Daily Thanks

This Thanksgiving morning, I find myself doing typical Saturday morning chores. Because we don’t have family in town, we have a pretty lo-key Thanksgiving celebration.

As I was doing the morning dishes (and, let’s not kid, last night’s and those from yesterday’s lunch),  I started thinking about being thankful. And, I am very thankful!

• I’m thankful for the piles and piles of dishes that I have to do today – because it means that my family has enough food to put on the table at every mealtime.
• I’m thankful for the loads and loads of laundry that I have to do today – because it means that we have clothes on our back.
• I’m thankful for the diapers I have to change today (and the fights that will come with stopping Louie long enough to get them changed) – because it means that we have a wonderful, feisty baby girl who is happy and healthy and … growing up too fast.
• I’m thankful for the sand that I will have to sweep up today – because it means that my very active Little Man has been doing what he loves and will be anxious to tell us all about it (over and over again). It means he’s healthy and happy and … growing up too fast.
• I’m thankful for the squabbles I’ll have to mediate today – because it means that the kids have each other and because I will eventually get to see them hug and tell each other, “I love you!”.
• I’m thankful for the insane amount of vacuuming that will need done – because it means that my house is truly a home and … a well lived in one at that!
• I’m thankful for the nagging that Husband will show up after dinner. The reminders of what is not done even though we are bone tired (Wait, it’s not going to be starting after dinner. He just popped his head in the door to tell me that blogging isn’t going to get the furniture rearranged.) – because it means that I have a Husband who is actively involved in everything this family does. A Husband who cares about tradition and family and togetherness.

I have so very, very many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. They are simply too many to count.

My family wishes you family a safe, healthy, and very blessed Thanksgiving!

I'll be hoppin' along now ...

Forever in Blue Jeans

I love jeans. No, really, I love them. It’s almost sick. I prefer them over any other type of clothing, except maybe jammies. I would wear them everyday. I need to reiterate that. E.VER.Y.DAY … even when it’s 115 outside!

[I wore a beautiful gown for my wedding. That day might be the exception, but it's about the only exception.]

Husband thinks I’m nuts. My jeans addiction is one of the many things that he doesn’t understand about me. He thinks jeans are the most uncomfortable piece of clothing, EVER. It’s just another one of the many ways we are complete opposites.

I know that many people don’t share my love for the denim pant. I’ve read that many women don’t feel confident in a pair of jeans. That they are not flattering or some such thing. Bah. Craziness, I think. A good pair of jeans is simply unbeatable.

I act differently when I’m in jeans. I am at my most confident, relaxed, and myself. I have swagger. Swagger is good. Swagger is spunky. Swagger is fun.

I walk differently in jeans. Really. I had a coworker (female) mention it to me one Friday – said she’d never noticed how much I swayed my hips before. [Kind of a freaky thing to have someone say to you out loud at work, actually. But whatever.] I just smiled knowingly and told her it was the jeans.

I think differently in jeans. My most creative moments tend to occur when I’m relaxed, comfortable, and confident. So, it’s no surprise to me that I get a lot done and am able to think a tad more outside the box when I’m dressed for “off-road” thinking.

I have worn jeans for just about every occasion imaginable. I wear them to church. I’ve worn them to plays. I’ve worn them to parties. I am usually, by most standards, the most under-dressed woman in the room on any given occasion. And that, for the slightest instant, causes me to be a tad self-conscious and it makes my mother NUTS!

[Husband loves to dress up and is usually "appropriately dressed" for any given occasion. Bet you didn't see that comin' did ya?]

Put me in a pair of jeans and I can concentrate on what I’m doing and relating with those around me. Put me in anything else and I worry about what I’m wearing and how I look. And, that’s really the thing, isn’t it. Finding a place and space where you can be yourself. Where you can be who you really are? Where you can ditch most of your insecurities and just get to the business of living – the work.

Maybe that’s really it. Jeans are my “get down to business” attire. Unpretentious. Durable. Comfortable. Dependable. Secure. Everyday.

… so if you’ll pardon me, I’d like to say, “We’d do OK, forever in blue jeans”

Neil Diamond

I'll be hoppin' along now ...

5 Things – Seattle, Washington

I’ve fallen in love with the city of Seattle.  OK, since I’ve only been there once, it might be a crush … work with me!

Here are my “5 Things” for Seattle and the surrounding area!

1. The weather

I may have mentioned before that at certain times of the year, I just need a change of climate. The Seattle climate is exactly what I’m looking for … partly cloudy/sunny and cool – even the rain is nice. It’s good soup-eating weather and I love it!

2. The skyline

I believe that my crush with Seattle started with the skyline. It’s simply stunning. The water and the architecture and the history of the city make it all very alluring. And, as it turns out, dang near impossible to capture on film.

We saw the skyline from quite a few vantage points … Qwest Field, the waterfront, and the Space Needle. Every time I came to a place where I could, I found myself sneaking a peek. You know, that sort of sideways, flirty glance that’s all flush with that “I just met you and we’re hitting it off” excitement.

3. Nature

Seattle is situated in a beautiful part of the country and you can find evidence of what early pioneers to the area might have found within a short drive of the downtown area. Of course, the waterfront is delightful and offers ferry rides to the islands in Puget Sound. But, one of the treasures we found was east of Seattle proper.

Snoqualmie Falls and the little town of Snoqualmie were wonderful stops that took only part of a busy day and added so much to the trip!

The falls and a local railroad museum are the right size and time-frame for a short stop … which makes them nice for little ones!

4. The usual suspects

There are a few “must see” places for all tourists in Seattle and, for the most part, they live up to their hype!

The Space Needle is expensive, but how can you not do this? I find it very interesting and clever that the buildings in its immediate vicinity are distinctly shorter than this historic landmark that is far shorter than other buildings in the adjacent downtown area!

The Pike Street Market is amazing … so diverse and alive. The colors, sights, and smells make it a wonderful place to spend the morning and grab some lunch in one of the many little restaurants or shops!

5. The atmosphere of innovation

The city of Seattle seems to be dipped in innovation – you can almost feel it as you walk down the street! From the purely capitalistic motives that caused the city’s founding fathers to make disastrous early decisions to the plethora of organizations making innovations in today’s world, it’s hard not to be inspired on some level. [Oh, and the Amazon.com building is just stunning - especially at night!]

The refrain that you hear through much of the city is that they want to do something NEW and, often, BIG. Seattle can make you uncomfortable with the status quo. It’s a perfect place to recharge your creative battery!

• The Underground

Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour in Pioneer Square is a wonderful walk through some of the wackiest and amazing city history I’ve heard yet.  The foundng fathers were eclectic (perhaps nuts) to be sure and they made some really bone-headed decisions. But, today stands a beautiful city on a tide flat. A city bustling with culture and variety – history and innovation – the old and the new. It’s pretty hard not to be amazed and impressed.

This little trip through history isn’t suited to little ones, but teenagers and older are good to go. There are also adult versions of the tour.

•  The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour

Just north of the city (about 25 miles in Mukileto, WA), this place is frankly just cool and amazing! The sheer size of the aircraft that are produced in the Everett plant can make you somewhat speechless. Boeing has been doing some insane things – and they have been for some time!

To give you some perspective, the tour guide told us that the Boeing plant building in Everett could hold all of Disneyland and still have room for 12 acres of parking.

While there are some very cool exhibits for the kids, this is a pretty grown up tour unless your little one is EXTREMELY interested in airplanes and engines or is EXTREMELY patient!

• The Museum of Flight

This might be the best designed and implemented museum plan that I’ve ever experienced.

The Museum of Flight is just the right size for spending a few hours learning some amazing facts about air travel and it’s history … and the exhibits are really extraordinary.

If you have an interest in the history of flight … from the Wright Brothers to today, this is a great find. Spend the day. If you have little ones with you, you will not probably get the full effect, but it’s still very much worth the price of admission!

The only negative I could find for this was the cafeteria could have used a bit more choice … really, that’s the only downside!

The folks in Seattle don’t seem to be afraid to attempt something new – never been tried. They also don’t seem to be afraid to fail. That’s a pretty freeing environment for innovation!

This is, admittedly, a rose-colored and romanticized view of a city of over a million people. I mean it ain’t all roses and rainbows in this city (you’ve have to have some more sun for that). There are the homeless toughing it out in an awfully unforgiving climate and the other trials and tribulations that come with a city of this size.

Nonetheless, I was impressed with Seattle’s ability to draw and keep so much innovation. It’s not the meteorological climate that draws this spirit. I think it’s a different kind of climate.

What ever it is, I like it a lot. There is an energy and optimism to it. A feeling that all of us have something to add – and that it’s our civic duty to add it.

They should bottle that! It’s intoxicating … addictive!

Ready or NOT, Here it Comes…

2009 will be here soon. As I wander around and think about it coming, I have to say that I’m not all that thrilled with the prospect. I liked 2008. It was a pretty good year all-in-all and what I’m seeing coming at my family in 2009 is, frankly,  a little scary for my tastes.

It’s an odd place for me to be, actually. I usually like change. I like the adventure of it and the possibilities it brings. I like to take chances and tackle the big stuff. But, I have to say, that this is the first year I can remember where I didn’t anticipate the arrival of the next year. It’s the first time I can remember feeling more aprehension than anticipation. It’s not a good feeling. I’d like very much to snap out of it!

So, what gives?

The short answer? The world seems to be an absolute mess. [Yeh, mmmm .... that might be a gross understatement.]

In the past week, the news has told of a rapidly failing economy, violence in Gaza, a man who killed his ex-wife and much of her family while dressed as Santa,  troop movements in Pakistan, political unrest in several spots, and a man who shot a guy for talking during a movie. There’s more, of course, but it’s too depressing to list.

The good news? There wasn’t much – at least not that got top billing anywhere. To top it all off, it was reported the other day that President-elect Obama has said that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. [He was referring to the economy, but frankly, there are so many things tied to the economy that the cynic in me kicked in.]

My gut thought? [right after I vowed to stop watching CNBC] Great. Fabulous.  It’s madness now.

I think that the biggest struggle for me is that I have no idea what’s coming  next. There’s a lot that’s broken and I feel as if I’m powerless to fix it. I hate that feeling – that helplessness. It’s depressing and, if I let it, it will become debilitating.

So, 2009 is coming and I’d just as soon stay in 2008. Hmmm … new territory. What’s to be done?

I guess I’ll do what I’ve always done – the best I can.

• I’ll love my family and friends with all that I can.
• I’ll work at being a better wife, mom, manager, writer, human … a better me.
• I’ll try to learn something new every day.
• I’ll try to teach something new every day.
• I’ll go to work at a job I love and I’ll relish working with great people while I look forward to tackling new challenges and exciting possibilities (and there surely will be some of both – it’s one of the things I love about my job). 
• I’ll get up every day and participate in life.
• I’ll encourage others to do the same.

That’s really all any of us can do, isn’t it? Aren’t those really our resolutions?

All of this was floating around my subconscious when I opened a Christmas card from my Aunt. She’s always had a knack for the right words at the right time. This is what she wrote.

May the joy and peace of the Christmas season fill your hearts and home. May the new year find you happy and healthy. May the Lord guide our leaders and give them wisdom. May we all be up to the changes!

The last line grabbed me. So well said. So needed.

So, here’s to 2009 – challenges and all. Let’s feel the fear and do it anyway*!

May we all be granted wisdom when it’s needed and may we all be up to the changes!

 

*Note: Susan Jeffers wrote a book by this title in 1988 or so. I’ve never read it, although I think my mom has because this title was posted over the desk in her office for a time. That title - the power in those words - has served me well over the last 15 or so years!

Spa … Ahh

James Lipton, a.k.a. the guy on Inside the Actors’ Studio, always ends the show by asking guests a series of questions originally used by Bernard Pivot.  None of the questions are particularly difficult and, by themselves, I’d guess the only place you’d find them is in a conversation between friends over cocktails.

Taken together, they are a pretty interesting list. Which, I suppose is why they’ve been closing the show with them for some 200 episodes!

There’s one on the list that always struck me as a tad more difficult than the others.

#8: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I have trouble with questions like this because, while there are tons of jobs I might like to try, I just don’t think I’m well suited to anything much different than what I do. I mean, hey, that’s one of the reasons I do it, right?

But today, I think I may have found my answer. That is, if I were ever to become a famous actor, be invited on the show, and asked the list of questions. Which is, of course, not going to happen because that’s NOT the profession other than my own that I’d like to attempt!

I think that I would be well suited to being a massage therapist.

Now, this is quite a departure from my current and former gigs in the world off education and I’m not planning on leaving to take up the massusical arts (not a word, but I like it a lot).

I was at a spa today (long past due) and I realized that the lovely young lady working the tired out of my muscles has a pretty good job. At least, I think so.

Now, I’m going to simplify this a bit and there are probably going to be huge generalizations tossed in here, but think about this. This dedicated stress reliever…

• Is someone everyone is glad to have an appointment with
• Has an office that overlooks a beautiful pool, beach, and sea. Location, location, location
• Gets to work with people and provide a valuable customer service
• Has a lot of time to think and let her mind wander (you cannot tell me that they do not tune out for the better part of the hour while they are kneading away)
• Always smells good (those lotions always smell clean) and has soft skin (at least her hands and forearms)
• Gets to listen to some of the most soothing music all day
• Works in a nice cozy naturally lit room
• Works in a place designed as a stress-free zone

I have no idea if I’d be any good and I’m absolutely certain that it’s not as easy as they make it look. But, I think a lot of it sounds delightful.

Then again, I was thinking all of this while heavily under the influence of relaxation and aromatherapy scents. My judgment may or may not have been impaired!

Going Home

I was born in a small town. And I lived in a small town … ummm, yeh, no I’m not going to quote John Mellencamp to the extreme here. My brain just works this way.

Mellencamp aside, the fact remains. I did grow up in a small town. I had a great group of friends and, unlike some of them, I didn’t really have the itch to leave. Life, of course, had other plans and I did leave. Then, life brought me home until opportunity pushed me to leave again.

My parents have moved away now, but no matter how long I’m away or how far I go, this place will always be my home. I will forever be connected to it. So much of my life happened there – so many ages, so many stages. I’ve painted this beautiful landscape of what like was like … a sort of mental Monet-esque picture of what it was like. You know, beautiful and a little fuzzy on some of the details.

That’s an intriguing idea, really (no, not the art thing - although me painting like Monet would be something to behold). I mean, my perceptions of this place are frozen in time. In the colors, tones, and moods of the day … not to mention the styles and trends. They are stuck in memories that, I’m fairly certain, are a bit fuzzy. It was a long time ago now and I’m getting old.

Could it be that I fondly remember things that that were not all that warm and fuzzy? It wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve romanticized a notion, that’s for sure. Could it be that those things I’d rather not remember weren’t actually all that bad? And does it matter?

In my Monet world, heading home is a bit like sitting at a table full of comfort food. You crave it and after eating your fill, you are satisfied and comfortable for a while. It’s a warm, content, and comfortable feeling.

So, in the end I guess it doesn’t really matter if you look at my Monet see a Picasso. It doesn’t matter at all. I see it as I see it … warm, inviting, comfortable, and as if I never left.

Trust Yourself

Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of students – both adults and children. In all of those years, a simple phrase became a common refrain.

You can do it. Trust yourself.

Many of my former students will attest to this. I said it a lot. Most of the time they smiled sheepishly and gave whatever it was that was making them nervous a try. Sometimes they succeeded, sometimes not. They always tried.

It’s been a while since I’ve been in the classroom. The students of my first year in the classroom graduated from high school 10 years ago. (I still remember most of their names and faces. I still share stories about them.) I’m hoping they have learned to trust themselves. When I was their teacher, I didn’t yet trust myself.

Other students of mine are finishing up their college careers and are on their way to becoming successful adults. I hope that they trust themselves. When I was their teacher, I had found a way to trust myself.

As an adult, I have learned that trusting yourself is really important. In fact, I think it’s more important than I originally believed.

I have a friend who is struggling right now. She’s wondering, I think, if what she is doing is making a difference in this world. If anyone notices the little things that she does and how well she’s doing her job.

I started thinking about this … about her dilemma. What could I say to help? The thing I keep coming back to is, “Trust yourself.”

Insecurity is awful and it’s mostly silent. It’s like seeing everything through a dirty window. You can’t see anything clearly and it’s hard for light to get in. Trust me on this, I know. I can be one of the most insecure people you’ve ever met. My windows get dirty all the time!

But here’s the thing. You can’t get stuck. You can’t let it freeze you up. (… and by you, I mean all of us because I don’t believe anyone has escaped the insecurity monster.)

When the windows get dirty, it’s time to find some cleaner! Because insecurity is often silent, I find it helpful to make some noise. It’s kicking nasty self-talk right where it hurts most. It’s letting your inner bully know that you mean business. So, I say,

Trust yourself: You know what you know. You know what you need to learn.

Trust yourself: You know if you are in over your head. Find someone to help.

Trust yourself: You know that the world won’t really end if you make a mistake – or even if you fail.

Trust yourself: You have knowledge – and that it powerful.

Trust yourself: Everyone is here for a reason. Everyone has an important job to do.

Trust yourself: Well … that’s really it, isn’t it. Just do it!

I don’t pretend to have all of the answers. I can’t say for sure that I understand what my friend is going through. I don’t understand why some very capable and competent folks feel insecure from time-to-time. I just know that I’ve been there and I don’t like it one bit.

Here’s a great one for you … ready? I am, at this very moment, insecure about publishing this post.

Aw, heck, I’ve never been a good housekeeper. I’m just gonna break the window!

Error

I’m a firm believer that audience is everything. What works for individual or group of people is not a slam dunk solution for another. Pleasing everyone is dang near impossible and those who strive to reach this goal typically fail not because their product, idea, or implementation was poor but because of their unrealistic expectations.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been struggling with technology. It’s sort of an ongoing battle – things work great and then all-of-a-sudden and without warning it’s the end of the world as we know it (and nobody’s feeling fine!). Frustrating in the extreme.

When it comes to technical stress, I really try to start each day fresh. I’d be lying if I told you I pull this off all the time – or even 1/2 the time, but I find it’s much less crippling to think of a problem as “fresh meat” than as something I’ve been beaten by for weeks. Plus, I find my temper is in a much better place when I come from this angle … that just increases the safety of both my windows (my actual physical window panes, not my operating system) and the equipment giving me grief!

I think that’s why I found the error message that greeted me this morning when I fired up my laptop so laugh-out-loud funny!

“Something bad happened” … really? Oh my word, I laughed.

As I was waiting for that graphic to upload, it dawned on me that this is the software equivalent to Southwest Airlines … it’s serious, without taking the whole thing too seriously. No wound-too-tight jumble of techy speak here. Just a statement and a place to go research the problem. I like it … I like SWA.

Perhaps there’s something to be said for random error messages that state the obvious and disarm. Perhaps this is just me and this error message would cause someone else to throw their computer out the window.

Meh, something to think about anyway!