I took this on that day the winds were so strong. I was waiting to go over the Gwynn's Island bridge and zoomed in on these white caps. It was a most unusual day weather-wise.
I tend to be slightly negative and am easily pushed into a bad mood, where "pushed" is defined as "I tend towards foul until it is proven that there's something to be happy about." I wasn't born this way, certain things in my life have made me this way, and it's definitely become worse the older I get. I don't like it one bit.
One of the things I'd like to do this year is improve my attitude and be more positive. In other words, when I see insects taking over my house, I should embrace them and ask if there's anything I can do to help them move in, or make their stay more enjoyable. Or when it's May and my Christmas decorations are still up, I should view that not as a character flaw, but as an ardent desire to spread Christmas cheer to my neighborhood for months to come. Yes, I need to adopt more of a "glass is half-full" rather than the "dirty glass left on the coffee table lined with Baby Sister's lipstick is 100% empty, and why can't people clean up after themselves" outlook.
Below is a poem I stumbled across while rifling through my grandmother's old papers and magazines. It's appropriate for this time of year when we're making resolutions and trying to improve ourselves. Remind me to come back and read this whenever I start complaining about something, which will probably be tomorrow.
New Beginnings
How often we wish for another chance
To make a fresh beginning,
A chance to blot out our mistakes
And change failure into winning--
And it does not take a new year
To make a brand-new start,
It only takes the deep desire
To try with all our heart
To live a little better
And to always be forgiving
And to add a little "sunshine"
To the world in which we're living--
So never give up in despair
And think that you are through,
For there's always a tomorrow
And a chance to start anew.
-Helen Steiner Rice
17 comments:
The upcoming Blogapalooza wouldn't be complete without Christmas ornaments....so leave them.
I love that sentiment your grandmother had. words to live by for sure. Helen Steiner Rice is a staple with American Greetings, which is a company I worked for, and spent hours reading her life lessons and sentiments.
As long as there is wine in the glass it doesn't matter whether it is half full or half empty.
That is my philosophy on life at the moment.
Bear((( )))
Tomorrow begins the first full week of 2009. I'll begin again tomorrow, my favorite day - so my favorite day can be today, again.
Valentines Day, April Fool's, Race Weekend/Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Start of School (for those with children) Labor Day and Thanksgiving - are all holidays that deserve festive decorations.
Yeah, you might have to hide the Santa ornaments and ditch the tree - but ALL indoor and outdoor lights only enhance the ocassion.
The strings of Tiki lights just add for conversation starters in the winter months, "...the lights remind me of wintering in the islands and help me tolorate these cold winter months until I can return again...". Which will be believed until a guest spys the book about tropical islands and an empty bottle of wine at the edge of your bathtub :)
Perfection and happiness - just a state of mind and perspective.
GJ - You're definitely a Renaissance Woman...movie critic, world traveler, greeting card-gone-government worker, water aerobics queen, and soon--this summer-- a blogger on a cross-country adventure to Mathews. I can't wait.
BN - I think your philosophy is aan excellent one that I am going to officially adopt.
PJH - Is this anything like how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Sorry, I know it isn't, but that's just what popped into my very disturbed brain. Just ignore me, I'm all in a dither over having to go back to work tomorrow.
Anonymous - I've already decided the rope lights that only took me an entire day to attach to the fence at the end of the driveway would be delightful come July 4th or, yes, Valentines Day. You make an excellent, excellent point. Thank you. They're staying up.
I am dreading tomorrow, absolutely dreading it. I became spoiled this past week and realize how easily I could pass the days leisurely playing on the computer, napping, sleeping late, and watching the laundry and dirty dish piles puth the outer limits of the stratosphere.
Happy Sunday.
Sunday is the official holiday of the Woodchuck. I think I will leave the Christmas lights up another day, in celebration of Woodchuck Day!
PJH - I will also observe Woodchuck Day and not only leave my Christmas lights/tree up a bit longer, but take a nap, which is one of the most important parts of this national holiday.
I like that poem. And I am a little too excited about the Blogapalooza. I need the details, please;) After your nap, of course. I don't want to make you cranky.
...Ditto what MPM said... ;o) And you can even wait 'til after Woodchuck Day to dish out the Blogfest details if that helps lower the cranky factor...lol :o)
...Happy Nappin'! Oh, and Happy Sunday! Blessings...
...I love 'pjhammer 1965's photo up there! It reminds me of Christmas Day when my sis' and I took some crushed up hard boiled eggs out to our chickens and my sister remarked about how much my chickens were loving the hard boiled eggs and I replied "yeah, lil' do they know they're eatin' their kids"...lol... My sister turned as white as a ghost and I thought for a moment she was actually gonna get sick...lol
...Don't ask why I'm sharing a tidbit of my warped sense of humor here, I think of it everytime I see that photo... ;o) Sorry, I go hide now...hee,hee
...Again, blessings all...
What Bear Naked said. x 1,000.
Pepsi Out Nose Funny (PONF) TJ
What a lovely poem, I think at the beginning of a new year we tend to reflect on how we can change our lives and maybe things around us. As human beings we are always looking to make things right if we can and gripping about the things we can't change. There is always hope and my Grandpa use to say if you can't change your neighbor learn to live with him.
I'll be better able to take a "glass half full" attitude once I shed my 20 pound blogger butt. Do you think those onion rings I ate yesterday are South Beach legal?? Bwahahahaha! If it makes you feel any better, I didn't take my tree down yet either;/
BTW - I heart Helen Steiner Rice.
Work stinks! I can't believe we have to go back tomorrow...
MPM - After my meeting with BHE yesterday, I am more excited than ever about this blogapalooza. I cannot wait. (Details forthcoming.)
TJ - You're hilarious. You should be getting details on our blogfest in your inbox soon. (All other readers and interested bloggers, stay tuned. We'll make the details available, but for now we're trying to finalize the dates.)
Meg - Amen, sister.
pJ - Are you certain it's Pepsi? It is Woodchuck Day after all, this calls for a celebration.
Mrs. Cloud - Thank you for your wisdom. Your grandfather was absolutely right, in that the only person we can change is ourselves; we do not have the power to change other people. Also, I agree with your sentiment that there's always hope. Thank you so much for commenting, I always love hearing from you.
BHE - My hormonal sweating was so bad yesterday I didn't even notice those onion rings, although when you ordered them I thought to myself, "Self? I'm gonna steal one of those onion rings." Then got to yacking and sweatin' so bad I missed the boat.
Tomorrow begins my nightmare known as "O'Dark-Thirty Commute + Work with no internet + after-school basketball games/practices every single day of the week for the next 2 months.
This equates to me not being able to read my comments as frequently as I have been this past week, nor responding to your comments, but please know that I sincerely appreciate everyone's participation here, even if you're just reading in the background.
Have a great first week of January, everyone. Happy 2009.
Wonderful blog, beautiful place!!
I agree with Bear Naked. So long as there is wine in the glass. or heck, at this point, even in the sippy cup! *lol*
I'm going to really make an effort to see things through a more positive effort this year and move past all the crap from 08. Being a natural pessimist doesn't help, but I'll sure as heck try.
Love the HSR poem. So true and completely apropos of the moment.
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