January 04, 2008
Pet peeves
My OC-ness is public knowledge. I can be extremely meticulous I drive my husband nuts. That he makes the bed the way I want it should say a lot. There are, however, certain pet peeves that get on both our nerves. Are you ready? Okay - we go bananas over a roll of toilet paper hung underhand. I know the world doesn't stop spinning over which direction the toilet paper should go, but hey, we are allowed to nurture a certain oddness.
At work, the toilet paper is placed upside down. The only thing that's stopping me from flipping it over is that the toilet paper is encased in a metal box that's screwed on to the wall. But if I had a screw driver....
So imagine my elation this Wednesday when I went on a bathroom break and found the toilet paper hanging overhand. What joy! I actually had a smile on my face when I went back to my office! Yep, I take small pleasures in "little" things.
I am also happy to report that, to our relief, our little resident has graduated from that phase of leaving his handprints on the bathroom mirror, after steaming up the bathroom for a good 30 minutes. We're making significant progress here!
Brand new start
New year, new resolutions, new aspirations, new beginnings. What's on your list for 2008? I didn't get the chance to really reflect on my goals this year but it's a given that all of us want to be better. I'm going to carry over some of the things I pledged to do last year. Living healthy is top priority. The husband and I recently signed up with Fitness First and so the intention is to make exercise a concerted effort. I've been doing Pilates the last three years but I'm excited about going to the gym with the husband. The key is to make workout fun.
I've been really blessed with my marriage. Not to say that I have a perfect husband (he could be the biggest jerk in the world when he wants to be), but we've been able to rein in each other's wild side, so to speak. (Ask him and he'll tell you he plucked me out of the jungles.) He has tolerated my countless idiosyncracies and I have learned to accept that his shoes, more often than not, will not find their way to the closet or that the hamper functions on a hit-or-miss basis. In fairness to him, I know it took a lot of teeth gritting before he got used to seeing my underthings hanging in the bathroom. So I think for 2008, we're both praying for patience - lots and lots of it.
Once, out of the blue, he asked, "Are we having fun?" I believe we are. I think it's essential for couples to serve up laughter in heaps, and laugh at themselves, every chance they get. Listen, 20 or 30 years down the line, when arthritis and high blood pressure begin to hit you, when fancy, candlelight dinners become few and far between, laughter and good conversations are what's left to create lasting memories. This year, I intend to laugh more - even at my expense. Our grandmothers were right about those laugh lines, you know.
I want to do more outdoors stuff this year. I want to go camping, hiking, fishing, kayaking. Heck, I even want to go skydiving. It would be nice to pick up my backpack again and go climbing. I want to visit more museums and learn new things. Also on the to-do list is my road test to finally get that long overdue driver's license, although I've become very well adjusted to public transport out here. I'm putting this out there as a warning. As one of my husband's friends put it, heaven help the rest of the motorists when I join DC's mad traffic.
Work-wise, I intend to keep myself constantly challenged. I want to do better in what I do. I'm just thankful that I don't have to forcibly motivate myself to go to work. However, I need to pick up on my reading. I used to read at least one book a week, and now I'm suffering from a serious reading slump. I'd like to take a trip back to the Philippines, but that may have to take a backseat when we shuffle our priorities for 2008.
The grand total of things is that I want to be an improved person - as a wife, stepmom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, colleague - to the people I value the most in my life. Like I said, I have been tremendously blessed. This year, I want to take into account all of these blessings and make mental post-its so that I start each day with a prayer of thanks.