In the Blink of an Eye

Somehow, the older we get, the faster the time flies.  Blink and a decade or more has gone by.  The statement “life is short” is no laughing matter.  It is.  You can’t stop it, not matter how hard you may try.

So, today, I ask you to look at life differently.  Think “youthful” thoughts.  Remember the days where time and energy abounded before life and all its entanglements and got in the way.  Run through the neighborhood with careless abandon; use your imagination to take you far away from reality.  We only get one shot at life so even though it may close in upon us at times, take a moment to rejoice in those carefree days when expectations of your time were far less complicated. 

Smile, laugh, and enjoy the memories of the life that led you to where you are.  Cherish those memories as they are an important part of each of us, and share them with those around you.  Only you can keep them alive.  I wish you a wonderful day. 

To Our Nation’s Teachers

Its graduation time across the country; kindergarten to first grade, elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school, high school to college, college and beyond.  As a professional who is an important leader in the lives of our children, who gives unselfishly of their time and talent, knowledge and patience, thank you.  The following is for you:

Teacher

Think of the teachers who challenged your mind.

Enlightening, eye-opening.

Amazing and kind.

Creating a class filled with care and concern,

Helping their students to happily learn.

Educators of children, now your knowledge impart,

Rejoice in the journey with vision and heart.

(Copyrighted by Poetic Creations)

 

I wish I could give you a monetary raise instead of simple praise.  Regardless, relax and enjoy your summer off!

 

 

Batten Down the Hatches!

Tropical Storm Andrea began rolling over us last night.  A lot of rain and wind moved through, it’s heaviest around four-thirty this morning.  I love sleeping to the sound of falling rain or non-severe thunderstorms.  However, our pup Biscuit does not.  He was pacing to the sound of the rain before we went to bed and again, at its most intense during the night.  Poor pup.  Thank goodness the pet store told us about some chews that have a calming ingredient added.  We definitely whipped those out last night!  It will be a tense afternoon as we have the second wave rolling through; more puppy pacing and whining for sure. 

This is our first real storm that’s gone by since our move to Florida last summer.  They say this may be a bigger hurricane season that they’ve had in a while.  (We traded tornadoes for hurricanes.)  We are ready through, we’ve done our due diligence:

      ·         Canned and easy to fix meals stored in the pantry.  Check.

·         Flats of bottled water.  Check.

·         Additional puppy supplies in hand.  Check

·         Flashlights gathered together.  Check.

·         Extra batteries.  Check.

·         Propane for the grill.  Check.

·         Generator tested.  Check.

I think we’re as ready as we can be.  Mother Nature, bring it on!

Disco Fever!

Ah, all those dreamy-eyed girls ogling John Travolta in that tight white suit.  Saturday Night Fever ignited the movie screens in 1977.   (I’m dating myself but I was only 13 at the time and not allowed to watch it.)  However, I remember the suit and the whispers from the older giggly girls who couldn’t get enough of the handsome bad boy.

 

My memories of this time consist of our new roller skating rink that had a big disco ball hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the large skating floor.  I spent many a Friday night with those mini wheeled boots tied to my feet.  Do you remember:

·         Fly Robin Fly – It’s an All Skate

·         Heaven Must Have Sent You – Couples Skate

·         Boogie Nights  – All Boy’s Skate

·         I Will Survive – All Girl’s Skate

·         Y.M.C.A.  – It’s an All Skate

·         Boogie Oogie Oogie  – Backward Skate

·         Best of My Love – Couples Skate

·         Rock the Boat – Switch! (Forward/Backward Skate)

·         Boogie Wonderland  – It’s an All Skate

Oh yes!  I can feel the bruises forming on my butt and knees even now!  Those were the days!  I think I’ll go pull a disco CD out of our collection to be-bop around the house this morning.  I’ll be singing…Ring my Bell…all day long!  Thanks Anita Ward.  (My husband may even let me set up the disco ball he uses for his DJ gigs!  Sweet!!! 

Have a groovy day!

No Soliciting!

There is nothing worse than someone ringing your doorbell wanting to sell you something you don’t need or want.  And usually at the most inopportune times, like:

·         Just getting settled onto the porcelain commode, reading material in hand;

·         Having just begun mixing fresh eggs into your family meatloaf recipe by hand;

·         The kids having finally given in, after an hour and a half, to nap time;

·         Your one daytime soap has just come on following yesterday’s cliffhanger;

·         You’ve just turned off the shower tap; or

·         Your spouse came home to surprise you with a “quickie” lunch!

·         (Add your own worst scenarios here.)

For such occasions, I found the perfect sign I want to put in my front yard.  Are you with me?!

It’s a Sunflower State (of Mind)

The sunflower, known all over the world, is the state flower of Kansas.  I know this because I had to remember it for tests all the way through elementary school.  For some reason, those elementary school teachers think that you should know all the pertinent details of your own state better than any other.  Apologies go out for those kids whose parents moved around a lot.

The sunflower is a big flower named after its large yellow head.  Van Gogh actually did a painting series on this bright, healthy flower – yeah, I found that surprising too!  Actually, it’s a plant more than a flower and mass produced for its seed and oil – both very tasty.  However, its many values are not the reason for this post.  I am sharing this because my neighbor, my Florida neighbor, has sunflowers in her backyard.  What?!! 

Florida is home to palm trees, caladium, and agave plants.  The state flower of Florida is the orange blossom.  Don’t sunflowers need seasons; the extreme summer heat followed by excessive winter cold?  Isn’t that what makes them grow into fields full of mini suns, their faces directed upward as they bask in the glorious heat of that large burning ball we call the sun? 

Orange blossoms don’t grow in Kansas so why should sunflowers grow in Florida?  Looking out my back door and seeing them thriving in my neighbor’s backyard almost feels like thievery.  They are Kansas gold for goodness sake.

I guess in the long run, it doesn’t matter.  I can’t turn her into the crop police and she might turn me in if I try to remove them from her yard!  So, I get to see a little reminder of my roots every time I look into her backyard.  Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.  I do have lots of good memories from the sunflower state.  I guess in hindsight, I’ll take them as a reminder from where I’ve come from and appreciate more, where I am now.

 

Strength in Numbers

For the third time in only a handful of days, Oklahoma has been battered with tornatic storms and now terrible flooding.  The latest batch last night surged its way from Oklahoma through Missouri, hitting the St. Louis area before continuing into Illinois.  I have both friends and family in these areas and have been praying for them and everyone else who has been affected by these damaging storms. 

Watching the media coverage from afar has been surreal.  These communities will come together to cope and rebuild, while the nation stands on the sidelines offering its time, money, prayer, and hope.  Unfortunately, most of us on the sidelines will move on as soon as the media coverage deceases and something else fills the headlines, leaving the affected communities to cope on their own. 

Why is this?  As a country, why does it take a catastrophe to garner compassion and an urgency to help one another?  In a week or two when the headlines cease prime time focus, we will lose interest, become self-centered once again, and move on.  Why does it take a disaster for us to truly care about people who reside outside our daily circles? 

I desperately want to say that I’m a person who willingly steps beyond me to help when the need is fresh and in the limelight.  However, when the pictures fade from the television screen and it takes mental and physical effort on my part to keep that need alive, I fail.  My life takes precedence and my focus reverts back to “me.” 

There is such strength in numbers.  If we could work together to remember those affected by tragedy, to keep us accountable to the hurting world around us, we could become a much stronger nation.  No one person or group can do everything, but as a nation, our numbers grow as does the power of our ability to achieve miraculous things.  We were never meant to walk the earth alone but as a national community of people, willing to step up daily to help one another.  I’m ready to be part of this movement.  How about you, are you with me?