Bi-polar state

I had to scrape snow and ice off my car this morning before I left for work.

It is too soon for this.

But yet, I cannot deny that winter is coming (and might argue that has already sneakily worked its way into our lives). After all, stupid Christmas commercials are on tv already. (When I was at the Wellness center the other day I noticed that USA (a cable channel) was going to be playing back to back showings of "Elf." Now, I love that movie - but 2 weeks before Thanksgiving? No thank you).

Also, another sign of winter being here is the fact that my skin has already flipped into "winter mode." Meaning it is so dry that I wish I was a snake so I could just slip out of it.

But it's only November. November 8th to be exact. Too soon.

Kansas is officially bi-polar. In the barely two weeks I've been here, I've experienced sunny 75 degree weather, rain, frost, snow, intense winds, still days, beautiful sunsets, days so cloudy the house stayed dark all day, and even the aftermath of an Oklahoma earthquake.

Take today for instance. I scrapped my car this morning, but by noon I had ditched my coat and layers and headed to my second job in beautiful sunshine  and 50 degree weather.

Crazy Kansas.

In the winter, I very much feel I am as bi-polar as Kansas - like maybe I have that seasonal depression disorder. (Sometimes, I wonder...) Some days will be great, while others will be an intense struggle and I find myself trying not to cry for no apparent reason.

I blame a lot on the weather though I am sure a lot can be boiled down to the newness of my situation.

I have no idea how to be web editor.

On days when I feel like I am slowly getting the hang of it at work, I feel great. Successfully posting something is such an accomplishment that I could high-five the computer. (Don't worry - I don't). Then, I am glad that I decided to come here. But then the very next day (or hour) I will hit a wall and wonder how long it's going to take for me to learn HTML coding. (Probably a really long time).

I trained all day today with the former web editor. After she left, I got an assignment that I barely knew how to do, and thus kind of messed up a particular page on the website.

I have no idea how to fix it.

And then I had to leave to go to my other job.

ugh.

So things today were feeling very, very average.

But then suddenly something amazing happened. I was at Mojo's and happened to be at the counter instead of back in the kitchen when, out of nowhere, Anna and Joe Sawatzky walked through the door.

Okay, some background here. I know the Sawatzky's from my time in South Africa. They are the Mennonite Mission Network people that live in Mthatha. During my time in PMB, the Sawatzky's (along with the LDs and the Sudermans) became like my extended family. I love them. They are fabulous people. I haven't seen them since I left South Africa. I knew they were back in the States this summer, but had no idea they were still here. or in Kansas. or in Newton.

It was incredible. (It's also incredible how many Radical Journey people walk through that coffee shop. Crazy).

Seeing the Sawatzky's was all it took to make my basically crappy day to feel extraordinary.

I guess in Kansas, you never quite know what it's going to be like.

crazy.