It's Been a While, Eh?

Wow, so much has happened since I last wrote here. I couldn't help but laugh when I just read one of my last posts, and said that working in an agency was my last resort. Well, it came to that! Fortunately, it was a good thing. I live and work in southwest Florida. Ever heard of a ritzy yet nature-loving little island called Sanibel? Yep, that's where I work. I can't afford to live there, so my 25-minute commute five days a week involves lots of ocean, palm trees and fancy condo communities. It's never where I thought I'd end up, geographically or professionally, and I definitely don't see myself being here more than a year or so, but it works right now. I'm pretty happy. It's hard being 25 and working full time and trying to make friends. But I still have my besties from Gainesville and home (New England).

Andrew is about as far across the state as he could be - owning the 1L class at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. Rags is cuter than ever and is finally behaving. I think the three year mark snapped all of his bad puppy habits out of him. My parents' divorce is final. My brother is in his sophomore year of college. My cat, Sparkles, who I got when I was 13, died over the summer. So did my best friend's (Annie) mom. It was the worst week I've had in years. There was nothing I could do to remedy the situation. I have never felt so helpless in my entire life. I had to sit there and watch my best friend fall to pieces and I had no idea how to fix her. Fortunately, she's ridiculously stubborn and is getting through it. Her amazing boyfriend is definitely helping the healing process. I'm running the 5K Race for the Cure, which I've always done since I was in high school and it was mandatory for the cheerleaders then. But this year it means something. I am running in memory of Annie's mom. And I've already raised $175! When Annie found out I was doing this, she said of her mom, "I bet she's looking down at you with her huge silly grin." I was sitting at work, and I just lost it. For one, I can't fathom Annie's pain or loss. And two, I don't know where I'd be without my mom. Or dad, but moms and daughters have a bond that surpasses all others. At least the lucky ones...

I don't know what to believe anymore, but there's something comforting about thinking that the people you've loved and lost are watching down on you. I've been fortunate to, other than the expected losses of grandparents and great-grandparents, never have lost anyone unexpectedly or at an early age. But people around me have - one of my best friends in high school lost her brother when he was only a freshman in college. No one saw it coming, and that was the first time I tried to hold a friend together unsuccessfully. There is no answer to these things. All you can do is be a good friend and keep them in the forefront of your mind. Because when a client pisses me off or I'm stuck in traffic or I overdraft my account, things could be a hell of a lot worse.