Things I Found In My Yard This Morning

This morning,

it was cool, but not cold. There was still enough dew on the grass to wet my toes. I found these things:

my neighbor, cozy on his side porch, paper in hand, but at a friendly level, so conversation isn't ruled out.

the slam of the screen door as his wife joins him, before their daughters wake up. Their voices are low, and then
the sound of his wife's laughter - the two of them flirting right out in the open, not noticing me

the birds waking up, warming up their voices (it sounds like choir practice)

The crystal chandelier pendant half-buried in the dirt - that I found, instantly treasured, and simultaneously lost half of

the dung beetle-thing, rolling a ball of...dog hair?

a four-leaf clover

the remnants of a brown and blue spotted egg

impressively obese bees already hard at work

a lightning fast lizard with a shockingly-blue tail

a last rosebud

the remnants of a snake skin (after it had been mowed over, I guess)

HappyNest

Yesterday was a quirky day. Even though it was the start of my first night of three to work.
We woke up early, and tidied the basement and the back patio. We loaded up all the recycling (it's incredible how much crap two people amass over the course of two weeks), and I even made up a few boxes of gently used goodies for the thrift store...I was feeling uber-productive.

Then the bottom fell out.
It rained sheets, cats, dogs, and men. (Not any good ones, though.)
So much for all my uber-productivity getting stuff done before work...

And like any mature human who is faced with a change of plans out of one's control, I pouted furiously. I think I glared at every rain drop that hit my windows.
And I love a good rainy day. Just not when it interferes with all the stuff I have to get done before work.
After a good ten minute pout-fest, I got glad in my mad spot and cuddled with my hubby and dog-babies on our comfy couch, and we watched the rain. That was nice.

Meanwhile, on the other side of our house, our sun room was quietly flooding.
That was exciting. But, the upshot of the flooded sun room was the discovery of the cutest nest of baby birds in the eaves off our sun room! They were so cute, and so pissed to see us! They fluffed up and chewed us out, it was precious! We left them alone, threw down some towels and beat it back to the couch.

When the rain stopped, we headed out and got a few errands done.
It was nice to spend a little time with my best friend before work. And I kinda think that was the lesson of the day. To sit, and chill. Be present.

Happiness, ad infinitum

I must say, I am quite grateful to my friend Miranda for her Happiness Challenge. It has me seeking and finding all the joys in my life that I may otherwise have taken with all the blase' expectation of an overly spoiled child. I will apply said challenge to my life at large, keeping track of things in my personal journal. That way, whenever I start feeling morose or ungrateful, I can look back on all the ways I have been remembered by God and the Universe, and given a token of that remembrance.

Happiness Homework

I am behind. This is me playing catch-up.

Day three was awesome. Giving is generally always better than receiving: Kevin and I set up a deliciously luxurious hammock for our dear friends Jordan and Rebecca, for them to find when they came home from their honeymoon. We were very excited, and very pleased with ourselves when we had it all put up. There was much high-fiving, and shouting of "Go Team Moore!" (yeah. we're kinda nerds like that.)

Day Four was work...not so much joy in that, but I gave my all through a really tough labor, so maybe it wasn't about my happiness? Maybe, day four was about bringing others happiness? It was challenging for me, because they were a life-sapping couple, but it did occur to me that there was a Divine Reason for me caring for them...who knows.

Day Five was work again. So, my happiness was Sleep, after the work. The dreamless sleep of the dead. (Or those who work night shift!) And my two sweet doggies who curled up with me and let me go unconscious for a whole five hours, before they woke me up to go outside. That was nice.

Day Six was Sunday, and my happiness was again, bound up in someone else's. We drove "up the mountain" to see my sister-in-law's new house. It was really lovely, and I was happy for them, and happy for being a part of their wonderful family. It was a beautiful day, and I was happy to hold my husband's hand in the car, and be aware that, in that particular moment, I felt both happiness and satisfaction. "All was for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds." I took a mental picture of it, to add to my "mental picture photo album".
We got home and hubby hit the hammock, and I hit the gardening. (I am seeing a pattern emerge: I am happiest when I'm outside. Preferably getting dirty.)

Day Seven was Monday, and I found my happiness cleaning my little house of cobwebs, clutter, laundry, and stray teacups...I catalogued some books that had been staring at me for weeks, and actually cleared the surface of my desk. It felt really good. I'd been feeling pretty funky, and was amazed to find what an overhaul of your home environment can do for your mood!
I went to Sleep tired, and feeling better - purged of the negativity that a messy house can bring (if you're sensitive to that sort of thing).

And Day Eight. Glorious Day Eight. It brought the resurrection of one pesky pergola from the heap it was in to its full imposing height over the table in our back yard. It was fun! My husband's parents came over and we WORKED! And that thing was tricky!!! We made pizzas, and then got that sucker up! And it looks fantastic. So that was my happiness for yesterday. That, and painting my nails later that night.

Happiness Challenge, Day Two

Today I found my happiness in a tiny 84 year old woman who questioned me thoroughly about who I had "set" my hair. She chuckled when I told her it was what I was born/cursed with, clearly disbelieving me. Her cheeks pinked when she asked me if she could give it a tug, and I got a full-teeth smile when I told her she could, but not to tug too hard. "You could sell this," she told me. "I'd want to be first in line!" A nurse came and wheeled her behind a curtain, to wait on the doctor to step in to see her. I heard her say, "Did you see that nurse I was talkin to out there? Well I was trying to get her to tell me who does her hair, but she won't give it up. Smart girl!", I chuckled to myself.

Then, after Lauryn's fantastic belly dance class (which is a happiness unto itself), I saw the sun shining full blast through the heaviest of downpours. It was beautiful and strange and I stored it away in my memory of things that are both strange and breathtaking.

This is easy!

White/African/American

The Medical & Dental School of New Jersey should hang its head in utter shame and disgrace. They booted out a student who described himself as a "white African-American", saying that it was offensive and inflammatory.

But, er, he is. He is white, Mozambiquan and American.

He was born in Mozambique, and holds American citizenship.

HELLO JERSEY: THIS JUST IN, A SPECIAL REPORT: THERE ARE WHITE PEOPLE IN AFRICA!!!!

Seriously?

Be ashamed, Jersey. BE VERY ASHAMED!!!

Let's Talk About Racism

So what's bugging me right now is the subject of "institutional racism" as portrayed in the media in regards to a comparison between the new first lady, Michelle Obama, and the first lady of talk, Oprah Winfrey. Apparently, an innocent blog comparison between the two, written in praise of Michelle's galloping global success, became an overnight pariah for all things institutionally racist.
The issue?
Well, we obviously can't just go around, blatantly comparing two influential black women, now can we? Such a thing is concretely indicative of the seething hotbed of undercurrent racism that still flows through the veins of everyone Caucasian.

Wait, whaaaaat?

So as a biracial woman, who grew up in the South (Georgia, to be exact), I get racism.
I get that it is a very alive, very potent, evil.
I get that tolerance and acceptance of all persons and cultures and races should be the order of the day, and we should lovingly educate and correct (in brotherly love) those for whom it is not...

My point, however, is that I think we may be so hyper-vigilant and overly-conscious of our none-too-distant history of hatred and ignorance that we are creating racism where there is none, or where only misunderstanding dwells. We are so quick to point the finger at a "racist" incident, that I'm afraid we may be launching a modern day witch hunt. Not to mention trampling all over our first amendment rights as well.