Good Things

Sunday, September 14, 2014

We just returned from the Farmer's Market, completely stocked with vegetables for all of the fall "comfort" food I plan to make in the next week.  Mark has cranked up the record player (yes....RECORD player), and we are currently listening to Enoch Light and the Light Brigade.

This album would contain the cheesiest lounge music a human could endure. (It does, however, coordinate nicely with my dining table and chairs.)  Several times a week, my house turns into a 70's jazz lounge.  It never actually looks like a lounge, but OMG, it FEELS like a lounge.  The records come out, the stereo goes on, Mark pours some cocktails, and my mother starts to dance...or hum, or a combination of the two.  (She is currently enthralled in her new Barbie coloring book, so she is coloring to the beat, and humming along to every tune.  Whether she knows the song or not.)  Hernando's Hideaway is a personal favorite. 

By the way, don't my dishes look smashing with this album?!

And yes, Mark made lunch today. (I made the soup...he heated it up)

I have never confirmed it, but I am pretty sure that "cocktail hour" takes place, not only for entertainment purposes, but also because my husband seems to feel guilty if he is having a cocktail alone.  Why, I have no idea.  I typically skip cocktail hour, because if I were to join in, I would need to quickly jump to "bedtime hour".

Speaking of bedtime, this is another interesting phenomenon that occurs on Sunday.  I do have to get up earlier on Sundays than on any other day of the week, which, I am sure plays into this whole scenario.  In an effort to arrive on time (7:30), I  set my alarm for 6am. ( I NEVER get there on time.  I typically leave the house at 7:28, and it's a ten minute drive.)  Obviously, the snooze button is involved.  I must throw out tons of energy playing piano, or maybe just in my interactions with people during my 4.5 hour Sunday morning stint, because by Sunday afternoon, I am ready to keel over and die.  I always have grand ideas of projects to get started on...but by 2pm (agh! I just looked at the clock...I have four minutes before I croak!) I am overcome by exhaustion, and have no choice but to sleep.  Since my mom has moved in, the Sunday morning adventure has become even more exciting. Not only do I have to get myself ready, but I have to get her bathed and dressed before I leave as well.  (For some reason, my husband has no desire to take over this job on Sunday mornings to help me out. Strange. ;) To add to the fun, she likes to do a little late night wandering. Last night, she was hauling clothes up the stairs at 4am.  I got her back down to bed, and she actually slept for two more hours. (This is a record!)  The dogs like to take it up one more notch as well.  Nature calls at least once in the middle of the night, and it NEVER coincides with grandma's wandering, because that would be far too convenient for everyone.  I am starting to understand my exhaustion as I write this. 

Anyway, next Sunday (and the Sundays after) I plan to dedicate the day to "good things".  Quite frankly, there is so much in the world that has made me start to question whether or not good still exists.  Some days, it feels like it is a thing of the past.  This, of course, is not true.  You just have to turn off the news (it seems to just report the bad) and start looking around you.  Each week, I am going to be looking for the good things that are happening around me, or things that I want to tell you about.  I hope you will share your stories as well.  Maybe this will remind us to keep our eyes open to seeing the good around us, and our hearts open to being a part of making good things happen....because, really, does anything feel better than that?  We can be a big bunch of do-good-ers! Happy Sunday!

(Thanks for the pic, Corinne!  I'm IN LOVE!!)