“Nuf said.
“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” ~
Joseph Addison
I’m headed out to see what good I can do today. If someone smiles back I’ll think maybe it’s you doing good, too.
It’s spring break in our school district here, so the playground’s quiet.
“Whoever enrolled me in the school of life…
didn’t schedule enough recess.” ~ Peppermint Pattie
Do you ever get to feeling like Peppermint Pattie? Are you all slumped down in your desk? Can you hear the responsible grown-up people doing their “wha, wha, wha, wha, wha,” droning? Do you find yourself staring blankly off into the distance with not a single thought in your head?
Pretty sure I couldn’t make it across these monkey bars even if my life depended on it.
Yeah. Me too.
I’m pretty sure I need more recess scheduled in. Life’s school has knocked me on my butt big-time this past month or three and I’m tired of the learning curve. I’m afraid the road’s still aimed uphill though.
I think about what kids do at recess and wonder how I can get the same benefits without hanging upside down on the monkey bars. I’m pretty sure I’d probably pass out when the blood rushed to my head.
Boy, do I remember some amazing times spent on various playgrounds. Perks galore happen at recess:
Admittedly, since I’m married, there’s a couple of those I don’t have to worry about. And since I live in Phoenix the question really isn’t about staying warm as much as it is how to stay cool in the summer while wearing clothing.
Who doesn’t love a slippery slide?
The other thirteen items seem important for navigating life’s school as a grownup. So if I take time to chillax, veg, cool it, take a load off, rest and relax, recreate and even play, in other words, have recess time, I’d probably get some of the same benefits as those kids screaming out on the school playground. At least, logically, you’d think so.
I’ve been known to scream, but not lately. Mostly my screaming comes out in the form of crying at random unexpected times. Maybe I should try scream therapy? Or maybe not. Of course, by attending a sporting event I’d have a good excuse to scream without making anyone feel bad. That is, if I don’t scream mean things at the ref or the coach. Which I don’t. Usually.
RECESS-ISH
What do I really do that’s like recess? Hmmm.
Picked up this bumper sticker at the Phoenix Marathon. Thanks to runnersfeat.com for their brilliant product.
There’s something oddly relaxing about the squeak -squawk of a swing going back and forth…
Other things I could do that would rest and relax my mind and heart, but that I haven’t done lately: Listen to music. Dance in the kitchen. Garden. Bake. Nap. Camp. Hike. Bike. Eat dinner outside. Try something new. Plan a real vacation.
What am I doing still sitting here? I’m pretty sure I just heard the recess bell.
What do you do for R&R?
**Check out runnersfeat.com for more awesome bumper stickers related to running and other sports**
It’s Gratituesday! I’ve found my life runs smoother when there’s laughter generously seasoning and spicing up the day. Some of my most difficult days have still managed to fit humor into the mix. How grateful I am that I figured out laughter’s importance not too far into my adult life.
I’d been a fairly serious child. And a serious teen. And as a young adult things seemed even more weighty and required, I thought, that I keep my head down, my shoulder to the wheel and my focus firmly on life’s intensity and purpose. Luckily, somewhere in there, I found laughter’s power to lift and succor, and it’s magically ability to lighten and encourage.
So today I’m thankful that my six word motto incorporates laughter. And I’m even more grateful that laughter happens often. Whether a great joke on Facebook, a hilarious video shared by a friend, antics of my favorite two-year old, witty repartee between friends, a silly song, or whatever brings it on, I’m glad for laughter in my life. I don’t think I’d get through each day without it.
My unofficial motto.
Here’s a few things that have made me laugh lately. I thought I’d share them with you today, so you can find a moment or two of joy in your day, regardless of what else might weigh you down or have you worried.
A restaurant we ate in recently had funny signs all over the place. This one was my favorite.
Couldn’t keep myself from snapping a photo of this one.
The same restaurant also had this sign, which I’m afraid isn’t completely politically correct, but it’s still funny.
Not PC.
This one’s also from my cousin:
“Just got off the phone with a friend who lives in Minot, ND. He said that
since early this morning the snow has been nearly waist-high and is still
falling. The temperature is 32 below zero and the north wind is increasing
to near gale force. Wind chill is -59. His wife has done nothing but look
through the kitchen window and just stare.He says that if it gets much worse, he may have to let her in.”
One of my favorite bible verses goes something like this: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” ~ Proverbs 17:22
I hope to keep my bones well moisturized by plenty of laughter and smiles. Lucky for me that’s not too hard to do.
Oranges!!!
Who hasn’t heard the “When Life gives you Lemons make Lemonade” speech? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Okay, yes we’ve all heard it.
You make lemonade.
How about oranges? What if life hands you oranges? Then what do you do?
Let’s line up the two side by side and see what we get, shall we?
We should.
Have you ever actually made lemonade? From a bowl of lemons sitting sweetly on your counter? Or from the tree in your backyard? That’s an important distinction.
Those pretty orange globes hanging on the tree make for a cheerful sight.
Citrus trees have fierce hidden thorns and grow thick and tangly. So picking the dang things is like having life hand you lemons. Scratches on your arms, neck and face can definitely happen. I suggest you wear long, heavy-duty sleeves to pick lemons or oranges.
That bucket, box or bin you pick from that “small” tree fills up fast and gets heavy even faster. Hope you brought your muscles along, or at least some helpers. Our “little” orange tree we picked from yesterday filled up a large laundry hamper, a small laundry hamper and two five gallon buckets. It sure didn’t look like that much hanging on the tree.
Between rain and dust and birds the rinds of those fruits need some washing up. We had a two-year old on that job. She found it funner than bathtime. “I get to play in the sink with these hundreds of orange balls and this cool scrubby brush thing?” Oh yeah, she had a great time.
MSH invested in a juicing attachment that fits on my big mixer. That sure speeds up the process of getting the juice from the little round orange balls. Cut in half, press and the squeezing practically does itself. Sort of. MSH has slightly sore muscles on his arms today. A strategically placed bowl fills almost magically with copious amounts of juice. Personally I like to strain off most of the pulp and all the seeds. That’s a bit of a process too. MSH loves chunks in his juice. Me, not so much.
Here’s where things kind of split out between oranges and lemons.
Mmmmm. Makes you want to pour yourself a glass. Try squeezing a glass, it’s better.
To get a useful amount of juice from either lemons or oranges requires more fruit than you’d expect. An eight ounce glass of orange juice takes roughly five or six medium oranges. Granted, ours aren’t specifically juicing oranges, but still, that’s a bunch of oranges for one glass to drink.
After yesterday’s long process, I can tell you I’m not going to chug a freshly squeezed glass of juice like I do a store-bought carton of the stuff. Personal time and effort give that juice a rarified, vintage wine expensive kind of flavor.
Juicer than oranges, lemons might yield eight ounces from four lemons. But you certainly aren’t going to drink that much lemon juice. Oh no. That’d pucker you up for a week or more, right there. For lemon juice drinkability you’re going to want to add about an equal amount of sugar, maybe a little less, to two quarts of water and ice then stir well. Eight people can enjoy that sweetened lemon juice.
That’s a bunch of sugar right there. About a tablespoon and a half of sugar per eight ounce glass of water and lemon. That whole adage about life/lemons means you gotta add a ton of sweet to the sour stuff life hands you. Is it even possible to balance life that way? Some sour events life dishes out would require a sugaring of, oh I don’t know, a super sweet six month cruise to the Bahamas every half a year to achieve any kind of juice, water, sweetener balance.
Oranges, however, juice out ready to drink. No sugar required. A bit of ice is nice, but not necessary. It does take a hefty bunch of oranges and work to get that glass full enough to drink. Is the work worth it? When’s the last time you had a glass of orange juice, freshly squeezed? It’s a different experience than a processed glass.
Given the choice, we’d all pick oranges over lemons in the grocery store of life, wouldn’t we. Or would we? Some of us like a bit of tang and pucker. Some of us just need the easier route.
Either way, we make the best of what we’re given. And that, my friend, is the sweet and low of it.
What a slacker!
I can’t believe I didn’t post a Gratituesday yesterday. I can’t even come up with a decent reason. Busy. Life. Sidetracked.
Ungrateful?
Never.
Well, maybe on occasion I get grumpy and forget how decadent a life I lead compared to ninety percent of the rest of the world. Shame on me when I do that.
I recognize abundance every day but don’t necessarily mention it online. My journal hears about it. The interior of my car hears my comments and catches glimpses of car dancing and singing I might do when I’m feeling particularly blessed while I’m out and about.
There’s something about putting my gratitude out there for all the world to see that makes it bigger, better, and more real. Almost gives it life, if that’s possible. And so I’ve clung to the idea of Gratituesday since my sister posted one three years ago on Facebook. Tuesday has been like my extra little Hallelujah day.
Six-month old’s first selfie.
So, this Wednesday, a day late, but better than ignoring it altogether, I’ve built a list from this past week.
And that isn’t even half of the amazement that rocked my world.
I found another rock gift! Cool, isn’t it?
Oh, I know to anyone looking in on my life it would seem ordinary and boring. Maybe it is. But noticing and acknowledging the blessedness of it all makes it extraordinary in my eyes. And that’s all that really counts, isn’t it?
As is my wish every Tuesday, I hope you find happinesses in your life as well.
I’ve already overbooked myself for November and we ‘re less than 24 hours into the month.
For instance I’ve accepted a walking challenge. This involves either several walking marathons or consistent walks every day for the entire month. Seems like a great idea since I need to get more outdoor time and exercise, so this is good. I already forgot this morning, must have something to do with sugar overload and a way too late bedtime.
Also November is, once again AnClOuGaSoMo. Not familiar with this one? It’s been going on since MSH and I became a family. Seriously, he had a storage unit when we married back in the Neolithic Age.) It stands for Annual Clean Out the Garage Sometime Month. Which means I plan to clean out the garage, (yes, again already) sometime in the next 30 days. That could be scary or very cathartic. Or tragic, well, probably not really tragic. I just don’t really want to do that much work. Maybe I’ll just shove it all out into the driveway and post a big garage sale sign. Except I despise garage sales.
There’s some convoluted travel plans mixed in the schedule this month, too.
And there’s the Thanksgiving holiday!! A delightful holiday which involves a day of baking pies, and a separate day of cooking, and a day of recovery, and lots of shopping and cleaning ahead of time. All that for a few glorious hours of Family and Friends, noise and love bouncing off the walls, dishes piled high, dessert overload and abundant joy.
Otherwise, it’s simply a normal month with the usual comings and goings and dervish-like whirling.
I love me some November! Why? Besides all of the above reasons?
For me November rotates around gratitude every single day.
So, once again, I’m committing right here, out loud in front of everybody, that every day this month I’m going to blog or Facebook or both, something that I’m grateful for. And I’ll still do my usual Gratituesday posts.
That sounds like a lot but if I’m only mentioning one thing a day and I’m not going into elaborate explanations, then I can succeed. Right?
At the same time I’m setting up this challenge, correct that, invitation, I’m throwing this challenge/invitation out to anyone who’s interested in joining me.
I’ve written a bit about the benefits of adding gratitude to your life on this post. If you want to see if I really know what I’m talking about or if I’m just blowing smoke, you could join in with me. One thing a day. That’s all. Unless you want to overachieve and do three or five.
It doesn’t have happen publicly. You don’t have to post on Facebook or Twitter or a Blog. That’s just how I do it so I feel like I have some accountability. You can simply get out a sheet of paper or a little notebook and list your daily item that makes you smile, brings you joy, lifts your spirits, puts a zing in your step or makes your heart go purr.
Gratitude changes everything (Photo credit: symphony of love)
At the end of the month what will you have? At the very least, a list of thirty great things about your life. Or more likely, you’ll have gained a slightly changed perspective about how your life does not stink. Or even better, you’ll see life through a lens of thankfulness.
Think of it. If ten of us did this there’d be three hundred grateful vibes mixed up in the universe of grouchiness. If fifty of us did it there’d be fifteen hundred thankful thoughts floating about. If a hundred people joined in there’d be three thousand smiles to offset all the frowns that exist out there.
Don’t you want to try it? Ah, come on, say yes!
Say, “Today I’m thankful for _____” and fill in the blank, every day, all month-long. You can do this!
It can’t hurt.
Give it a try.
Two other posts I wrote that sort of tie in, that you might want to check out.
Related articles by other cool bloggers that show I’m not the least bit original and that this idea rocks.
Ten thoughts by other people with no commentary by me. Make of them what you will.
“Alice came to a fork in the road. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked.
‘Where do you want to go?’ responded the Cheshire Cat.
‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered.
‘Then,’ said the Cat, ‘it doesn’t matter.” ~ Lewis Carroll
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“Find a purpose to serve, not a lifestyle to live.” ~ Criss Jami
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“Every man gives his life for what he believes … one life is all we have to live and we live it according to what we believe.” ~Joan of Arc
Thou Mayest (Photo credit: danbruell)
“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.” ~ John Steinbeck in East of Eden
“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation — either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.
Megiddo altar. (Photo credit: hoyasmeg)
“Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.” ~ Mitch Albom
“It’s not hard to decide what you want your life to be about. What’s hard, she said, is figuring out what you’re willing to give up in order to do the things you really care about.” ~Shauna Niequist
“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Lucy in the Sky (Photo credit: gritphilm)
“Sometimes I lie awake at night and I ask, “Is life a multiple choice test or is it a true or false test?” …Then a voice comes to me out of the dark and says, “We hate to tell you this but life is a thousand word essay.” ~ Charles M Schulz
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ~ J.K. Rowling
It’s Gratituesday. I’m thankful for those pivotal moments in my life that have made all the difference. One in particular comes to mind today. Oddly, I don’t remember the person’s name who played such a starring role.
On a slightly overcast day nearly twenty years ago, I had just arrived at an outdoor “retreat” of sorts. Nervous and uncertain about what to expect, I stashed my luggage and showed up for the keynote speaker. Walking across a wide expanse of mowed meadow, I felt a slight hint of rain. Looking up at the clouds I wondered how the week would change if it rained instead of shined.
I soon found out.
Brach’s lemon drops, made with real lemon juice! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By the time all the participants unloaded luggage and found their way to the lodge where the keynote speaker would soon begin, the rain made itself part of the proceedings. People entered first with slightly wet heads and wiping raindrops from eyeglasses. Those who arrived a few minutes later looked disheveled, wet and somewhat wary.
The first thing the speaker said was, “Everybody stand up! Yes, everybody, even you all in the back rows.”
She waited. A few stragglers seemed reluctant to stand at which she pronounced, “The correct answer when someone asks you to do something is, ‘I’m excited about this idea!’” She smiled a big smile for a short person and said, “Let’s try again. Everybody stand up!”
Nearly everyone in the damp smelling room responded in a lackluster voice, “I’m excited about this idea.”
She laughed.
“I think we need a change of direction. Sing along if you know this one.” She then proceeded to belt out an energetic rendition that went like this.
“I’m singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I’m happy again…”
A few brave souls joined her part way through. As they did so a clap of thunder rolled across the hills outside at which a few people moaned, and a couple of people clapped. There was even a cheer or two.
When they finished singing she looked the group over and laughed again. “What was that phrase I said we should respond with? ‘I’m excited about this idea!’”
She put her hand to her ear as she said, “Everyone sing along with me!”
“I’m excited about this idea,” the group responded.
“I can’t hear you,” she said.
“I’m EXCITED about this idea!” we all yelled back.
Then we all belted out the first few phrases of “Singing in the Rain.”
Glowing gumdrops. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For good measure we did another song with actions, of sorts. Arms spread as if welcoming a rainstorm, head back and mouth opened wide during the “ah, ah, ah” part of the song, we sang:
“If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops, oh what a rain it would be…I’d stand outside with my mouth open wide, ah, ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah. If all the raindrops were lemon drop and gum drops oh what a rain it would be.”
I don’t remember anything more specific about that speaker, not even her name.
I’m not sure what she said. But something clicked in me. Something sparked. Some cog turned that set in motion a churning machine of interconnected wheels, chain reactions, window opening, door crashing changes.
Maybe her joyful manner, her laughter, her energy overpowering even a thunderstorm affected me. Maybe the twinkle in her eyes or the bounce in her step brought some unspoken message that only I heard.
I felt it though. I felt different. From that moment, I began to chang from a cowering, shy uncertain afraid-of-her-own-shadow ghost of myself into a full-blown, somewhat bodacious, speak my mind, belt it out loud, say what I think semi-brave woman of substance.
No, all those changes weren’t instantaneous. More like a set of dominoes aligned in an elaborate design where the little rectangles rose on steps, circled and swirled in intricate paths, I too, unconsciously began my own domino effect of growth and change.
Maybe this woman’s words or actions or attitude figuratively poured water on a seed that lay dormant under a dirt and trash covered patch of ground in me. Someone else may have laid the seed in the ground and then years later, time and opportunity and, maybe the rain that day became the catalysts. Whatever happened was pivotal.
Judy Garland performing Over the Rainbow for the film The Wizard of Oz. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”, my life changed from black and white to brilliant Technicolor. I became excited about this idea, and excited about that idea. Left and right I saw positives around nearly every corner.
It rained that entire week. In fact it rained so long and hard that some small trickling streams became raging rivers. Thunderstorms kept us awake nights. Schedules changed and rearranged. My feet never felt dry.
But me, inside, I felt newly born in the deluge.
I ran into this woman briefly, several years later, somewhere random, and had just a moment or two to tell her, “You changed my life with a presentation you gave a few years ago.” She looked at me, confused, without a clue who I was or what she’d said or done.
“Just know,” I said as the crowd whisked me away, “that you made a huge difference in someone’s life. Thank you!”
Yup. Pivotal. Turned my life around one hundred eighty degrees.
Lucky me.
Feeling a bit sluggish I click on over to Pandora for some tunes to rev the old engine.
Serendipity does one of those “ah ha” kind of things. Kenny Loggins starts playing “Footloose.” Exactly. Yes, exactly what my body, brain and feet needed to kick start my day.
Dancing Feet (Photo credit: JPott)
Power resides in certain arrangements of notes, rhythm, timing, lyrics, beat, and style. Power to lift. Power to lull. Power to move and change and motivate.
Why should I be surprised when a song changes my mood? It happens over and over and over.
Yesterday on the road I cranked on the radio, it’s crackly speakers rattling with the shimmy, buzz, hum and squeak of my old truck. Three Dog Night started in with ‘Joy to the World.” Y’know, “Jeremiah was a bullfrog…da da daaa!” Happy crowded into the cab of the truck and road along, tapping its feet to the beat. Man, we were rocking it. “Joy to the world, All the boys and girls now, Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea and Joy to you and me.”
Moments like that can carry you through some crazy times.
I can’t get through a month without a bit of Santana’s “Smooth.” I also love moving it to “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller. And who can leave out Counting Crows “Accidentlly in Love.” And the Beatles “Twist and Shout.” And of course, “Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band. And the quintessential disco album from the movie “Saturday Night Fever” especially “Stayin’ Alive.”
Gotta admit here that I’m a kitchen dancer. Yes, me. I can bust a move, boogie, disco and cut a rug like a pro, at least when no one’s around.
“Dance like nobody’s watching.”
It does something for your mind and your heart and I’m not talking cardio, either.
spatula aka a microphone if you need one on the fly (Photo credit: jmcunnin2000)
Maybe you’re not a secret dancer, maybe you’re a spatula-microphone or toothbrush-microphone kinda person. If so then James Taylor is your man, with “How Sweet it is to be Loved By You.” You too can be a star when you ramp up your day with a few sweet songs. Try listening to the kicky tune by Dave Barnes “Little Lies.” Or “Clouds” by Zach Sobiech, there’s an upbeat song. Kat Edmonson has a sweet one called “Lucky” that’ll get your toes tapping.
Looking for something different? Try Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Love Changes Everything,” or “Simple Gifts” by Aaron Copeland. And who doesn’t love Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wondeful World.”
Music makes a huge difference in my life from Sunday to Saturday. I need more of it, more often! So I’m building a new playlist titled: Feel Like Dancing.
I’m open to any suggestions ya’ll wanna throw my way. Current stuff, oldies…I’m open minded and ready to dance.
I really don’t like the title of this post. There’s got to be a better way of saying it, but I am fresh out of brilliance and, as a friend of mine calls it, “finesse.”
If you have any suggestions for a Sunday Post title I’d be thrilled and would gratefully name one of my garden flowers after you, or something wondrous like that.
So this first quote is, admittedly, taken out of context and edited. I’ll share the edited one with you first. Then, under that I’ll give you the full quote as I found it. I like both versions, a lot. The longer one leans toward the rebellious side, which I have a tendency to tip toward myself. So, on my mini-chalkboard at home I quoted the non-rebellious version. I’m pretty sure Mark Twain would hang me up by my toenails and throw sharp words at me, at the very least.
“Life is short, Break the Rules.
Forgive quickly, Kiss SLOWLY.
Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably
And never regret ANYTHING
That makes you smile.”
— Mark Twain
I agree, Life is short, even at its longest. I don’t generally condone breaking the rules, but have been known to do so, a little too often. And, regret? Regret falls under an entire category of multiple blog posts which I may, someday if I feel brave, write and elucidate on.
“The Lord of the Rings” books shine with brilliance and wisdom. I try to restrain myself from quoting Tolkien too often, but you gotta admit, he nails it time and again. Here’s a tiny bite of the feast that his words created.
Then, there’s this saying I have on my wall in the kitchen. It’s a reminder to myself that I’m not really really old. Even though parts of me seem insistent on convincing me otherwise.
I’ll refrain from vowing to get to bed earlier, eat better, brush more often and exercise twice as much as usual. I think I just want to try to stay young at heart. Which would involve the first quote: forgiving, kissing, loving, laughing. I can do those.
That’s all I’ve got for today.
Wishing you a week filled with grateful moments, joy, and laughter.
Kami's Beautiful Morning 