Daily Mood Quotes - December 14, 2011

Daily Mood Quote

Day 222 – December 14, 2011

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. Wishing you happiness.

~Helen Keller

Every year my children ask me, “Mom, what do you want for Christmas?” Every year my answer is the same, 26 years the same...” healthy, happy children and a healthy, happy husband” is my answer. So, this year my children prefaced their question with, “Mom, besides healthy, happy children and a healthy, happy husband, what would you like for Christmas this year?” Wow, I didn't see that one coming, they are catching on to me. It's not as easy to dodge their quick, minds. Okay, “my smart children” I said, with a chuckle, “let me think about it and I'll get back to you.” I did get back to them a few days later, and to their surprise, it was an unexpected answer. At least I thought so. I didn't want jewelry, I'm not a show piece. I didn't want clothes, that's an ongoing battle, me and my weight. I don't want a gift card, because as my husband say's, “you'll just spend it on the kids anyway.” Between you and me I think they secretly count of that. The jig was up when I got a gift card to Old Navy, giggle, giggle, chuckle, chuckle...

Anyway, I have a pair of slippers that I bought myself on clearance last year at Kohl's. They are light blue, such soft quilted material, size 6 (I have freakishly small feet for an adult woman) and the most comfortable pair of slippers I have ever worn in my life. They are my constant companion. I wear them to get the mail, to drive (my husband drives, I tag along) the kids to school, to sit out back while watching the dogs and every minute of every day around the house. “If I was walking', I was walking'” in my comfy slippers. Here we are a year later, I still have my slippers and they are still comfortable; as comfortable as one can have wearing tattered rags and shards of plastic on your feet. Okay, they're a little worse for wear an tear, torn-up and there really isn't much left where the rubber meets the road. My family refers to them as “mom's ventilated slippers.” Holes fore and aft (thanks U.S. Navy for the nautical lingo lessons). If they were boats, they would have sank a long time ago.

I must admit it's mostly my fault that I walk around in perforated papuče (Slovak), as I can't give them up, even when I know they are long beyond serviceable. It drives my family just about crazy, because when I find something comfortable to wear, I usually wear it until way past it's natural lifetime and in many cases, it bears little resemblance to the article that it once was. Such is the case of my slippers. But let's face, there really isn't much out there that I find comfortable - slipper wise. I'm picky and you never know when “good ones” like them may come around...so I hang onto my little, blue slippers like dear, old friends. Anyway, my husband can't point a finger as his slippers are now held together with duct tape...no really!

But, I digress, I asked them for slippers and now I silently wait to see what they will come up with and will they measure up to my “high standards?" Although, I have heard some good things about the L.L. Bean, Wicked Good Slippers. But, they're a bit “costy” for the kids, I know my husband will chip in, he's the Dad and that's what dad's do. No matter, it truly is the thought that counts and in that respect they have already given me a fantastic gift, without buying a thing; they think of me and my needs. Whatever they choose, I hope they'll keep the receipt, so that I can quietly return them, sneak back to Kohl's to dig through the clearance bin and find my slipper soul mates once again. Then, I'll spend the balance on the kids. I know they'll understand, that's just how I roll (thank you Ian, played by David Cross in Alvin and the Chipmunks).

What “counts” with you today”

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Daily Mood Quotes - August 10, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 99 – August 10, 2011

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

~Mark Twain

The funny thing is, it was more than 20 years ago, in fact is was 29 years ago that I set my sails and tacked out into the seas of life. (lots of metaphors today, “batten down the hatches!”) I was young, inexperienced, uneducated and untrained for life. I stepped on the plane and sat in my seat. I was nervous, scared and anxious, because I didn't know what to expect. I was also excited, enthusiastic and ready for something new and different.

The day was February 21, 1983, my “Independence Day” (thanks Bill Pullman as President Whitmore from the movie Independence Day). I was eighteen and on my way to Orlando, Florida for boot camp. It was a long road to be accepted into the United States Navy. Like many things in my life at that time, I had to fight to be accepted and eventually I was. Now, I found myself on a jet (my first ever) gripping the seats armrests, clinching my teeth and holding my breath as I watched the plane take off. I had a middle seat and it was exciting.

Now here I sit, many years later, looking back on life and trimming the sails for the rest of life. I can't say “my life” anymore because it's not just my life any longer. I have a husband, children, and pets and whatever adjustments are made, they must be made with everyone's input. I have met people throughout my life who control every aspect of their and their families lives, and I see misery, lack of enthusiasm for life and lost gusto for adventure. They have everything, a beautiful home, money, affluent friends, nice cars, etc... but no peace or genuine experiences to share “so they have everything and yet they have nothing” (thanks Iron Man). From canned vacations to desperately seeking social acceptance, they resign themselves to viewing life from a safe distance and haven't really braved the vast seas of their potential. The choice is; do you dare to set your sail into the potentially stormy seas of life, or stay “stuck” in safe harbor and only gaze upon the ocean of possibilities.

If you stay in safe harbor, you will have plenty of company. I haven't met many intrepid voyagers out here. Perhaps that's because the ocean of possibilities is so big and passages seldom cross. I don't really know. Granted, as anyone who has traded stocks on Wall Street will tell you, large rewards of any kind entail large risks. So, as you sail, you may come upon a hidden reef, or shoal and run aground. Even the best captains in history have done that. Or, occasionally like us, you may encounter The Perfect Storm of circumstances and be capsized without warning. That's the risk you take. But in my experience, you don your vest, man the life boats and paddle on. The alternative is to surrender and sink... that's not an option, so we paddle on.

In the movie, Titanic, Jack (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) said to a group of wealthy passengers, “I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You don't know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count.” The point is, life is a gift and we are the captains and navigators of our lives... and the sea? Well, she doesn't care, she just is. We can always appreciate it from a distance wondering “what if”, or we can sail out into the mysterious waters and embrace the journey. Amelia Earhart said, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.”

How will you set your sail today?

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