Being Martina

I was on my way to an appointment and was waiting to catch the train.  A young woman in her 20s walked by me and was talking on her cell phone.  All I heard her say as she walked by me was "I am sooo excited!  I just had to call you!"  Immediately I was curious and wondered what she was so excited about.  After all, so many people are walking around totally unexcited (including myself at times).  She caught my attention.

I thought about getting to where she was so I could overhear the conversation.  Five minutes later, I went to where she was waiting and the last thing I heard her say was "Yes, I need to celebrate.  I love you."

Now I was really curious.  I was hoping that she would be getting on the same train as me and she did.  She sat down and I made a bold move to sit next to her.  I told her I heard her say she was excited and asked her if she'd mind sharing.

She told me she's been in school for engineering for three years now and just got hired for a job internship up in Fort McMurray for the coming year.  She was also excited because it was her last day of exams and she was going to have a break from school to work for one year before she goes back for her final year in school.  She said it was a great opportunity.

I said "Good for you.  Congratulations!  That is exciting!"  Then she threw it back at me and asked me "What about you?"

I shared with her that I had been teaching exotic dance for the last ten years including three years with the City of Calgary, but that it was coming to a close as my spring class cancelled and my manager wouldn't be advertising for the fall either. 

She asked "Why?  It's important work, working with people in the fitness industry."  I said, "Well, because there is always something new and exciting on the horizon and people want to take and try different things.  I am actually okay with it at this point.  It's time for something different.  I'm just not sure what it is I would like to teach at this point."

I told her I was currently taking an acting class for fun and was really enjoying that.  "It's good to take new things once in a while, just for fun." 

She said "Wow!  That's so inspiring.  It's so good to take things that are fun like that.  It's important.  My sister is currently taking a jewellery making class at ACAD and loves it!  My sister inspires me!"

She thought engineering was kind of "boring" but she wasn't sure what else to take or if she would love it at this point.  I told her sometimes the only way to find out is to try things to see whether or not you will like them or not.

She said that working in the fitness industry would be fun because it's working around health and fitness.  She spoke about a Ripped class in the city that she liked and I shared with her that I could see her teaching something like that.  Perhaps I would see her sometime if engineering didn't work out for her.  We said our farewells and went our separate way as I got off the train.

What I loved about what happened today is reaching out and connecting with someone.  It's not often I hear people say how excited they are. 

I mentioned to Angela that so many people are walking around not looking happy and that she caught my attention today.  She said she "hopes I don't turn out to be one of those people working at a job she doesn't like and walking around like 'that' someday."  We both laughed.

What inspired me to connect with Angela was a scene I saw out of a Canadian TV show called "Being Erica".  It is one of the best Canadian TV shows I have seen and it's available on Netflix. 

http://www.cbc.ca/beingerica/

The crux of the show is:  it's about a woman in her early 30s whose life isn't exactly where she would like it to be.  She can't keep a job, has no relationship and is generally unhappy and frustrated with her life.  She ends up meeting a "therapist".  He asks her to write down all the regrets in her life and will work with her for free.  He asks her, if she went back in time, what would she do differently that would affect her more positively in her present life. 

On each show her therapist literally takes her back in time to relive her regrets one more time and do it differently to see how it affects her present circumstance.  What I love about this show are a lot of things:  the writing, the acting, the positive messages and the lessons she learns about going through this whole process with her therapist. 

One show in particular was a "Groundhog Day" theme "stolen" from the Bill Murray movie.  Erica keeps walking by this guy standing outside a flower shop, talking on his cell phone all excited (sound familiar?)  She has walked by him 100 times, exasperated and frustrated.

Near the end, she decides to ask him what he's so excited about.  He tells her that his wife just told him they are pregnant for the first time. 

People have told me many times that I inspire them.  I, too, want and need inspiration in my life. I was inspired by the idea from that show and as a result, had an opportunity come up for me to create it in my life for real after seeing it on a show.

I love movies and shows that share something meaningful like that.  Sure a lot of TV and movies can be mindless fluff and totally uninspiring.  But who said you don't learn anything from TV?  Sometimes a person can.  There is some great stuff out there if you are open and seek it.

When people walk by, pay attention and see what you notice.  Take some time to connect with them on a more personal level if an opportunity arises.  You might be surprised to find out what you learn about them and yourself!  You might be inspired by them or vice versa.  Don't be afraid to share yourself and your life.  We all have stories.  At some point, we have all had things to celebrate.