Posts Tagged ‘life’
Mark and I were sanding down our kitchen table (the one we eat at each day), and I found myself feeling inexplicably joyful. It prompted me to think of these things I’m grateful for, but would probably not make it to the highest values list…here they are:
1. I can get in touch with Mark (my husband) any time day or night. This is something that hasn’t changed in 10 years. Mark is dependable with a cap D. If you ever want to get in touch with me, call him – 469-831-2450. You will always be able to get an answer or a very quick call back if he’s on the phone. Love you honey!
2. If I am feeling blah or off, I can look at Chance and he’ll smile. If I say something to Chance, he will stop what he’s doing, look right at me and say, “Hi Mom” and smile. Guaranteed. Life should always be that reliable.
3. I have a built-in Comedy Club at my house. Between the three of us, we probably laugh more per day than most people laugh in a week or a month. Mark’s witty humor is dry, silly and guaranteed to earn an out-loud laugh. Chance’s eager comedy style is true straight man, but still can bring me to laughing tears.
4. Rico will always be needier than the average Joe. This dog never ceases to remind me that sometimes a cup is never quite full enough. And, that includes the amount of love given and received. If you pet him for 10 minutes, he’ll want 20. If you pet him 20 minutes, he’ll want 10 more. Need I say more?
5. Manual labor connects you to the present. There’s just something special about cleaning a toilet, scrubbing a bathtub, washing dishes, planting a garden, sanding a table and everything else in between that brings you to the current moment and returns a fresh perspective about everything in general. Thus, the catalyst for this post.
6. A fully-stocked Target (insert your favorite store). Ever go into a store early in the morning when it is just fully stocked? What in life is quite so picture perfect? Rows and rows of Tide lined up like little soldiers ready to go home and fight grease and grime are literally one of my favorite views. I pick Target because the aisles are wider and the floor is so shiny and reflective. The entire shopping experience is a feast for the eyes. Red does something to me that blue doesn’t, and brown can’t.
7. A juicy-unopened magazine or book. I remember the instant I fell in love with magazines. I was about 7 years old and I held a Seventeen Magazine in my lap on the bus ride to school. I read every word of every page and couldn’t wait until the next issue would arrive some 22 days later. I remember dreaming about the clothes, wanting to re-do my room and, of course, write for a magazine that would make others feel just like I did at that moment in time. A new book, beckoning to be explored holds the same experience and feeling. Mmmmm.
8. Diving into a movie again. For me, watching a favorite movie is like going to an old friend’s house. I love I can reconnect to movies in this way and appreciate them over and over again. There’s just something special about some of them that calls to me again and again.
9. A sugar rush. Remember when we were little kids and would lick the little decorations from the cake. After pulling the big Barbie-style ornament from my birthday cake one year, I melted into a sugar-fugue that I’m reminded of every time I eat a cupcake, slice of cake or even watch children licking their fingers and ornamental decorations.
10. A summer’s eve spin. When I was 16, I fell in love with driving, and that love affair has only intensified over the years. Last November, I thought I had died and gone to heaven as Abby and I toodled around in her boyfriend, Cy’s, Porsche convertible and I took in the sweeping ocean front views of San Diego. The moderate temperatures combined with the speed underneath of us of God only know how many horsepower and the wind and sun dancing on our skin was like Heaven on Earth. Mmmmmm, even here in Texas as hot as it is, at 10 or so, you can spin around with the sun roof open sharing a moment or two with the wind, moon and stars. Perfection.



