Here Comes the Sun

The last few days have been rainy, dark and foggy. I have to admit that it has been an effort at times to put one foot in front of the other. That coupled with the recent job loss has really thrown me off balance. Today my husband strongly encouraged me to go for a walk with him as the sun was starting to peek out. I kept my pajamas on until noon and felt like I was merely surviving. Once we got back from the walk, I found enough energy to make oatmeal raisin cookies and accomplish a few other odds and ends. One thing I did do today that was humorous and fun is pictured above. I have a picture of some young Swedish girls on the back of the toilet, and yesterday my husband asked if I could please ask them not to look at him. So this morning I put blindfolds on them so the next time he used the facility, he would be able to see them. I knew it worked when I heard loud laughter coming from the bathroom this afternoon. Some times it's the little things that keep us going.

Thought for the day: A good laugh is sunshine in the house

You are Dismissed

Last week my husband was "dismissed" from his job of 17 years due to a rule infraction. It sounds like he raised his hand and asked if he could go. He works for the railroad which is a world of its own so he will more than likely get reinstated in 12-15 months. Now we start the next adventure in life. At age 50, I was hoping that my challenges and adventures could be experienced in travel, not in trying to survive without a regular income. However, I am a survivor so I am fairly confident that we will make the best of it and use it as a learning experience. The bright side is he has done the dishes twice, and we will be able to enjoy the spontaneity I spoke of in the last blog.

Thought for the day: It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin

Spontaneity

Spontaneous: acting in accordance with or resulting from a natural feeling, impulse or tendency without any constraint, effort or premeditation.

Wow, what a concept! Yesterday we were able to do the above. We made a quick decision to go cross country skiing in the St John's woods. It was so beautiful, peaceful and challenging. It felt joyous to be spontaneous. So much of our lives are planned, routine and constricted. To feel truly alive one must follow their instincts once in awhile and just do what feels natural. Be impulsive, instinctive and involuntary.

Thought for the day (simple yet profound) Carpe diem

The Good Old Days

With both my parents now gone and with reaching the age of 50, I find myself quite often reflecting on my life. Lately I have been feeling thankful that I was able to experience things that no longer exist. Here are a few of those:

1. Rotary telephones and party lines

2. B & W television with only one channel

3. No remotes of any kind

4. Country school with two grades to each room

5. No answering machines or voicemail

6. Small town grocery store where you charged your purchases

7. No air conditioning

8. Wringer washing machine

9. Milk in glass bottles

Life seemed to be much more simple and slower paced, and I am so grateful to have had the chance to have those experiences as it shaped who I am today.

Thought for the day: Very little is needed to make a happy life.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I am very much an advocate for recycling, using things more than once and reducing consumption. In fact, I think about it almost every time I put some thing in the garbage or see an item in the trash that should have been recycled. I also like to compost. Well, winter has made it difficult for me to recycle as my bin is buried in the snow. My items have been piling up in the kitchen as I contemplated how to dispose of them properly. So this morning under the cover of early morning darkness, I took my bags of items for recycling and headed down my alley to find recycling bins left out by those people wiser than myself. They got the bins in the house before the snow came for the season. I managed to get rid of the two bags but had a few items left. I took our dog for a walk and headed down the alley in the opposite direction and deposited the rest in another bin. Gee, I hope no one saw me!!

Thought for the day: I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung. Rabindranath Tagore

Fat Old Cats

I have always been a cat lover. Growing up on a farm, I had quite a few cats in my life. We had a hayshed in which I would some times tame wild cats by sitting there very patiently while they got used to me. Also, I would meow as if I thought they wouldn't notice I was human. There have also been house cats over the years, and the two that are pictured are what we have left. I find that as I move into my mature years, it's getting more difficult to deal with litter boxes and cat hair.

Our cats are Hope and Precious, and they oddly have the same personalities as my husband and I. Hope is just like me, and Precious is like Brian. The spooky thing is that Precious showed up on our doorstep shortly after Brian and I got married. So it's as if they personify us as cats. Hope is now 17 years old and Precious is at least 15. When they are gone, my plan is to get my cat fixes from visiting the humane society.

Thought for the day: If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace, it would surely be the purr.

Sweet Dreams

I don't think I've mentioned yet how much I love sleep. It seems to run in my family as my dad and his siblings loved to nap and could sleep anywhere. When I'm not working, it's my ritual to sleep at least two hours in the afternoon. I also look forward to going to bed every night. We got a new Amish bed a couple months ago, and now sleep is even better!! I didn't think that could be possible. In the winter, it's not unusual for me to sleep for 9-10 hours and then have no problem napping later on. Sleep is not a problem for me, and I always dream. That's another aspect of sleep that lures me in. It's amazing to me what strange adventures our minds can conjure up. It's also a way for me to connect with those who are no longer with us such as my parents. When my dad passed away last May, I waited quite awhile before he came to me in a dream, and I was so looking forward to that.

Mark Twain is one of my favorite people, and he used to greet his guests from his bed. What a guy!!

Thoughts for the day: How beautiful it is to do nothing and then to rest afterwards. Spanish proverb

I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting. Mark Twain ( the subject of sleep deserves two thoughts)