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I lost my dog yesterday. If you have a beloved pet, then you know how I feel right now. And if you don't, well, suffice it to say that if I could feel miserable, it would be an improvement.
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So last night I did what has become de rigeur these days: I posted her picture on Facebook and said my goodbye. I wanted my friends to know that she was gone because so many of them had known her over the last decade. I got so many really kind messages, texts, and calls that it warmed my heart. My friends care about me.
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After a few hours, though, I did the wrong thing. After reading through all the comments for the fourth or fifth time, I clicked on my news feed. And there it was, right in front of me: the banalities of social media. The complaints. The humble ags. The pictures of dinner.
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I'm not trying to point fingers. If anyone lives in a glass house, I do. But I think that through my grief-colored glasses I can see things differently. I wish I could take back the time I spent posting lame Facebook status updates and just pet my dog. And I'm mad at myself that I didn't see that then. There's such a big difference between a special moment and talking about a special moment.
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So where am I going with all of this? What I'm trying to say is that this weekend is going to be beautiful and you should take every opportunity to get out and enjoy it. Power down the social media and power up the love, the enthusiasm, the joie de vie. Take a moment to step outside your normal habits and see what it's really like to be present in the moment. Because you never know which moment is going to be the last moment.
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How? You might be asking. Well, I have a few ideas.
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Go for a walk.
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Why? Because it's good for you. We live in an incredible community that is abundant with natural beauty, great businesses, and excellent food. A walk can turn into a total day's adventure at the drop of a hat. Need more help? Try this route. You’ll get the flavor of Old World Annapolis with downtown’s charm. I could walk this loop every day of my life and still find something new to marvel at.
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Call a friend up.
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Bonus: you can do this while you're on your walk. But why? Because you are more than the sum of your tweets, and your friend knows that. Call them up and see what's really going on. You don't get real emotion in an IM conversation. Want more? Invite them out for coffee. Or wine. Or both.
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Go on a date.
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Why? Hey – whether you're single or married, dates are good for us. If there are no hot prospects on the horizon, call up a friend and ask them out on a faux date. Promise good conversation and a split check. If you're actively dating someone, tell them you want to do something other than sit on the couch and watch Flacco v. Manning this weekend. Even the peanuts at Five Guys can be romantic if you take a minute to care about the other person. And while you're there, promise to leave the phone in your pocket. You still had an awesome experience, even if you didn't share it with all 500 of your followers.
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Showtimes for Annapolis movie listings.
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Go down by the water.
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Why? Because this is Annapolis, and if you aren't taking advantage of the water on a daily basis, you're missing out. The song “(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay” was written by Otis Redding in 1967. He recorded it and then a few days later jumped on his plane headed to Madison, Wisconsin. In heavy rain and fog, the plane went down into Lake Monona, leaving only one survivor. Redding never heard his most famous song played on the radio. Can you just imagine how stunned he'd be to know that here you are, 45 years later, sitting on a dock by the Bay whistling his little song?
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Have unch.
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Why? Because oh my gosh, Internet, it's so awesome. Eggs benedict, home fries, maybe a bloody mary or a mimosa…you have to admit that we humans have it really good. But unch isn't just about the food. It's about being indulgent and lazy, of savoring a part of your day that would normally go unnoticed. Because big things never get planned between 10 and noon. If something's going to happen, it either happens in the early morning or in the afternoon. So make a unch date and find a really lovely moment in an otherwise quiet time.
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