I got kicked out of a restaurant

Apparently I have torn my meniscus, basically it's the tendon that structurally supports the knee. Let me tell you, it burns like no other. I got the stupid injury because I tripped while on a date.

On last Saturday Janiel and Maegan went to a writing conference. Me? No, I got to spend the afternoon with Dr. Look-at-you-chest. I swear this guy smelled like cinnamon and vomit.

Anyways, the afternoon stunk so my friend Jameses took me to late dinner at a fish and chip resteraunt. I can't say the name of the place because we got kicked out.

My friend Jameses had a divine day of dealing with my knee all on an empty stomach. So when the wait service took forever Jameses went postal. We sat at the restaurant for quite sometime without drinks and etc. I suggested we leave and just hit some fast food dive but no, Jameses wasn't having that.

He watched platter and platter arrive at every other table but ours. Most people would walk away but not Jameses. He eyed a platter that went to a nearby table. The meal was cooked in some tinfoil wrapping. The customer set the wrapping to the edge of the table and Jameses went to work.

Jameses leaned over to a man, who we will call Mr. Burp-N-Slurp because seriously that's how he ate, and said, "You using the foil?"

Mr. Burp-N-Slurp didn't even respond, he handed Jameses the foil and trouble ensued.

Jameses wasted not a minute and grabbed my hand sanitizer. He then smoothed out the foil and began writing with the hand sanitizer. His letters were bold and they read out, "SERVICE NOW."

He then took his lighter and lit the sanitizer on fire.

At the moment I didn't think anything of the alcohol in the sanitizer but when the words went a captivating light blue I realized I was watching a mini-fire at my table.

I started to bust a gut, tears were rolling down my eyes as Mr. Burp-N-Slurp cheered at the fire. The manager came zooming down the eisle, his brows were so furrowed they looked like a unibrow. It dawned on me, we were so getting kicked out of the restaurant and sure enough that was our fate.

It's been almost a week since Jameses sent his message to the wait staff and I still can't stop giggling. I mean, seriously, who lights hand sanitizer on fire to send a message? Only my deranged Jameses and I love him for it.

How to get through a rough day

Let's face it, some days are just not going to go the way you want when chasing a dream. In those moments, you have to dig deep. Olympic athletes have a phrase for this, it's called staying strong.

You have to be determined to grind it out, work harder than you did yesterday. My tennis coach says it best, "Focus, do not let up for a second."

He's right, on the days where you want to bang your head against the wall out of frustration. You must take a deep breath and focus on the task at hand. Sometimes the process of learning requires you to slow down and not push yourself so hard.

You can do this, you can achieve your dream but first you must stay strong, my friends.

I tripped in front of Barnes & Noble

Challenge of the Month: Adventures in the month of March

There are many ways to make a brilliant first impression-shake someones hand firmly or wink at a hottie. Unfortunately, when you are 6'2, all legs, sometimes you can do neither of those things.

I went shopping with a dark haired man who seriously left me breathless. He took me to Toys R US on our date. No joke, we roamed the store shooting dart guns at each other and laughing until we snorted. We snuck comic books into a plastic fort and ate licorice. It was the most random date I have been on and I couldn't get enough of the bloke.

We then high tailed it to Barnes and Noble. I should've been looking at the curb but nooo, I had to glance up and smile at his insanely long hair. Before I had a second to think, I tripped over the curb. My date tried to break my fall but his efforts were useless.

My knees buckled and I all-out collapsed to the ground. As if that wasn't enough, my body somehow slide on the ice like I was gliding into first base.

The word mortified couldn't even describe my emotions. I mean, customers couldn't come out of the store because my body was blocking the entryway.

All I could do was erupt with laughter. His smile was devilish as he helped me stand up. I brushed the injury off because let's face it, I always trip but my date was an EMT. He somehow convinced the store to grab their first aid kit.
He then whisked me to a chair and rolled up my leggings to inspect the knee.

I sat there staring at the dark haired hottie while he applied antibiotics and band aids to my super-sick open wound. His fingers moved fluently and he even blew on my knee. At that moment, I couldn't stop smiling at him. I noticed the way that his tongue poked at his cheek when nervous.

He didn't make me feel like a fool. No, he kissed me on the forehead and helped me stand.

My knee stung like no other but my heart seemed free.

Yep, it's official-I adore March.

Dealing with life's little surprises

Do you ever have those weeks where life just takes you by surprise? This has been that kind of week for me, two young people from my past have died. Granted, I haven't spoken to either of them for years but their passing has really made me stop to think about life and the dreams we chase.

You realize that some people come into your life randomly. They sit a spell with you and then they are gone but that doesn't mean they didn't influence you. Losing them changes how you exist. You notice life, you see the beauty in rain and the smell of pine trees.

On this day, I sit at this computer and listen to the wind. It sounds like someone is screaming outside. My condo shakes as my cat Lux stretches out on my suitcase. I begin to think about why we chase the dreams we do.

Why do you pursue your dreams? I write about death because it can't seem to escape me. Sometimes the things we pursue help fill a need. Yes, chasing our dream can be exhausting. However, in the tough moments in life your dream can help you cope and that's a beautiful thing. Cherish your talent, my friend. You have something beautiful within you.

PS- Next week I will post a short story, so sorry for the delay.