To the Hardworking Men

This weekend I realized something about myself....that I appreciate hardworking men.

I've always known that I've appreciated men who work hard and can get things done for themselves. I guess I never appreciated how many of these men I have around me. I've grown up with nothing but men who live with this work ethic.

This whole realization came to me on Saturday as I was at the house with Josh. His dad came over and the two of them replaced the back sliding door. They didn't call in someone else to do the installation and labor, they did it themselves. And it's not the first time they've taken on such a project. Not that long ago the two of them remodeled our master bathroom. I admire that they go out their way and do it for themselves. They put in the time and effort and do it themselves. It takes skill and practice. They aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. In essence they can fend for themselves to fix problems.

And these two aren't the only examples of men I know like this. None of the men that come to mind in my life work at a job that has them sitting behind a desk all day. Instead they are on their feet, working with their hands to get the jobs done. My father for example, worked every day for 32 years, building cars. And even though he's retired, he is always doing odd jobs around the house, fixing things as they come or improving things where needed. He lives for the chance to fix or work on something, no matter what it is. I have uncles who have their own business, car repair and a roofing company. And they get in there and do the work themselves too, it's not just handing it off to the man lower on the totem pole. I have uncles who work with horses, being farriers and blacksmiths. I think of my grandfather who you can usually find in his shed, working on something or building something for someone.

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a man who sits behind a desk for a living. But I do think that something has to be admired of the man who puts in the sweat and labor of getting their hands dirty working on cars, building something out of wood, slaving away in the heat to put on someone's roof.

I'm sure that none of the men I mentioned learned these skills over night. In fact, I'm sure it took multiple mistakes and a lot of trial-and-error. But they kept at it and the skills that they now possess can't be taken away from them.

The idea that when I have kids, they will have so many great examples of men who will be able to teach them things like this. The trades are much more important than many of us realize.

Grateful

I had been nominated some time ago to do something on Facebook where you post three things you are grateful for, for 7 days. Well I never did it. (Sorry Leann)

I figured I'd publish the list of things I'm grateful for in a blog post though. (Does this still count?) I will most likely not do all 21 (that'd be a long post) but I'll do some.
Here we go!

1. I think first on my list has to be my family. We're a bunch of crazies in all reality, but I wouldn't trade a single one of them for the world. As I continue to get older I see what I gain from both sides of my family. Traits or habits that I've inherited from them. It's like seeing the actual Reed and Pyle blood running through me. I'm grateful for the fact that no matter what comes our way, we have each other.
2. Next would be my boyfriend. People are always shocked when they find out how long we've been together. Apparently we give off that long term relationship vibe. Maybe we're already there because he's been by my side for so much in such a short amount of time. He's jumped into this relationship without hesitation and given his all. I appreciate more than I acknowledge the love, support, and push he gives me every day. With Josh I strive to be the best I can be. I know for the last 5 months, I've been the happiest I've been in a longggg time. I feel like myself around him. It's something people have really noticed about me. The fact that there's a glow about me again, a smile constantly plastered on my face, and the fact that my demeanor screams "Emily" again. I'd like to think he's played a big part in that. I wake up each day excited to see where things are going to go.
3. My faith. I'm a Christian. Not everyone believes that there is a higher power and that's okay with me. But for me, I take comfort in knowing that there is someone above me, helping me and guiding me along the way. Someone who provides comfort during hard times. Someone who throws me curve balls to help me learn the lessons I need to know. 
4. School. It's not always my favorite thing. In fact, sometimes it gets on my last nerve. But school (college in particular) hasn't always been easy for me. There was a time when I walked away for a bit. I found my love for school again and continue to work for my bachelors degree. I don't have too much longer to go and I am grateful for that.
5. Friends. I have a wide array of friends. But I'm grateful for each and every one of them. Everyone brings something different to the table. I'm grateful for all the times we've had together, the conversations. I'm grateful for the fact that with many of them, I don't see them or talk to them often. But as soon as we're together again, it's as if I was with them yesterday. We pick up right where we left off.
6. Music and Movies! These are two things that are found constantly in my life. I'm always listening to music. I like so many genres too that it's hard to predict what I'll be listening to. It's something I've always turned to because music has a way of expressing the thoughts and feelings you can't always find words for. Now movies...My mother would tell you I have an addiction to movies. She's probably right. I own too many for my own good. And when I say own, I don't mean I downloaded off of the internet for free, I mean I went to the store and bought the sucker. I enjoy sitting down and watching them.
7. I'm grateful for books. They take you to a different world. They make you think. For quite some time I hadn't read a book for fun. I've gotten back into it the last couple years and it's such a treat now when I can sit down and read something that isn't for school.
8. Pinterest. Now this is something I know I have an addiction to. Whoever came up with this website is a pure genius. I can spend hours on there. I guess it's a girl thing.
9. The months of October, November, and December. This is probably my favorite time of year. We get to watch the beauty of the leaves changing, the temperatures dropping and the snow arriving. It's also the holiday season and people are genuinely happier.
10. Lastly, I think I'm grateful for the unknown. I can't tell you what I'll face today. I can't tell you where I'll be in five years. Do I have goals and ideas of what I'd like to happen? Of course. And I'm working my butt off to make sure I stay on a path so that most of those things can happen. But we are thrown curve balls. It's a part of life. We're thrown things in life where all we know to do is ask, "Why?". I'm a believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason. There's always something to learn. We'll face things and it won't make sense why it happened, or why it happened a particular way. It may take us a long time to get that answer or to understand. But I do believe that no matter how long it may take, we will get an answer. The unknown doesn't stay unknown for forever.

Face the Fears

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...You must do the thing you think you cannot do." 

- Eleanor Roosevelt

So many times in life, we face things that could easily put us out of our comfort zone. And with each of these experiences we are faced with a choice. Do we face our fear and give it a try? Or, do we say "not this time" and retreat?

These choices we have to make, are presented to us for a reason. I believe that.

This week alone I've stepped out of my comfort zone twice. Was it easy? Definitely not. I was absolutely terrified and nervous each time.

Both times I got this swirling feeling in my stomach that kept twisting it into knots. I second guessed myself every step of the way. Saying, "I can't do this", "I'm not good enough", "What am I getting myself into?". Every instinct of me said to retreat and give it a try some other time.

But, how do we know we'll be given another chance to try? We don't. Which is why when we are faced with these opportunities, we must take them, no matter how scary, nerve wracking, or uncomfortable they may feel.

I haven't always been good about living my life this way. I often times flip back and forth between having the courage and then choosing to sit at home wrapped up in the comfort of my favorite blanket.

It was a conversation I had Saturday, with my boyfriend, that really got me thinking of how I need to face some fears and really step out of my comfort zone. If I don't, I may never have some things that I really want in life.

So what are the things that I've face this week?

First, I went to the gym with my boyfriend yesterday.

Now I know what most of you must be thinking. How in the world could that be facing a fear? It wasn't necessarily a fear, but it was definitely out of my comfort zone. Going to the gym is not something I do with someone I'm dating. I guess I have always seen it as I won't be able to do everything they do. I'll be weak. I won't be seen as attractive because I'll struggle. And I felt every single one of these things all the way up until he threw me on the first machine. I was so far out of my comfort zone. I'd never worked out in a gym before. If I was exercising it was an actual sport I was doing. I had officially stepped into a world that was foreign to me. I think the only way I got through it was because I had someone I trusted, standing by my side the entire hour, cheering me on.  He believed in me the entire time, whether it was that I'd be able to finish every rep, do a certain level or weight, or go a particular distance. I had to keep reminding myself why I wanted to go to the gym in the first place. Yes, because it took me out of my comfort zone. But more importantly because I'm at the highest weight I've ever been. For quite some time now I've been extremely uncomfortable with how I look and feel. People will look at me and say, "you still look great" "you're still tiny". I'm the one who knows though that I've easily put on 20-25 lbs in the last two years. And if I want to lose that weight, I am the one who needs to do something about it. So going to the gym is a start in solving that issue, as well as trying to eat healthy.

The second thing that put me out of my comfort zone...I applied and had an interview for a higher position at my job. I'm talking 10am today, I had an interview.

The applying portion wasn't scary for me. You submit a form, they review it, tell you if you're qualified or if their interested, and then they offer you an interview. It's that interview that's the nail bitter. For some people it's the easiest thing to remain confident and like there's no way in hell you won't get this job. I am not that person. When I first got a job at this company, I was the least qualified person they had. They hired me because of my personality and the fact that even though I didn't know as much as everyone else, I was willing to learn and give it my best. So trying for a higher position is scary. I still don't know as much as everyone else but I've been trying to learn. I have learned a lot but I still know there is a ways to go. I didn't even know I'd be qualified for the job when I applied, but I still submitted the application. I'm not sure why, but getting turned down by a form you submit is a lot less of a blow than sitting in front of people, trying to sell yourself, and have them come to you in a week or so and say you weren't good enough. I work with three out of the four people on my interview board. You really hope that doesn't get awkward later on if you don't get the job too. But, if I didn't take the risk now and try for a higher position, would I ever feel comfortable  trying again in the future? Probably not. Even if I don't get the job, the interview experience is beneficial. I do have to admit that I felt the interview went well. I didn't hesitate on any question they asked and I felt like I was being myself. I didn't feel I had to put on a front to sell myself. They had liked my personality the first time around, no point in changing it. I'm up against one other person, who is most likely a male. I don't say that to be rude or sexist but I do work with all males. When I first got the job, they asked if I'd be okay with the fact that I'll be the only female. It's not something that bothers me. In fact, it feels great to know that I'm a female working in a field that is primarily male. It's okay to not always follow the norm.

I hope that everyone who reads this will think twice when faced with something that takes them out of their comfort zone. You never know what you'll get out of it. It could change your life for the better, it could take your career on a completely different path, or you may just feel awesome about yourself as a person. Fears are the thing that I think challenge us the most. In facing them we overcome doubt in ourselves. We have to believe, even if it's just a smidgen, that we can do it. We have the opportunity to do anything, as long as we try.