You didn’t know we had one, did you? A “sun”, that is. You know that thing I’m talking about. We all learned about it in elementary school. It’s part of the solar system – our planet has one of it’s very own. You see it painted bright yellow by artists all around the world, or at least by those who have actually seen it. All those planets out there, with their own suns and moons. I remember the lesson quite well. It was in the time of my life when the sun made an appearance on a semi-regular basis. Of course, I didn’t live where I do now. I didn’t live here in the very green Pacific Northwest. I’ve not forgotten the days of my youth, warm sunny days. Dry air, dry lawn, dry hair, dry – ness. Yes, there was a time when things outside the house were dry. Not wet and soggy and muddy and moldy. Not damp and dark and cold. No; dry and warm and…dry.
Month: March 2011
I am the boss of me!
I read a quote by a famous person the other day (I can’t remember who it was) that said: “Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, weather you feel like it or not, and you will be successful in life.” I thought about that for quite a while and concluded that it is true. I know this because I started out the new year with a schedule. An actual Monday through Friday schedule. It incorporates rise and shine, coffee, prayer, exercise, shower, writing, house cleaning and quitting time, all together in a nice neat little package. I find that following the schedule has allowed me to accomplish much more on a daily basis than I ever have. A schedule keeps me accountable for my time and accountability is important in life. It keeps us on our toes. One of my friends said she could never do that. She thinks it’s far too restrictive and too demanding. She’s right. It is. Yet, I need to practice self discipline because basically, I am a lazy person who will look for an easy out every chance I get. I’m capable of finding more excuses than there are dandelions…
Butterflies
They are brilliant in color, graceful if flight, delicate and harmless. The flight of a butterfly catches the eye with the grace of a classical ballet as it flutters from flower to flower. I watched a Monarch one day as it came through the forest following a small stream of mountain water melting off from the snow cap above. It’s decent was hard to follow as it flitted from place to place, landing for only seconds here and there. What must it be like to be a butterfly? To be so incredibly weightless as to get through life on the shirttail of a breeze and so beautiful to be compared only to the rarest of exquisite creations.
The Cost of Living
Why does it cost so much to live these days? Where in the world did today’s prices come from? (I know, I know, it’s all about the cost of oil! But let’s just muse about life, okay?) I mean, it used to be we could buy a whole house for the current cost of a luxury car. When we were first married, our dream was to eventually work our way into a forty thousand dollar almost- mansion. A house like our parents had. By the time we bought our first house, it was thirty eight thousand and about half the house we were hoping for. Maybe even less. And it was kind of cardboard-y. Not like the brick homes of our parents at all. I’m concerned about vegetables. The price of vegetable is going up steadily and soon will be a luxury to buy. I wish I still hated vegetables as I did when I was a kid. But now, I love them. It’s actually just about all I want to eat. It’s possible that now is the time to try out gardening. Maybe start with little cherry tomatoes, carrots and onions and beats. That would be a nice start…