The solution to the puzzle is Variety.

What is the key to a successful life? I would say at least one, if not the first, is variety.

As I look at friends, family and co-workers (who may fall into one of the other co-workers as well), I realize we all sing a different duet, trio, quartet, etc.

What I notice about the few very close friends I have are more like family to me than friends. We fight, love, laugh, cry, drift apart but always come back together. We all have a different dance, and yet I love them all.

While I have a very few 'close' friends, I have a bunch of pals that each are unique in their own way. These might be time pals - only during a certain time in life and then we drift apart; situational pals, the ones we have because of work or kids throwing us together; work pals, we are friends during work but don't have a clue what goes on outside of the confines of the building; the list goes on.

Family is a whole other category, and to talk about the variety there would takes days, if not years. I love my family, even the ones I don't really know, it is what family does.

Key thought - rambling though it may be - variety really is the spice of life and each person we have in our life (the ones that really play a role and aren't just extras) bring us different pieces to our whole puzzle. Variety gives us the solution.

Communication

"In the good old days" we used to pick up the phone and talk to people, or, in the case of the huge corporation I work for, walk over to each other's offices/cubes and talk face to face. These days, we use internal messengers, email and even the dreaded text messages. We use these tools to our advantage and they make life a lot easier. How many times would you rather just shoot a quick note than start a long conversation with most people? And we are all guilty of using the path of least resistance in dealing with those who aggravate or annoy us...

Now, I am as 'guilty' as the next guy, I would rather IM most people than have to deal with long drawn out conversations about nothing. And I love IMing to get my frustrations out to those few people who need a laugh or have the ability to make me laugh. However, I don't abbreviate or use the 'text' language - do we not still have keyboards right in front of us? Stop being so lazy people!

I am still very much a phone person too - but prefer phone calls in the call when I don't have to worry about who is listening over cube walls and it gives me something to do other than entertaining the masses by singing and dancing on the road. And right now, I am dealing with something at work where it is safer for all parties that I don't answer this person's call until they chill out. Just ask the aforementioned IM friend who can make me laugh.

Here's the rub - how funny is it that people still find silly reasons, and maybe no reason at all, to come talk to each other face to face. Be it, some minor thing at work that could be handled via the phone or even yelling over a cube wall that is used as the excuse to plop yourself down in their cube, or the need for a cup of coffee just to get away from the computer and see another human? I am a people person - I love people, the interactions, the different opinions, the various places in life each individual is in with regards to their life. It doesn't surprise me that I like to deal with most situations face-to-face, I seem to learn better that way. Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that more and more people are using the face-to-face randomly during the day, just to prove we all still work with other people?

Funny thing about this - an old and dear friend who I have worked with at 3 different career points - just stopped by and we talked, face to face for an hour. And it was great.

It's all about the comfort

As a short person with curves (thanks Grandma, "If ya got it, flaunt it") it is next to impossible to find jeans that fit right. Either they are too low (I choose not to dance for a living) or too high (I also choose not to button anything above my belly button). And don't even get me started on what the dryer does to denim.

Moral? I LOVE THE NEW JEANS I FOUND.

Okay, I didn't find them, my met through life sister (okay, so she is blonde, petite and from Texas and we aren't related but whatever) told me about these great jeans she got at Nordstrom - it is sale time. For her to find jeans she liked, I knew I had to drop all lunch plans and find out for myself.

NYDJ's ROCK MY DENIM WORLD.

Not Your Daughter's Jeans are soft, don't show the world all that jazz, hug in all the right areas, have conservative bling and work with the red heels. Anyone who knows me - which are the only people who read this blog so really all of you - know that if it doesn't work with my shoes, it won't work. These work. Go get some now. They have long, short, tight, boot cut, skinny, baggy, white, black, tan, denim, etc. etc. etc. Go now. Or, in the spirit of a blog, stop reading and click here.

Creativity?

I have never thought of myself as a creative person. Sure I like to write, I sing and love theater, but to look at me the last thing I would think is creative.

Last night I finished painting what will soon be my office red. Not candy apple red, but 'red red wine' red. Being as my name is on all the bills, I didn't have to get permission, worry about resale, or think twice. I wanted red, and I got red. I have black and white curtains already hanging (because I just HAD to see the instant effect) and shelves ready to be spray painted black. I know what desk - which is more of a table - I want, and won't stop until I find it. Ikea currently has the perfect throw rug, additional book shelves and the white boxes I am going to use.

My dear friends walked in last night and the husband instantly commented on how the room looks like me - "You are so creative and this room just shows that more!". It begs the question - do we really know ourselves or do our friends know us better?

As I looked around my living room I see all my yarn, card making 'stuff', blank canvas for black and white art and realized...I am creative. And all these years I thought I was just a 'buy it from Pier One' girl.

Damn. I need to get that stuff back in the office, it is scaring me in the living room.

Another Door...Another Bear

I have lived life with the motto "Sometimes you eat the bear, Sometimes the bear eats you.". Through many changes in life, various bears have tried to catch me, but with 'suitcase' packed and location changed, another door opened and I ate another bear.

Bring on the next 'suitcase', the next door, the next bear.