It's hard to be in Birmingham and NOT see a business or souvenir with the word iron in it - or connected to it somehow. Birmingham was the largest iron and steel producer after the Civil War. And while I'm not exactly religious, I do appreciate the verse in Proverbs that speaks to iron sharpening iron, so does one person sharpen another. In other words, we are stronger together. Learning, working, mentoring; we are not islands.
I'm in Birmingham to celebrate my older sister's birthday and watch her double-header roller derby bout tomorrow! She's been on a squad for nearly a decade now, but this will be the first time I get to see her in a bout, and I'm from Atlanta tomorrow, so it's truly a family affair!
I've been working my butt off on a project this past week, pulling some pretty long days (thank you, hubs, for letting me hyperfocus!!) so I could spend some quality time with my family this weekend. I even worked in the car on the drive here! But I'm learning a ton about the ins and outs of freelance work, so I know it's worth it. Mainly because this trip was indeed a last-minute decision; I couldn't do that in a regular 9-5 onsite job. With my severance coming to an end on the last day of June, having an unplanned seven days without service that I planned to work during, followed by grinding to make up for that work for about a week, followed by a potential last-minute trip, may not sound ideal, but I wanted to take advantage of the time and ability to be able to make it happen.
The reason I haven't seen my sister in a bout her entire roller derby career is because I couldn't make that happen. Between limited time off, not making/having enough money to travel when she had bouts, and the lack of energy from constantly working and toxic work environments, I haven't seen her participate in the sport she loves. I'm learning it takes just as much, and often more strength, to make time for our loved ones and the things we enjoy, and it's worth it. But we can't do it all alone. That strength comes from that understanding that to do what we hope and dream, it takes more than just ourselves to get there.
This morning my sister sent me on an errand to pick up some pastries for my folks (a semi-cruel joke to send someone with celiac to do, FYI!), and I found this cute little coffee shop, Panache by Domestique, to fuel up. I got a yummy oat milk cappuccino and enjoyed their outdoor alley seating while I figured out a place for my non-gluten self to eat breakfast. I wish I'd had my laptop with me - it's a place I'd love to write my coffee check-ins from every day! Every time I visit my sis, I understand why she doesn't want to leave Birmingham; it's a pretty fantastic little city. There is another shop, Dawn Patrol by Domestique, a bit closer to where we're staying, so that might be my destination tomorrow morning! I love trying local shops and restaurants in a new city, and this being only my third visit to Birmingham, I've rarely been to the same places twice (there are SO many local restaurants here - it's incredible!).
Comments