Friday, March 27, 2015

My Heart Weeps at the Important Things

A busy Friday at work, but that's not unusual. I texted my son who was home for the weekend to see what his pleasure for dinner might be... Spaghetti, I'm not surprised. I popped my head in his room (my girl cave Monday through Thursday) to ask about his plans for next weekend. He sat on the couch with a baseball cap on backwards playing video games. He isn't much on small talk or chit chat so I got right to the point. I started to close the door when I noticed the hair sticking out from under his ball cap was green instead of the usual brunette.... "Oh, hmm is your hair green?" (Well duh, but still) I asked. He nodded affirmative.  Hmmm, uh why? He just shrugged his shoulders as if there wasn't really an explanation. I paused at the door for just a minute then shrugged back and said... "Cool" and shut the door. I wondered back to my room thinking, green hair wasn't such a bad thing. This afternoon I received a disturbing text from a friend. A precious family we have known for years lost their beautiful daughter suddenly last night. There is a mother and father grieving the loss of their youngest child. A brother is grieving the loss of his sister. A young husband is grieving the loss of his wife and his young son is suddenly without the love of a mother. There are times when life and all we know (and don't know) makes no sense at all. In light of the pain of those around me, green hair seemed insignificant and "cool" was all I could say. My heart weeps at the important things.

Friday, March 20, 2015

I Grow on You

I was standing in line at the grocery store the other night and noticed I was  stuck in what I describe as  "The Farm Vehicle" line. I was going nowhere fast.  I have learned that if I get in a "farm vehicle line"  my best option is to just stay there because Murphy's Law will  follow me wherever I go.... I'm just lucky like that.  The poor checker was obviously new and did not know what kind of peppers the customer had chosen. I stood there flipping through a magazine while other employees and the manager tried to determine the type of pepper and price. The longer the pepper debate continued, the more irritated I became. The urge to start shooting dirty looks at the employees had just hit me when I had an epiphany. I have recently been in a similar situation. Different, but similar at my new job. A new job means you are completely out of your comfort zone. Even the simplest task can be a major stressor as you learn to maneuver through software, spreadsheets and reports. I have a fear of screwing up a report and then sending misinformation to.... You know like the CEO or other important people, who if they didn't have a wonderful sense of humor, might, oh I don't know, get their panties in a wad (not that this has ever actually happened to me, cough, cough).  Suddenly the checkers inability to determine the type of peppers the lady in front of me was purchasing, became less of a big deal and me having to wait in line while reading about Julia Roberts reported marital woes, became a chance to relax.  There is a reason my husband refers to me as Lucille Ball. The episode where she is on the candy line is my life on a daily basis. I am blonder than I pay to be which can be an endearing quality to those who know and love me..... Other people, well I have to grow on them, kind of like a fungus only with more personality and bling.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Have Courage, Be Kind and Believe in a Little Bit of Magic

As a girl, I grew up reading fairy tales. I had the storybook albums of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. I would listened to the tales as I looked at fantastical pictures in vivid colors that transported me from reality to the fantasy land of glass slippers and magical fairy godmothers. Perhaps that was the beginning of my shoe obsession. The saying "A pair of shoes can change your life"  has always been more fact than fiction for me. Although I am now a grown woman.... A Lolli in fact, I've never given up on my belief in fairy tales. In fact I have a magic Cinderella wand that sits above my dressing table for times when I need a little bit of pixie dust to brighten a dreary day. I truely am a kid at heart and what is life without a little bit of whimsy and magic? My excitement to the Cinderella movie was... Well epic. It's not often I look forward to seeing a beloved book being made into a movie because I have always found that the magic of movies cannot compare to the wonder of my imagination. Still,  I looked forward to seeing the fairytale played out on the big screen. Believing in fairy tales as I do, is perhaps one of the reasons I chose a prince of a man to be my husband, one who had no qualms at spending his Saturday afternoon accompanying his bride to a "chick flick". When we emerged from the darkened theater, we both had silly grins on our faces. Together we agreed the movie was just "perfect". Everything about the movie was just as it should be and everything I imagined as a small girl sitting beside her record player listening to the tale and looking at the story through the innocent eyes of a child. The coach could not have been more beautiful and the mice could not have been more lifelike.  The  scenery was absolutely surreal, The Prince was simply charming and Cinderella was perfectly cast. I can honestly say I wouldn't change one thing about the movie. The moral of the story was.... "Have courage, be kind and believe in a little bit of magic". But the most touching scene in the story was when Cinderella turned to the wicked stepmother and said... "I forgive you." And it ended as all fairy tales do.... Happily Ever after.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Slickery

I've been walking the wooded path for a couple of years. The trail has become well worn, but never boring. Nothing beats nature. Old man winter has hopefully blown his chilling last breath and spring is fixin to be sprung. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't transition directly into summer, but Oklahoma isn't known for its consistent weather patterns. The last week or so brought sleet, snow, and rain. We've been in a severe drought so any and all moisture is a welcomed sight. Today was beautiful and I was a happy little camper that the time change allowed enough daylight for me to take to the woods. I was surprised to see standing water along the path in places I've never seen it before. The portion of the path that is especially worn down to the hard packed Oklahoma clay, was very.... slickery, which made the walk  that more interesting. I had to keep up my pace while dodging gopher holes, briers and slick spots.... It kept me on my toes. I found myself finding alternate routes and forging new paths in the untrampled prairie grass. It was fun as I zigged-zagged, hopped and skipped where I usually just walked. It reminded of zipping through the landmines of life and friendships. When a slick spots appears in an area I've comfortably navigated for so long, and I'm suddenly uneasy where I used to feel safe, I find myself deviating from the usual course and forging new paths. Dodging life's landmines is tricky business if you want to make it out in one piece, and probably a necessary evil to get me out of my comfort zone and off the beaten path. I suppose everyone needs a little slickery in life to keep things interesting. If it wasn't for the slickery stuff, life would be just a walk in the park, so cliche', and where's the fun in that?

Sunday, March 8, 2015

How Do You Spell Success

My philosophy in life is to keep an attitude that draws people toward me instead of driving them away. I try to keep things in perspective in the landscape of the big picture, never taking myself so serious that I can't seriously enjoy life. At least that is my goal. Sometimes I fall short, and when i do no one is more disappointed in me than i am in myself.  That being said, life is too short to take things so serious that you become a giant Buzz Kill. Last week was a buzz kill kinda week. By Friday afternoon I wanted nothing more than to curl up in the fetal position and remain in a semi-conscious state the whole weekend. My "grace and positive attitude" tank had been siphoned dry and I was totally tanked. My husband knew I needed an intervention, so he made arrangements to see the kiddos Sunday afternoon. A few hours with "The Fam", coupled with some Lil Levi lovin is exactly what the doctor oredered to put
everything back into perspective where they belonged. NOTHING sets the world right more than being surrounded by the ones who really matter. For me personally, NOTHING is sweeter than rockin (or swaying as the case may be), my grandbaby to sleep. When I've totally tanked in life, that is what fills me up. For me success is spelled F-A-M-I-L-Y....

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

And That is What is Wrong with America


I was sitting in the tub blathering on to my husband about my penchant for getting myself in a pickle like no one else can. He was giving me half hearted murmurs because he was engrossed in a video of a 6 year old Chinese boy operating a bulldozer thingie like he was a grown man. I got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around myself and walked into our bedroom. He was holding his Kindle watching the video (yet again), when I said...."Do you know what you will be doing on the 13th of March?" He just looked at me and shrugged. I gave him my sweetest smile and said.... "You're going to be waiting in line with me at the movies to see Cinderella... Like a real life Cinderella movie with the real glass slippers and real actors" He looked up from his Kindle and said.... "Oh yeah, cool" Then went right back to the 6 year old Chinese boy video. And that my friend is what is wrong with America..... 6 year old Chinese boys are taking over the world,(while every 6 year old American boys are being handed trophies for sports they don't excel in) and I don't have a thing to wear to the opening of Cinderella, not to mention that Cinderella as well as other fairytales are exactly why most women need therapy  (including those who protest they don't)... But I digress. Nuff said.
I simply can't wait