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One comment can change your day.  For the past few weeks I have been having a tough time of it at work, after having a falling out with a co-worker whom I also thought of as a friend.  I’m not sure the relationship is salvageable beyond the civility working together demands.  It’s a shame, frustrating, and makes me very sad.  I have been on the brink of either asking to be transferred to another location or just quitting altogether and finding another job because it is so uncomfortable to be around this person.  Last night, when picking up my daughter from a dance at the school with the Best Buddies club, I was speaking to one of the aides who regularly brings students to my lunch line.  Something she said to me made me realize that leaving is not the answer.  It made me realize that my job is more than just getting along with my coworkers; it is making lunch time go as smoothly as possible for students and staff.  She told me that no matter what else is going on, I always have a smile for them.  She said they appreciate that so much.  It made me think.  I responded by telling her thank you, and explaining that I really enjoy interacting with the students and staff; and that is the truth.  It’s the best part of what I do.  Even at the high school level, some of the students want to have a short conversation about how their day is going, their plans for the weekend, or how much they like certain food items.  The conversations are very short, only a few seconds, because the line must be kept moving along to give everyone time to eat, but in those few seconds a sense of community can be felt.  Even staff members sometimes have those short conversations with me.  It makes for a pleasant atmosphere.  That’s not to say that sometimes we don’t have trouble in the area, someone trying to get away without paying, or hiding an extra they want but don’t have the money for.  Usually a look from one of the managers or teachers around will nip that in the bud.  Mostly the students are good, honest people.  That positive comment last night made me realize that whatever discomfort I feel with this one co-worker is not a reason to leave a job I love and people who are appreciative of how I treat them.  It changed my mindset, and changed my day for the better.

If there is someone you interact with who leaves you with a positive impression, tell them so.  You just might make their day and give them a badly needed lift.  You never know who is going through a tough time and needs to hear a kind word.

Mother’s Day Thoughts

First, two poems I’ve written for Facebook for Mother’s Day:

From wilted dandelion bouquets 

and sticky little faces, 

to watching from the sidelines 

and driving many places, 

a mother does it graciously 

and doesn't ask for pay, 

that's why each year we honor her 

on a day in May.

Happy Mothers Day!!!5/11/14

Mother's Day is set aside 

to honor mothers far and wide, 

those on Earth we still can call 

and those who passed Heaven's gates so tall, 

a mother's love is sure and strong, 

through good times and when things go wrong, 

feel her love around me still, 

always have, always will, 

to all my mother friends out there, 

the whole world knows how much you care, 

with all my heart to you I say 

have a Happy Mother's Day! <3 span="" xx5="">

Mother’s Day is another special day that has, (in my opinion), been hi-jacked by pop culture and has become a stress and pressure filled event. Instead of simply being a day set aside to treat your mother to a meal she hasn’t had to prepare, some flowers, or a lovely sentiment filled card, it seems to be a day where if you don’t spend a ton of money on a spectacular gift you have failed to make the most important woman in your life feel loved. This is not the truth!!! Most mothers, at least the ones I know, just want to spend time with their children and loved ones sharing a meal, or just talking or playing a game. Flowers are always welcome as is a card or handwritten note.  Really, simple is better! Those spontaneous dandelion bouquets and hearts drawn on scrap paper with crayons and misspelled “I love you Mom” of early childhood are more precious than the most expensive piece of jewelry. Appreciation and love can be shown by simply sharing a cup of coffee and catching up with your mom once you are an adult yourself. Really, Mom doesn’t want you to get stressed out or go into debt for her! The greatest gift you can give your mother is to be happy with your life and share some of it with her. Once she is gone from this Earth, you will remember those simple times you spent together, those memories will give you more comfort than anything.

Monday Thoughts

Monday always come too soon. I need at least one more day in the weekend! By the time I finish all the chores I do on the weekend, there's very little time for relaxing. I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

Being at work Monday always feels like such a shock. It seems like one minute I'm all snug in my bed and the next I'm walking into work looking around wondering what the boss is going to change or complain about today. We all seem a little shell shocked on Monday.

Why are cloudy Mondays so much harder? After all, don't the clouds match our general mood? It should be harder on sunny Mondays because we'd be wishing we could be home doing something outside or taking a drive somewhere fun.

Coffee is my go-to boost Monday afternoon. Cookies or cake, too. Monday needs a treat.  

In some ways Tuesday is harder than Monday. It's almost like Tuesday is a hangover from too much Monday.

Once Monday is over we can start looking forward to Friday. As the song says, everybody's working for the weekend!

Signs of Spring

There once was a spider named Fred,

Who filled clever Susie with dread,

She said Oh Em Gee!

His legs wiggled with glee,

Then in the shower he found himself dead.

               Here it is the beginning of April and the signs of Spring are few and far between.  We’ve been having cold weather and it seems like every other day we have snow falling.  There are a couple signs that the Earth is waking up after the long winter such as tulips starting to poke up through the cold ground and rotting leaves, the little bulge and some reddening on the tips of the lilac bush, and an errant spider in the shower as well as some tiny ants that found a little crack that needs to be grouted in the bathroom.  I could do without the last two for sure!  The spider joined me in the shower one very early morning and I dispatched him with the help of toilet paper and my fingers – ewwww!  The ants were a bit tougher, my daughter first dealt with them by spraying them with a bleach based shower cleaner, (why do we always notice these critters when we are in a vulnerable state of undress with limited weapons?), but they came back within hours.  So, I used good old Google to find a less caustic method of removing the little crawlers.  Among the solutions were: drawing a chalk line because the ants will not cross it, spraying with a lemon juice solution, and spraying with white vinegar.  Hmmm, I didn’t have the lemon juice solution ingredients, and the chalk line thing seemed a little amusing and I thought that maybe it would be good for not having ants contaminate a crime scene with a chalk outlined body but couldn’t see myself drawing a chalk line all around the top perimeter of my bathroom.  With my luck I’d have fallen off the ladder and injured myself.  I opted for the vinegar treatment and I am pleased to report that so far the ants have not come back after I sprayed their point of entry and all around the top of the room with it.  The only negative is that my house smelled like deli for a couple of days.  I’m keeping the spray bottle of vinegar in the bathroom for now in case once we actually have a few days of warm weather they decide to make a comeback.

I saw a robin in the tree,

He looked a bit confused to me,

Every branch was cold and white,

Not a tasty treat in sight,

The robin thought that it was Spring,

Isn’t he a silly thing?

               Yes, I did see a robin.  It was last Saturday during a storm in which we had over 6” of snow.  He did look a bit confused and our little suet feeder was empty.  I felt bad but I didn’t have another suet cake to put in it so he had to go find food somewhere else.  Sad. There would have been some bugs and seeds around if we were having a more typical spring.  I keep looking every day for the trees to begin forming buds, or the low brush along the road to have a tinge of green but so far no luck.  I just had a week off of work and had been hoping to do some Spring cleaning with the windows open and sun shining bright.  Most days were cold and either snowy, drizzly, and gloomy or just too cold, windy and overcast.  Disappointing, but there’s nothing I can do about it.  That’s what’s so frustrating about the weather—we can’t do a thing about it!  We just have to accept it and move on.  But if I could change it I sure would!

Go Away Winter

The morning’s dark,
Outside it’s cold,
This winter thing
Is getting old,
Give me sun,
And blooming flowers,
Not falling flakes,
That last for hours.

I mean it, I’m tired of Winter! This year it seems like it’s been extra cold and dark, and we’ve had 3 big snow storms in the last 2 weeks. Snow is pretty—on Christmas Eve & Christmas morning. After that, it’s just a hassle. It must be cleared from the deck, driveway and cars. Driving is dangerous and school and daycare centers either close or delay opening. It might melt during the day and refreeze at night making the roads and walkways treacherous to drive and walk on; pushing my daughter's wheelchair in snow and ice is not easy either!  I'm tired of spreading ice melter all over the deck and driveway, and the mess snowy boots and shoes make of the floors in the house.  I'm weary of bundling up in a bulky coat, scarf, and gloves.  Winter time laundry is more time consuming; the clothes are bigger and take up more room in the washer so there are extra loads, and those larger, heavier clothes take more time to dry, and the hampers fill up so quickly!  Soups and stews are nice, but a tossed salad of fresh from the garden (or local produce stand) vegetables, and chicken or a burger cooked on the grill are so much easier.  Cleanup is 1, 2, 3, and boom! You're done with summer cooking. I'm longing for a sunny, warm weekend afternoon spent sipping iced tea and reading on the deck while a light breeze gets the wind chimes tinkling in the background. Doesn't that sound like heaven?

Well, it's too bad that I'm tired of the cold and snow because if the weather forecasters are to be believed, we're in for at the very least more flurries and cold temperatures for the next 10 days, with the possibility of a 4th winter storm next week on the first day of Spring.  Holy cow! I've had enough!  I can't take one more obligatory snow picture for Instagram, write one more poem about the snow, and listen one more time to "Operation Snowflake" on the local radio station to hear the school and business closings without going mad!  Of course, I have no choice in what the weather does, so I'll just have to grin and bear it for a few more weeks.  Hopefully once the calendar says "Spring" the weather will catch up and we'll have some nice warm days filled with sunshine and some gentle showers to coax the leaves and flowers out of their Winter sleep and brighten up the landscape.  I can't wait for that!