Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Petty Stuff

There are 30 homes on my sleepy street and each Halloween, we share a lil Boo.  Bags of goodies are left on the doorstep with instructions to share with others.  Paper ghosts mark the homes already ‘Boo-ed’.  Only a few short years ago, (I’m embarrassed to admit) I’d carry much pride in initiating the Boo-trend here on Tree Hollow but would carry instant angst if someone else began their own circuit…marked clearly by a different ghost.  I remember that gut kick, knee jerk, icky-ugly reaction of gall like it was last Halloween. Utterly disgusted that someone else would compete…



This week, I drove past a neighbor home this week and saw the familiar Boo ghost posted and had such JOY…I remember the kids shrieking when the doorbell rang and discovered the mystery basket dropped at our doorstep. Sweet little things. What was missing this time was the angst…no longer caring if I was the ground-breaker or not. Feeling instantly silly for ever caring. What changed?  Am I filled with more joy? Has my focus shifted to bigger and better things?  Embarrassed that I ever cared that much for something so very insignificant, I pondered, what else no longer carries angst? What other petty stuff no longer concerns me? Then, what petty stuff am I currently carrying that will seem silly in 5, 10, 15 years?  An inventory seems in order…or at least a fresh awareness of that instant gut kick, knee jerk, icky-ugly reaction that rears its head from seemingly no where at all.

What other petty stuff troubles me?

And how quickly can I purge….because JOY feels so much better. 

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Glaringly Aware...My 45-Year-Old Self



Turning 45 this year made me glaringly  aware of several things.  Treating myself to an hour of peaceful yoga made me glaringly aware of how very inflexible I’ve become.  Poses that once came easily, were now stiff and cumbersome…not a single inch wasn’t sore days later. Once home, I attempted a manicure and became glaringly aware, once more.  Distances that were once clear, now are fuzzy.  I couldn’t get far enough away from my nails to see the polish clearly. With a huge sigh, surrendering into Tim’s reading glasses, I was both bummed and relieved to see close up once more.  Days later, once the yoga burn subsided, I tried my hand at a long dusty workout video and was glaringly aware that I must now follow the gal in the back that features the modified version. Ugg.


‘I will not go quietly into that good night’ keeps ringing in my 45-year-old ears. (which I’m glaringly aware no longer hear as well as my younger ears).  Supposing the alternative to aging is much worse, I must hunker down and fight. Clearly yoga needs to be a regular thing for me…twice a year just isn’t cutting it.  And, I suppose that the dust will need to be cleared from my workout videos for good. I’ll keep my gaze on that sweet and smiley gal in the back until I can hang tough with the frontliners.   AND, if I must wear readers now, I will be sporting the absolute cutest pair I can find!   You will find me raging, raging ‘against the dying of the light’! 

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Rosy Facebook Posts



I’m not even close to perfect.  However, according to  my Facebook feed, all things are rosy.  Recently several friends declared they’re ditching Facebook because it’s so fake.  I get it.  But maybe a rosy post is all others can muster.  I’ve met surface level ladies that will only let you get one layer thick before drawling back into their shell.  Anything deeper may reveal painful scars. A rosy post is just an easy way to stay connected, or an easier way to handle something sad.  

Would you prefer reality instead?  It seems we receive daily reminders of how very dark this world truly is.  Perhaps a sweet story or a lovely pic is all that’s keeping them clinging to sanity. What you see is only a glimmer of the load another is carrying. Be grateful you don’t see all truth...you might not like what you find. Behind closed doors, friends struggle with abusive husbands, cunning illnesses, precarious employment, fragile finances, insecurities, fears, depression.


I wonder if the more accurate issue is that rosy posts remind you that your own life is in spiral.  Happy families, secure homes, exotic vacations, all reminders of more appealing options. Comparison is a slippery slope, my friend.  No need to wallow…step out and step up. Change things up. Make yourself better, seek a quality group of friends, read an uplifting book, watch a powerful Youtube video, listen to a sermon online.  Be happy for another’s success…it means there’s room for you to be successful.  Be grateful for joy…it’s a rare and beautiful thing.