Back in Business

The best way to keep good acts in memory is to refresh them with new.
- Cato the Elder

I'm back so I'll put a new post soon... tomorrow? Maybe. Hopefully.

I've got lots of pictures! Of dogdas, the Moron Express, Shellman leprichans, and some clowns as well. It was an interesting and much needed weekend. I'll explain it all and tell the stories soon.

Misery loves Company

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.
- Carlos Castaneda

The past couple of days have been hard. A family friend passed away and it's hit me hard. For multiple reasons including protecting the privacy of the innocent, I won't say much about it. Just know I'm hurting for my friends.

Plus I've been sick. I've never had streph throat and I certainly don't ever want it again. The worst part about it was being quarantined. Especially in a time when I wanted to be there for a friend.

And it makes me feel guilty - I've been a little self-absorbed for the past couple of months, agonizing over my decisions, "problems" and indulging my every whim. In the "Big Picture" of things, I have no problems, no complaints and a happy, healthy family. If I ever needed some persective, it's been the last couple of months and I finally got a huge dose of reality. It's going to change the way I think, act, and approach my life. I need to live with more gusto and enjoy all of my moments.

Afternoon on the Farm

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet

I had the pleasure of going to a friends' farm the other afternoon and enjoying the sunshine. It was such a nice break from my normal day of offices, phones, and hospital hallways. I wore flipflops and jeans, soaked in the sunshine and took pictures of everything. My friend was transplanting daffodils and I was riding shotgun. At the time, it was my version of heaven.

Treeing

"Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game."

- Paul Rodriquez

This big tree sits in my front yard and whenever I let my pup out the front door, she beelines it to this tree. When we were outside over the weekend, I went over to the tree and tried to imagine what she sees.

Is it something like this? Or is it more? She has heightened senses of smell and sound that I can only imagine. So when she trees up a squirrel, does she know where he went and feels frustrated that her paws won't allow her to climb? Foiled Again! I imagine her thinking as she trots back to me.

And, in contrast to the quoted Mr. Rodriquez, I beg to differ that the squirrels in my yard aren't a part of the game. They taunt and dodge, squeak and tease as they run in and out of my pup's reach. They enjoy the back and forth. Or at least, seem to be laughing from my perch on the porch.

A Shadow and Her Dog

"I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better." - Plutarch


Getting my pup to sit beside me while I took this picture was the challenge. She's pretty well behaved other than the "stay" command so when I shifted to take the picture, she would start to move around. But after 3 or 4 tries, I got quicker.

It was such a gorgeous weekend. I enjoyed the sun and the life that comes with spring. There is nothing like the southland in the springtime.* I remember driving home from Utah late April and coming into Georgia late in the night, my windows rolled down as I could smell the spring. The lush green trees around the roads, the dampness in the air, and the sounds of spring. Nothing better and nothing that makes me feel more at home.


*Yes, I know I'm stealing from the Indigo Girls

Commitment Issues

"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life." - Anne Morris

I don't know who Anne Morris is or how her theory on commitment made it onto my Starbucks cup on Saturday morning but her thoughts hit home with me. As I've talked about before, I am buying my first home and the thought scared me - to the point that I didn't tell ANYONE besides my family for the first 6 weeks. I usually talk about everything so that was a big change for me.

I have a hard time choosing one path in life, there's a lot that appeals to me and I don't think that will ever change. But I can't allow my ADD to freeze me and keep me from making decisions which is the way I've handled some things in the past. I've got to keep moving forward and realize that very little is permanent (just death and taxes, right?). All can be changed.

So basically Ms. Morris's words hit home with me because I need to get out of my head and start living because don't you know, the secret of life is to LIVE.

Why Not?

"The key to change... is to let go of fear" - Rosanne Cash

I think after I learned the word, "Why" as in

Why is the sky blue? Why do birds sing?

I learned the expression, "Why Not?"

I'm always asking "why not" in response to being told I can't do, have or change something. Just because something is always what it has been doesn't mean it's what it always should be. It's part of my personality, the stubborn part of me that doesn't think that the way we've always done something is the way it should be.

I went to a series of "Land Talks" given by several local development groups last night and change is coming. Changes in attitudes, changes in choices and change in priorities. As more people come and support, voice opinions and elect officials. The old way of thinking and planning will change.

So I guess I'll be asking less of "why not?" and "how do we do this?"

And I'll enjoy it.

Winter Wonderland*

"Kindness is like snow - it beautifies everything it covers"

It snowed here yesterday... it never snows here. And, certainly not the first day of March. Last week, I was starting to wear spring clothes again. But it snowed and did it snow.

And yet, my little flowers were still standing... peeking through the white powder.

*This is my 200th post! I'm not giving myself full credit since about 1/3 of my posts are just Quotes of the Day but I'm going to modify my style to include the quote in my posts from now on.

Quote of the Day

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
- Helen Keller

Quote of the Day

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."

– Albert Einstein