New Shoes

     It is undeniable that a new pair of shoes can make you feel different.  There's something about slipping your feet into great new sneakers, sandals, or heels that is an instant pick-me-up.  Many women go out shoe shopping when they are feeling a little down in the dumps.  Some go out and spend an afternon trying shoes on even if they're not going to buy any.
     I tried recently to get some opinions on this subject by posting a question on Face Book.  I asked, "How does a new pair of shoes make you feel?"  It was an unscientific study and one to which out of about 50 possible responses I received two.  One respondent said, "I like anything new."  That didn't really answer the question.  The other respondent posted some of the lyrics of a song from the movie My Fair Lady:  "I feel pretty, oh so pretty, so pretty and witty and fine" with a smiley emoticon at the end.  At least that response told me something.  Obviously I can conclude that at least one of my friends feels a lightening of mood when wearing something new on her feet.
     Having recently purchased several pair of new summer shoes, and having mentioned it in a Face Book status, it was no surprise that the friend who responded with song lyrics requested that I wear a pair of the new footwear to breakfast.  I told her that I would wear the cutest pair, to which she replied that she'd look at everyone's feet and know I'd gotten there when she saw them.  Of course she loved the blue-and-white-checkered flats with bows on the toes.  By the time I got around to doing anything on the computer later that day she had posted a comment about the shoes.  Several of my friends then wrote requests to see the shoes,
begging for a picture.  Being in a quirky frame of mind I took a picture or two of the now famous flats, uploaded them, and made one of them my profile picture for a day.  What a buzz over footwear!  My friends were enthusiastic in their praise and admiration.  Obviously we are a group with too much time on our hands, either that or we are all in need of somethings non-stressful to occupy our minds for a bit.
     Who knew that my choice when I went shopping would brighten the day of so many? I don't generally think too much about what's on my feet.  Sometimes,though, when the right footwear calls I must listen.  Especially when they're the cutest pair of shoes ever.

Sunday Evening Thoughts

*When someone asks me "Am I right?" after they tell me of something they did or said, they probably already know the answer.
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*There cannot be many better things than to be driving on a sunny summer day with the window down and your hand playing with the wind as you speed down a country road.
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*What kids want most from adults is time.
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*Just when I thought I'd left middle/high school behind someone reminds me that some people have never left that phase of life and want to pull those of us who have left back in.
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*It is a beautiful thing to watch a doe with her fawn just before dusk.
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*There are many types of tired but the best kind is from having spent the day with family having fun.
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*Spending the afternoon with family at their house playing games and eating good food leaves you feeling as if you'd had a mini vacation.
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*Pleasant weekends are the best reason to keep going the rest of the week.
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*It's easy to lose track of what day it is during the summer.

Time Flies

Where has June gone? Seems like just last week was Memorial Day and now here we are and Independence Day is just a memory! School has ended and I'm just beginning the time warp that is summer. Nice weather constantly beckons me to forget about the overflowing closets, the dust, lint, and piles of laundry. The chair on the deck calls my name, tells me to ignore the cries from the carpets & tiles that need cleaning in order that I may enjoy its view of the sky and trees. The sun fills the window and orders me to bask in it, walk in it, do anything in it. Flowers wink and smile, encouraging me to join them, give them a drink, inhale their sweet fragrance, and watch as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit. Spiders show off their web spinning talents to me, daring me to tear them down so they can begin again with great energy in juxtaposition to my lazy wanderings around the yard. Even the jet planes that slide silvery so far overhead call out for my attention as they appear in relief against the deep blue summer sky and play hide and seek in the fair weather clouds. The patio cries out to remind me how much I missed it when it was buried under winter's snows. So I give in, to the detriment of the inside of my house. Soon enough it will be over, Labor Day will have come & gone and school will be back in session and so I will be back at work. Then I'll be asking: where did the summer go?

About Miracles

When Hillary was still an infant and I told people that she was always going to have seizures and be severely delayed in her development, many would advise me not to give up hope and to pray because miracles happen. Somehow, that didn’t seem quite right to me. To me a miracle is most commonly not an Earth shattering, big bang, knock your socks off type of event. For me they are present every day. Some days it is a wonder that I have survived without alienating everyone in my personal universe. Some days it’s that Hillary laughed appropriately at something. Sometimes the right person speaks to me at the right time and makes things go smoothly. The phenomenon of Hillary being like all the typically developing children her age will not be happening.


Coming to acceptance of this was not an overnight process. It took someone inadvertently hitting me over the head with reality to open my eyes. Something such as at 18 months looking at “special strollers” (a.k.a. small stroller-like wheelchairs) with a very enthusiastic physical therapist who was non-plussed by my lack of enthusiasm. I recall asking her how long Hillary was going to need it. Looking back on that I do a mental head slap and a “well duh!” The obvious answer of “until she outgrows it and needs a bigger one” was not something I was willing to entertain at that point. It is a miracle that we were able to fairly quickly accept that particular reality and act upon it for Hillary’s benefit. She is currently in her fourth chair, and we are looking forward to perhaps ordering her fifth soon. Miraculous that we can be “looking forward” to that.


It was amazing to me over ten years ago that we were able to see Anna and Hillary on the same stage together in the chorus. Never had we imagined that would happen when we realized the scope of Hillary’s delays. How could someone who can’t do more than make the most infantile sounds participate in chorus? Due to an open minded and creative chorus teacher adding some small rhythm instruments to the chorus, our daughters were able to engage in the same activity with a group of their peers. Upon that foundation the community built a level of acceptance many parents of children with special needs only dream about. Hillary went on to join a scout troop in town, participate in as many activities as possible on her own terms, “graduate” to adult scout with the rest of her troop, and go on a cruise as the final troop activity. Currently Hillary is attending our high school in town, and is enjoying the experience immensely. I could never have dared dream that any of this would be so. I thought that she would forever be segregated from the non-disabled community both by the severity of her disability and the attitudes of those in charge. Miraculously we have found the opposite to be true.


I don’t know who to credit with the success of our efforts to give Hillary as normal a life experience as possible. It seems likely that we all have played a part. Maybe when we were trying to ask for the miracle of Hillary being “normal”, we were really praying for her to be accepted as she is. Miracles do happen.

Addicted!

I freely admit that I have an addiction. I’m addicted to NCIS. I love that show, and watch it as often as possible. Never mind that I’ve seen the reruns umpteen times, I still watch them. No program has ever held me this captive before, although As the World Turns came close. So I wondered what it is about these shows that keeps me coming back time and again.
I know that the writing is excellent on this show. Interesting stories with just enough clues and plot twists to keep me engaged. But it’s more than that. I love the characters and how they relate to each other. Relationships are important in life, and apparently in TV shows as well. Come to think of it, the books that I like to read over and over are ones in which the interactions of the characters are part of the central theme. Take my all time favorite book, Little Women. I have read that book countless times and never tire of it. The way the sisters interact with each other, their parents and the other characters is what makes the book such a good read.
And so it is, too, that when I think of the times in life when I have had the best time it is the relationships with others that stick out. A group of people, who have mutual respect for each other, and are willing to forgive each other’s mistakes and quirks is what being human is all about. Whether it’s family, friends, or coworkers, when everyone is mostly respectful of each other it just makes things pleasant.
Perhaps what I am really addicted to is the feeling that good relationships give me. Whether I am watching NCIS, reading, or participating in respectful relationships it makes me feel good. What a good addiction to have!