My Music

http://soundcloud.com/you/tracks

Hot Water

Late last night, I discovered a leaky water pipe. The leak wasn't too bad, but the hubby and I decided it was best to shut off the hot water to the house, just to keep it from getting any worse. Now as anyone can tell you, I am not a high-maintenance woman. In fact, I see little setbacks like this as an opportunity to test my pioneer spirit. No dishwasher? I'm glad to wash 'em by hand. No clothes dryer? I'll hang 'em out on the line with a grin on my grill and a song in my heart. But no hot water? This one's been a little challenging. I had breakfast dishes to do this morning. So I pulled out my big ol' bean pot, filled it with water, and boiled it on the stove. Now the "pioneer" way of doing it would have been to build a fire, fill a cast iron pot with water, and boil it over an open flame. Let's not get crazy, though. I poured the boiling water into the sink, added a little soap, and then ran the cold water in there until it was cool enough not to take the skin off my hands. That all worked very well. But what about a shower? I'm not high-maintenance, but I just cannot go a day without a bath or shower. CANNOT! So I decided to do the same thing for a bath. Boil the water, pour it in the tub, add some cold, and voila! Ye Olde Medeival Bath! I imagine I'll do the same thing for mopping the floors, and the other general cleaning that has to be done. But it's times like this that make me really appreciate life's little conveniences. Sure, I can go on like this for a day, two days, maybe even a week. But after that, it would get HIGHLY irritating! And what if I didn't have electricity to boil the water on the stove? What if I was without cold water as well? I'm sure I could do it. After all, we humans are more resourceful than we think during times of crisis. But I wouldn't like it. Not one little bit. So today, I am thankful for hot water...when I have it.

Sunshine in Winter

The Christmas tree is composting, and radio stations have stopped playing that cheery holiday music until next winter. For many, 'tis the season to be melancholy. You know the feeling: You're more tired, maybe anxious or moody. You probably gained a few pounds over the holiday, and that can be depressing as well. Your mood resembles the winter landscape...cold, dark, and nasty. But not today! Today is one of those glorious winter days when the sun shines every bit as brightly as it did in the midst of spring. I am SO thankful for days like this, because I am one of those people who is prone to the winter doldrums. An estimated one in four of us gets them, you know. It all stems from a sensitivity to the lack of sunlight that results from winter's shorter days. The lack of sunshine disrupts our internal body clock. That's why, every time we have one of these beautiful sunny winter days, I get out there and soak it in. Even if it's bitterly cold. It really does help to lift the spirits. And add to that the wonderful breeze blowing out there today, making music in my windchimes...it's downright uplifting! So if you're one of those sun-sensitive folk, like me, get out there and soak up some glorious rays. I guarantee it'll lift a little of that post-holiday winter blah that you're feeling. Today, I am grateful for sunshine in winter.

Embracing Birthdays

I have heard of women who cry on every one of their birthdays. They mourn their youth, and they dread turning another year older. This completely puzzles me. Birthdays don’t really bother me. On the contrary, I look forward to them, and I enjoy them. I don't believe that getting older is the terrible tragedy that some women make it out to be. I’ll admit that there are times when I wish I could have the smaller body I had when I was eighteen. I also sometimes wish that I could have the youthful energy and excitement that high school girls have. But I wouldn’t go back. Who would want to go back to all that drama?!! I wouldn't want to go back to those awful insecurities, either. Sometimes I think that youth is highly overrated. At forty-four years old, I feel like I'm in my prime. I have laugh lines around my eyes, a crease in my forehead that didn't used to be there, more than a few gray hairs here and there, and skin that’s not quite as tight and smooth as I would like. I carry stretch marks from carrying not one, but TWO nine-pound babies. They are ALL my battle scars...my badges of courage...my purple hearts of womanhood. I carry myself with more confidence than I ever have, I feel smarter, I laugh more easily, and I try to not take life (and myself) as seriously as I once did. We as women just don’t embrace age in the way we should. My forties have definitely been better than my thirties, and I bet my fifties are going to ROCK! So today, I am actually thankful for being another year older. It sure as heck beats the alternative!

Thank God for Modern Medicine!

When I was in high school, I thought maybe I wanted to be a doctor. Specifically, and OB/GYN. I was strongly encouraged by my biology teacher, Mrs. Ison, to go into medicine. Apparently she saw something in me that led her to believe that I would have made a brilliant physician. But, unfortunately, I also exhibited the qualities of laziness, attention deficit, and a deep-seated cynicism that would not have contributed to a good bedside manner. I know now that I could not have done what doctors do. The stress of having someone's health and life in your hands would be so very stressful. Having a working knowledge of pretty much every system in the human body would be daunting to say the least. And keeping up with all of the latest trends and research in medicine would be quite overwhelming. Sorry, Mrs. Ison...I would NOT have made a good doctor. But I deeply appreciate those who choose a career in the field of medicine, both physicians and nurses. So many times we take modern medicine for granted. What would we do if we didn't have the access to the medicine that we have today? What would we do without something as simple as aspirin? Thousands of people find relief from it, for arthritic pain, simple toothaches, and even cardiac illnesses. A hundred years ago people were left to suffer their pain and illnesses with little to no medical help. Today we have a multitude of choices in medication to make our lives easier. When I gave birth to my first child, it was a very difficult delivery, frought with complications. Had I lived in Colonial America, I would have died having that baby. There's no doubt about that. Without asthma medication, I might have died from asphyxiation on several occassions, as would both of my sons. Without medicine for my crazy high blood pressure, I certainly would have had a stroke by now. My husband would have died from a burst appendix. And if by some miracle he had survived that, he would have lost a finger. He would also be in arthritic agony nearly every day without his anti-inflammatory and pain medications. Without his pacemaker, my father would have passed away LONG ago. My mother would most likely be blind. My sister Robin would be crippled were it not for a tibia transplant when she was 16. I could go on and on. We are so fortunate to have the medical advances that we rely on today. So today, I thank God for the miracles of modern medicine!

Our Christmas Tree Tradition

We put up our Christmas tree yesterday. Rodney and I started a very special tradition with our very first tree in 1990, and that tradition still stands today. Every year, we purchase only one very special ornament. Yes, our first Christmas tree held lots of twinkly lights, but only one ornament. The annual selection of this ornament is a very well-thought-out process. The ornament must commemorate a special event that will always be remembered through that one ornament. Several of our ornaments are monuments to someone special who we lost that year. There is an ornament for all of the grandparents, one for Rodney's mother Geraldine, and one for my sister Monique. There are also ornaments for beloved pets that have left us, so that we may remember how very much we loved them. There are ornaments to commemorate special vacations that were taken, and momentous events and acheivements. We have 20 of these ornaments, and each year we perform a ritual of placing them on the tree, and remembering why that ornament was chosen. We reflect on each one individually as Rodney places them lovingly on the tree. Sometimes it takes 45 minutes to an hour just to hang these 20 ornaments. Since our first tree, we have accumulated many other ornaments, mainly gifts from treasured friends. But none are as cherished as these 20. The hanging of the "Special Ornaments" is one of my most anticipated Christmas traditions. It is an opportunity to remember things that may have otherwise been forgotten, and to again love those who we will miss forever. So today, I am so, so, SO thankful for our Christmas tree tradition.

Thankful for Anger Management

Yesterday I got angry. REALLY angry. Pulse vibrating, red in the face, eyes tearing up MAD. I haven't been that enraged in awhile. And no, it wasn't at the hubby or the kids. I won't get into the circumstances that left me inwardly screaming at the top of my lungs, but let's just say it was one of those situations where the damage had been done, and I was powerless to change what had happened. I just had to deal with it. I fumed, I cursed, I even cried (that's when you know I'm REALLY furious). Even my husband said that he hadn't seen me that upset in a long time. But through it all, I was in control. This wasn't always the case. It used to be that when I got angry, instead of figuring out why I felt that way, I would act out. And you did NOT want to be around when I did! Yelling, punching people, throwing things, hurtful name calling and overall belligerence. Or gossiping, manipulation, getting even, sabotaging others, binge eating and even using drugs and alcohol to numb the anger inside. But not this time. After a 5-minute hissy fit, I channeled that anger into finding a solution to the problem that had me so steamed. And as it turns out, that positive twist on my anger actually resulted in what I think will be a better outcome for everyone involved. Nothing got broken, I didn't eat half a cheesecake, and I don't have anybody to apologize to today. I just have to thank my sweet husband for letting me vent, and then helping me find way to make things better. Whaddaya know? I controlled the anger instead of it controlling me. So today, I am thankful for anger management.