The Show Must Go On!

Want to know the BEST part of my day?

I had the BEST dinner tonight. I stopped at Whole Foods just to get some staples like bread and milk, until...I saw a special sale: "Salmon Burgers! Just $2.99!" Wow! What a deal! That sounds delicious! And boom. Before you know it, I am frying up a delicious patty (sorry, not you, Mom) on our *brand new* shiny, white stove!

Tada!

I feel like whenever I show these pics, they never look as appetizing as the meal actually is. But just humor me and imagine that you can actually TASTE the satiating salmon...with hints of zesty lemon...and contrasts of refreshing dill...so cleverly paired with a side of fresh, Chilean pear...(see what I did there?)

So not only was the end result of this meal super satisfying, but the whole shopping process was a hoot! On my way into the store, I ran into two dancers I know from school at Point Park! It is always such a treat to see familiar places in such a BIG city, making this place feel just a little bit smaller.

But in such a big city, you know popular places like Whole Foods are gonna be bumpin' with people! That's why it's lucky they have invented one of the most simple, yet high-tech methods of check-out I have ever seen. Their system helps people quickly and easily leave with the foods they need. (I just made that up, but it sounds like a pretty good slogan, right?)

I LOVVVVVE super efficient things. Machines, assembly lines, meetings...you name it. I just love maximizing efficiency by utilizing logical organization. And let me tell you, this Whole Foods location in Union Square does exactly that because it has THIS invention!...

"Come on dowwwwwn!!!
 The price is right at register number two!"

Say hello to the virtual "Bob Barker" machine! In the background of this picture are all of the checkout registers...all 20 of them actually. In the foreground, partially depicted by the yellow and green (GO PACKERS!) arrows hanging from above, are the checkout lines. Basically each customer picks a side (either express or not, depending on how many items you have) and then you pick a color line (the express has fewer lines because it goes faster). Then when you get to the front of your line, you look up at the monitor and wait for your color to receive a number, directing you to the next open register.  So ingenious, right?! Ahh, it is simply music to my ears... And a little order was really what I was craving after a day like today...

I guess I'll jump right into my "worst" of today....

It was just a crooked kind of day. Yeah, crooked. Do you know what I mean?  The same kind of phenomenon that leads people to look at a surprisingly matured hour on the clock and say, "Wow, time flies when you're having fun!" was in reverse effect for me today.  Well, sort of.  Time was sure flying, but the part about having fun...not so much.  I just felt like everytime I looked at the clock I realized I was going to be late to my next appointment.  And I'm not talking like, "Oh shoot!  I'm gonna be late! I've got to hurry!"  No, it was more like, "Welp...I am already late for [whatever I had going on at that time...literally.]"  I walked into my morning rehearsal 15 minutes late, no make-up on, and sweating (as usual these days).  After that I had some time (or so I thought!) to go grab some food, but practically had to sprint from the restaurant to ballet class when I realized I had just 9 minutes to get there, put my tights on, and find a spot at the barre for pliés.  THEN during my last break between classes, I somehow managed, in a half-hour, to get to the Post Office, stuff 5 different packages, address them all, wait in line for what felt like a century, pay for them and again sprint through Times Square to sneak into my final class of the day. 

During each of these rushing moments today I recognized that I had two options for responding to my dilemma.  I really wanted to go along with the first one and just say, "Ehh, I guess I'm not going to make it today.  Oh well."  But from some supernatural fire inside of me I told myself, "NO!  You've gotta make it work! You are going to make it to this class!"  And that's not just show business lingo, folks!  Sometimes we've just gotta ask for strength that we do not have, and most times, God will give it to us.  As I finally journeyed home tonight after a 10 hour day at dance, I was in complete wonder as to how I made it through this entirely crooked day today.  Thanks, God, for straightening it out a bit for me.