Lawyering Through Life

And so I laugh

This week has been a pretty good week for me. I have been holding fast to my Lenten promise and focusing on myself. I found a kickass yoga studio right near my apartment. I went to my first class Wednesday night. Now, I had done yoga in the past but my previous studio focused on breathing and relaxation…very hippie-esque. I never left feeling like I had *worked out*, but I enjoyed the stress relieving aspects of yoga. So, since stress is rampant in my life these days, I thought returning to the practice of yoga was a good idea. And it was! The class was intense. I loved every second of it. As I struggled to maintain a challenging pose, staring intently at a spot on the floor so as not to fall over and with sweat beads dripping down my forehead, I felt like myself. I reconnected with the part of me that had been gone for so long. I smiled the kind of smile that starts deep inside and can’t be contained. I hadn’t smiled one of those in a while. My instructor looked at me a little funny as I struggled before her with this goofy grin on my face. When the class ended, I signed up for more sessions and practically skipped home. I went to bed, feeling relaxed and content and so gosh darn proud of myself. I woke up feeling the same way, but also rather sore!!

Yesterday morning, I spent a little over three hours bagging groceries for the poor people of Washington, D.C. I worked alongside a woman whose enthusiasm for life was contagious. She hugged me when she met me and gave me an even bigger hug when I left. We worked well together sending the residents on their way with bags teeming with groceries. We chatted a bit while we worked and at one point after a rush of residents left me nearly exhausted, she turned to me and said “Your husband must be so proud of you.” I laughed and said “Oh, I don’t have a husband.” And she said, “Well, I know for a fact God has a great one waiting for you.” I fought back tears because I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that. This stranger had more faith and confidence in God’s plan for me right now than I did. I have always been told, and I have believed, that God works in mysterious ways. Today He sent me a little sign, asking me to take a cue from this woman I had just met and put my faith back in Him.

The other thing I have been told is that God has a sense of humor. I came home from the food pantry this morning and prepared for the baby shower I had this afternoon. The weather in DC is gorgeous right now so, with that same goofy grin on my face, I reached for my new yellow skirt. All I had to do was run to the Container Store and pick up a gift bag. I got dressed and set out, remarking to myself just how beautiful this day was and how great I felt. Just as I turned a corner in the yuppie shopping center, TH’s 4-runner came barreling around a turn. (As an aside, what kind of environmental scientist drives a huge, gas guzzling SUV? And maybe it wasn’t really *barreling* per se but it is so big and scary, I feel *barreling* is the most appropriate choice). New Girlfriend was in the passenger seat but I couldn’t see her face. TH and I made eye contact briefly and then he looked away. He then looked back at me. Excruciatingly uncomfortable but at least he was in his car and we didn’t have to talk. And the best part was I looked GOOD. I thought about that chance encounter for the new few hours as I sat through a baby shower. (Another aside, when you run into your ex and his new girlfriend, attending a baby shower is really where you want to spend your afternoon.) We have established that I believe in signs and this encounter was just another way of God reminding me that TH is not the guy for me. I don’t think I have hope that we will get back together and everything will be peachy again but maybe deep down I do. So, I need these little reminders from God to not dwell on that hope and to let TH go. He is her problem now.

Fast forward a few hours. I head out for the night to a fun dinner with friends downtown. As I am walking to the metro, I notice that Arlington is hopping. The all day drink fest meant that the bars in Arlington were teeming with people at 7:00 pm. I had a fleeting thought as I walked by the bars about the possibility of running into TH again. I knew he was going to the drink fest so it was a possibility. But I laughed to myself and thought at least I had gotten that out of the way earlier today. Yes, readers, you can see where this is going. I boarded the metro car at my usual spot and the car reeked of beer. I found a seat in the middle of the car and looked around cautiously. And then I saw the backs of Wayne and Penn State Fan. I then saw the back of TH’s head, and right next to it, the back of New Girlfriend’s head. They were canoodling. I know, who uses that word? But that is what they were doing. Practically making out. Awesome. I decided to be the bigger person and approach Wayne and PSF. We chatted for a few minutes, it was weird and awkward, and I wound up getting off the train three stops too early. The group was headed to the same stop I was and I just couldn’t deal with actually having to talk to TH.

Who runs into her ex-boyfriend with his new girlfriend TWICE in one day? That really is just too much. God’s sense of humor was in full force yesterday. Sometimes you just have to let yourself laugh along with Him.

posted by jersey @ 10:22 PM