40 Days of Gratefulness - Day 48

Hello, my friend - it's been a minute and I've missed you terribly. Really? Just a few months ago, I didn't know that I liked writing but I found myself missing it these last few weeks. I'll have to start another blog for there have been a few days when I was just straight pissed off. And all I wanted to do was rant, complain, get twisted and get it in! And while I was quite comfortable with that ... until the very moment I'm forced to consider things within some grateful context simply by reading the title of this here blog ... and voila, I'm not angry anymore. Now, I've always been a softie, punk and a little bit of a push-over until abruptly I'm not ;-) Yup, I'm a little hot-headed from time to time - but this gratefulness thing always seems to change my perspective. But perhaps that's the point.

Well, work has been crazy busy due to the sequestration (Day 45) but it's never a dull moment. A few weeks back, over Memorial Day, I attended the US Naval Academy Graduation and it was great! My President was in attendance and I was too pumped over seeing him in person. I was also too pumped about seeing my roomie (Day 23) as well. She was in the faculty processional and due to the rain, she wore her favorite pink galoshes. She's pretty wacky, I tell you but this chick is driven. In fact, I affectionately call her 'the unstoppable unicorn' ... C'mon! How many 'sistas' do you know with a Ph. D. in Mechanical Engineering? I know, it's such a stereotype that smart women aren't attractive or fashionable but being a card carrying member ;-) we dispel that myth, baby!

Anyway, the weather sucked, it was some 50 degrees, windy and rainy. I was uber prepared as always - look at me with my Roomdog's (Day 2) fancy camera - I looked legit. Of course, I had to take some great shots. And while I snapped away, I became intrigued at the two secret service agents who 'covered' the President. Nothing new here, they were alert as expected but, could it be? Was there another unicorn in my midst? Yup, a sista' secret service agent who was killing it. She stood at attention the entire time my President spoke. There was no fidgeting, no shifting her weight side to side. I'm assuming she blinked but you couldn't tell. It blew my mind. It was cold, rainy, windy and she would not be deterred - she stood at full attention, that's right covering my President. Do you understand, this sista' was covering the leader of the free world. [ASIDE: I love how they say that in the movies.] Well, my only regret, is that I didn't get a chance to go down there, meet her, tell her I was so very proud, hug her neck and get a picture of her, doing her thing - covering.

And ever since then, that covering thing has stuck with me. I know, we usually reserve cover for the police like my favorite, Olivia Benson would say to her partner (depending on the season) 'Elliott, cover me!' Or if you are a bible scholar, it's about a husband covering his wife - the story of Boaz and Ruth come to mind. Yeah, I could be in the wrong book with that but you get the picture. Or it could be when someone looks out for you. 'I gotcha covered.'

Brothers, I'm an independent woman and all ... yup, make my own money ... but it's still a turn on when a brother tells ya 'he got ya covered.' For real. As luck, aah but I don't believe in luck. As life would have it, when me and my roomdog when to see Kim Burrell in concert a few weeks ago, she talked about 'keeping your friends covered.' Miss Burrell, I certainly will!

You see where I'm going with this thing, right? 'Cover' captures that magical,  je ne sais quoi feeling that things are better simply because someone else is there. They don't even have to do anything. Oh, it could be your Daddy, or your hubby or even ya best friend. And it would not be a coincidence that I would find myself capturing these here thoughts on Father's Day. My little cousin posted  'the way that you feel about your father will influence every single relationship you have.' Well said!! Me not being a Daddy's girl has certainly influenced me. I am fixer, a mover and a shaker, I don't dawdle and I'm usually very comfortable with my decisions. Now, those are good traits but only in moderation ;-) I don't believe I have trouble asking for help but I've not always been accustomed to people simply looking out for me. Hmm, not sure if that's good or bad but what it does do ... is it causes me to be very appreciative about each and every thing people do for me. It just so happens, I've been blessed to have good men who are great fathers in my life, who taught me about covering even before I understood what that meant. I can also tell you that with all my fixing, handling it, resolving issues, kick @ss decision-making skills ... being covered sure feels good!

When I had surgery a few years back, my roomdog (Day 2) stayed with me in the hospital the entire time. She even helped me bathe and get dressed. Let me tell you, it was not a good look ;-) but I'm so very grateful for her. Of course, she would have me covered, she's my roomdog. But, you know what? My roomdog and her husband hadn't been back from their honeymoon a full 24 hours before she dropped everything and stayed with me in the hospital for some 4 days. I even spent 4 weeks recovering at their home. I missed it at the time but her husband had me covered too.

Amazing how a 'lil gratefulness illuminates things. Just the other day, I saw a snake in the garage. Let me tell you, I was horrified. Where was Miss Independent, cool, calm and collected? She was cowering in the driveway, sweating like a junkie and swatting her ears at the imaginary bugs she could feel crawling all over her. I was afraid, alone and didn't know what to do until ... I called my Roomdog. Her and her hubby came over. That's right ... to cover me. Just as they arrived, my roomie (Day 23) came home from work. Yup, more covering. [ASIDE: I told my roomdog to 'twerk it real good for her husband ;-) hehe, I was trying to cover him] And later when I was still wound up, my roomie baked me some Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies and they were still warm from the oven when I inhaled them. She even promised to check the garage in the morning. Yeah, she's definitely a unicorn, what chick isn't afraid of snakes? She isn't - go figure, it must be a Texas thing.

Slim Shady 'Da Snake

Now, nothing had changed but I sure felt better. Slim shady, as my roomie named him, was not captured, he escaped in a crack in the wall. Am I afraid to go in the garage? Absolutely! You should see me in the morning leaping through there in a single bound. Pray that I don't twist my ankle speed hopping. In fact, my feet only hit that garage floor twice as I hop through there. And, I have no idea if slim shady is still in there or not. But what I do know is that covering feels good .... like warm, fresh baked Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies.

So on this Day 48 of 40 Days of gratefulness, I'm grateful for covering.  #beblessed #40daysofgratefulness