Sunday, May 29, 2016

What Gratitude Looks Like

Imagine an old-timey lamp post, the type your grandmother had in her front yard. The black metal pole with a lantern on top rising from the greenish grass. The frosted lantern bulb is heart shaped. When activated with a simple switch the lamp grows bright, pushing back the darkness, illuminating the house, the yard, and the life of the activator. When the switch is activated several times, beautiful fireworks expand across the night spraying wonder through the darkness. The timer on the lamp stops the display at a random moment and darkness closes in again. The activator needs only to tap the switch again to bring back the shine and beauty. 


Gratitude can be difficult to muster in times when your life just sucks.  Sometimes the switch is easy to reach and sometimes I have to work really hard to even find the dang thing. And when I do find it, the light shines and there is revelation. 



For those who like visuals,
enjoy my 3rd grade art version.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Things That Make Me Go..........Aaaaah!

Experiences that make us really happy are fleeting. So here is my attempt to journal the things that make me go .........ahhhhh!

When competing in a flyball tournament, I get to watch my excited dogs run like the wind, their bouncing butts flying over hurdles, toward a wonderful prize called tennis ball. I love those bouncing butts. As a bonus I get to see their happy faces coming back to me with the expectation of the tasty treat to come. My hands rub them and rev them and we do it again and again until our day is done.

Banks-Vernonia Linear Park
I love to ride my bike along the green lined trails. The Banks trails is all uphill until you get to the top. The ride down is worth the painful climb. I sometimes laugh out loud as nothing can quell the joy conjured by a hiss of wind in my ears, a cool breeze on my face, and the occasional bug up my nose. Speed produces enough adrenaline to give me an uncommon lift without giving me a heart attack.

I think most people have a song! Is there a certain song that generates a smile in your heart as you belt it out in the car when you are stuck in stupid traffic?  For me the songs are Journey's "Don't Stop Believin",  Elton John's "Rocket Man", and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."  When I hear those songs, I must sing. I forget my troubles for 2.5 minutes and sing (and not well either). If there is someone in the car with me, I sing anyway and encourage participation. If s/he elects silence or complaint, I sing louder.

On the rare occasion when a cool morning drives me and the dogs under the comforter and I actually have an extra hour to snuggle them while drifting in and out of reality, I remember that even though the little mutts drive me to drink sometimes, we are fortunate to have each other. I scratch their ears and rub their bellies. Sonic melts. Pi growls at me as usual. They keep me sane (as much as that is possible) and they keep me coming home at night. To come home to no pointed ears to scratch would suck.

I leaned on a rail of the upper deck at my friend's home in Seattle last 4th of July. I had a glass of wine, good food, friends I loved, my dogs and theirs. I was barefoot and in a skirt. I hadn't worn one in years. The sky was lit up in three directions.  Was it the wine, the skirt, the fireworks, or the company? The summation was a rare moment when life seemed stainless and ideal.

Just thinking about these things makes  me go ..........ahhhhhhh!