Happy Monday, Journeyer!
It seems that many of the things that have been feeding my happy are those that I either can’t capture with my camera or I can’t take time to stop to photo them.
Even though I don’t have pictures, I do have the memories. Like all things in life, when I stop to remember those moments that brought a smile to my face or warmed my heart, I can see the images that are forever stamped onto my soul’s footprint.
Thanks to a daily regimen of 3,200 milligrams of Ibuprofen, my toothache is under control. And thanks to the diligence of my new dentist and to the staff at the office she referred me to, I have an appointment this coming Wednesday to remedy the situation. That definitely feeds my happy mouth!
One of the things that feeds my happy organ is the amount of life that has come back into my newly adopted gal’s spirit. When I first picked her up two weeks ago, her eyes looked super sad and her tail was raw from sucking on it to pacify her anxiety, but now she has a spark in her eyes and the hair is growing back in on her tail!
She Sleeps Peacefully
I found a great, reasonably-priced dog trainer who came out and got us started on training Patches to tolerate cats. Though it is sure to be a long road, I think we made some fabulous headway this past week!
And speaking of headway, Warren and I continue to make progress individually and together with our counselors. I feel so fortunate that Warren and I are each willing to put in some hard work and many hours of unlearning some old, ill-served habits and relearning more productive ways of communicating and working together.
Marriages might be made of dreams, but relationships are built on foundations, bases that occasionally need repairs and remodels.
One of the refurbishments our union needed was to spend more time together. How many parents have lamented that fact? I’ve always tried to make the most of whatever time we had together, even if it was simply holding hands as we walked into Sam’s Club to pick up a couple week’s worth of groceries.
Even so, I have to say there’s little else like spending true one-on-one time together. I admire people who take the time to spend time with their partners, to make their togetherness a priority. It not only nurtures the relationship, I think it models the importance of prioritizing commitment to others. Giving permission of sorts to generations to come.
Empty Nesters, Warren and I have been using the extra time to focus on ourselves, our budding new businesses, and the bond that makes the two of us, Us. This weekend we donned our costumes and our headdresses once more and made our way through a couple of different parties. Why, Warren even let me add the Pharaoh’s eyeliner to this week’s get-up! Don’t you think it makes his eyes POP?!
Other simple moments that filled my happy included the glorious sunshine that followed several days of rain; the smell of autumn; the rustling of dried leaves fluttering on cool autumn winds; an invitation to speak at another inspirational event in February; reaching new Candy Crush heights (always remember to play hard when you’re working hard!), and every day connections with the people that I care about.
One of the most rewarding connections this week was a breakthrough I experienced with two of my kindergarten students who have been experiencing major separation anxiety. Journeyer, I had a MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH with them, which save me from having a major breakdown! They are happy; their parents are happy, and I am triple-y happy!
And then there was this little ditty that I stumbled across. I’ve never been much of a TV watcher, even as a child, but one of my favorites was Mr. Rogers. I can still hear my mother’s shouts from the stoop, “KI-IDS!, Mr. Rogers is on.” We’d come running from wherever we were playing in the cul-de-sac that was my childhood community.
I love the parallels of our neighborhood here and the neighborhood that Fred Rogers built. This video that recaps one of the show’s segments and Fred Rogers’ induction speech into the TV hall of Fame is yet one more testimony to one of The Five Facets mantras: “Together we can heal a world of hurt.”
That right there is like a slab of the most delicious, homemade turtle mousse cheesecake, Journeyer. It has my nerve buds doing the jitterbug.
On a final note, I received some sad news that a friend finally lost his battle to cancer this morning. He fought a long and hard fight, beating the terrible disease once, before it returned in rampant form. I’ve known this family a long time, Neighbor. They are a close-knit who are united in many things.
Though I know they will miss him terribly, I am grateful for the many memories and that will continue to decorate their family stories for generations to come. I have no doubt that he left his physical form with family by his side. My wish for them now is that they will continue to know his presence in the spirit by their sides.
What about you, Journeyer? What moment(s) paved a path of happiness, added a spark of color to your week, or simply brought a moment of peace to your soul? Share something in the comment below and help spread something positive!
Until we meet again, yours in hope, healing, and happiness,
