In the U.S. and Mexico, Austria and Australia, Switzerland and Pakistan, and in many other countries, in small apartments and suburban villas, on farms, houseboats, and huts, today, on May 10th, many countries celebrate mothers who are doing their jobs.
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Happy 4th of July to everybody here in the US. A day for celebration with family and friends. Perhaps a cookout, or a picnic? Our brisket is in the smoker, guarded by our dogs, who successfully stole a few slices the last time we made one. Dogs don’t forget.
I’m sure you know the saying: “Live every day as if it were your last”. And I’m sure you’re thinking, “What hogwash.” To believe that we can live every day the way we live our last days on earth is naïve and idealistic nonsense about improving the world. It just doesn’t work.
A last-minute call from the township we live in. They asked me to sew banners. People had ordered them to honor their loved ones who served in the armed forces of the United States. The banners will be displayed on street lamps from Memorial Day through Veterans Day to both, celebrate, and remind the community of their dedication to our country.
What’s there to sew on a banner? I wondered.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” he said, looked at me and gave me the receipt. He meant well, so do all the others, wishing me the same. Now I just smile politely, a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes and everybody who knows me well would notice. The strangers in the stores they don’t know me, they don’t notice. How could they? It’s their job to be polite to customers. They mean no harm. The younger ones, who don’t have children, think about their own mothers. The older ones, who have children smile, think about their own kids. It’s natural so it seems.
Finally, my computer is back up and running. No more typing with tiny buttons on phone or tablet. Looking at a screen without reading glasses feels so much better.
I reinstalled my old calendar program and today in the morning an anniversary firework popped up. As usual, I would have forgotten, but today is my 4-year quit- anniversary. Smoke-free for 4 years and $8.760 saved, which I just can’t find.
Nothing is more fun than celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in an Irish Pub. Just remember there are rules:
“Happy Mother’s Day,” he said, looked at me and gave me the receipt. He meant well, so do all the others, wishing me the same thing over and over since years. Now I just smile politely, a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes and everybody who knows me, would notice. The strangers in the stores they don’t know me, they don’t notice. How could they? It’s their job to be polite to customers. They mean no harm. The younger ones, who don’t have children, think about their own mothers. The older ones, who have children smile, think about their own kids. It’s natural…so it seems.
Perfect timing daily prompt, perfect timing. I stepped out of my comfort zone exactly one year ago on May 2nd, 2014. It was the day before my 3-month-quit-smoking-celebration and I was reading through all the posts I had written, tried to come up with a filing system -something like a diary and somehow it didn’t work very well.