365 Reasons to Smile – Day 62
My children attend school out of district. That means, on most mornings, I drive them and my daughter’s BFF to school. It’s actually a short drive: ten minutes to school and then ten minutes to work. And even though most of the drive is on the interstate, there are also traffic lights.
Generally, the lights aren’t that bad, the delays are short and I breeze right through.
But on Tuesday morning, I got stuck at every single light. Even worse, I was the first one caught at every single light, which means I was the first in line to sit and stew about how “I almost made it.”
But as I stewed, I also realized how many mornings I don’t have to wait. I generally breeze through green lights, and I’ve always failed to appreciate that.
I won’t fail to appreciate that anymore.
From now on, green lights will always make me smile.
Day 62: Green Lights
Day 61: My Canine Friends Day 60: Differences Day 59: A New Box of Crayons Day 58: Bookworms Day 57: Being Oblivious Day 56: Three-day Weekends Day 55: A Cat Purring Day 54: Being a Unique Individual Day 53: Children’s Artwork Day 52: Lefties Day 51: The Neighborhood Deer Day 50: campfires Day 49: Childhood Crushes Day 48: The Words “Miss You” Day 47: Birthday Stories Day 46: Nature’s Hold on Us Day 45: Play-Doh Day 44: First Day of School Pictures Day 43: Calvin and Hobbes Day 42: Appreciative Readers Day 41: Marilyn Monroe’s Best Quote Day 40: Being Silly Day 39: Being Happy Exactly Where You Are Day 38: Proud Grandparents Day 37: Chocolate Chip Cookies Day 36: Challenging Experiences that Make Great Stories Day 35: You Can’t Always Get What You Want Day 34: Accepting the Fog Day 33: I See the Moon Day 32: The Stonehenge Scene from This is Spinal Tap Day 31: Perspective Day 30: Unlikely Friendships Day 29: Good Samaritans Day 28: Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet? Day 27: Shadows Day 26: Bike Riding on Country Roads Day 25: When Harry Met Sally Day 24: Hibiscus Day 23: The Ice Cream Truck Day 22: The Wonderful World of Disney Day 21: Puppy love Day 20 Personal Theme Songs Day 19: Summer Clouds Day 18: Bartholomew Cubbin’s Victory Day 17: A Royal Birth Day 16: Creative Kids Day 15: The Scent of Honeysuckle Day 14: Clip of Kevin Kline Exploring His Masculinity Day 13: Random Text Messages from My Daughter Day 12: Round Bales of Hay Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember Day 7: Finding the missing sock Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment Day 4: Jumping in Puddles Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill Day 2: Old Photographs Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 61
I admit it.
There are days when I’m frustrated or depressed or just plain confused, and I don’t even feel like looking for something to smile about.
But then I hook my dog up to his leash or I put on my bike helmet, and my attitude changes.
Exercising may have something to do with my improving mood, but “all my canine friends” are the real reason I look forward to exercising.
I may forget my neighbors’ names, but I have come to adore their dogs.
There is Bonnie, the St. Bernard mix who drools and sheds too much. There are Toby (short for Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Chewy (short for Chewbaka), who squeal with joy when they see me coming. There’s Buckwheat, the neighborhood puggle, and Max, the German Shepherd who receives very little attention from his own family. But most of all, there are the dogs that have no collars, no name tags and no people who show any concern that a strange woman is on their property and hugging their dogs.
And I am grateful, because canine hugs always make me smile.
Day 61: My Canine Friends
Day 60: Differences Day 59: A New Box of Crayons Day 58: Bookworms Day 57: Being Oblivious Day 56: Three-day Weekends Day 55: A Cat Purring Day 54: Being a Unique Individual Day 53: Children’s Artwork Day 52: Lefties Day 51: The Neighborhood Deer Day 50: Campfires Day 49: Childhood Crushes Day 48: The Words “Miss You” Day 47: Birthday Stories Day 46: Nature’s Hold on Us Day 45: Play-Doh Day 44: First Day of School Pictures Day 43: Calvin and Hobbes Day 42: Appreciative Readers Day 41: Marilyn Monroe’s Best Quote Day 40: Being Silly Day 39: Being Happy Exactly Where You Are Day 38: Proud Grandparents Day 37: Chocolate Chip Cookies Day 36: Challenging Experiences that Make Great Stories Day 35: You Can’t Always Get What You Want Day 34: Accepting the Fog Day 33: I See the Moon Day 32: The Stonehenge Scene from This is Spinal Tap Day 31: Perspective Day 30: Unlikely Friendships Day 29: Good Samaritans Day 28: Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet? Day 27: Shadows Day 26: Bike Riding on Country Roads Day 25: When Harry Met Sally Day 24: Hibiscus Day 23: The Ice Cream Truck Day 22: The Wonderful World of Disney Day 21: Puppy love Day 20 Personal Theme Songs Day 19: Summer Clouds Day 18: Bartholomew Cubbin’s Victory Day 17: A Royal Birth Day 16: Creative Kids Day 15: The Scent of Honeysuckle Day 14: Clip of Kevin Kline Exploring His Masculinity Day 13: Random Text Messages from My Daughter Day 12: Round Bales of Hay Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember Day 7: Finding the missing sock Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment Day 4: Jumping in Puddles Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill Day 2: Old Photographs Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 60
As a child, I became an expert at drawing flowers and mushrooms.
I was an expert because the flowers and mushrooms always looked the same. The flowers were a circle surrounded by petals, and the mushrooms always had a round cap and a stem.
As I grew older, I realized how unrealistic my drawings were. Flowers and mushrooms are like people: they come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
I was once again reminded of this when I was recently hiking with my daughter and her friends.
We came upon a tree stump that was covered with fungi, and the girls not only thought it was interesting, they thought it was amazing.
People who appreciate the beauty in our differences always make me smile.
Day 60: Differences
Day 59: A New Box of Crayons Day 58: Bookworms Day 57: Being Oblivious Day 56: Three-day Weekends Day 55: A Cat Purring Day 54: Being a Unique Individual Day 53: Children’s Artwork Day 52: Lefties Day 51: The Neighborhood Deer Day 50: Campfires Day 49: Childhood Crushes Day 48: The Words “Miss You” Day 47: Birthday Stories Day 46: Nature’s Hold on Us Day 45: Play-Doh Day 44: First Day of School Pictures Day 43: Calvin and Hobbes Day 42: Appreciative Readers Day 41: Marilyn Monroe’s Best Quote Day 40: Being Silly Day 39: Being Happy Exactly Where You Are Day 38: Proud Grandparents Day 37: Chocolate Chip Cookies Day 36: Challenging Experiences that Make Great Stories Day 35: You Can’t Always Get What You Want Day 34: Accepting the Fog Day 33: I See the Moon Day 32: The Stonehenge Scene from This is Spinal Tap Day 31: Perspective Day 30: Unlikely Friendships Day 29: Good Samaritans Day 28: Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet? Day 27: Shadows Day 26: Bike Riding on Country Roads Day 25: When Harry Met Sally Day 24: Hibiscus Day 23: The Ice Cream Truck Day 22: The Wonderful World of Disney Day 21: Puppy love Day 20 Personal Theme Songs Day 19: Summer Clouds Day 18: Bartholomew Cubbin’s Victory Day 17: A Royal Birth Day 16: Creative Kids Day 15: The Scent of Honeysuckle Day 14: Clip of Kevin Kline Exploring His Masculinity Day 13: Random Text Messages from My Daughter Day 12: Round Bales of Hay Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember Day 7: Finding the missing sock Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment Day 4: Jumping in Puddles Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill Day 2: Old Photographs Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 59
Now that my children are in middle school and high school, their school supply list is fairly dull. They need notebooks, paper and
pencils. My son’s list has a few other items, but the lists are nothing like the ones from elementary and intermediate schools.
Most strikingly, they no longer need crayons.
There’s nothing keeping me from buying crayons, and I’m tempted to buy a box for myself.
There is absolutely nothing like opening up a box of brand new crayons.
That always makes me smile.
Day 59: A New Box of Crayons Day 58: Bookworms
Day 57: Being Oblivious Day 56: Three-day Weekends
Day 55: A Cat Purring Day 54: Being a Day 53: Children’s Artwork Day 52: Lefties
Day 51: The Neighborhood Deer Day 50: Campfires
Day 49: Childhood Crushes Day 48: The Words “Miss You”
Day 47: Birthday Stories Day 46: Nature’s Hold on Us
Day 45: Play-Doh Day 44: First Day of School Pictures
Day 43: Calvin and Hobbes Day 42: Appreciative Readers
Day 41: : Marilyn Monroe’s Best Quote Day 40: Being Silly
Day 39: Being Happy Exactly Where You Are Day 38: Proud Grandparents
Day 37: Chocolate Chip Cookies Day 36: Challenging Experiences that Make Great Stories
Day 35: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Day 34: Accepting the Fog Day 33: I See the Moon
The Stonehenge Scene from This is Spinal Tap
Day 30: Unlikely Friendships Day 29: Good Samaritans
Day 28: Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet? Day 27: Shadows
Day 26: Bike Riding on Country Roads
Day 24: Hibiscus Day 23: The Ice Cream Truck
Day 22: The Wonderful World of Disney Day 21: Puppy love
Day 20 Personal Theme Songs Day 19: Summer Clouds
Day 18: Bartholomew Cubbin’s Victory Day 17: A Royal Birth Day 16: Creative Kids Day 15: The Scent of Honeysuckle Day 14: Clip of Kevin Kline Exploring His Masculinity Day 13: Random Text Messages from My Daughter Day 12: Round Bales of Hay Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember Day 7: Finding the missing sock Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment Day 4: Jumping in Puddles Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill Day 2: Old Photographs Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 58
My 12-year old daughter is a self-described bookworm. Not only does she love to read, she loves to share everything that she’s read. Since she’s very talkative, I know a lot about the books she read, but there are times when I get tired of hearing about them.
I shouldn’t.
Yesterday Kendall she told me that she wanted to know if A Tale of Two Cities, was an appropriate book to read. Apparently it’s Tessa’s favorite book. (Tessa is a character in a series she has read.)
She got excited when I told her she could download it on her Kindle and even more excited when she bought it and Great Expectations for only $.99.
I’m fortunate to have a daughter who spends so much time reading, but I’m even more fortunate that the books she reads encourage her to continue.
That always makes me smile.
Day 58: Bookworms
Day 57: Being Oblivious Day 56: Three-day Weekends
Day 55: A Cat Purring Day 54: Being a Day 53: Children’s Artwork Day 52: Lefties
Day 51: The Neighborhood Deer Day 50: Campfires
Day 49: Childhood Crushes Day 48: The Words “Miss You”
Day 47: Birthday Stories Day 46: Nature’s Hold on Us
Day 45: Play-Doh Day 44: First Day of School Pictures
Day 43: Calvin and Hobbes Day 42: Appreciative Readers
Day 41: : Marilyn Monroe’s Best Quote Day 40: Being Silly
Day 39: Being Happy Exactly Where You Are Day 38: Proud Grandparents
Day 37: Chocolate Chip Cookies Day 36: Challenging Experiences that Make Great Stories
Day 35: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Day 34: Accepting the Fog Day 33: I See the Moon
The Stonehenge Scene from This is Spinal Tap
Day 30: Unlikely Friendships Day 29: Good Samaritans
Day 28: Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet? Day 27: Shadows
Day 26: Bike Riding on Country Roads
Day 24: Hibiscus Day 23: The Ice Cream Truck
Day 22: The Wonderful World of Disney Day 21: Puppy love
Day 20 Personal Theme Songs Day 19: Summer Clouds
Day 18: Bartholomew Cubbin’s Victory Day 17: A Royal Birth Day 16: Creative Kids Day 15: The Scent of Honeysuckle Day 14: Clip of Kevin Kline Exploring His Masculinity Day 13: Random Text Messages from My Daughter Day 12: Round Bales of Hay Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember Day 7: Finding the missing sock Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment Day 4: Jumping in Puddles Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill Day 2: Old Photographs Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
What Remains in the Field
With rare exceptions, life doesn’t change overnight.
Instead, change is a slow and steady process that occurs minute by minute and day by day. And because the changes occur so slowly, they go unnoticed until they are indisputable.
I spent decades earning the crow’s feet around my eyes and the laugh lines around my mouth, but until recently I didn’t notice them. Then one morning, they were simply there in the mirror, and I realized that I’m not the same person I was 20 or 30 years ago.
I’m not completely different. I’ve always talked too much, laughed too loud and expressed my feelings too quickly. But I am also more confident, less likely to waste my time on petty people and petty issues and more appreciative of all life has to offer.
Time changes everything, and we can either adapt or languish.
There’s no greater reminder of this than a farmer’s field.
Last summer, the fields where I ride my bike were full of corn. This spring, they were full of hay. And now they are full of soybean.
But they, like people, still hold on to pieces of their past.
In one of the fields, brown stalks of corn shoot above the green plants. All of the stalks stand in a row with the exception of one obstinate single stalk. The corn isn’t healthy and, at a glance, has absolutely no purpose.
But it serves a purpose to me.
Every day as I ride by, I am reminded that the stalks are remains of a field that once grew strong and healthy corn: a field that was cultivated and served its purpose and now serves a different purpose. And the current field wouldn’t be the same if the corn hadn’t once been there.
That corn represents my past: the decisions I’ve made, the words I’ve spoken and the relationships I’ve had. The stalks are like my memories. They remind me that I am the person I am today only because of the person that I used to be.
The remains in the field hold no regrets. They simply hold the power to remind me to remain grounded and remember my roots while never failing to change and grow.
I think I’ll take that advice.
First days of school 74 years ago
My dad is now on WordPress! Go Dad!
The school year is or will soon be starting for kids across the country. Remembering my early school years may not be totally accurate or chronologically correct, but most certainly they are nostalgic. We had no school food service, which meant we went home for lunch. Maybe march home would be a better description. We would assemble outside in groups by neighborhood and ‘march’ two abreast on the sidewalk till we reached our home where we would ‘fall out’. Discipline was administered by a patrol leader assigned by school staff, usually the meanest kid in the neighborhood. We straggled back to school. At the end of the school day the march home was repeated.
A good bit of recess in first grade was spent trying to avoid a girl who almost daily gave me candy and chased me incessantly in attempts to deliver a kiss. The next year we moved across…
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365 Reasons to Smile – Day 57
Yesterday afternoon was near perfect. I spent it in a canoe and in good company.
After we pulled the canoes out of the water, my friend stretched her legs out on the grass.
“I think I’m getting cankles,” she said.
I stretched my own legs out and looked at her ankles then looked at my ankles. I didn’t see much difference.
“What are cankles?” I asked.
“Something you don’t want,” she answered.
A few hours later, I googled “cankles.” Apparently, they are like a muffin top, in that both terms are intended to make women worry about their appearance and weight, but cankles somehow involve the calf and the ankle. I’m still really not sure.
In this world that often places the superficial above substance, I really don’t need to know.
Sometimes, being oblivious is best.
And that always makes me smile.
Day 57: Being Oblivious Day 56: Three-day Weekends
Day 55: A Cat Purring Day 54: Being a Day 53: Children’s Artwork Day 52: Lefties
Day 51: The Neighborhood Deer Day 50: Campfires
Day 49: Childhood Crushes Day 48: The Words “Miss You”
Day 47: Birthday Stories Day 46: Nature’s Hold on Us
Day 45: Play-Doh Day 44: First Day of School Pictures
Day 43: Calvin and Hobbes Day 42: Appreciative Readers
Day 41: : Marilyn Monroe’s Best Quote Day 40: Being Silly
Day 39: Being Happy Exactly Where You Are Day 38: Proud Grandparents
Day 37: Chocolate Chip Cookies Day 36: Challenging Experiences that Make Great Stories
Day 35: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Day 34: Accepting the Fog Day 33: I See the Moon
The Stonehenge Scene from This is Spinal Tap
Day 30: Unlikely Friendships Day 29: Good Samaritans
Day 28: Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet? Day 27: Shadows
Day 26: Bike Riding on Country Roads
Day 24: Hibiscus Day 23: The Ice Cream Truck
Day 22: The Wonderful World of Disney Day 21: Puppy love
Day 20 Personal Theme Songs Day 19: Summer Clouds
Day 18: Bartholomew Cubbin’s Victory Day 17: A Royal Birth Day 16: Creative Kids Day 15: The Scent of Honeysuckle Day 14: Clip of Kevin Kline Exploring His Masculinity Day 13: Random Text Messages from My Daughter Day 12: Round Bales of Hay Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember Day 7: Finding the missing sock Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment Day 4: Jumping in Puddles Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill Day 2: Old Photographs Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 56
Growing up, the only thing Labor Day signified to me was the end of summer. The first day of school was always the Tuesday after Labor Day, so it wasn’t a holiday I particularly looked forward to.
Sometime during the nearly 30 years since I graduated from high school, the first day of school has edged its way into mid-August, and now Labor Day means a three-day weekend for me to catch up on housework and for the kids to catch up on school work.
But it also means that I get to spend a very rare evening with my husband when neither of us has to get up and go to work the next day. Since he works on Saturday and Sunday mornings, every night in our house is a work night.
Except on three-day weekends.
And that always makes me smile.
Day 56: Three-day Weekends
Day 55: A Cat Purring Day 54: Being a Day 53: Children’s Artwork Day 52: Lefties
Day 51: The Neighborhood Deer Day 50: Campfires
Day 49: Childhood Crushes Day 48: The Words “Miss You”
Day 47: Birthday Stories Day 46: Nature’s Hold on Us
Day 45: Play-Doh Day 44: First Day of School Pictures
Day 43: Calvin and Hobbes Day 42: Appreciative Readers
Day 41: : Marilyn Monroe’s Best Quote Day 40: Being Silly
Day 39: Being Happy Exactly Where You Are Day 38: Proud Grandparents
Day 37: Chocolate Chip Cookies Day 36: Challenging Experiences that Make Great Stories
Day 35: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Day 34: Accepting the Fog Day 33: I See the Moon
The Stonehenge Scene from This is Spinal Tap
Day 30: Unlikely Friendships Day 29: Good Samaritans
Day 28: Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet? Day 27: Shadows
Day 26: Bike Riding on Country Roads
Day 24: Hibiscus Day 23: The Ice Cream Truck
Day 22: The Wonderful World of Disney Day 21: Puppy love
Day 20 Personal Theme Songs Day 19: Summer Clouds
Day 18: Bartholomew Cubbin’s Victory Day 17: A Royal Birth Day 16: Creative Kids Day 15: The Scent of Honeysuckle Day 14: Clip of Kevin Kline Exploring His Masculinity Day 13: Random Text Messages from My Daughter Day 12: Round Bales of Hay Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember Day 7: Finding the missing sock Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment Day 4: Jumping in Puddles Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill Day 2: Old Photographs Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 55
My husband likes to talk about how mean my cat is.
My neighbor’s say she should be on Prozac.
And my daughter likes to make fun of her weight problem.
But Skitty actually likes me. And when no one else is around, she loves to jump into my lap, curl up and purr while I stroke her fur.
That always makes me smile.
Day 55: A Cat Purring Day 54: Being a Unique Individual
Day 53: Children’s Artwork Day 52: Lefties
Day 51: The Neighborhood Deer Day 50: Campfires
Day 49: Childhood Crushes Day 48: The Words “Miss You”
Day 47: Birthday Stories Day 46: Nature’s Hold on Us
Day 45: Play-Doh Day 44: First Day of School Pictures
Day 43: Calvin and Hobbes Day 42: Appreciative Readers
Day 41: : Marilyn Monroe’s Best Quote Day 40: Being Silly
Day 39: Being Happy Exactly Where You Are Day 38: Proud Grandparents
Day 37: Chocolate Chip Cookies Day 36: Challenging Experiences that Make Great Stories
Day 35: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Day 34: Accepting the Fog Day 33: I See the Moon
The Stonehenge Scene from This is Spinal Tap
Day 30: Unlikely Friendships Day 29: Good Samaritans
Day 28: Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet? Day 27: Shadows
Day 26: Bike Riding on Country Roads
Day 24: Hibiscus Day 23: The Ice Cream Truck
Day 22: The Wonderful World of Disney Day 21: Puppy love
Day 20 Personal Theme Songs Day 19: Summer Clouds
Day 18: Bartholomew Cubbin’s Victory Day 17: A Royal Birth Day 16: Creative Kids Day 15: The Scent of Honeysuckle Day 14: Clip of Kevin Kline Exploring His Masculinity Day 13: Random Text Messages from My Daughter Day 12: Round Bales of Hay Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember Day 7: Finding the missing sock Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment Day 4: Jumping in Puddles Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill Day 2: Old Photographs Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
Just So You Know 