Sweet Smiles and Salty Tears

Sweet Smiles and Salty Tears

I'm feeling a mixture of emotions this Christmas.  I guess that's normal, but it seems to be more pronounced this year.  

This Christmas season we were able to spend time with all of our adult children. It's such a joy seeing them flourish and bloom. Sweet!

We just hit the one year mark since Harry's mother died and last month it was two years since my dad passed away.  The empty hole left by their absence seems much larger during holidays.  Salty.

Our GRANDS are growing in number and height. They bring joy on so many levels. Sweet!

The question mark around my job brings pangs of uncertainty.  Salty.   

I love Christmas music!  Christmas Eve worship!  The celebration of Jesus' birth!  Sweet!

I am married to the most understanding, loving and patient man I have ever met.  Sweet!

At the end of the day, sweet smiles and salty tears are essential to a chockful and bursting life.  

IN IT FOR A LIFETIME

 circa 2005

On this day in 2006, feeling terrific after a 50 pound weight loss, I hit "Lifetime" status at Weight Watchers.  It felt terrific!  Here we are 9 years later and I'm close to that mark...only 5 pounds over it.
It was important to me as I lost weight to think of it as a LIFESTYLE change - not a diet - and as I sit here now, I can say that it truly was.  My food choices are most often healthy and I get exercise on a regular basis.

As I made small changes one at a time, I'd ask myself, "Patti, is this something you can continue doing (most days) for the rest of your life?"  If the answer was yes, I made the change.  If not, I didn't.


Thinking back the biggest changes were:

• I cut out soda and replaced it with water.  (Both regular and diet soda. I used to drink a lot of diet soda.)
• I eliminated most processed foods.
• I now eat mostly fruits, veggies, lean meats, low fat/fat free dairy, whole grains.
• I move more.  I didn't used to get much exercise, now the minimum I do is a 30 minute walk.  Many days I run, ride bike, or go to the gym. My goal is 30 minutes/day for MOST days.

My regimen isn't perfect, that's for certain, but I listen to my body and I feel good.

I guess it boils down to what you do MOST days because I'm in this for a lifetime.  

DO YOU LIVE IN THE FRONT ROW OR THE THIRD ROW?

This photo floated around Facebook a year or so ago and yesterday it crossed my feed once again.  I immediately felt like I could identify with the gleeful gals in the front row.  Having fun.  Embracing life.  Up for an adventure.  Filled with joy on the journey.

However I've been pondering the gals in the third row and would like to know their story. They don't look scared.  I'd say they look deep in thought, preoccupied, bored, or even sad. Perhaps one of them just found out heart breaking news. Perhaps they ride every day and it's no longer exciting for them.  Could it be that they are in a meditative mindset?  Do they see something the others have missed? Maybe they laughed so hard on the previous turn that they peed their pants and now they are embarrassed. Without knowing them, we just don't know.
  
Granted, while I would choose to live in the front row and I'm a firm believer in attitude being a choice, I think we've all been in both the front row and the third row at different times in our lives.

I guess it just depends when the snapshot is taken.    

Gesundheit!

Maggie, our 2 year old black lab, is the kind of dog they make movies about.  She's infuriating one minute then cute and funny the next.

Magnolia Rae is a southern girl.  She was born in Alabama on May 13, 2013, the 13th puppy and the runt of the litter.

I think when she was a puppy she developed a complex because of all the people who commented on how large her feet were.  We told her not to worry about what other people say, but we can tell. She's sensitive about her foot size.

Any time we sneeze she is immediately on high alert and comes running to make sure we're okay.  She's sound asleep in the other room and we sneeze?  She's there in a flash.  Playing out on the porch?  Yep, she's there immediately. It has gotten to the point where I sneezed last week while traveling in NYC and I looked around half expecting her to come bounding in to check on me.  I even had this visual in my mind of her leaping and bounding over the map covering the 1020 mile distance in 3.2 seconds and crashing over the skyscrapers to check on me.

She's a hoot.  She's drives us crazy.  She's our Mags and we love her.    

The Teal Pumpkin Project - Trick or Treat!

What a great idea!  I just read about The Teal Pumpkin Project and what a great idea!

It's all about raising awareness during Halloween around food allergies and promoting safety, inclusiveness and empathy for those who have a food allergy. A non food treat option benefits children with food allergies, as well as those with diabetes and other conditions. 

It easy to join in.

• Display the sign or a teal pumpkin on your porch, door or easy to see spot letting trick or treaters know that a non-food treat is available at your home.  
• Purchase a non-food option (need ideas?  click here for suggestions) and be sure to keep your bowl of non-food treats separate from any candy, to ensure that the non-food items stay safe.  
• When the little ghosts and goblins come knocking simply ask which they would prefer. The non food items are very popular with everyone! 

What a great idea!  Happy Trick or Treat friends!

Home Movies

My mom and I are both big fans of popcorn and home movies, so when I spent the night at her house Tuesday night it wasn't hard to decide on the entertainment for the evening.  We decided to watch a video my aunt filmed of the week surrounding my grandfather's funeral 15 years ago.  What fun! (Well, not the funeral part, but lots of other parts.)  

Here are the top things that jumped out at me while we watched.

1. It was great to hear my dad's voice and see him alive and laughing.
2. My children were so young!  They would have been 16, 15 and 12 then. 
3. There is a strong resemblance among my cousins.
4. I had brown hair.....for REAL!
5. The sweaters my daughters had on are now in my dresser not theirs. 
6. The footage my aunt took of the outside of Antigo Bakery, the Hoffman House and the Armory looked exactly the same as it did when we drove by the next morning.  

Be it a happy occasion like a wedding or a sad occasion like a funeral, when you watch it for home movie night 15 years later, there is a joyful feeling re-living the experience seeing loved ones from a time gone by.   

This week's crazy find

You know how you see things all the time and don't think twice about them?  Then one day you see it in a new light and think, "woah!"  That was me with brussel sprouts at the Farmers Market on Saturday.  (Yes, I know I told you it was a rainy day, but we were able to go!)  We walked past this crazy looking plant and I did a double take.  Sure enough.  Brussel sprouts.  I'd knew them to come from a plastic bag in the freezer section or be these cute little balls in the produce department.  I've never considered what they look like in plant form.  I guess I thought they must be like little heads of lettuce growing in tiny little rows in the field, but NO! Just look at that monstrosity!

Next step - venture out and actually find them in a field.  Woah! Let the crazy continue! 

I'm Upset!

I'm upset.  Today I was shopping and as I passed through the various clothing departments I noticed in the section of the store with the larger sized clothing for women they had mini displays of chocolate bars, caramel corn and other sweets ready for the easy grab.  The more I think about it, the more it upsets me.

For those who don't know, 9 years ago I lost over 50 pounds.  In the past when I was heavier I'd go to buy new jeans or slacks, would grab "my" size from the rack, and head to the fitting room where they'd be too tight. What followed were feelings of frustration and disgust with myself for having gained weight. Sometimes I'd say, "forget the new pants" and whether I bought pants or not I would inevitably head toward the purchase of some type of comfort food. A candy bar, a big soft pretzel, or something with ooey, gooey goodness.  Naturally this only made the problem worse.

Walking through the mall today I recognized the trigger to want something sweet.  Just like I've conditioned myself for years, right? (Scary that after 9 years I still have that trigger!) I was already feeling this pull from the past trigger and then I saw the displays. I passed by.  I didn't purchase anything, so yay me!  However, someone needs to sit that store manager down and explain that what they are doing is cruel.  Simply cruel.  That's not marketing!  It's preying on someone's weakness and feels like a form of bullying.

I'm upset. In an otherwise joy-filled day, this upset me.    

Rainy Saturday

As I lay in bed slowing approaching the place of being awake, I began planning the day.  Saturday!  Harry's home!  Farmer's Market on a lovely, brisk fall day.  Simply divine.

Then I came downstairs and looked out the patio door.  RAIN! Unlike  my observations in Florida where there are rainy HOURS, Wisconsin tends to have rainy DAYS.  ALL day. Alas, today is a rainy day.  Boo!

I guess it will be a cozy in and perhaps bake something with apples or paint a room kind of day.  Maybe I'll get out my umbrella.

The best part is Harry is home and we can do it together.  

Sunrise. Sunset.

I just love watching the sun rise and set!  Don't you?  When my kids were growing up I'd point them out and exclaim how beautiful they are. (Typically sunsets...the kids weren't up real often at sunrise in their teens.) They humored me at first, but as time went on I believe they have come to appreciate the beauty they hold.  

I certainly hope so. We need to slow down and embrace moments as beautiful as this. 

Talent is God's Gift

Your talent is God's gift to you.  What you do with it is your gift back to God.  ~Leo Buscaglia

I like that.  It's a great reminder to ask ourselves if we are doing all we can with the gifts we have been blessed with.  I'll have to ponder that.  

When was the last time you asked yourself that question?



 

Winning the Lottery

Riverside Park 

At lunch today, I walked along the sidewalk in Riverside Park enjoying the pleasant, sunny winter day.  I was chatting on the phone with my mother about a particularly good piece of news that I couldn't wait to share with her.

(Perhaps you remember my mom from a previous post. If not, you can read it here.)

My mom is quiet and soft spoken yet has a hidden courage and strength equal to that of a lioness.  She is kind, thoughtful and has a fun sense of humor. I am so thankful my daughters and I have her for a role model.

She wanted to know what it looked like where I was walking today.  She expected a hustling, bustling NYC sidewalk so I said I'd send her a picture.  So this one's for you, mom.

I truly did win the birth lottery and I can't wait to spend a lot more time with you very soon. 

The God Box

The Interchurch Center - AKA "God Box"

The building I work in has been dubbed "The God Box".  

At a funeral recently when my husband told an acquaintance where I worked, the person responded, "In the God Box?"

A towering 19-stories facing the Hudson River located at 475 Riverside Drive and 120th Street in Manhattan, New York City. 

I don't know when people started calling it that or who was the first to tag the building with that name, but it is rather catchy - don't you think?  I did a Google search of "God Box NYC" and six of the eight entries on the first page were absolutely about this building.

According to Wikipedia it received this nickname because of all the religious agencies located in the building. United Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Church World Service, United Church of Christ, and the list goes on.  (If curiosity is killing the cat, you can read all about it here.) 

All kinds of God work going on in this place!  Jeepers!

However, even though it's dubbed "The God Box", everyone knows that just like you can't put Baby in a corner, you can't put God in a box.  

It's Just A Bad Rap

I'll be totally honest and I hope I don't disappoint you, but here goes.  It's been more difficult for me to spot my "Chockful and Bursting with Joy" moments since I've started living in NYC. 

I know!  I know!  I know this is exactly opposite of some people. They look around and see excitement!  The city energizes them!  Unfortunately, I struggle to share that sentiment. I look around on the daily commute and the walk home from the train.  It's loud. It's crowded. There is a lot of garbage and dirt.  People aren't smiling.  Laughter is rare. I find that rather than energizing me, the city drains me.

New Yorkers have gotten a really bad rap, however.  In over 16 months time, absolutely everyone I've spoken to on the train has been very nice to me, with the exception of only one person (who may or may not be the topic of a future post.) 

New Yorkers are forced to share small spaces and therefore become very private about their space in places like the subway or on the bus. Most people keep to themselves and just travel to and from work.It's kind of an unwritten rule on the metro.Therefore, if anything is said, it's typically me who says something first. However, when I do reach out I'm greeted with friendliness and a return smile. 

I should have been wise enough to remember that joy is in the people, not the surroundings.