Enjoying Life

         Tuesday was a dreary rainy day and I enjoyed it.  I arranged for our respite worker to stay with the princess for a few hours so that I could meet some friends for lunch with enough time after that to run an errand and visit the library.  Laughing and sharing lunch with friends was wonderful and then sitting in a quiet nook by a window at the library listening to the rain on the roof punctuated by an occasional rumble of thunder was just heavenly.

         The things I consider as enjoying life are vastly different from what is portrayed on the television, in movies and in print ads.  Those images are generally of tropical locales, featuring people wearing bathing suits, romance, dancing, and fine wine.  Oh, and boats.  There always seems to be some type of sailboat, cruise ship or yacht, blue skies and bright sunshine featured.  I’m sure all of those things are very pleasant; but how often does one get to experience them, and for how long?  Once a year or every two years for one or two weeks at a time or once in a lifetime?  What about the rest of the time?   Are we just miserable and not enjoying life then?  If I were to do an ad for enjoying life it would look very different.  For me, every day holds multiple chances to experience paradise.  Lying in bed with the window open listening to the birds greet the sun is a profoundly agreeable part of life.  The tinkling of wind chimes, the aroma of coffee perking, a letter from a friend, going to the park and going to dinner with my husband on a weekday all rank up there with those other ads for me.  Laughing over something silly with any one is quite pleasant, and those spontaneous short conversations I am prone to having with strangers at the supermarket spring to mind as delicious.  The delight of ordering out Chinese food and reading aloud the fortunes from the fortune cookies while watching a ballgame on TV with my husband and girls cannot be rivaled by any fine wine or exotic locale.  I’m enjoying life every day, and if I ever get to take a trip that features blue sunny skies, dancing in a bathing suit and boats I’ll enjoy that too.

Saturday P.M. Thoughts

It's Saturday evening and I am in my nest once again. Although the calendar says April and the sun sets after 7:00 it feels more like late February here. In recent years we've contemplated running the air conditioning a day or two by this time as the weather was unseasonably hot. This year I can't even put my winter coat and gloves toward the back of the closet because I still need to wear them most days. I suppose that soon enough I'll be complaining of the heat but right now it would be nice to sit in the sun on the deck and listen to the birds while sipping iced tea. I stepped outside after dark for a breath of air and despite the chilly breeze enjoyed how clear the sky is and how bright the half moon and stars are. I clearly picked out Orion and thought about how nice it is that I can do that. How somewhere out there in the world is someone who isn't able to do that. Either because they have a disability or illness preventing them, or it is unsafe where they live to step outside after dark, even just outside their front door. Suddenly I thought how blessed I am to have my little house, my little family, and live where neighbors wave and say hi, exchange pleasantries. I know, too, that if ever I needed help I could knock on their door and they would oblige. Sometimes I get so caught up in the chaos of my days that I feel grumbly and discontented with my lot in life. When that happens it's good to take a day and slow down, enjoy what I have, and reflect on how nice it is to be me.

This is the neighbor's cat who enjoys sitting atop our grill on summer mornings. I was able to catch this picture of her last year. I can't wait to see leaves on the trees again!