Negativity

In my quest to focus on what's positive in life these days, I'm noticing that's not at all difficult to find something good about each day. Overall, I am an optimistic person and try not to hold on to negativity. In my life, there is a family member who is totally opposite. I think she actually enjoys misery and if there isn't any will go out of her way to create it. She wants company in her experience, acting like a big vortex trying to pull everyone in.

I try to limit my exposure to people like that. When sometimes it's just not possible, the best I can do is try to stay true to myself and not get sucked in. I try to remember that there is someone I care about underneath the facade. I try to remember that I am a generous, kind person who does not need to identify with the negativity in order to try an understand it. I try to stay in touch with my sense of who I am, and know that in this too, is a lesson for my own growth. I try to remember that I do believe in love. And love does not judge.

Sometimes, I just remember that nothing lasts forever. And that can be something good.

Spring Green

Living in farm country has been interesting for me this year. Every day I pass fields where crops are grown. There are more subtle changes to the land, and the crops than I would ever have imagined. Today was the first day this year that there was green in the fields again! I don't know what's growing, but it is just high enough above the ground to form a green haze. A very welcome sign that the cold, white winter is truly leaving. Oh, there may be more cold and even more white, but it will be fleeting and soon there'll be more lovely shades of spring green surrounding me.

Good Morning Vibes

I didn't forget to notice what was good yesterday - just got sidetracked at the posting part. Yesterday morning I saw a brilliant celestial display that made my whole day better! As I was driving to work in the morning, the pale pearl moon was in my front windshield and suddenly in the rear view window, a firey tangerine sun appeared. It was the best part of a workday Monday.

I'm Worth It

Something happened last night that feels damn good this morning.

A hard drive decided to spew out error after error creating panic in someone's heart. So an hour later we're at electronics mecca, Best Buy. While the Viking is intently studying hard drives, I found myself wandering innocently toward the beckoning glitz and siren song of iPod land. I had no choice but to acknowledge the deeply buried lust in my heart. I had a perfectly good player in my desk at work. I don't need a new one. We bought the new drive and headed to the car.

Like many mothers, I've always put the desires of my family before my own when it came to material things, especially indulgences. I still do most of the time even though it's just the Viking and me at home these days and has been for a long time. I think it is just a mother-thing;pop psychology often says that behavior is connected to a whole slew of feelings that all revolve around self worth and what you do or do not deserve. Maybe it's both.

At the sound of the ignition, I knew I couldn't resist. Back to the store. And right there and then, I decided that it was ok to get something just because I wanted it. Buying it wasn't going to cause financial collapse or the earth to stop spinning. I took a step further and went into really dangerous selfish territory and bought outstanding earbuds to go along with the shiny new toy. Just because I love the nuances of music. For me. Just me. It feels great.

What did I buy? A Sandisk Sansa View, 16GB of wonderment and Bose earbuds. When I heard the difference between the included Sansa earbuds and the Bose, I no longer felt any sense of remorse over that little upgrade. The commercials are right. You should hear what you're missing.

Coffee Art

Have you seen the email going around with really beautiful cups of coffee ,artistically embellished with frothed milk or cream? Real or photoshopped? I don't know,but I thought it would be fun to see how it's done. In in my neck of the woods, coffee is either black or with cream, froth? What's that? Weirdo for even asking.

Here's a Youtube video of someone actually making art in their coffee. How fun would it be to get this in the morning?


And this actually realtes to my good things in life project. Today is Saturday,and all week I look forward to weekends for 3 things: a really long shower,leisurely waking up and being able to take the time to revel in the cozy warmth of bed and the third is making a pot of excellent coffee and being able to savor every flavor and aroma. Sometimes it's on Saturday, sometimes Sunday that I get to have "my morning".

Today was my morning.The coffee was freshly ground dark Kenyan. No cinnamon rolls, but that's ok. It was still a wonderful morning. Do you have any special rituals that make your hectic life better?

57 Cars

I've decided to start posting about the good things in my life. I've been stuck in a rut and it seems like a way to move ahead. So... day one.... a good thing about living in rural Nebraska is the lack of traffic.

I've been counting cars that I see on my way to work for the last week, from door to door,each day. It's 57. Including farm vehicles.

To give you an idea of what this really means, I drive about 30 miles one way to work. People here actually complain about the traffic. Really. Having driven in the Atlanta and DFW metro areas for many years, I just shake my head. This is a live shot of the main section of my drive, at noon today. I see more cows than cars on a daily basis. Definitely a good thing.