 A new monthly series, where I commit to doing three brave things. Are you ready for it?Nobody wants to do brave things, am I right? We don’t wake up in the morning, praying we experience hard things so we can practice being brave. (And if you do, I applaud you. I need some of your bravado.) Because doing brave things is hard. It takes us outside our comfort zone. It forces us to feel uncomfortable. It requires exposure of raw emotion. One thing that has helped me in the past few years, when circumstances have demanded me to be brave, has been this: you don’t have to FEEL brave in order to ACT brave. You just have to ACT.
That’s how I managed to sit with my Dad, day by day while his body wasted away to cancer. Heck no, I didn’t feel brave. I wanted to run. Ignore it. Retreat. But Dad needed encouragement. So. I acted brave. And the sweetness I received in those last few months were some of the most rewarding times with my Dad. Ever. What would have happened had I not shown up? I don’t intend this new series to be about those kinds of brave things (though, not ignoring them if they do!). But more about doing brave things in every day life. In my career, dreams, relationships, health, etc. Since DRIVEN is my 2020 word, I want to make sure I’m chasing after it. So? I’m here to start three brave things every month. They might look odd to you. They might seem simple. But that’s OK! Your brave things are your brave things and mine are mine. I’d LOVE it if you’d do this with me! Comment with 3 things (even one thing!) YOU want to be brave for in March! MARCH’S THREE BRAVE THINGS: This month, I’m focusing on health and writing.
At the end of the month, I’ll share how I did! Who’s with me?
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 In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to give you something fun and lovely. Because you all are fun and lovely. So I'm gifting you 14 fun facts you might not know about Alejandro and me. (Guys, they're good.) And this old photo of us from 2011. (A real winner.)
1. Alejandro used to be my boss. That's right. We worked together at an independent bookstore (Vroman's) in the POS department. He was my supervisor. But before you call HR, we didn't start dating until after I left. 2. He was my first and only boyfriend. You read that correctly. I was 24. 3. He was my first kiss. You read that correctly. I was 24. 4. Blueberry muffins are oddly significant to us. It's 2AM on February 15, 2007. We'd been talking for hours. (Yes, folks. He used to call me on my cellphone.) We were still "friends" at this point. I clung to that phone in hopes maybe tonight he'd finally tell me he liked me. There's a pause. Then, "Robin, I need to tell you something." My heart STOPS. "I really like..." YES. TELL ME. "...blueberry muffins." DIES. Don't worry. He tells me, an hour or so later, that he DOES in fact like me too. 5. For our first official date, we went to Dennys. We fancy. To be fair, we were also in our early twenties, working part time jobs. And Dennys was actually our frequent hang out spot when we weren't yet dating. 6. Before he met me, he didn't like coffee. Guys. I made him who he is today. JOKE. But, before we started dating, we would hangout at Starbucks after Bible study. I would order vanilla lattes. He would order hot chocolates. It wasn't until we considered opening our own coffee house that he began his journey with the bean. 7. We almost opened a coffee house. In 2009 we were both out of jobs. He had just come back from Japan (he played music for Disney for seven months) and I was unemployed. We wanted so badly to work together on something--enter coffee house idea. Alejandro may not have known much about coffee (yet), but he always had a knack for business. We were close. We filed for a business license. Had a name. Talked to an accountant. Set up funds. And that's when Alejandro got a job at Starbucks. While our dream ended because of a bad deal, his passion for coffee grew. And the rest is history. 8. We have never seen the movie Avatar. And like it that way. 9. We both have never broken a bone. And like it that way. 10. We both have had a surgery (or two).. He on his nose (he was running, a door swung open, and POW, the stars aligned.) I on my eyes (I was born with a lazy eye. I had two surgeries, all before I was three, to fix it.) 11. We sometimes do things impulsively. Like one weekend we decided to move all our furniture around. Another weekend we decided to paint our house. On an anniversary trip, we bought a dog. On a birthday outing, we bought another dog. 12. We were both in a marching band. My music career was short lived. I played flute in junior high and marched. Alejandro's music career is ongoing. He played EVERYTHING in high school and marched. (He also went to school for jazz / drums. And is amazing.) 13. We have both thought about getting a tattoo. I'll just leave that there. 14. We have been together for 13 years. Come June 26th, we'll have been married 10 of those years. Maybe not that fun of a fact, but thought it was fitting to end there. This was fun to write (and harder than I thought!) What was the biggest surprise? Anything that should be on the list? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! And HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, friends! |
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