Nov 25, 2011 |
I “met” Jenn from …so this is love… through BlogHer and NaBloPoMo. I love her writing style. I love her stories. I love that she loves my blog back. It’s a mutual admiration society between the two of us.
A few days ago, she posted this great little essay she titled “Free Falling”. With her permission, I’m sharing it with you because, well, because it’s just worth sharing.
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The other day, I took a kid that I work with to the playground.
I promptly challenged him to a swinging contest.
As my legs started pumping, and I gained speed and height, I begin to feel that feeling.
The one just as you are swinging high. The wind is blowing through your hair making your cheeks red and your eyes water. And you stop for a split second before you come back down. The drop in your stomach. The lump in your throat. The pulsing of your heartbeat, felt in your brain. The silmultaneous feeling of excitement and dread.
The feeling that you are about to plummet. The wondering if anyone will be there to catch you, if the chains on the swing will hold you. The excitement of the unknown. The free fall. The leap.
I remember days when I was younger. The leaps I took off of the swing from that very moment, at the highest point – pretending that I could fly. The forward rolls into space, perfecting the landing.
I am far too adult to try such a thing now. Fear has replaced much of that adventurous spirit. Some would say common sense, but I believe it’s mostly fear. Because of all those times when I fell perfecting the landing, both literally from swings and figuratively from other life experiences – they have left me cautious about much of the world around me.
But those times when I landed perfectly? The times when I closed my eyes and jumped, believing that I would be okay? They stand out in my mind, my heart, my soul. They are the most important times.
They were so worth facing the fear, letting go, and free falling in the unknown. I need to do more of that.
As for the swinging contest? I let him win.
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Click here to check out her blog. Sometimes her husband posts too. Their stories are real, honest, heartfelt. Sometimes fun, sometimes deep. Always worth reading!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 25, 2011 |
Dear Black Friday Retailers…
You disappoint me. I used to get up early. I mean, early, to shop with a friend. It was fun, exciting. Special.
But this year you have invaded my holiday. Many of you have opened your doors at a ridiculous hour. Causing your employees to choose between sleeping or celebrating. All so you can line your pockets and your CEO’s get a bonus.
Will these hourly employees see a bonus? Will they even get a raise? Will the Seasonal Employees keep their jobs after the New Year? Prob’ly not.
Do you care that most have family functions? Obviously not.
You offend me with your so-called “Holiday Spirit”. Christmas is not, repeat: not about the money. At least it shouldn’t be. But you think it is. You think it’s only about the money. Don’t pretend you are doing me a favor by dramatically lowering prices one day a year.
If your super low sales prices can sustain you through your “holiday season”, I don’t understand why you don’t keep the prices low all the time. Then perhaps people would shop more regularly. Then perhaps you would have regular income and could afford to hire more permanent help. Then perhaps those people would pump their paychecks back into the economy. Then perhaps the economy would recover more quickly.
If you can afford to lower prices the day after Thanksgiving, why can’t you lower prices on May 10th? Or August 5th? That would be doing me a favor. Or is it that you just don’t want to?
Don’t pretend you’re doing me a favor by opening up so early. Keep your doors closed til 4 a.m. Friday. Let people have the chance to enjoy time with their family and loved ones and get the sleep they need to work a ridiculously busy shift afterward. Let people have a day off without worrying about cutting their visit short, or worse, not being able to travel at all due to time constraints. That would be true “Holiday Spirit”.
It is mean, hurtful, and insensitive to take a beautiful holiday like Christmas and use it for your personal financial gain. Worse, you’ve now encroached on Thanksgiving.
But since you’re not worried about offending me, I guess you won’t mind that I won’t be shopping at your stores any time soon. I’ll be celebrating on Small Business Saturday: my locally owned and operated stores that care enough about their staff to close on Thanksgiving, and to offer good discounts throughout the year. Sure, they’re understaffed and don’t have ten thousand of the same item to sell within the first three hours. But they do have something you don’t: My business.
Insincerely yours,
Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
DISCLAIMER: I wrote this post on Wednesday. On Thanksgiving Day, my daughter and I arrived at my mom’s down the street to find my brother had driven down to surprise us for the weekend. He recently moved five hours away and is in search of a Home Goods Store. So on Black Friday, we will be riding along with him to the closest location, which is 45 minutes away from here. I can’t convince him to come back down next week to avoid Black Friday, or even shop somewhere else. I don’t plan to spend any money, and we’re not leaving at the crack at dawn. In fact, we’re just going “along for the ride” so to speak, in an attempt to spend more time with him before he leaves… and drive Mom crazy with our over-talking, loud-laughing, sibling banter. And maybe a Christmas sing-along or two. … He’s already been warned that he’d best not get me to compromise my anti-spending stance… but if he wants to spend money on us, hey. That’s his call. Welcome home, Bro. ;)
Nov 24, 2011 |
Today is Thanksgiving.
And while this is a little thing, it’s a big deal:
But two days ago I got two new tires on my car.
It happened, because we were planning on an hour-long drive to go visit my daughter’s friend in the hospital. And since I hadn’t had the air pressure checked for a while, I took the car to America’s Tire Co. They do air checks and rotations for free. And since I had $3.42 in my checkbook, “free” was really working for me.
Until they looked at my tires. Left front: treads worn down. Right front: road hazard. Air bulge (I’d hit a pothole last week, but didn’t realize I’d damaged the tire.). He explained this is a major road hazard; unsafe to drive no matter what. I explained I absolutely cannot afford new tires right now. So he suggested replacing it with my spare just to be safe. Again, the phrase “road hazard” kept coming up.
We sat and waited. The plan was for them to replace the road hazard tire with the spare, and rotate the two rear tires. That, at least, would be safer than driving the way the tires are now.
The second service guy called me to the counter. He again stressed the hazard of the old tire, and the limited capability of a spare. And now, they’ve found two nails in a rear tire.
This is not going the way I had planned.
I had to tell my daughter it didn’t look like we’d make it to see her friend. I was almost heartbroke.
A year ago, even a few months ago; I would have panicked. I would have cried in public and called my mom and had a mini-breakdown on the phone. I prob’ly would have used words I usually try really hard not to use.
But instead, I took a deep breath. I looked at my daughter and said, “Say a prayer.”
I went to the counter a third time. And decided to take them up on their offer to apply for credit. “I won’t get approved,” I whispered, all the while praying and trusting that God can do anything.
My last resort would be to “borrow” money from family. Money that they don’t really have to give me, money that I wouldn’t be able to give back.
In less than a minute, I was approved. Not a huge amount, but enough to get two new tires.
20 minutes later I drove away, feeling more secure than I’ve felt for quite a while. My car was safe. I hadn’t known it was unsafe. But more than that, now I knew we were safe.
Shortly after we went home and were just preparing to leave for the hospital, we got the message that my daughter’s friend was being released; healthy enough to come home for Thanksgiving!
I’m still in awe of the way these situations turned out. I knew my tires weren’t the best, but I didn’t know they were this bad. My daughter’s friend was hospitalized for several days. If it hadn’t been for our plans to visit, I would have waited on getting the tires checked. After all, I only drive locally.
Now I have new tires. Now my daughter’s friend is home. My daughter consistently sees miracles in her life. And our life is still Amazing. Because God is always Graceful. And Good.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 24, 2011 |
Will Power. He’s one determined little bear!
To read The Adventures of Will Power and the Haunted House, click here.
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The Tall Grass
Will Power recently found himself overwhelmed. He felt he was stuck in the Tall Grass.
So many worries, so many cares. So many things to think about, when all he really wanted was to rest. The more he tried, the more wrapped up he became in his worries.
Help me! Help me!
He knew he needed a change, if not in situations, then in perspective. So he took a step back. He looked around and took a walk to clear his head. But he was still so consumed with concerns and the stresses of life that he couldn’t see his way clear of the heavy burdens he carried. The blessings he longed for were still just out of reach.
Blessings Out of Reach
There was only one thing to do: handle it. No matter what it would take, Will Power knew he had it in him to conquer.
First things first. He was smart enough to recognize he couldn’t do it alone. So he called for help from the One he knew could handle these things: the One who scared off those who kept trying to take Will Power’s blessings away. He was, of course, thinking of The Scarecrow.
Scarecrow to the Rescue
Letting the Big Guy Do The Work
As he gave his worries over for the Scarecrow to handle, he hid in the comfort of the colorful leaves.
It wasn’t long before the Scarecrow had chopped down the tall grass and made hay with it; showing Will Power that even the seemingly helpless situations can be handled one way or another.
Will realized there was so much more to life than worries and needs. That life indeed could be filled with fun and surprises, and even an abundance of blessings.
He took another look around him, and this time focused on what was beyond his immediate surroundings. He took a step, and another, and another.
Blessings
And soon he found himself sitting atop the biggest blessings he could imagine, far more than he needed or could even manage.
Surrounded by his abundance, thinking about getting from where he was to where he is, and all those that helped him along the way… There was only one thing he could think of to do:
Give thanks, and share.
Basket of Blessings
From our house to yours, remember that whatever situation you find yourself in, it could always be worse, and you’re never alone.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Nov 23, 2011 |
Tomorrow, we feast. The day after, we decorate and celebrate. Today, we gear up.
I’m going to brave the supermarket. (I already hear you, Jenn: WHAT THE HECK AM I THINKING?!). Jenn went to Wal*Mart yesterday and tweeted her survival, which received no small amount of heckling from me.
That’s okay. At least I’m staying in on Black Friday. The excuse of Unemployment and all that. (Actually, I just think the rest of you are crazy, so while you’re out in the crowds and the cold, I’ll be snug as a bug in a rug. And when I wake up, and you’re still standing in line, I’ll be drinking some hot coffee or cocoa while still in my jammies… Please tell me you aren’t like The People Of Wal*Mart and going out in your jammies. Please just give me that!).
Today I’m going to bake Pumpkin Spice cookies. Today I’m setting up my Nutcracker Village. Today I’m lighting my “Let It Snow” Yankee candle. Today I’m putting a log on the fire and baking up the first batch of my family’s old secret recipe, Holiday Doo-Dads (you know it by it’s current name, Chex Party Mix… but my recipe’s different. And more delicious. Just sayin’…)
And today I’m singing Christmas music. Loudly. In fact, I may broadcast it all the way across the states and then some. I do love me some Connick and Bocelli!
Today is the last day of the season before the Season. Every moment in the last few weeks has been pointing an arrow to tomorrow, flashing their neon signs screaming “THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!” And I’ll be no exception.
We’ve got the meal planned down to the minute so we won’t miss a minute of the Packers-Lions game. And while I’m usually a Lions fan, I’m always a Packers fan, so I’ll be dressed in Green and Yellow and cheering with all the other Cheeseheads of the nation.
Friday is our annual Day After Thanksgiving Decorating Party. That’s a whole ‘nother blog for later. Right now, I think I’m all blogged out for the day.
In the words of someone famous (although right now, I don’t know who). “I’ve got places to go and people to see.”
And Franky, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
