Fridays

Fridays are great!! It's the end of the work week for most and the start of the weekend. It signifies freedom ( well for me it does).

Today I woke up a still a little tired due to being sick in the beginning of the week and still making it to the gym last night but the tired feeling was replaced with excitement when I saw the sun shinning brightly outside. (Yes I get excited about good weather, it doesn't last that long around here and I take full advantage of it when it does.) I turned on the local news and to my great relief the forecast was sunny and a high of 68 today. This is a much needed break from the crappy weather we have been getting. Just last week I was still wearing my winter coat because it was snowing,.... in April!!

It's warming up for Spring, which always gets me in the mood to clean. I used to think "Spring cleaning" was just a way for mom's to get dad's to clean out the garage but now that I live on my own I understand that it is a real feeling. You get to open your windows and let out the stale air from the long winter months and smell the fresh air. My cats absolutely love when I leave the windows open for them all day. They run from window to window in excitement, trying to figure out which one will give them the best chance at catching a bird or which one will give them the best view of the neighborhood. They can't really catch any birds, my windows do have screens, but they don't know that. By the time I get home from work, they are exhausted. I plan to take full advantage of this nice weather this weekend with a few activities outside like going for a bike ride and a few inside like cleaning and packing away my winter clothes.

It is unusually quiet at work today, I am guessing due to the weather. Today is not only a Friday but the sabres play the Islanders tonight in game 5 of the playoffs and if they win ( and us hometown fans believe they will), they are off to the the next round on the road to the Stanley Cup. They have been to the playoffs in the past but never won the Stanley Cup. It would be great to see them hold that cup up high and bring it home. I am not usually a hockey follower but I am a huge supporter of our local teams, even our local football team that has been disappointing over the last few years. Hopefully that will change this year but I am not holding my breath. ( More to come about that later this year :) ) I will be watching the game tonight and cheering like I have been a fan for years. It is exciting to watch your team excel at the game. It's also 420 today and in college was known as the day to sit around and kill the brain cells that you still had. I was listening to the radio this morning and today is also known as the hippie's or pot-head's holiday. I am not too sure why 420 marks the day but it is rumored that it was the police code for possession of marijuana. Since I have never had that experience I am not sure what the code is. There are other theories on why it's 420 but who knows which one is right. For you partaking in the celebration today I will quote my favorite hippy " Roll it up, light it up. Inhale, exhale. Happy 420."

However, it's not all fun today, I have to go to a wake this afternoon for a sister of one of my friends. She lost the battle with cancer but is in a better place now. No more pain and suffering, only peace and sunshine for her now. I haven't talked to my friend yet but I did hear she is doing good, considering but I wouldn't expect anything else from her. She is one of the strongest ( emotionally) people I have ever met. No matter what life has thrown her, it seems that she can always smile. I am not sure how she does what she does but I admire that about her. When I heard that her sister passed away, I was not sure what the appropriate gift ( to let her know I was thinking of her) to get her. I tried putting myself in her shoes and I couldn't come up with one thing seemed relevant for losing a sibling. I have two sisters and a brother and I know that flowers, fruit baskets, planters or any other funeral related gift would be irrelevant. Of course I called my mom ( I do often when in a dilemma) to ask her what she thought. She said that it is not about the item, it is about what it represents, that she is in your thoughts. Even with that, I was still in a bind. So I thought about it and decided I would get something just for her. Once I started to think that way, it was obvious I would get her two of her favorite things, tea and chocolate. What else it better then some warm tea and chocolate when feeling sad or down. To my friend ( if you read this) I hope that those tiny items will bring some comfort to you on your road to healing. Everyone needs some comfort in times of sadness. On another sad note, today is also the 8th anniversary of the Columbine High School tragedy. It's the third deadliest shooting in the history of the United States. I think today should be a day to remember the students and teachers affected by this unbelievable tragedy and to honor the memories of the ones that were lost.

Live for today, love the people around you and enjoy every moment.... It just makes life easier if you do.