Snow Day

Today is a snow day.

I love snow days so much you would think I was, in fact, a child enrolled in school today. I love them far more than would appear seemly for a woman of my age and mileage.

The kids sleep in and I'm wide awake at half past dark o' clock pinching myself and silent-squealing "Snow Day!" to myself. I always want to send flowers or chocolates to the Superintendent of Schools. As if the snow day is less a safety issue and more just a little something special he does just for ME. 

I don't know why

The navigation buttons have gone all wonky. I'll repair them. Eventually.

Why coffee is cheaper than therapy

Because sometimes all the wisdom and guidance you really need can be culled from the window of a coffee shop. *

*Images courtesy Caribou Coffee, Legacy Village and my BFF, Dawn, who kept a keen eye out for security while I snapped these photos - because that's not suspicious at all.

Reads

Forward From Here: Leaving Middle Age--and Other Unexpected Adventures by Reeve Lindbergh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



As engaging and delightful as "Under A Wing," Reeve Lindbergh is my latest favorite writer. I think she could probably translate the phone book with enough colorful, first person depiction and clever turn of phrase to make me want to read that too.

Love this writer. Love this book. "Oldest Unwed Mother in Caledonia County" is absolutely sublime. Kudos to Reeve for embracing a "situation" or two (and doesn't every family have them?) and having a good laugh.

Organization Porn

I have a mudroom. These images are not it. My mudroom, it’s cute. It used to be a porch before it was promoted to mudroom. My mudroom, however, is kind of like a rummage sale, or maybe a sock-hop, "everyone pile their shoes in the middle of the floor!"

It’s cute, like I said, but it takes a LOT of time, effort, and pure teeth gnashing nagging to keep it presentable. No one likes to use coat hangers. The charming baskets of gloves are always on the floor. A person could break a hip tripping over the mountain of boots that spill out into the kitchen.
What we need is lockers. Defined space. Hooks. Confinement. I showed Mr. Wonderful the above images. He hopped right up and headed for the mudroom to figure it out. That’s a good sign. There seems to be no “load bearing wall” nonsense to contend with here. Just a few little old walls, some shelves, maybe hooks?
Call them cubbies. Call them lockers. Call them anything you want but my dream is going out to the Universe. A dream of a place where boots stand tall, gloves are neatly stowed, and coats don’t live on the floor.

Wisdom

“If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly in those moments.”
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I have a sweet little chalkboard I keep on the sideboard and intended to write moving and meaningful phrases upon to inspire us (me).

Unfortunately, it is difficult - if not impossible - to stay deep when writing in chalk.

Goals for the Good Life and other lofty things

I don't set resolutions, that seems so like a government document somehow "We hereby do resolve ..." and we all know how often THOSE don't pan out.

I set goals, visions (hippy dippy? Sure, but it works). Whatever you call them.

My goals for 2011

Get healthy (This is a euphemism for lose weight but get healthy sounds virtuous while "lose weight" sounds vain. Being actually vain I am using the former in hopes of sounding "deeper.")

Write & Speak - Yes, I know that speaking is something I do always, incessantly. I do not, in fact, ever shut up. That said I have been INVITED to speak and being me this gracious invitation was immediately  met with my freezing up completely. I need to follow through on this and open new avenues. The fact that the surest way to feel stupid, clunky, and dull as dishwater is to have someone say "okay now be funny!" should matter not a whit.

As for writing - by this I mean not only the column (which I adore and am blessed to have a forum for and so on and so forth) but write more, deeply, journal, remember and then DO SOMETHING WITH IT. (I think this may be translated to "less time on Facebook and Message Boards" and more time actually living - and relating to - real life).

My goal for Year End 2011 is to feel better than ever about where I am personally and professionally. Now I just have to work every day on getting there from here.

January I do not love thee

So my normal dislike of January marches on. I know I should like January. Clean slate, new beginnings and all but I don't. I just don't. It feels so grey and heavy and even the sunlight, when it shows up, is so harsh and bright and "cold" somehow.

I am loathe to go wishing our days away but January I could do without. I don't really start perking up again until April, I don't think.

I'm trying to change my attitude about that but so far, it's been hard.