20,000 Steps Today (and at least as many prayers)

…and this is the view from where I sit.
In the tub,
Peering over the edge,
With bubbles up to my chin.

20,000 steps today.
Most made during the school day
In shoes not made for walking.

And so this is where I sit.
With the shoes not on my feet.

Aromatherapy a la bubblebath, ahhhhh.
Still too light to need the candles that sit ever at the ready.
But the time is right for dark chocolate.
(Always.)

For tomorrow we test.
And, yes, it’s a “we.”
Oh, so very much a “we.”

4th graders will write.
5th graders will “math.”
And teachers will pray….
A lot.

That the kids are confident,
Their learning true.
That they’ll seize this moment to apply all they know.

That even as they play this game we never chose,
They play to win.
To sparkle,
To shine.
To do their best.

Their best is what we’ve worked for,
and it’s what we pray for.

At least I know I sure do…
With 2 pairs of tennies on the floor,
And bubbles up to my chin.

They’ve got this.
We’ve got this.
We’ve all worked so hard.

That now it’s time to breathe….
No matter how many steps led to the bath.

…..and the fluffy purple towel.

Then sings my soul…..

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Cascarone Wishes

Reflecting on this Easter Sunday was much tougher than I imagined it would be.   There were so many moments to savor:  the sight of my beautiful grandmother in church for another Easter service,  the Hubs and his mini-me Grand sitting on the grass playing with Hot Wheels from the egg hunt,  all the wonderful food and family time, …
But ultimately it came down to this.
Cascarone Wishes.

May every day contain a bit of Easter.
With rejoicing and rebirth,
Faith and hope,
Family, food, and fun.

May you have just the right amount of confetti in your hair.
And most importantly, of course, the sheltering arm of someone who loves you draped across your shoulders.

Then sings my soul….

The View from Where I Sit

It’s Good Friday and a holiday.
And this….
This is the view from where I sit.

At first glance,
SPRING!
At second,
So much more.

The redbird at the feeder.
The shallows in the nest.
The succulent overflowing the old wash tub mounted on a stump.

Life!!!!

A lone goldfish,
Swimming under the repurposed hunting tripod —
Now art over our crazy overgrown pond.

The bathtub iris,
Flourishing in the claw foot tub, rescued from a heap of discarded past —
Now a wildlife fixture on our porch.

The sparrows,
Perching on ocean bouys,
Treasures washed ashore and gathered on my coveted sunrise walks on the beach —
Now a resting place among the feeders.

Hmmmm.
At second thought,
The first glance was right.
SPRING!

Rebirth.
Regrowth.
Repurpose.

Renewed.

All while being serenaded by the Star Wars cantina chatter of my beloved swallows,
In the nest they’ve spent years building.
Nestled just so in the corner
Where we peek at each other under the curtains handmade by my mom….

The view from where I sit.
Oh!
Then sings my soul!

Irish Blessings (Slice of Life, Day 17)

Woke up this morning with joy on my heart and a smile on my face,

Coasting on a wave of happiness from the birthday love of yesterday.

Then it hit me!  It’s Saint Patrick’s Day!

I started searching for an Irish blessing to share with my friends as a thank-you for the many blessings they shared on the anniversary of my birth, and I was stopped in my tracks!

I love these!!!  Such rhythm!  Such wisdom!  Such…YES!

Oh the places and times I’ve searched for just these words….

The birth of a child, the blessing of a marriage, the start of a day ~ This says it all!

This one, I had heard before — well, at least the first few lines.

But what a wonderful sentiment as one sends a loved one down the road.

I whisper it today for my aunt and grandma as they travel to my grandma’s home just to check and see and breathe the air of her independence.

I sing it out for the Girlchild and her love as they run errands here and there.

I send it to the Hubs, my Mom, the Boychild….all who are making the commute on the roads that have more and more and more distracted drivers.

Yes.  Just yes.  For all of the loved ones, all of the time, for all of the reasons.

But then there’s the one that ended my search….

Oh, this!  It captures the spirit of the Irish as I know and love them (us!) most.

So with this, I will close with my Irish-German-English-with a smidge of Cherokee blessing:

On this day and every day,

may your steps be true,

your heart see joy,

your soul sing at the beauties of the world,

and the splinters never point the wrong way!

Ode to My Stuffy Head (Slice of Life, Day 6)

Please go away,
I have so much to do.
I can’t finish a task
Without an aaahhhh aahhh aaaachoo!

This pressure you put
On my head, ears and eyes
Is something I simply
(Absolutely) despise!

My hair hurts.
My skin hurts.
My teeth feel not right…
I’ve a feeling there’s Vicks on the agenda tonight.

But for now,
I’ll aacchhoooo!
I’ll sniffle and cough
And I’ll find a way to shake you right off.

For the sun — it is shining.
The breeze is just right.
My To Do list goes nowhere…..

No. Wait.
That’s not right.

The sun – it is shining.
This much is true.
And my To Do list is waiting.
Yep.
That’s true too.

But this girl?

She needs a NAP!
Aaahhh…. aaahhh….CHOO!!!!

 

It’s all about perspective….

Been thinking a lot lately about perspective.
From the big moments in life to the littlest things within a day, perspective truly changes everything.

For example…..

I’ve been a pelican counter my entire life.
A group of pelicans flies by.
I count them.
Every. Single. Time.
It’s just a thing….
My husband knows it.
My kids know it.
My parents know it.
My friends know it.
Pelicans fly by and they are pointed out.
Every. Single. Time.

But that, in itself, is not where perspective comes into play.

Several years ago, it seemed to me that I kept counting odd numbered groups. 3, 5, 11, 27… Always odd.
And so I declared it so!

Since then, of course, I’ve discovered it’s NOT so.
But has that stopped me?
Not a chance!!!
You see. It’s ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE!

Instead of 6? 3 & 3
Not 14, but 9 & 5
And so it goes….

But it’s not just about the small, simple and silly things.
It’s about EVERY thing.

The ability to see God’s beauty and blessings around me is one of the traits for which I’m most thankful.

Sure, it means I’m prone to stop and stare at a sunset.
Sure, it means I’m often distracted and off task.
Sure, it means that I am perpetually chronologically challenged.

But, my goodness, how my soul does sing!

There are times that the stresses of the world mount up.
Times when my heart positively ACHES with worry.
Times when I’m grumpy and cranky and grouchy and tired.
Times when my eyes are simply cried out….

There are times I let the stressors stop me.
The blinders go up.
The busy-ness of life gets in the way.

And every time that happens, my heart HURTS.
It cries out with a tangible plea….

Please. Stop. Listen. Look.
Breathe….

It’s a physical response to a spiritual need.

Please.
Stop.
Listen.
Look.
BREATHE.

And when I do…
When I stop, listen, and look….
When I BREATHE.

Then…
THEN!
Then I know.

All is well.
And if its not well now, it will become well.
There is good in the bad.
Triumph in the tragedy.
Laughter in the tears.
Love in the hurt.

Blessings abound.
But sometimes we must listen closely,
Look deeply,
Breathe in….breathe out….repeat.

We must find the perspective.
For when we do….

Our souls will sing.
And pelicans will still fly in odd numbers.

Hush Yo’ Mouth

Funny how things will come from nowhere to surprise you….
Leave you speechless even.

The latest for me came from my own head.
Ugly words spoken outloud.
Unbidden.
Unwanted.
Unwarranted.
But there.

After an admittedly long overdue workout, I popped into the restroom at the gym and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
What happened next was a huge and unhappy wake-up call.

I said to my reflection things I would NEVER say to or about anyone else.

Ugly. Yuck. Hideous.

What???! Where did those words come from? Is this really how I view myself???

Ugly. Yuck. Hideous.

Oh my stars!!!

Those WORDS are ugly.
Those WORDS are yuck.
Those WORDS are hideous.

The inner monologue that brought those words about?? That, my friends, is uncalled for.

I sat myself down that very moment for an important and painful self-realization….

I have GOT to stop beating myself up.
We women – all of us – have GOT to stop the expectation of some airbrushed ideal.

We are REAL.
We are HONEST.
Sure, we are flawed….
But we are BEAUTIFUL.

Without women and our curves, there would be no children.
Without women and our softness, there would be no comforting cuddles.

Should we be healthy and pursue the best version of ourselves?
Sure.
Absolutely.

But HEALTH and SELF-APPRECIATION must be the heart of that pursuit.
And we’ll never get there….
I’ll never get there….if it starts with a root of self-loathing and such ugly self-talk.

And so, we look for the positive and build from there.

My eyes? Yep. I like ’em.
They’re accented by laugh lines these days. And I even like that.
How blessed am I to have earned each and every one!

That dimple no one can explain? Yep. Like that too.
It pops up when I’m happy. It’s my portrayal of joy.
And I like that.

My fingers and hands? Check.
They, too. Are showing the years, but they are adorned in rings worn by my grandmother and the wedding set worn by the mother-in-law I never got to meet. They carry the mother’s love ring that symbolizes my heart that walks around outside of me: my boy and girlchild.

The rest of the package has some work ahead of it.
But I will start that work based on the positive.
I’ll start it with my heart….
Not only the physical, but also (especially?) the emotional piece.
I’ll start it with love.
For my family. For my friends. For the joys and blessings in my life.

And for myself.