Why do we say, "Life's a bitch and then you die." Of course life is hard, but it's those hard lessons that shows you what you can and cannot do. What you must do. What makes you who you are.
We've all had hard lessons in life; I'm certainly not immune. You can handle those tough times with grace and dignity, or go bat-shit crazy. I've done both. You have to learn to forgive those that have wronged you, learn to forgive yourself, and learn to move beyond the pain.
I've always wanted to believe the best in people, and still do to this day; even when I've seen the worst.
I don't want to walk around saying, "life's a bitch." Life is what you make of it. Our basic needs are being met--food, shelter, clothing. That in of itself makes life 100% better. I think of the people throughout the world that struggle day-to-day without even those needs, and it makes you pause and thank the person, be it you or a spouse that thankfully has a job to provide for you (or for yourself).
Beyond the necessities, it's just icing on the cake. We are blessed in that way, and I try not to take those for granted.
This isn't to say I am comparing my complaints to what others have gone through. I can't imagine those that have endured horrors beyond my imagination. I can't wrap my brain around how someone can pull themselves from the depths of hell and move on. But that just shows me, that if they can, I can too.
Life is fleeting, and we are here but only for a moment. While I am here, I want to embrace all the beauty in the world. The touch of a lover, the laughter of a child, the whisper of the butterfly gracing your ear. The colors, sounds, and sights that the world offers; I want to see it all. Feel it all. Do as much as I can, while I breathe.
Life is what you make of it, and I'm trying to make the best of it.
When life hands you lemons... Picture by CW
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
No!
Earlier this year we dealt with a mice infestation. Over the course of a few weeks, this was our constant nightmare. I have to say, I really don't want to go through that again.
Picture this: It was during the night, I was sitting on the toilet minding my own business, when the cat came running into the bathroom chasing a mouse. I scream like a banshee for my husband to capture it. Although I think he feels the same way that I do about mice in the house. Then there was a couple of instances when I walked into our bedroom, and there laying on the floor was a dead mouse.
There were a couple times of being woken up in the middle of the night to our gray kitty chasing a mouse. The squeaking, chipping sound of that darned thing running from the cat made me want to crawl out of my skin. The cat was dodging and dashing in hot pursuit, as I sat paralyzed on the bed. The cat would get it cornered in the bathroom, usually near the cabinet, and somehow the sneaky little rodent would find a small crawl space to hide in. All the while the cat would lie in wait right next to the cabinet.
I think the icing on the cake was the night when the cat brought up 3 or 4 babies in one night. He hit the mother lode in the basement! I about came unglued that night. The following day I called the exterminators to take care of this problem. They came out, gave suggestions, laid out bait, etc.
Things have gone seemingly well since then. Although, we just finished up the summer months, so there's no need for those little pests to be in our house. Well, today I've sat around bundled up, as the weather has turned chilly. I walk into the kitchen and can you guess what I saw? Not a big stretch, considering what this blog is about. You got it! A dead baby mouse on the kitchen floor. Yeesh! Calls will be made to the exterminator on Monday morning. There must be a nest in the basement, because one of the cats had been in the basement earlier.
I'm so conditioned that when I hear the cat running around at night, I assume he is chasing a mouse around. I find myself rooting hard for Tom when he is chasing Jerry around in that cartoon. I will become the poster child of Decon and mousetraps, if it means to be rid of these pests once and for all. Just please, no more mice in our house!
I will say, our kitty Stinkey has earned a lot of brownie points this year. I think he has about 10 kills under his belt for the year. Now if we can get the other cat to tag team him, we just might be mouse free!
Picture this: It was during the night, I was sitting on the toilet minding my own business, when the cat came running into the bathroom chasing a mouse. I scream like a banshee for my husband to capture it. Although I think he feels the same way that I do about mice in the house. Then there was a couple of instances when I walked into our bedroom, and there laying on the floor was a dead mouse.
There were a couple times of being woken up in the middle of the night to our gray kitty chasing a mouse. The squeaking, chipping sound of that darned thing running from the cat made me want to crawl out of my skin. The cat was dodging and dashing in hot pursuit, as I sat paralyzed on the bed. The cat would get it cornered in the bathroom, usually near the cabinet, and somehow the sneaky little rodent would find a small crawl space to hide in. All the while the cat would lie in wait right next to the cabinet.
I think the icing on the cake was the night when the cat brought up 3 or 4 babies in one night. He hit the mother lode in the basement! I about came unglued that night. The following day I called the exterminators to take care of this problem. They came out, gave suggestions, laid out bait, etc.
Things have gone seemingly well since then. Although, we just finished up the summer months, so there's no need for those little pests to be in our house. Well, today I've sat around bundled up, as the weather has turned chilly. I walk into the kitchen and can you guess what I saw? Not a big stretch, considering what this blog is about. You got it! A dead baby mouse on the kitchen floor. Yeesh! Calls will be made to the exterminator on Monday morning. There must be a nest in the basement, because one of the cats had been in the basement earlier.
I'm so conditioned that when I hear the cat running around at night, I assume he is chasing a mouse around. I find myself rooting hard for Tom when he is chasing Jerry around in that cartoon. I will become the poster child of Decon and mousetraps, if it means to be rid of these pests once and for all. Just please, no more mice in our house!
I will say, our kitty Stinkey has earned a lot of brownie points this year. I think he has about 10 kills under his belt for the year. Now if we can get the other cat to tag team him, we just might be mouse free!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Realizations and 9/11/2001
The other day our daughter and I were reflecting on that fateful day ten years ago. Where we were, what we were doing, e.g. on that day. Even though she was only 6-years-old, she can vividly recall that day. She asked why. Why do we recall the horrific, and can't always seem to remember the sweet, fun times. I told her, this was our JFK, MLK Jr assassination, Pearl Harbor, etc. We are now part of a collective pot of our nation's history. We will always remember, as we should.
As we talked more, I began to realize something. Our youngest son, with whom I was pregnant with at the time, doesn't know anything different. He has only known our world post-9/11. I wanted to weep for our son. It doesn't seem right, and it is definitely cruel that he has never known America when it wasn't in a war. Yet, even with him exposed to the changed world from that day, he still hasn't grasped the magnitude of that day. I had to explain again what happened, why it happened, and the impact on our world. I'm not sure if it he understands that it wasn't always like this. Recently, our oldest flew back to Boulder, and we completely forgot the TSA rules. He had to throw out all his bottles of shampoo and soap. I had already left, and he couldn't hand them to me. I still forget we have all those rules now. So how could a 9-year-old wrap his head around it.
It just made me take pause to realize that he didn't know anything pre-9/11. I pray someday, the wars will end, but I can't see an end. I pray our children will never have to live another day like that day.
As we talked more, I began to realize something. Our youngest son, with whom I was pregnant with at the time, doesn't know anything different. He has only known our world post-9/11. I wanted to weep for our son. It doesn't seem right, and it is definitely cruel that he has never known America when it wasn't in a war. Yet, even with him exposed to the changed world from that day, he still hasn't grasped the magnitude of that day. I had to explain again what happened, why it happened, and the impact on our world. I'm not sure if it he understands that it wasn't always like this. Recently, our oldest flew back to Boulder, and we completely forgot the TSA rules. He had to throw out all his bottles of shampoo and soap. I had already left, and he couldn't hand them to me. I still forget we have all those rules now. So how could a 9-year-old wrap his head around it.
It just made me take pause to realize that he didn't know anything pre-9/11. I pray someday, the wars will end, but I can't see an end. I pray our children will never have to live another day like that day.
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