inspiration

phew, it's been a long day.
i'm currently head bobbing to Shawn McDonald, sitting with my boyfriend Tyler while he's eating an enormous slim jim, and watching the Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Islanders game. i would say that's a affable way to end a long day.

i started my day today at the dentist. oh how i loathe the dentist. it's so bittersweet. i leave with clean teeth but i also leave with swollen gums and the taste of blood in my mouth. my gums are so sensitive and they continue to neglect that even after i tell them. cleaning my teeth at the dentist hurts more than getting a tattoo. in my opinion of course.

after thirty minutes of gripping the handles in the chair because of the agonizing pain i was on my way. i only worked for a couple of hours although i would have preferred to stay longer if it ment skipping my dentist appointment. i kept out of the kitchen today. for once i didn't smell like food after i left work. i wouldn't choose to work with customers but what dad says, goes. there are different types of customers that stop by everyday and i have to mentally prepare myself for them. it ranges from the business men, the hood rats, the low lifes, and the ill-behaved kids. i saw the same faces on this stagnant day. the weather is still gloomy and wet here in the Midwest. i would probably mistaken this weather for a cold spring day, without the sunshine though. with the weather being similar to my mood i still learned something so interesting about the people that stop by.

the first guy i met seemed like your average thirty year old working man. it wasn't until i asked him how his day was. he replied with "could be better." he then continued telling me that his wife died a couple days ago and he has to go back to work to support his kids. i replied with a very apologetic answer and he told me that she overdosed on a drug. at that point i didn't know what to say. ironically my dad told my sisters and i at dinner that life is so unexpected. you never know what could happen to you at any point. so in conclusion of what he said, he told us to always love and never take advantage of the people we have in our lives because you won't realize what you have until it's gone, so we better start realizing now.

the next person i met was an older lady. i tried to communicate with her but she raised her finger at me as if she wanted me to hold on a second. so of course, i did. she pulled out about thirty note cards. she shuffled through them and pulled a neon green card and handed it to me. i then realized she was deaf. what she wanted was written on that note card. we exchanged smiles and i thanked God for all my senses. she carried a smile on her face and kept thanking me for her food. after she left i sat down and thought of living life with out hearing or seeing. she's not able to hear music, television, or even white noise. it made me somber for her loss, but by her actions and grateful smile i can tell she just kept pressing on.

the last guy i met was probably twenty five years old and could possibly be classified as a hood rat. i hate to be stereotypical but if you worked where i work then you would perhaps become a people watcher like myself and do the same. this guy was missing his left eye. i'm pretty comfortable talking to people with abnormalities because i've dealt with them for so long. we got to casually talking about life because he noticed my tattoo on my wrist that says Live by Fatih. he continued on with being someone that he shouldn't have been and it was not until he hit rock bottom that he accepted God as his Savior. He put together a short story about his life that should have been a novel if we had more time to talk. he told me that he was in a gang back in the day. and he wanted out. he was sick of the jobs he was ordered to do and his only option to leave was death. i sat back completely in shock of what he was telling me because he was so blatant. in his attempt to leave the gang he was shot in the eye and he had to get it removed. he told me that it was the best life decision that he's ever made and told me to be careful who i associate with.

and that was that. who knew that working at a restaurant would allow me to meet such inspirational people?
despite Thanksgiving being a couple weeks ago I would like to say some thanks.
I am so thankful for my family and close friends. even though we have differences and altercations i still love them more than anything. my mom's favorite saying is, "Friends come and go but family will always be there." she is 100% correct, i just chose to learn it the hard way. i am also thankful for being healthy. the list of complications that people have to go through are insubstantial. i hurt for the hurt because most of the time they aren't in control of why they are sick. lastly, i am thankful for my life. and the things that God has placed in it. i have everything i need and more. i have remarkable friends that would go to the ends of the earth for me and i have a man in my life that takes my breath away everyday. what more can i possibly ask for? absolutely nothing.

Dom