never let much time pass between "I love you"s and smiles...and your patience with me while I figure out how to keep my sanity is unparalleled. A couple of ladies mentioned above tell me that in these times of trial, it's destined that we're together, to lean on one another instead of having to go through life alone. I couldn't agree more. I love you more than anything I've ever known.
Okay...wow, that was too serious. Let's lighten the mood!
A few of the Lambson-family blog owners have been pondering their careers, what could have been, etc., and I didn't even think about doing the same since I'm so happy where I am now.
But I think it's a neat activity, so just for kicks, here's five careers I could have done at one point...
1. Stage manager (college major, did work for pro theatre companies in the capacity)...then, after a particularly harrowing summer at Arrow Rock (every time my once-broken thumb is stiff, I'm reminded how much I hate that place), I threw in the towel. But it's one of the few jobs in theatre where there are always positions open! Thankless as hell, and at $200 a week, who's complaining? (ME!)
2. Editor (assistant, etc)...NYU's Summer Publishing Institute was my foot in the door for this, and I was kinda on my way, but I saw how far $22K for a starting gig would get you in the big city, and I elected to go back to Columbia and prep for law school. I absolutely miss NYC, and wonder if I made the right decision...if given the chance to live anywhere near it, I'd jump at it. (Of course that also applies to Seattle, or San Diego, or San Fran, or Charleston, or Bath, or...)
3. Proofreader...again, another position I feasibly could have landed via my contacts through NYU. No one else wants to do it, and I thrive on catching errors. Without a journalism major, it's tough to get started in this career--but I still hold out hope for a freelance opportunity someday.
4. Lawyer (but three months of school was all I could handle). I just don't think that way. I don't think that's a good thing or a bad thing...I read cases like short stories, and when I disagreed with the precedent, it was hard for me to accept that I had no choice but to use them as an argument.
5. Children's/Teen librarian. Unfortunately, the ONLY courses at MU that focus on either of these areas are by the Worst Professor Ever. One of the reasons I wanted to transfer to UIUC was to take their myriad of wonderful courses on these subjects. Of course, I would never be able to act out Story Time. Never.
...followed by five DREAM jobs...
1. Entertainment lawyer (two law schools would have been GREAT for this, neither of which I even applied for; one in NYC, one in California). I *might* have even done well if I were passionate about the material!
2. Book preservationist (But you have to go to Curator school, or be an apprentice)...the best tours I've ever been on were through the preservation labs of the Bodleian library last May and the Archives' department just a couple of weeks ago. I would so thrive on sitting down with an old varnished map, taking a q-tip with an approved solution, and slowly, methodically, tediously cleaning every millimeter.
3. Children's Book committee member (i.e., Mark Twain, Caldecott, Newbery, etc). I have peers who do this, but they've all worked as Children's librarians--I think it would be really tough to be chosen if you haven't done that.
4. School counselor. Summers off? Scheduling kids' classes? Helping Lindsay, Emily, & Genny figure out the trials of high-school friendship? What's not to love?
5. Stage actor. I know, totally cliche. And I don't know how good I'd be at the whole same-show-every-night-for-years gig, nor having none of my nights free. But I can't compare anything to the excitement of being in a show. It's a shame I'm not that good at it. :)
All right, I'm outie. Thanks for tuning in!
P.S. This is on my desktop at work....cute, right?
3 comments:
yep. totally cute.
LOVED the lists... of amazing people in your life, and of jobs almost had, and jobs dreamed of..
Thanks, my dear!
:)
If I didn't live 1500 miles away, I would be at your doorstep right now with a hug and a bottle of wine.
And then I would watch you drink it and I would hardly even resent you for it.
And I would tell you how much I have missed having a friend who really "gets" me.
Also we could talk about being a children's librarian because I think I would like that, because I love kids books so much, especially Junie B. Jones.
And I could get to know Neil because he is probably a helluva guy.
But I'm so far away, so I can just tell you through the internet. I miss ya, I'm happy when you are happy, and I hope we don't fall out of touch again, even when we get super old and crotchety.
:) L
"rafferta"- like taffeta but with more ruffles?
I love that picture! Emily's post of your wedding had some pretty fantastic shots (you have such a cute family!), but I think this one is my fave!
Yeah, I know you wanted to avoid being too serious with this post, but I love that you took the time to say things that, far too often, get left unsaid until it is too late. We need to express that kind of love and appreciation far more often than we do. So kudos to you.
I'm enough of a book nerd that I could see myself doing some of those jobs you mention (I even think I wouldn't mind the "tediousness" of book preservation because how cool would it be to work with old, historic books and documents! That one made me think of National Treasure, as they are "painting" the back of the Declaration of Independence with lemon juice...) I have also thought stage acting would be fun, but I, too, lack the talent. Fortunately, that is not required to participate in the faculty musical at the school where I teach. It is so much fun to just be silly with other teachers and staff, to get to know them on a totally different level. It almost brings me back to the fun times I had at good ol' HIckman High...
(okay, I think I'm done now :)
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