Thursday Thoughts

The next few weeks will probably be slow ones.  My eyesight has worsened considerably over the past week or so.  Luckily, I’ll be getting that fixed in the next two weeks, but that means that for a short time, I’ll basically be doing my best to not break anything and having to rest my eyes a lot due to eye strain.

I will do my best to keep writing these, but if I’m a little slow, or there are some errors, …well, now you know why.

Dad Tuesdays

So, before we get started today, I figured I better mention that this coming weekend is my birthday.  And I’m going to be out of town.  So next week’s installment might be a little later than expected.  But don’t fret!  I’ll be back (said in proper Arnold fashion.)

Dads are pretty amazing.  Often they serve as the disciplinarian of the house—which my step-dad often did.  But Dads also have a different kind of wisdom than Moms do.  I found my Dads often had advice on how to survive in the world and thrive in it whereas my Mom(s) were always there to help me try to make sense of the world—and buy me cool clothes.

I think, though, that I’ve always kind of had a special place in my heart for my Dad—my step-dad that is.  He helped Mom raise me, and I know that couldn’t have been easy.  I was far from perfect as a kid, but Dad always pushed me to do better.  He helped me to explore areas of life that I’m not sure I would have without him—like sports for instance.  And when my Mom went back to school for nursing, he became the support network for our lives—helping with school stuff for both of us.

Mom Mondays

This past weekend, I attended the funeral of Tom Gilmore—John’s grandad.  Seeing the family pull together and express their love and sadness together was inspiring and tugged a whole lot at my heartstrings.

It made me think about what I’d do when my own Mom and Dad were gone—a pretty terrible thought, I’ll admit.  As far away as they both are, I know that no matter what’s going on in my life, they’ll be there for me.  And the idea that one day that won’t be the case is…well, quite frankly, pretty terrifying.

So, …last night, after our friends were gone and I had a little time to think on it, I realized that it might be nice to actually spend some time each week reflecting on things that I want to share with my Mom and Dad (the ones who raised me, and the ones who accepted me into their lives when John and I started dating nearly 11 years ago.)

There are a lot of things I don’t really know about you as people that I kind of wish I did, and …I think there are some things I want to share with you all, too—even as insignificant as they are.

Which is why I decided to start a tradition—Mom Mondays and Dad Tuesdays.  Each day, I’ll just write something—a thought, an idea, something I’m grateful for, and maybe a question that you guys can answer.  And for those of you who are reading this who aren’t my Mom and Dad, well…feel free to answer, too.

Beauty All Around Us

Today I saw and heard two things that I absolutely needed to share with you all.  The first is a marvel of technology and art—something so wonderful and beautiful that brings us closer to the machines we have created to study this world and the universe beyond us.  The second is a tribute to a woman who, for many, was an inspiration and a comfort.  She passed away today, and while she may be gone, her legacy lives on in the lives and hearts that she touched.  You shall be missed, Mary!

Smile When You're Feeling Blue

So...I'm not feeling blue, but I thought maybe some of you out there might be.  And rather than spend a lot of time trying to do something about that through words, I figured this song pretty much says it all.  Enjoy!  And don't forget to smile!

Smell the Roses -- Blow Out the Candle

Life is short.  There’s no two ways around that.  Sure, there are things that live shorter lives than we do, and conversely there are creatures that live longer.  But all in all?  Life is short.  And every moment of it is precious.

Carpe Diem

You know that day…the one where you think about all those little things that you think you’ll never get done, but somehow you manage far more of them than you ever thought you would?  And then you got the date of your doctor’s appointment wrong, and your boyfriend’s Dad and his wife came back to their house you’ve been house-sitting for them?  And then you had a huge dinner for “the pizza night crew,” and it was messy, and full of laughter, smiles, good food, good company, and good drinks?  And then you took a walk with the one you love, and came back to find that cursor blinking at you—urging you to write something profound?

Well, …that was my day today.  It was a great day—a busy day, but a great day just the same.  And I’m not sure if I did all the right things, and I’m not sure if I said all the right things, and even though everything was really good, … somehow I’m still worried that I’ll mess all the good stuff up.  I mean, it’s bound to happen.  Right?

Letters to My Younger Self

Your dreams are your own.

That may seem like common sense to just about anyone, but last night, I was catching up on some Gilmore Girls, and I saw the episode where Rori was told by her internship boss that she wasn’t cut out to be a journalist.  It hearkened back to a time when I was a vocal performance major and the head of the vocal department told me much the same thing.

I wish, knowing what I know now, that I had been strong enough to choose to ignore those opinions, but, of course, that would mean I likely wouldn’t be here now—writing this blog.

Ring in the New Year

So here we are in 2017.