It is Sunday and I've been pondering for days now, what do I take for granted? This is not a randomly arrived at concern. It is a topic for my writing class. The more I think about it the more puzzled I am.
Do I take things for granted? I'm sure I do, but since I take it for granted I'm at a loss to identify it. I try NOT to take things for granted; to be grateful for health and family and a roof over my head, but I still assume they will always be there.
While I ponder, I sit at my computer and play Solitaire. I love Solitaire. I always have. I remember watching my grandmother, sitting in the sun at our dining room table, playing solitaire all afternoon and wistfully wishing I could just play Solitaire all day. She assured me that when I was her age, I would be able to do just that, but by then it would have lost some of its charm. It hasn't, although I'm not quite her age yet.
I also spent the afternoon ensconced on the couch watching the NASCAR race. I love Nascar, too. There is a special thrill about being at the track as the train of cars go roaring past you, the engines vibrating through the stands, the rumble fading off as they enter turn 2, and exit turn 3. Today, I am mesmerized as I watch the cars go around and around. (It's a thing, I know. You either love it, or you stare at it in a brain fog. I love it.) As I stare, something is ticking away at my brain. It's beautiful out. Shouldn't I be out there, enjoying the afternoon? Or doing something else, like writing how I take things for granted?
Probably, but the race is on and I'm glued to it as I check the whereabouts of my favorite drivers. Besides, I've been trying to figure out a certain word on the Words with Friends game I'm playing with my daughter. I can do that while keeping an eye on what's happening on the track. "There", I think. "Two birds with one stone! I'm not really wasting time. I'm just allocating it."
The race is over, dinner is cleaned up and I'm checking Facebook one more time before I sit down to write about taking something for granted. As I scroll through the links, the shares, and the photos posted by friends, one stands out.
"Don't Blink. You never know when your life can change in an instant."
And there it is. Truth. Right in front of me. What do I take for granted? The fact that tomorrow my life will be the same as today. That when my husband and I go to bed at night, we will wake up tomorrow and go about our daily routines. But daily, I am surrounded by evidence that a fire, an accident, a diagnosis, .... could change my life..... In An Instant.
I look around the room at the projects I intend to do some day. The photos I want to sort, and make into an album for my kids, the stories I want to get into a book, the books I want to read, the sewing projects I want to create. My haven, just waiting for me to dive in and get busy as soon as I stop procrastinating and playing solitaire.
I don't regret all of the ways I waste time. I really do enjoy watching NASCAR races, so if I want to sit and watch, that's fine. But my grandmother was right. Solitaire can wait until the time when that's all I can do. If life were to change, and my time was no longer my own, I would be wishing I had time to do all sorts of things, the very things I take for granted that I can do tomorrow.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Let There Be Light!
It's been dreary here the last few days. It is the downside of living in a cabin in the woods, especially on a rainy day. And it has rained for two days straight. The lake is rising, the streams are full, and the mourning doves that scour the ground for food have begun gathering twigs. I think they've decided to build a raft.
Normally, on a gray day, I turn on all the lights in the house. This is much easier when Larry isn't around to wonder aloud if the Power Company had a sale on electricity. There is another issue, however, with the lights that helps to keep me in the dark. Four days ago, the kitchen light quit. Just like that. It is one of those LED lights that is guaranteed to work for 50 years. I think it lasted about 15 months.
When we bought our little cabin, there was an ugly fluorescent light with an opaque puff cover over it. It provided ample light, but was, quite simply, UGLY. I wasn't sorry when it died. When Larry and I checked our local Home Depot we studied the assortment of overhead lights suitable for a kitchen, and came home with one we thought would fit our small space. A cute little chrome number with 4 directional LED lights.
This is a good time to mention, I have few 'Designer' skills. And it became apparent as soon as we installed it in the kitchen that it was a poor choice. It was modern, sleek, bright enough to land aircraft and completely out of sync with cabin décor.
For the first few months, every time we turned it on in the morning we had to shield our eyes. I'm pretty sure it would have given a blind man sight. I told myself I liked the bright light, but as time went on I admitted more and more how much I didn't like the overall effects. The light was just wrong for the room.
And then it quit. Boom. First a flicker, then a brown out, then..... nothing. This time I decided to exercise patience, and forethought. We checked the local light store and found fantastic Farm House style lights, Cabin lights, cool looking rustic lights.... great lights. I went home and studied the space. And I realized the ugly 4' fluorescent style was actually the best fit. For some unknown reason the light fixture is not centered in the ceiling and all of those cool looking lights would hang in the wrong place. A wide spaced, flush mounted, unobtrusive design is what works best.
This morning I awoke up to another dark, dreary, damp day. I can't function in the dark. I would shrivel into a Styrofoam peanut if I lived in Alaska. I was ready to turn on all the lights in the house but there was still a large dark corner in the one place I needed to see what I'm doing. Today, we went to Home Depot and picked out another flush mounted, non-obtrusive ceiling light with LED lighting.
Once again we can bring sight to the blind. I suspect even the Space Station has detected a new glow emanating from somewhere in the North Georgia mountains. That's ok. This time I am ready.
Let there be LIGHT!
Normally, on a gray day, I turn on all the lights in the house. This is much easier when Larry isn't around to wonder aloud if the Power Company had a sale on electricity. There is another issue, however, with the lights that helps to keep me in the dark. Four days ago, the kitchen light quit. Just like that. It is one of those LED lights that is guaranteed to work for 50 years. I think it lasted about 15 months.
When we bought our little cabin, there was an ugly fluorescent light with an opaque puff cover over it. It provided ample light, but was, quite simply, UGLY. I wasn't sorry when it died. When Larry and I checked our local Home Depot we studied the assortment of overhead lights suitable for a kitchen, and came home with one we thought would fit our small space. A cute little chrome number with 4 directional LED lights.
This is a good time to mention, I have few 'Designer' skills. And it became apparent as soon as we installed it in the kitchen that it was a poor choice. It was modern, sleek, bright enough to land aircraft and completely out of sync with cabin décor.
For the first few months, every time we turned it on in the morning we had to shield our eyes. I'm pretty sure it would have given a blind man sight. I told myself I liked the bright light, but as time went on I admitted more and more how much I didn't like the overall effects. The light was just wrong for the room.
And then it quit. Boom. First a flicker, then a brown out, then..... nothing. This time I decided to exercise patience, and forethought. We checked the local light store and found fantastic Farm House style lights, Cabin lights, cool looking rustic lights.... great lights. I went home and studied the space. And I realized the ugly 4' fluorescent style was actually the best fit. For some unknown reason the light fixture is not centered in the ceiling and all of those cool looking lights would hang in the wrong place. A wide spaced, flush mounted, unobtrusive design is what works best.
This morning I awoke up to another dark, dreary, damp day. I can't function in the dark. I would shrivel into a Styrofoam peanut if I lived in Alaska. I was ready to turn on all the lights in the house but there was still a large dark corner in the one place I needed to see what I'm doing. Today, we went to Home Depot and picked out another flush mounted, non-obtrusive ceiling light with LED lighting.
 |
| Is it just me, or does this look as though a UFO is settling in our kitchen? |
Once again we can bring sight to the blind. I suspect even the Space Station has detected a new glow emanating from somewhere in the North Georgia mountains. That's ok. This time I am ready.
Let there be LIGHT!
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