Laughter

I was sitting here this morning and thinking that I haven't posted in awhile. And in doing so, I came to realize that I haven't been as inspired. I think I got caught up too much in my day to day; feeling hurried or rushed ... then tired or lazy ... pick any excuse. So, last night I had the kids have their baths earlier than usual, and we got comfy on the couch, and tuned into some tv. I know, I know, groan, groan ... but sometimes they really do need to just plug in and check out. So, we decided to watch that crazy Wipeout show. Now, I've heard the negative and positive about it ... but I must admit, we enjoyed it for the most part. Why??? Above all else, and at the expense of those poor contestant's shameless efforts ... we laughed, and we laughed and we laughed. God that felt good!!!! I found two quotes that struck me, one of which, of course, made me laugh.

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. ~Yiddish Proverb

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose. ~Woody Allen

Enjoy your day and laugh ..... please! :-)

My Creations Added

Time to share pics of one of my preferred past times. Card making! Something which I have not been doing of late, however I did find some old pics, and I mean old, that I could post. I will find more, and share these with you. My dear friend, Tracey aka "Fred" (check out her blog in my links) has been inspiring me to get more creative again. I hope to post more soon!

BFFL-You know who you are!

Among the many things in life I am thankful for is my friends. Those who I could count on implicitely to be there for me without judgement, hesitation, question, and because they want to. As a Canadian, who plopped herself in Minnesota 18 years ago, I still to this day, find my world somewhat small. And to be honest, I prefer it that way. I have been blessed to have made friends in life who will be my friends for life. My friend who, despite hundreds of miles that divide us and once a year visits; we remain BFFL. And though we can't help each other out in person, our internet connection allows us to be there for each other. Mwah to you girl! My friend, whom I have been sooooo blessed to have found here in my small MN world, who keeps me sane, quite literally. She's a mother to my kids when I'm not, she graciously gives up her day off so that we can get together (kids and all) to celebrate my birthday, she knows me for all my good and bad, and never judges. (BIG HUG) My friend, whom I have never met in person, who is my sounding board, my cheerleader, my health advisor, among other things (Hug). And my Mom, who was my first BFFL, who has done soooooo much for me, continues to do tooooo much for me, who means the world to me ...... and taught me how to be a good friend. ("Squeeze me with your eyes.") It is my wish that I can bless all of your lives as much as all of you do mine. xoxoxoxoxo

The Tipping Point

So this morning I went to http://www.youtube.com/ just for kicks, as I usually do. One of their latest top picks was this stare down video with Jessica Alba. Okay, so curiousity got the best of me, and I watch the video. It has a catchy tune, it has a good beat for my walks, and I end up trying to find it. I find it on you tube, and then start reading the comments (another thing I do for kicks), and see that many people were doing just as I was as a result of the stare down video. It brings me to this thought .... was her video on you tube, with over 3 MILLION views, the tipping point for the popularity of the song?

Malcolm Gladwell's explanation of his book, The Tipping Point: "I think the answer to all those questions is the same. It's that ideas and behavior and messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. The Tipping Point is an examination of the social epidemics that surround us."

I'd like to see more positive tipping points. How's that for a challenge? What idea, behavior, or message could we spread in that infectious way? Think about that ...... I know I will.

Memories .....

Welllllll.....we are but 4 days from May, and we had snow come through this weekend. Hardly enough to count as snow, but certainly enough to discourage those of us who really felt that spring had "sprung". You see .... our new home has a front porch that will accommodate furniture, and I can't tell you how excited I am about that. I cannot wait to sit on my porch with my book, laptop, knitting, or any other task that will keep my idle hands busy. I LOVE Spring and Autumn; they are my 2 favorite seasons. I'm not a huge Summer or Winter fan. It's too hot, and it's too cold! The coming of the green of spring is amazing to watch, and the colors of autumn leaves, and the smell of autumn breezes is the kind of things that bring memories flooding to back to me. I remember as a young girl sitting on my Grandparent's back deck and rocking for many an afternoon with Grandma on her umbrella swing. I could smell her lilac bushes in bloom, and to this day when lilacs are in bloom, the smell of them takes me back to home. When near a lake or ocean with waves lapping against shore, I am reminded of the years that we lived on Lake Ontario, and the symphony of the waves would bring me peaceful slumber. The smell of a campfire ... and I'm 16 again spending the summer camping and at the beach with my parents, and yes, getting into some proverbial mischief that shall not be repeated here. ;) I encourage you to take a moment, and smell around you and see what memories it invokes.

Zero Tolerance and Don't Blame Me

I have three things to say ..... GROW UP .... GET OVER IT ... and stop pointing the finger in the other direction! When are people going to start being accountable again?????

Take for instance our economical woes. Yes, I will be the first to agree that there were less than "straight up" mortgage lenders out there that over-qualified buyers and "re-fi's". Let me say this, as a Realtor, shame on those of you in this industry who knowledgeably put your clients in those situations. Having said that, shame on you "general populus" who knew that it seemed too good to be true, but did it anyways. Like any wave it's only crests for so long, then ebbs into shore and then takes some shore back to sea. This is but a small part of our problem, but no doubt is a large contributor to it.

Now as far as zero tolerance goes .... I'll say it again .... GROW UP .... GET OVER IT! Like the proverbial hot coffee lawsuits against major food chains; are you kidding me? How could you not think that your coffee would be served HOT? Okay so old news, but the best illustration, don't you agree? It seems that "we" have become so intolerant of the less important issues in our lives, and "we", without a doubt, need to become more intolerant of other issues. Take the "in your face" sex sells that surrounds us. I'm an adult; yes, sex sells. But my eyes are not the only ones seeing this, and when 10 year old boys tease my daughter and her girlfriends by asking them if "they are going to have sex with each other" ... now that is something to not be tolerated.

That right there is my "zero tolerance". So "don't blame me" if I coming knocking on your door to talk to your son for behaving like that. How's that for the proper perspective!!!

A "novel" thought .....

So, I haven't blogged in awhile .... Nope, hasn't lost the novelty; just life in the way. And, my to-do list has "read" among the other more important "monkeys on my back" that I must tend to. And how is it that after months of being on the wait list for 3 books at the library, do they suddenly all become available within 2 weeks of each other? So I find myself a bibliophile lately, chewing up worn pages of fictional characters and places; some of which I found myself liking and others not. Currently on the night table: Different Seasons/Stephen King (I wanted to read Shawshank Redemption as I'd enjoyed the movie so much.) ... Remember Me?/Sophie Kinsella (Gotta love "chick lit" for the pure simplicity of it.) ... The Pillars of the Earth/Ken Follet (Really want to dig into this one; waiting for the right moment.) ... The Next Thing on My List/Jill Smolinski (More "chick lit"; love the message. Check out her site!) ....... among others. I did just read Light On Snow/Anita Shreve and I found myself not certain if I liked the book or not. I think given it's beginning I expected a more spectacular ending. The characters were likable; the story quite simple really. And maybe that's what makes it a good book. It doesn't rely on the bizarre or obscene to envelope us. I think I now realize that it's a very real story that relies simply on human interaction to draw us in. A "novel" thought, yes? Human interaction.