Five things that made me happy today – 10/1/22

Lord, I don’t think you created us to be able to metabolize such a constant stream of bad news every day. But I do know that you created us to metabolize cookies. And for that I give you thanks and praise. 

Nadia Bolz-Weber

1. Cool and cloudy this morning – mid 50s. The sun was out all day and it warmed up to the mid 70s.

2. I scurried over to the Wellness Center to get my steps right after breakfast. Exercise done and dusted for the day.

3. I got home in time to see the last three quarters of the Oregon State v Utah game, followed by California v Washington State, then Colorado v Arizona – dropping in to the Alabama v Arkansas game, and various other games as the spirit moved me. Washington played UCLA last night and lost.

4. We grazed through the day on crackers, carrots, cashews, pickles, the last of the pate, cottage cheese, tomato, etc. I had a bag of pop corn for the Oregon game!

5. The Ducks are playing against their arch rivals – Stanford. (Stanford was my father’s alma mater, and I know he rolls in his grave every time I root against them.) The game doesn’t start until 8:00 pm PDT. You’ll have to stay up and watch if you want to know the score. I’ll be awake at the end, but on my way to bed.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 10/1/21

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

Thich Nhat Hanh

1. Cool and cloudy this morning – low 50s. It actually got up to 61 deg. today – but that was all even though there was sun most of the day.

2. I attended a ZOOM lecture this morning by a sociologist about the differences between Capitalism and Socialism. He also talked about how capitaliism has become conflated with democracy, and socialism has become conflated with oligarchy. Good stuff. Part of the problem with capitalism is that most of the wealth is concentrated at the top.

3. I warmed up by riding the NuStep before my workout with Sarah, my personal trainer. She put me through my paces in balance, and some strength exercises. We finished up with a short walk outside. It was a little cool, but nice in the sunshine.

4. I fixed pork chops, with cinnamon applesauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans for lunch. It was incredibly not bad.

5. There was a bunny sitting in the grass outside the Wellness Center who kept me company while I used the NuStep.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Five things that made me happy today – 10/1/20

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

Thich Nhat Hanh

1. Cool and foggy this morning – mid 50s. The sun actually came out about 2:00 and the temperature finally started to climb into the mid 60s

2. Short walk to the Wellness Center this morning to do my strength and balance exercises. 

3. Grilled chicken (thigh for me, breast tenders for Big Al), boiled red potatoes, and squash for me, Aunt Nellie’s red cabbage for Big Al for lunch.

4. My New York sister sent some pictures of Storm King Art Center in the Hudson Valley. I took a little trip down memory lane thinking about the Sculpture Park on San Juan Island that Big Al and I visited 15 or so years ago. Dreaming of a trip there next summer once there’s a vaccine and we can travel again.

5. After lunch, I went back to the Wellness Center and finished off my steps on the NuStep while I watched HCR’s Thursday chat on Facebook Live about the difference between today’s Republican Party, and the Republican Party of Lincoln. Very interesting and informative.

How about you? What made you happy today?

Happy Birthday, to ME

Well, I made it to 71 years old. Whoever thought I would be this old? Certainly not me, particularly when I was 9, or 10, or 11. I’m happy, healthier than I’ve been in 20 years, and very content with my life.

The Mexican restaurant seemed to think I needed to wear a sombrero while they sang “Happy Birthday” to me on Sunday!

Happy, Happy, Happy

Don’t faint! I actually am writing a blog post. It isn’t that I haven’t been thinking about you, gentle readers, it’s just that I didn’t think I had anything to say.

Just recently (like yesterday) I realized that I thought I didn’t have anything to say because I didn’t have any rants or complaints or snarky remarks. I realized that I’m really happy.

My life has settled into a routine and I’m content with it all. Sure I miss the grands and the kids and others in my family, but other than moving them all up here to the Pacific Northwest, I wouldn’t change a thing about my life.

The sermon yesterday was about noticing other people and really getting to know them as we go about out daily lives. About the fact that we didn’t need to do something wonderful for someone else, we just needed to love them. (And maybe for them THAT was something wonderful.)

Then I read a blog this morning about a new book, The In-Between. The author says:

…maybe the big moments in life aren’t really big at all.  Maybe the big moments are all the little moments leading up to it.  Maybe the little moments are to be relished and not rushed through.  Maybe we are to enjoy and appreciate where we are right now and be present to those we love the most.

Sounds a lot like embracing liminal space, doesn’t it? I was trying to learn about that when I first started this blog. It’s funny. Now that I’ve reached where I want to be – I’ve stepped through the doorway – I’ve lost my words. I didn’t think my “little moments” were worth writing about.

I’ll try to do better.

Addendum: After I posted this I found another blog in my email with this quotation:

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child — our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh