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.   
    

Gone where?

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. 

Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is still just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port. 

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There, she's gone!" There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"

And that is dying. 

 - Henry Van Dyke
         

A Delightful Moment

As I gaze out the window of the airplane at the ground below sparsely covered with snow, I am struck by the contrast between the white snow on the ground and the white clouds floating in the sky. Miles below me, yet miles above the ground, the clouds cast their shadow on the earth far below. 

Some areas are thick and stretch for miles like a huge plush mattress of cotton, others are just small puffs of white. They both equally invite cherubs with plump, rosy cheeks to dance and frolic about in giggles and fits of laughter in their softness. 

Far below the dark rivers and roads snake across the landscape making crazy patterns in the snow. 

I'm looking for spot where a fun loving, little angel jumped a little too hard, glided the distance to earth and upon landing proceeded to flap arms and legs making a perfect angel in the unblemished snow. 

 

It's a delightful day with a joyful moment of imagery.