This husband of mine…

Was shopping for a hat…had a birthday coming up…have been down the hat hunting road before…it’s never…an easy task…

Hat shopping here…hat shopping there…cowboy…baseball…fedora…poor man can never find a hat…that fits…they are always too big…

Measured his head…22 inches circumference…men’s small…low end medium…thought it would be funny…to measure melon head me…see how many gazillion inches…it is…around…

And wouldn’t you know…small head him…and big head me…have the same…size…head…22 inches…right on the nose…

One of us was so shocked…he called…for a remeasure…

And so it is…in life…it’s that potayto potahto…tomayto tomahto…kind of thing…the same yet different…depending…on how you see it…

And when it comes to body image…that viewpoint…can make or break…how you feel…about yourself…

So choose love…love everything…absolutely everything…big or small…short or tall…that makes you…gloriously…beautifully made…you…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Took a sub job…at the last minute…packed a bag of tricks…arrived at 7:15…have ample time to prep…

Couldn’t get in til 7:40…hadn’t thought of that…quickly read through the notes…then greeted 19 youngsters on their fifth…day of school…

Started the spiel…we are a team…repeat after me…we are respectful…we are responsible…we are the reason…someone…smiles today..

These kids…were eager…excited…and focused…for…about an hour…and then…stuff kicked in…student fatigue…student anxiety…and suddenly…it was like herding cats…

Chaos actually…

Can’t say much learning took place…at least not about cause and effect…or math stuff…but in amidst the craziness…the signs were there…that those little ones…were becoming…a team…

Being kind…helping each other…offering support…and making someone smile…this old gal someone…proud of the fact…that if those kids could take one thing away from the chaos of the day…

It was the importance…of having…your neighbor’s…back…
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And those kids of mine…would agree…

This old gal…

Ordered a whistle…stainless steel…lanyard…great for coaches…referees…

Had two…back in the day…but can’t find them…most possibly handed them over like the proverbial baton…to that teacher daughter of mine…

Was chatting with a friend in Texas…a former educator…taught PE…everything about her…says she was awesome with kids…mentioned substitute teaching…her eyes lit up and smiling she said…I loved subbing…

And there it was…that pang…the wonder why teacher me…is so afraid…to get back in the classroom…cuz she loves kids…she loves teaching…she loves meeting new people…but she doesn’t love…being afraid…

And so it is…in life…sometimes you have to face your fears…

So teacher me…substitute…teacher me…bought a whistle…to teach PE of all things…coming up in a week or so…

And it will be great…but she didn’t just say that…or think that…because we don’t…want to jinx anything…
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And that husband of mine…laughingly…agrees…

This old gal…

Just might be…a jinxer…precede a comment with…I’m so fortunate…I’m so blessed…tends to trigger…bad karma…

Jinxer me sharing her thoughts…about never feeling better…after walking four miles…suddenly has plantar fasciitis…and a window washing back injury…

Compare notes with that buddy of hers…acid reflux…trouble sleeping…frozen shoulder…the thank goodness no…turns into…yes…yes…omg…yes…

And then…the most painful jinx of all…a special gift…so treasured…so loved…fumbled in the sink but caught in time…

The relieved…thankful…I would be heartbroken to lose this glass…followed the very…next…day…with another bang in the sink…this time…fatal…

And so it is…in life…some things…are just out of our control…coincidence…jinx…old age clumsiness…whatever the cause…

Keep the faith…smile the smile…continue to lift up your good fortune…because no matter the circumstance…there’s always a blessing…waiting to be found…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Visited the power and water company…sooner than expected…got the utility bill…the amount due…was high…like super high…like super duper high…

Met with a customer service rep…the conversation…going something…like this…

Me…it says here we used 800 gallons of water a day…
Her…that’s not uncommon…
Me…it is for two old people…
Her…your water was just turned back on July 17…
Me…it was turned on on April 1st…when we got home from Texas…
Her…are you sure…it says here it was July 17…
Me…I realize that but I think I would know if it was turned on on July 17…
Her…let me go talk to the manager…

And so it was…some computerland glitch…resulted in a five month water bill delay…how this old gal didn’t catch it…is beyond her…

Exhausted from the whole ordeal…looked to the rocks…for a little inspiration…live deep…bee you…believe in yourself…and the one that pretty much sums up the billing debacle…

That bill…the bad bill…ended up saving months of service fees…so the bad bill…might really be…a good bill…a good bad bill…if there’s even such a thing…

Guess it’s just…a matter of perspective…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

That daughter of mine…

Always dreamed…of having a dog…said when she grew up…she would get one…to cuddle…love…and name…what ever she…wanted to name it…

College…grad school…a move to Nebraska…she waited…and waited…and waited…but the time for a pet…was never right…

And then…she met the love of her life…after meeting the other…love of her life…and moving with him…to Washington DC…

Where they adopted Miso…an orphan…whose future was bleak…very bleak indeed…but who could resist…that snaggle tooth…that crooked eye…

That spirit…that energy…that heart of gold…one look…and that DC gal knew…her dream…had finally…come true…

So today…on National Dog Day…this old gal celebrates that Grandpup of hers and her mother…who are living proof…

That a dream…planted…deep in a four year old’s heart…can…with faith…endurance…and a little bit of pixie dust…most certainly…come true…
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And that daughter of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Drove to the utility company…check on the free rust cleaner…expected a typical business building…but got…a sweet little surprise…

To get to the door…had to pass a garden…a rock garden…a kindness…rock garden…holding a sweet little sign…

Take one for inspiration…share one for motivation…leave one…to help the garden grow…

Read the rocks…smiling at each…eyes settling on one…that spoke volumes…saying what we all need to hear and remember…

You are…amazing…beautiful…smart…strong…loved…

Know this my friends…you are…all these things…and more…hear it…believe it…hold it to your heart…and never forget…

Then go out and spread the joy…cuz kindness…truly does…rock…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Would be the first to admit…that she’s an over sharer…a little too open…divulges too much…but finds no point in pretending…or being superficial…

And so…there it was…taking a walk…stopped to chat with neighbors…yapping away…when over sharer me…brings the conversation around…to bathroom talk…

What’s the deal…the new friends hear…with the rust in the toilets…our toilets…are disgusting…

Knew what the deal was…all this piping work…but was hoping to share the misery…with like minded rusty toilet folks…

Who went a step farther…sharing that the power and water plant…gives away amazing rust remover…all you have to do…is ask…

And so it is…in life…sometimes…it’s ok…to bare your soul…share your worries…cuz that friend…who just happens be there with a listening ear…might also just happen to have…

The answer…you need to hear…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Is directionally challenged…ridiculously so…doesn’t know north from south…east from west…up…from down…

Told a story the other day…fifth grade me…and her class…told to stand up at their desks…you…said the teacher…are facing…north…

It was years…like an embarrassing number of years…before blockhead me realized…that north…wasn’t always the direction…you just happened to be facing…

This husband of mine…and his thing with tap water…the chemicals…toxins…floaters…blockhead me silently eye rolling…thinking how bad…can the pipes…really be…

And then…the infrastructure project…began…

And so it is…in life…those things…we don’t see…those things…we choose not…to see…

Take time to hear…what others have to say…see something…through different eyes…use what you learn…to keep yourself and those you love…

Always going…in the right…direction…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Was ordering her Step One Food products…those bars and granolas that do such a bang up job lowering the cholesterol…was tempted to sign up for the subscription…automatic shipment every other month…save 20 percent…easy peasy…saves time…saves money…

Filled out the info…almost hit that button…but then paused…what if…came the thought…I suddenly die…and while that family of mine tries to get all those paperwork things figured out…

Those deliveries just keep coming and coming…to the front stoop…month after month…the back room full to the ceiling with boxes…while those ladies of mine continue their frantic search…for the password to the account…

Gnashing their teeth…pulling their hair…saying dang Mom…you couldn’t have just ordered month by month…

So pushed…no on the subscription…until the day comes…when one of us is motivated enough to subscribe…and then smart enough to save the info…somewhere where others will know…just where to find it…
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And that family of mine…agrees…