Otter Love

I have a bucket list.

There are really only two things on that bucket list.

When I was in middle school, one of the substitute teachers said we should write goals. So I wrote down three goals. One was to save $25 a month and the other was to see the aurora borealis, ie the northern lights. I don't remember what the third one was, lol.

So, imagine my surprise when I graduated college and got my first paycheck - I set up an automatic transfer of $25 into a savings account! Item number one already accomplished!

Of course throughout the years I've increased that amount (and also increased the number of savings accounts money goes to, lol), so I have far exceeded that initial goal.

The second one, to see the northern lights, I have not done yet. I hope someday to maybe take an Alaskan cruise in honor of my Mom, and at the same time fill one of her bucket list items (to see whales) and also mine (to see the aurora borealis). How cool would that be?

I would say the other thing I added to my bucket in the last 5 years or so was to swim with otters.

I found a place in Oklahoma that you could do that, but I was never able to get there. Last year I found a spot in Galveston, Texas, but didn't get there either. And then one day in January I saw an ad on Facebook that they had an "otter experience" at an aquarium-type place - that was literally about 10 miles from my house.

While the aquarium-type place was literally in a mall, I was still excited.

However, there was no swimming. there was no holding the otter in my arms like I imagined, etc. I was disappointed in the "experience," and I still some day hope to actually somehow swim with otters, but my great friend Janet and I did get to hang out in a large caged-in area with an otter for about an hour! We watched it play with rocks, it roll colored rocks on my boots, and it played with its friend, Ernie.

xxxx

I had imagined there would be more otters and more interactive, but it turns out this was a rescue otter and he wasn't yet acclimated for humans to even pick him up. But it was still cool to know I completed an item I had been thinking about for years from my bucket list. And the otter really took a liking to me, like he knew just how important our meeting was!

Here is a video of him rolling a rock on my boots!

If I was to ever be able to come back as an animal, it would be an otter. They get to swim all day, are very curious, are very smart, they're very loving to their families, and they seem to have fun all day long! And I see myself as enjoying that kind of life. Who wouldn't want to float on their backs and swim all day long with loved ones?

It's actually very weird to fulfill a bucket list item, I guess because it was on there for so long, so therefore it meant the world to me! And I was lucky that my friend Janet was able to join me and share the memory.

There are other things in the last few years I have wanted to do/experience (maybe yearned to do). So, I have added them to my bucket list.  (smile)

Green Book Quote about Writing

I finally was able to watch the movie Green Book.  Not in a movie theater, but luckily on my flight to Miami, FL for work last week.

I really enjoyed the movie - it was well told and the acting and story line were great.

At one point in the movie, one of the characters says something that gave me an aha moment, and I rewound it a few times to write down exactly what I heard (instead of my interpretation), as I truly loved what he said.  And I want to share it and also capture it here in my blog for reference.  It was pretty profound for me for some reason, and also a great reminder.

There are two main characters. I well-polished black man (Dr. Don Shirley) who is a musician being driven across the South to play at certain venues by a rugged New Yorker (Tony Lip).  

Tony's wife begs him to write letters to her while he is traveling, and so he tries.  Sitting at the table above, they have this convo (shortened by me):

Dr. Don Shirley reads out loud part of the letter Tony is writing for his wife: 

Dr. Don Shirley: “As I’m writing this letter, I’m eating potato chips, and I’m starting to get thirsty. I washed my socks and dried them on the TV. I should have brung the iron.” 

[to Tony]

Dr. Don Shirley: You know this is pathetic, right?

Dr. Don Shirley: Tell me what you’re trying to say.

Tony Lip: I don’t know. You know, how I miss her and shit.

Dr. Don Shirley says in a very poignant and sincere voice: Then say that, but do it in a manner that no one else has ever done it before (and without the profanity).

I can't begin to express how those words in bold impacted me. I shared it immediately with a friend who is a writer and I told her the quote on the way home from the airport. 

It has already helped me a little bit to carefully choose better words when I write, or maybe explain something more (or less), or maybe take more time with what exactly I'm trying to say.  

Do it in a manner that no one else has ever done before.

WOW!

And of course this advice can be applied to many aspects of life, not just writing.

Birthday Wish

For one of my birthday dinners last month, I went to P.F. Changs with one of my besties, Court.

Right before I blew out my candle on the cute little cupcake they brought me, I made a wish. I wished simply for "happiness."

About 15 minutes later the waiter put about 4-5 fortune cookies on the table. I let Courtney choose hers first, and then I chose one. And this is what it said:

:)

Upset I Was a Hoarder

I'm going through my house with a fine-toothed comb.

And now I've decided I'm going to join the chaos and be a part of the neighborhood garage sale coming up in May.

I've done this twice before and each time I told myself I would never do this again. But, because I'm de-cluttering like never before, I still have more things that I can try to sell for pennies. What I don't sell I will donate.

However, as I'm decluttering so thoroughly this time, I'm actually wondering why I'm doing this. Part of me thinks I'm doing this because I don't want to leave someone else with a huge mess to have to deal with. That may seem like a normal thing to think about except there's no one in my life that I would leave these things to.

I'm kinda wondering does this all mean it's like an omen or something, like is something going to happen to me? Am I sort of getting prepared? Yes, I mean for death.

Anyway...

I can say the one thing major thing I've learned from this detailed decluttering is: I'm sick to my stomach about what a hoarder I am. At this point, I could care less what the reasons were, I'm just so sick about how many duplicate items I have in my house!

I mean, I knew my parents were hoaders and so it makes sense I have about 20 pairs of scissors and 20 pairs of nail clippers and things like that that I brought from their house to my house. But it's the other things that I bought myself that's just seriously have me disgusted with myself about.

I have about 20 small bottles of baby powder. I have jeans, sweaters, and pants for work that still have tags on them.

I probably have 30 different colors of brow pencils and eyeshadow. Oh and 30 different types of mascara!

OMG....

I find when I go to shop now that I definitely do not buy as much now as I used to and I am much MUCH more cognizant. Because going through a two-story house and seeing just how many duplicates of $hit I have and how ludicrous it is, that is helping me from spending unnecessary money (finally).

So while the revelation is a good thing, I still hits my heart pretty brutal and my mind is confused that I could buy so many duplicates of things (just because I thought something might run out or the manufacturer might stop making it).

I also have I think about 50 different colored pillow cases, 3 dozen towels that I don't use, and lots of blankets that my parents had for some reason.  I also have literally over 200 magazines.  I already donated a bunch about 8 years ago, but will be making another donation soon to the hospital.

I have so many things I'm donating to the women shelters and animal shelters and hospitals, but it's just so many of those things that just amazes me I have in my house from my parents' house that have KEPT all these years. Really, Melinda?! 
I've been through parts of my house several times and each time I find more things do donate or get rid of (or now get ready for the garage sale). It's like I go through an area and declutter, but when I come back around to it a few weeks or couple of months later, I realize I can downsize even more.

I'm actually going to probably sell half the furniture in my house in the garage sale. There's really no reason for it - I live alone. And I like the idea of SEEING less clutter and things in my house. A friend of mine (MM) turned me on to that and I have really embraced it.

Of course, I know as soon as I donate or sell some things I'm going to need it. That's the way things go right?

I'm proud of myself for not hoarding anymore, and I know that's a positive... just really mortified and ashamed about it.

I do have a fear, though. I'm actually thoroughly enjoying decluttering and going through every inch of my house. At some point, though, that will end and will not be needed anymore, as I wont have anything left to go through.

I am spending quite a bit of time doing this - so after the garage sale I will need to find something else that keeps me busy that will fill my happiness gene.