The doorman had my morning paper ready as I stepped outside into the brisk city air. Just a few blocks and I would be in the comfort of my corner office on the 26th floor.

The elevator opened and I was greeted by Vivianne, my secretary. “Good morning Jack! Here are your messages from yesterday.  Please make sure to call Sue in HR as soon as possible. She said it was an emergency.”

“Thanks Viv. Doesn’t Sue think everything‘s an emergency?” I chuckled.

I took out my laptop and put my briefcase on the floor next to my desk. I quickly browsed my messages while my laptop booted up. Nothing too exciting there I sighed, as I added them to last week’s pile.

I was quickly glancing through my inbox when an email in red from Sue caught my eye: Confidential – Applied Innovations Offer Letter. Offer letter? Why is Sue sending me an offer letter? I have been working here for years.

I opened the email and began reading.

Hi Bill and welcome to Applied Innovations. We are so happy to have you join our team. As you are aware, Applied Innovations is the leading company in company website and email security. Our cutting edge technology prevents spam, email hacking and viral infections transferred through email and outside websites log-ins. Our company is the only one of its kind to offer detailed logging and charting capabilities to monitor your staff’s email and internet usage. We are leading the way with new technology developments that will keep companies even safer from the ever growing world of hacking and prevent costly security breaches.

As Vice President of Technology you will be in charge of overseeing technology development, trialing newly created software and supervising the installation of hardware at client sites. You will also be accountable for supervising all employees in the technology and development centers and will be responsible for scheduling and conducting all of their yearly employee reviews.

Attached you will find your offer letter, commision framework, insurance package and available stock options.

Please complete all the required paperwork and fax them back to me as soon as possible. If you have any question, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,

Sue

Bill?? Who was Bill? And why was he receiving an offer letter fo MY job? Before I could ponder the situation any further Vivianne buzzed my office.

“Jack? Jack? Sue is on line one for you.”

For the IndieInk Writing Challenge this week, LP challenged me with “write a scene where an e-mail is sent to the wrong recipient.” and I challenged Jester Queen with “Write a story about fatherhood with a florist as the main character and a new dress as the key object. Set your story in a restaurant.”

Join in the One Sentence Saturday fun with Robin!

A shimmering light shine through

Offering us hope

Be sure to head over to Lou’s to read what everyone else is haikuing about this week.

Your mind knows where to exit yet it refuses to go – not ready. Wishing there was a different route, a different choice. But alas, it is not your choice, not your decision to make. The decision rest in His hands. Even though you argue and disagree, it is His will.

So I sit, knowing that someday the tables will spin and it will be me at the head of the table. I will have to sift through the fog that slowly rolls in, filling all my void with uncertainty. I will be left, searching for the ever true light…..And I know, you will be there, right next to me.

He checked his rear-view mirror. Only the pale flecks of the falling snow could be seen dancing across the blackened night sky. Jack pulled to the side of the road, laced up his boots, and grabbed his hat and gloves. The wind tore through his jacket as he walked to the back of his truck. He opened the tailgate, sliding his truncheon to the side, and reached in with both hands.

“Better get a move on before we are both stuck in the snow”, he sniggered.

The road had iced over, making it difficult to maneuver the extra weight. But nothing was as difficult as what he had witnessed when he came home early the other night. Her words had been like daggers, digging deep and twisting to the core. She had told him he was too effete for her taste, that she needed a real man to satisfy her needs. She thought she was so smug with her big words but he wasn’t as naive as she thought. He knew about all her time in those stupid chat rooms. She was never smart enough to erase the history.

After that, he knew what he had to do. There was no wavering, never a second thought to his decision. Things needed to be made right and he was just the man to do it.

He pulled his collar up around his neck and stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. The storm was just starting to pick up and Jack could feel the temperature dropping. The weatherman proclaimed it as going to be the snowstorm of the century this afternoon on the news. That was exactly the weather report Jack wanted to hear.

As he began to walk back to his truck, a blue glimmer in the snow caught his eye. The snow was softly falling on the body, creating the illusion of  fluffy white blanket. He stooped down and smirked when he realized what had caught his attention. She had always insisted on wearing that God-awful necklace – saying it brought her luck.

“Well look at all the luck it brought you now missy.”

Jack fingered the blue and green ostrich charm in his palm. “I have just the place for you little fella.” With a swift tug the necklace was free and dangling from his finger tips. He slid it in his shirt pocket and quickly re-zipped his jacket to fight off the wind’s brutal assault. The silence in his head was golden.

For the IndieInk Writing Challenge this week, ChrisWhiteWrites challenged me with “Use the words effete, truncheon and wavering in your story. Also, include an ostrich. Oh, and for bonus virtual high-fives adopt an orphan prompt from IndieInk. I chose: ‘The snow was falling softly on the body” and I challenged Kelly Garriott Waite with “Use these words in your story: doctor, roll of film, stairwell, telephone“.

You can read the rest of my review HERE.

Of course, every woman athlete needs proper equipment. Following a great pair of shoes is a great working spots bra. I am thankful that I am not overly top heavy so I typically do not have too much difficulty finding a sports bra that works for me. What I do struggle with is finding one that doesn’t get completely drenched and gross during my workout. (sorry for the visual)

Jockey recently released their Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra and was kind enough to let me try it out. The bra had some nice added features such as a reflective logo and a key pocket for your gym key. The bra is made with 93% polyester and 7% spandex which did a great job at keeping me dry but did not have all the flexibility I want in a bra. Flexibility? What on earth are you talking about Kat?  I have broad shoulders and in broad, I mean man shoulders, thanks to years and years of swimming. The straps of my bra were digging in my shoulders no matter how much I pulled and tugged. I also found the bra difficult to get on and off. Believe me, I know what you are thinking – Seriously Kat, you can’t get a bra on or off??  But I think the material does not allow a lot of extra movement room (flexibility) so you are left looking quite silly trying to get it on an off. Though I will say it did an amazing job at keeping me dry and cool during my workout, even if I wasn’t comfortable.

Even better than an amazing sports bra is one that doesn’t smell like a sports bra. Jockey teamed up with Purex Crystals to release their new natural fabric softener. Did you know that regular fabric softeners contain oils that prevent your sportswear from wicking if you use it in the wash? Yikes! Well fear no more!  Purex Crystals are 92% natural and keep your clothes smelling fresh for weeks.  I am a huge fan and have been using it since it came out last year. While I was a die hard Spring Waters fan, the sample I received, Tropical Splash, has won over the noses of my boys.

Now the best part – I get to share the love with you! Tell me what you look for most in a sports bra and you could win a Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra and a bottle of Purex Crystals. Tweet about the giveaway and you will earn another entry. (Just be sure to add the url to your tweet and your email address in the comment section!) I will randomly pick a winner on January 27th.

You can also try out Jockey’s amazing sport line and get  20% off your next Jockey order—courtesy of Purex Crystals. I am a huge fan of their running and yoga pants. Believe me, you can’t go wrong!

**Jockey and Purex provided free samples of their products so I could review them. However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.**

The ancient bonsai

Full of mystery and intrigue

Wrapped in history

Branches intertwine

Dancing with intricacy

Delicate, yet strong

Where coiling eels meet

Gorgeous shades of green emerge

Embracing their roots

Miniature in size

Elementary in beauty

And fashioned with love

For the IndieInk Writing Challenge this week, Carrie challenged me with “bonsai, elementary, coiling eels” and I challenged Grace O’Malley with “Create a story or poem based on this personification: The sun bows as pain vibrates“.

Last year I participated in Big Picture’s ‘One Little Word‘ class. My word for the year was ‘Grace’. I loved spending the year embracing, reflecting, exploring and living with grace. In fact, I loved my word so much I tattooed it on my wrist!But alas, 2011 is over and I must find and embrace a new word and a new challenge: One Word 365. A word that will challenge me to change and grow in all aspects of my life. A word that will resonate with me. A word that will inspire. My word you wonder? My word is:

I will say, I think it is kind of funny how words jump out at you. When I signed up last year I knew my word immediately. I knew what I needed to work on. I knew what I needed. Flash forward another year and I am smacked in the face again. Once again, I know what I need to work on, I know what I need in my life – I need to believe.

I need to believe in myself. I need to believe that love conquers all. I need to believe that there are good people in the world. I need to believe in happiness. I need to believe I can do anything I put my heart into. I need to believe I can write. I need to believe in my children. I need to believe that someday, everything will make sense. I need to believe that it is okay to walk away from the laundry, computer,etc. and hang with my family. I need to believe that sometimes ‘good enough’ is enough. I need to believe that I can make mistakes. I need to believe in forgiveness. I need to believe in grace.

What would you pick as One Word for this year?