And So It Goes...: Big "O" Number One

This past Sunday, I was beyond excited to have the chance to go see Oprah. I had the day all planned out...I was going to leave shortly before 4:00pm, in a freshly washed and vacuumed van. I had downloaded the karaoke version of Les Miserables so I could sing show tunes all the way there. I was going to smoke (because of sans children in the vehicle), drink coffee and enjoy my first bit of being alone in a very long time.

Instead, I ended up hurtling down the highway in my dad's truck at way over the speed limit, cursing the fact that I was late, NOT singing show tunes because his CD player wouldn't accept a burned disc, but I was most definitely smoking my face off. Dad, if you're reading this...I didn't actually smoke (I totally smoked). So how did my day's plans get flipped back asswards? Read on....

I had originally planned on going to Oprah by myself. For some things, I prefer to be alone. Like at the movie theatre. I don't like people constantly leaning over and asking, "What happened? Who is that?". Dude...we're watching the same fucking show. It's not like I'm seeing five minutes ahead of you and can actually answer your questions. Shut your face and let me watch in silence. I didn't want someone sitting next to me at Oprah, cracking jokes or whispering throughout the whole thing.

But then I thought maybe my sisters-in-law might want to attend. I asked them how much money they wanted to spend. I wanted to be as close as possible and was willing to pay for it. They were not. I had a password that let me buy tickets the day before. I ended up buying okay seats on the lower level. This did not sit well in my gut. It's fucking Oprah. I needed to be close enough to hit her with my water bottle if the mood struck me to do so. So when tickets went on sale the next day, I bought myself a single ticket in the seventh row. Sorry, sisters.

This left us with one open seat. My sis-in-law said her mom would take it. Problem solved. On the morning of Oprah's show, my S-I-L texted to say she and her mom couldn't make it. Fuckity fuck fuck. How was I going to find two people who would be willing to pay $150 a ticket at the last minute? Luckily, a friend of mine and her friend (both from PA) were more than happy to take the tickets. Problem solved again.

I spent the rest of the day washing the van, vacuuming it out and doing general maintenance on it to make sure it was perfectly road worthy. As I went to put air in the tires, I noticed a bulge in the front right tire. Fuckity fuck. Mike said not to worry - he would put the spare on and all would be well. At ten minutes to four, I was dressed and ready to go. Mike was still working on the van. He came inside and said, "Uhhhh...slight problem. You might want to come see this". Mike had gotten the tire off and as he was prepping to put the spare on, the jack fell over and the van crashed down on the axel and brake drums. Triple fuckity fuck. I lost my shit. I was in complete panic mode. One of my options was to drive the big red beast, but our minivan was crashed over right behind it in the driveway so I had no way of even getting big red beast out of the driveway.

My parents are away on holidays and I knew my dad's truck was in their garage. I phoned my neighbour and asked if she could drive me to parents' house. Thankfully, she was able to. I scooped the keys, adjusted the seats and hit the highway, a half hour behind schedule. The entire trip there, I was voice-to-text texting between my sis-in-law and my friend, trying to orchestrate how S-I-L was going to get the tickets to my friend. Not fun. Not the enjoyable trip I had pictured.

I slid into my seventh row seat with minutes to spare. When Oprah finally appeared on stage, all the shit that had happened that day simply melted away and I was beyond ecstatic to be a panties throw away from one of the most influential women in the world.

Her message wasn't anything I hadn't heard before...all of it, bits and pieces from other talks she had given at one point or another. But hearing it all in one shot, with Oprah standing so close, I could see the whites of her eyes, was an amazing experience for me. I applied her message to two different aspects of my life...my mental health issues (who are you? why are you here?) and my career. As she spoke about finding one's purpose in life, the butterflies in my gut began to go crazy. Even though I am educated as a teacher, I know now that is not what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. Where I work, the money is beyond incredible. But money doesn't equal happiness. My current employment situation adds to the detriment of my mental health. I know now that I am meant to be my own boss. I know now what my career will be...I just won't speak of it on a public blog :)

I walked out of Credit Union Centre feeling more alive and rejuvenated than I have in a long time. The drive home was a silent one (and at a much slower pace). I chewed over all that Oprah had talked about and how I can begin to apply it to my life. The first thing I have started doing is finding daily gratitude. I now end my day by listing five things I am grateful for that happened that day...things beyond "my family, my health, my home, yada yada yada". When you know you have to make a list at the end of the day, you spend your time seeking out things to list later on. Like watching Miss K enjoy splashing in the sink. Or watching Bubbaloo try his damndest to sit up all on his own.

I leave you with a few photos from the evening. My next post, "Big "O" Number Two" will posted in a few days time...a very different type of "O" that has this entire house on pins and needles.