Thursday, September 29, 2011

5 Best decisions of my adult life.

Today I was reading Free Anissa's blog.  She posted what the 5 best decisions of her adult life were.  I don't have any good student stories, I think they are all hiding from me, so I decided to post my 5.



Bear with elephant slobber. Botlierskop Private Game Reserve, South Africa

1.  Marrying Bear
I met Bear in 1999 while organizing a military conference.  I was married at the time, but always admired him and his gentle spirit.  In 2004 after my divorce I was on the Air Force base and who should walk into the office, Bear.  We have been together ever since.  He is my rock, my stability, my calm, my partner, my best friend and my everything.



Benny Beaver and Me.  I had to knock a few 5 year old kids out the way for this picture.

2.  Moving to Oregon
Having lived in Utah for a very long time, we made the decision to move to Oregon.  Bear is a resident of Oregon and we didn't want him to lose residency, plus he needed to complete his degree at OSU.  It was tough to leave my friends who were my adoptive family, but leaving Zion was very easy.  My mantra is... I know I am going straight to heaven as I served my time in hell.



T volunteered for 3 months at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Australia


3.  Cutting the umbilical cord and allowing T to take his gap year in Australia, South Africa and England.
For some parents they cut the cord a long time ago.  For me, it took a while.  When I was married to the ex for many years, it was T and I against the world.  As a graduation gift from my mother, T was given the opportunity to take his gap year traveling.  During the time he was gone I got to know me again and T got to grow up.  We are both better for it.



They always look so serious.

4.  Cleaning homes and taking care of 7 boys from Saudi Arabia.
After struggling to find a job in my profession I decided to clean homes.  One thing my parents taught us growing up was that there is no job that is beneath you.  Everything fell into place when I started cleaning for a few students from Saudi Arabia.  I currently have seven that I not only clean for, but take care of.  I am their American Mom and I love what I do.



Harris Bridge, Corvallis, Oregon

5.  Divorcing negative friends and tightening my circle of positive ones.
After the death of a dear friend this year I learned the hard lesson of differentiating between a true friend and a fair weather friend.  My heart still aches sometimes over the loss of these friendships, but also rejoices at having found the true ones.

14 comments:

  1. now that is a list worth being proud of....

    hugs

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  2. @ David: Yes, it is eh?

    Lidia, what do your saudi boys call you again? I think its the most beautiful term of endearment...my brain is a fog and I cant remember ;-)

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  3. What David said. You've had a lot of great experiences & adventures. One day I hope to be able to overpower & defeat a horde of 5-year-olds too.

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  4. @David ~ Thank you AND thank you for always reading my blog.

    @Alex ~ They call me Ummu Essa - directly translated means Mother of Jesus, but it really means their Christian Mom.

    @Vinny ~ Those 5 year old kids sure do whine and cry a lot when you push them out of the way. You need ear plugs to drown out the noise.

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  5. Such a great introductory post to you-- I think those decisions were fantastic ones, and I wish you many more in your future.

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  6. It's people like you that keep me reminding me of the great things life has to offer.

    A wonderful list. Outstanding decisions.

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  7. I like this a lot. You really made me reflect.

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  8. I'm with dbs. Great post, gets me thinking.

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  9. @Nicki, DM, dbs and Tim ~ Thank you... what are your five?

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  10. David, Allan, Vinny agree.
    Nubian is impressive.
    Post made me think about mine too.

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  11. Love this Lidia! What a wonderful list. Your #3, Cam is only 16(and a half!) and I'm already struggling with the thought of him being independent. You give me hope.

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  12. That's a great list.

    I am currently struggling with the challenge of building a more adult relationship with my Girls now that they are both in college.

    I have recently come to the realization as to who my real friends are as well, unfortunately, it was as the result of a great loss but that always seems to be when those things happen.

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  13. Wow, Lidia! Loved this.....I'll have to think about my five now.

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  14. Okay. That's just too special. You've just personalized It's a Wonderful Life and I'm definitely going to have to pass this idea on. And, after reading the above post, I have to say, I'm in love with Bear, too.

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