The Three Amigos

 

These boys! I love walking them in the early mornings.

Time passing

 Time has passed, I have gone to London, northern England, Scotland, Bogota, Colombia and most recently hiked around Mont Blanc. Paying homage to France, Italy and Switzerland. How very fortunate to do all these things. 

I hadn’t been feeling to well inside though a bit like I was a bystander watching my life. I have added my vitamins to every day vs every other day, specifically my B complex vitamin. I already seem to feel a bit more present. 

I’m getting ready to go again to Bogota Colombia to see Scottie’s fiance, Alejandra and mother of his baby to be. I think 9 days will be a nice amount of time to spend with Alejandra and Alma.

How very fortunate to have dreams, that come true.

Traveling…

I have always wanted to travel abroad, learning that my grandmother and grandfather immigrated from Sweden might have been the first notion of the idea. Sending my daughter to stay with a friend in Scotland was a big influence. Then sealing the deal was when a friend would regale me with details of hikes taken with her father in the UK. That friend mentioned hiking there this summer and I was in! The trip is approaching quickly and I find myself in an interesting place. Anxious, excited, yet savoring the days at home. Seems like the idea of leaving home makes you appreciate it all the more. The time with family, hanging out with my husband enjoying conversation. Having the opportunity to enjoy watching my oldest granddaughter’s piano recital (she played beautifully by the way). Making pancakes for my grandson. This morning’s walk with happy dogs who are always up for the adventure! Noticing the billowy clouds tucked right up against the mountains with a hint of blue to the west. Knowing that there is time for teaching yoga classes, bike rides and sessions at the gym before I’m off!

I imagine this approaching adventure will fly by. Anxiousness is evident in the thought, ‘I’ll believe I’m going when I’m actually on the plane!’ Remembering June 2020 when there were big travel plans, New York, the Big Apple! Well that year a lot of travel plans for a lot of people didn’t happen. It was a thing. It passed, we (my family and I) are more or less functioning similar to the years prior to COVID but there is an awareness that these things, these ideas, these plans are never guaranteed. Life is not a guarantee. Your life, how you think it should go is not a guarantee. People know this…where do you think we get all the sayings “…the best laid plans, don’t count your chickens before they hatch…you get the idea. 

Moving forward and mindfully taking a moment to focus, make the most of the day. Slowing my breath, being thankful for the rain, family, friends, my body that moves well. Joyfully hoping that I will be privileged enough to take this trip and find the gratitude to make the most out of my time with my friends on our journey. This travel will be life altering and illuminating. Find perspective. It is not everyday one gets to see another part of the world and meet some of the people who inhabit it!

....wind in my sails

 Trips, they sure do take the wind out my sails. Sheesh. I wonder if there is just so much visually that it takes some time to process. Today is Tuesday, I’ve been home since Saturday evening. I only now feel like writing. I only now am beginning to feel like myself again. Strange isn’t it?!

So now that I’m feeling like myself again I find I have goals again. Seriously I felt rather listless. I realized I have built a life and when I am away from ‘my life’ and all the things I love I function a bit on autopilot. I was still a bit on autopilot until this morning when I lay in bed, finding gratitude for the ones I love I noticed teeny tiny goals sneaking into my consciousness!! Yay! 

I want to contribute, I want to be of value and feel valued. Negative messages tend to negate those feelings. Well, no more!!

Baseball

 ...got to watch my favorite team today, the San Francisco Giants!! It was on tv but still, woo hoo! As I prepare to head to the Bay Area Sunday I am reminded of all the wonderful trips I’ve had out there. Teresa has always been such a good hostess. Booking, showing, taking us several lovely places. This trip we are in for a ride down the coast to the Monterey Bay Area to a convention center called Asilomar. Evidently Hemingway did some writing there. We will be close to Canary Row. I must read the book! A little kayaking, walking, hiking, wine trials, different foods. This will be a nice ‘retirement trip’. 

Kayaking

Kayaking at Pueblo Resevoir

I surely do like to kayak! My friend Susan and I kayaked weekly last summer and it was a blast. The Pueblo reservoir has lots of inlets and coves on it’s southern side. We would put in and just explore. Today was nice and it was Jamie, the girls and Joe. I hope to get out a lot more. We shall see!

 

Mom

 

Mom

She has dementia or so they said, I wonder if it wasn’t the after effects of COVID-19. She wasn’t herself because of course she had no visitors. To me she always seemed to thrive with family around. She wasn’t thriving, according to the doctor’s test, she was experiencing some dementia. Just take this pill, but don’t stop taking it as then you’ll really loose ground. So now there is this woman who says ‘I don’t know’ very frustrated. Well mom, I do know, so I began to tell you:

You were born in Laramie, Wyoming. Your dad built a house there, (I’ve seen it). While he was building this house your family lived in the garage through some very hard times. The cold, providing meals and meeting basic sanitation needs must have been pretty tricky. You left Wyoming while you were young and were none too happy about it. In fact recently you told me the neighborhood kids were playing baseball as you left. That was a pretty specific detail I had been unaware about. You knew that!!! 

Your family moved to Denver. There was your older brother Robert, your younger sister Jean, your mom and dad. Your dad was a golfer and played at Cherry Creek and Wilshire golf courses. He’d work all day and then come home and play. (Evidently your mom wasn’t too happy however this fact made my husband’s life happier as I just figured it’s what women did, understand their husband’s hobby). At one point Grandpa Roy even owned President Eisenhower’s golf cart! Your family had a house in Cherry Creek and I imagine it was one of the firsts. You’ve actually showed us at one point but I couldn’t begin to know where it is now. It had a big plate glass window that one time you drove a golf ball right through and then went and promptly hid from your dad, I don’t blame you, however neither did he. I imagine he was quite kind from your descriptions. Your mom however must have been the backbone, as it sounded like she took care of so much! More on that later.

You told stories of hi-jinx with your brother. There was the sneaking into the ice skating rink where you left your bluebird cap (younger camp fire girls attire) I think it was. Only to have to go later to the owner and apologize for sneaking in so that you could get your cap back. Or the time when your arm got caught in the wringer of the washing machine. You also showed me that contraption, no wonder it left a scar! How about the time your brother took you on his motorcycle and your leg got burned?

There were adventures with friends learning to kayak in a swimming pool. Dates with boys that you never gave to many details about. But you did still have the jewelry. Something came from Korea and then there was an ivory bracelet. A marriage that was never consummated and therefore annulled. Meeting my father when you worked in Elizabeth and you two were the only single teachers at the school so naturally others fixed you two up. Moving to Wray, Colorado, having a baby...me. Moving to Denver for a bit perhaps and living in a house Uncle Bobby owned and then landing in Canon City where dad got a job, uncle Bobby loaning you two money to afford the house that I live in that you eventually bought. Having a second little girl. We did live in the duplex closest to the park first. I remember standing between the bumper and the car putting rocks in a metal tray that ran along the bumper. Which of course is my memory but I’d like to imagine you were watching and surprised that I was so content to put rocks in and take them out of this tray on the 1959 convertible Volkswagen. To back up a bit, this car was yours and prior to your even meeting dad you took it to Uravan (somewhere on the western slope of Colorado) to teach along with your dog Misty. You two busted through snow drifts on your way to and fro. You also mentioned a pet bird in these travels. 

You were a very motivated young lady, working at the telephone company where your father worked. Going to school at DU for starters. It got to be a bit too much pressure on yourself and I’d like to think you just needed to have someone help you pace yourself. Somewhere in there your dad retrieving you at your camp counseling job when life became to much.Things were different then. You ent to UNC (Greeley) to get your lifetime teaching certificate, dad got his there also however you two didn’t know each other, wasn’t that interesting?

Life was a bit of a roller coaster ride I imagine. You and dad, both with your own ideas. He worked, you came to that later, working in pre-schools and at one point getting hired to finally teach, you dreamed of this only to have St. Michael’s close their school down and you not getting that opportunity. I do think you did teach prior to meeting dad. You didn’t tell much except one story about the principal telling you that you needed to be stricter. Seemed like you spoiled us in your own way. We knew we were loved.

You used to sing songs to me and sing them over and over to the point that I couldn’t hear you sing without either asking you to stop or cringe inwardly. Well lately you have just one song you sing to me: I love you, a bushel and a peck...it doesn’t quite sound the same and you seem to get a bit frustrated but I hear you and you KNOW that song mom, you know I love you. 

...I cried

...in the store today, a woman set out to go in front of me, I waited, she said ‘no you go’. I said no, it’s okay you go. This woman and her husband were black. They were so beautiful. Why would anyone insist on going, they were first, why would she offer? I cried when I got to the car. I know I am tired. But I also know this injustice has always been close to my heart.

White privilege, I’ve heard about it. It is a thing. Where would this woman and her husband be had we not had generations of racism, that is actually too sugar coated, horror is more like it. Have you read any books that black authors have written? I’ve read some of the easier ones but the reality I’m sure is much worse. I could barely stomach Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I’ve always been saddened by mistreatment of black people. 

Then I saw them at the post office. I recognized her by her pants but truly to be honest because she was black as our town has limited folks who are black, this is also so sad to me, what a great loss of diversity. 

As I got into my brand, new to me, Armada I watched them get into their dusty older SUV. 

Wondering if roles were reversed where I would be? I don’t imagine ever having the mental toughness to have been in this world and been ‘different’. Or perhaps their situation is not as I perceive. I do wish to be a change for good perhaps one day we will have a world that has more peace and love. A little less global warming would be great too. Let’s all wake up a bit.

Goals

Well I set two goals and I believe I have accomplished and will accomplish them. It is rather interesting to me how I tried to self sabatoge and not move forward at all. I had an idea and then because I didn't receive instant gratification I decided the idea wasn't worth doing. Then I woke up and decided, yes indeed they were worth doing and darn it, I was going to do them. Lesson learned, keep an lid on that negative voice as she certainly does not what she's talking about! Setgoals, accomplish them and set more goals!

With love

I love these two! This was the day she said yes.

Grandsons

Ý What a love, right, Avery is 4 months here.

Quiet

It is so quiet when we're in our home. No kids. No grandkids. Just Joe, myself, the dogs and cat. Libbee, our female dog begs to differ. She has just came to check on me whimpering just a bit. So I guess it's not completely quiet. Life is good and there are a million things to be grateful for I'm sure. I could begin to list them: my husband, my kids, my grandkids, my pets...living beings I can truly call mine. This past week we have found out little town shutting down due to this Corona virus. I hope none of us feel it's deadly effects. When I say us, I mean our residents in this small town. It potentially can get ugly. Praying against it. Sending lots of love out to all those who worry. Might you find contentment in this moment. Peace and love when you need it. Patience and understanding to you. I will continue to believe that things happen as they will, I have no idea of the master plan but trust that whatever great and all knowing entity guides our lives with his will and want. I'll be content to show and be love to those I can and to be at peace.

Perspective

Yesterday may very well be remembered as one of my favorite days. Even after a night of very little sleep. We had arrived much earlier at our camp site and after what seemed like a long day we settled into to go to sleep. Had a movie on our kindle, watching it, getting tired and ready to sleep. Then our tent neighbors pull in, it's after 10:30 p.m. (10 p.m. is the curfew for noise, doesn't everyone know this?) They proceed to set up their tent and start crumbling up newspaper for a fire. I had to unzip our window and look to see if they weren't right next to us, but it appeared that the direction that their bodies faced and our tent location just funneled all the sounds into our tent! I guess this was to be our own private radio game show? The guy, "Name 3 places we visited while here last time". The girl, with lots of detail that I can no longer remember nor want to,"...blah, blah, blah, do you remember the time we stayed up all night and watched the stars?" "Oh no, I think, please don't do that tonight". On it went, while they drank and the story began to have even more facts, questions and tidbits about what seemed their entire couple experienceive! "Harump, newly weds I suppose!" It must have been after 1 a.m. when I finally fell asleep but things (our dogs) for one keep waking me up, Dozer our 1 year old black Labrador kept putting himself between Joe and I. This had the effect of shorting us of our covers. The temperature was dropping and it was cold. We had to push his heavy, 80 lb., sleeping body with our feet to one side or the other. At some point after Joe went to sleep both dogs clamored near me and the dogs and I remained motionless, listening to breathing, yep definitely breathing outside of the tent. Me, thinking for a moment, those people must have not liked Joe's comment earlier at, you know, 11:00, 11:30ish and they are upset with us now. But the couple had seemed to sort of get it in part and had turned off their music. As the dogs and I sat there quietly I thought I heard the animal shuffle away. Then the hair began to stand on the back of my neck, I realized that the dogs never barked and I swear that I heard the animal snort, similar to the bear. Hmmm. Of course the signs on all the picnic tables contain warnings about black bears and them scrounging for food. Could this fact have drifted into my dreams, am I dreaming? I do not think so, I am sitting up! Drifting back to sleep, again a noise, a women's scream, which seemed to be part of a dream I was having but wait, someone did scream, I know I heard it. Did she just see or hear the bear? Goodness, how am I ever going to sleep with a bear foraging for food? "Breathe, if it's going to get you, it's going to get you, not much you can do but go back to sleep, I tell myself."Just about to finally fall asleep, the birds begin to tweet, their songs which really are so very lovely but that means it's after 4 a.m. Where did the night go? At some point I got up, the dogs are crazy in the morning, bouncing with energy inside our tent. I get them in their collars, trying to get my chacos on which have a toe strap, the temperature is probably in the 30's making this strap difficult to get around my cold toes much less the rest of the sandal on my foot. Shoes on, dog's leashes hooked to their collars. Leashes in hand, still struggling a bit with my Chacos, I unzip the tent, get out, stand up and the dogs are loose! Yikes they are running over to check out the festivities from the night before at the tent of our talking neighbors. Poetic justice? I do have to say, I only felt a little bad for rousting the love birds. I think the dogs were also doing a bit of their own payback. At one point while the couple were reminiscing, our older dog Libbee looked at me as if to say, "THEY ARE STILL TALKING", her expression mirroring my own, exasperation! However, the new day brightened as did the landscape. Joe and I were able to witness the mountains getting their first kiss of sun's light. We were able to take the kayak out onto the water and watch the sun rays sparking and dancing upon the reservoir. The dogs got their 4th walk in 2 days! The sunlight revealed timid fish skirting and darting away from the boat, Canadian geese gathered breakfast and one hummingbird darted in to say hello and offer a reminder of a friend. I am learning to appreciate these moments, even when I find myself listening to happy couples whom I inadvertently share an evening with!

I wonder....

I wonder how my grandmother Estrid met my grandfather Alvin. My aunt Gunvor Linnea or Gunnie as we call her, might know. She is the only one left out of the four children my grandmother had. My dad Bror William or Billy was the youngest, then Gunnie, Bertil Oscar or Bert and then Robert Alvin or Bobby. Uncle Bobby was named after his dad. I think I could write a book about all of them, my aunt, uncles and grandfather. But this story is about grandma Estrid. If I had to use one word to describe her it would be, Swedish. I would like to think she would pick this word as well. Growing up I learned that if you were Swedish, you were tough, you worked hard, you were honest, not given to excessive talk, you kept your business to yourself, you were honest and if you paid good money for something it sure needed to stand the test of time! I have memories of grandma returning something that wasn't working and getting her money back. Money held value, the money spent on an item had better have been worth the effort put into making that money! These Swedes were not a frivolous folk. However as I say that I remember her generosity. She always gave us (the grandkids) a little money before we left after visiting her (I know we were in her mind, worth the effort it took to make that money!) She always sent money in our birthday cards. When she passed there was a generous amount given to all her grandchildren, there were eight of us! Oh and the shopping trips we went on. I am not sure who started that tradution? Perhaps it was uncle Bert as he didn't have kids until later, or uncle Bobby who didn't have kids at all just wanting to spoil us a bit. Maybe it was grandma but if we went to the store with any or all of them they always let us pick out something. Maybe because when we visited they wanted to mark it as special, which time with grandma and our uncles was very special. I remember my dad making desks and bookcases for my cousins so perhaps this generosity was a Swedish thing or maybe it was an Olson thing. Whatever it was there certainly was some pride there. Pride in an ability to provide. Definitely not in a sort of, 'we are better' than you but more in a sense of competence, intelligence, stick with it until you get whatever done that needs doing and getting it done right. This pride in an ability to provide may have come more from grandma as there are stories how she scrubbed the dance hall floors of a barn across the street from her house. She was purchasing her home from the lady who owned this dance hall so she must have been working paying off the loan by cleaning the floors of this dance hall after the weekend dances. The water when you clean such a place is pretty cold and very hard on the hands. I can only imagine how hard she must have worked. That house was the one we visited her at so she must have paid it off. The land her house sits on is a pretty large lot. I think she did pretty well! As kids we used to go out in this very large yard facing Morrison Road in Lakewood, Colorado. Our uncles would swing us about or attempt to throw us in the air. We loved it but my grandmother wasn't very fond of it. She would get rather excited, her Swedish accent would become a bit thicker and the uncles got the idea that was enough. In that large lovely yard she had lilac bushes which were over ten feet high, protecting the house from the passerby's view. Petunias were planted routinely in the spring and Easter Lilly's could always be found in the house around Easter. I only have to look at an Easter Lilly to be brought back to her kitchen table. That or a sugar cube. Grandma would always have sugar cubes with her coffee. Plenty of cream, a few sugar cubes to suck on as she drank her coffee. Oh and her coffee was Folger's because I almost think that the lady on the Folger's commercial was Mrs. Olson. I started my coffee habit at around age twelve and it is my go to for self soothing. Granted the caffeine tends to perk one up. I do so enjoy it! Probably one of my saddest days was after my dad was going through radiation treatments and he stated that coffee just didn't taste very good to him. 'What?' I felt so bad for him but perhaps it didn't have the same medicinal benefits for him? I suppose if I didn't have the ability to enjoy coffee as much I would have to convince myself it would be okay but until then, skal! Grandma used to use the word skal, meaning 'cheers'. There are two little dots above the A and it is pronounced skoll, as best as I can tell never having spoken the Swedish language. My grandparents seemed to be of the belief that since they were in America they needed to speak English. Consequently I only know a few random words that my grandmother spoke in Swedish. My father never spoke Swedish and may have known a few more words than I but I do not know about this and he is not here to ask. More on these words she used to say another day.

Grandma...

I read once, it takes one person to make a difference in a child's life. For me that one person was my Grandma Estrid. She was my dad's mom. Grandma Estrid was born in Sweden and I know she came to the United States as a young girl. I do not know much about how that all came to be but I do know she was fiercely proud of her Swedish heritage. She didn't become a grandmother until she was 61. To me that makes her a but older as a grandmother but she was a good one. It seemed as if she was always in charge. I know my grandfather was around because he used to be able to sit in my small white rocking chair when they would come to visit but it is she who I remember most. When my sister and I knew they were coming we'd wait and watch at the window, they could never get here soon enough. When we'd take the two hour trip to see her it also seemed we couldn't get there fast enough! I remember the Christmas presents she would send and how they were wrapped, the paper held in place by the ribbon. No sharp edges, always something soft inside. My cursive written name, the loopy K and the rest of the letters after, I could recognize that handwriting anywhere. I always knew I wanted to be a mom just as I am so sure I want to love my grandkids as much as my grandmother loved me! I only hope to give them what she gave me! That feeling of importance and that knowledge that you matter, you are loved no matter how ridiculous (me at age 12, it's on tape) you might be acting like at that particular moment. That unconditional, all encompassing love! What I remember about grandma. She liked to grow tomatoes and had great pride when showing you how many tomatoes she grew or how big they had gotten. She kept a cleaner than clean house. Every day had a different chore i.e., Mondays were washing, this was neat because she would hang the clothes on the line, I would most likely talk to her I can only guess. This is one of my fondest memories so she must have made me feel like my being there was important. Tuesdays might have been ironing. She had a big kitchen table that it seemed everyone was always able to fit around. Anyway, she would put something like a towel on the table to protect it and proceeded to iron on it. You get the idea that she went about her housework in an orderly fashion and her home while homey was clean! When we would stay the night we would get to sleep on the hide-a-bed in the couch in the living room. Her house was not very big but to us it felt huge! It was a two bedroom home and the kitchen opened into the living room. So when we were getting ready for bed we were still very much apart of all that was going on in the house. Prior to getting ready for bed we were allowed it seemed a half a can of soda. You would think that would cause either my sister or I to wet the bed but I do not recall that ever happening. I cringe now at the thought of letting a child have soda before bed but we were fine, it seemed to just be what she did. She also had candy that we were allowed to have, my mom didn't allow us to have candy very often so that too was a treat and probably why we liked going to her house! She always got up so early, I imagine around 4:30-5:00 a.m. to make coffee and read the paper, probably the only quiet time. When we would wake up she'd tell us to go back to sleep and we would! On week days she would be busy making lunches for my grandpa, uncles, whoever needed lunches, coffee and breakfast, getting them on their way. Weekends would be spent around that big table conversing, everyone having a say. I do remember she would get it all ready and you just didn't get up, she got it all. I think there wasn't room for more than one up as the area to actually move around was probably made rather small by the size of that table. I bet it sat 10 comfortably. I remember going to stay the week with her several times when I was probably at least 8. I would get to sleep in her bed with her. She snored and scared me when she'd talk in her sleep which she did alot. When I went to a technical school after graduating highschool I would go to her house about once a week for dinners. I would have to take the bus over and then my uncle would take me back across town to where I was staying with my aunt. The bus ride took a bit and I would have to walk about 6 blocks but how liberating that was to be able to go and visit her and my uncle and eat her cooking. She cooked very simply, a meat and potatoes type cook. She always made sure you got your fill. I took my friends to meet her and my husband and brother got to meet her. I think she approved. The older you get I think you begin to understand why things are certain ways. I sure do wish I could have a few more conversations. I think I'd ask, how did you meet grandpa and I would love to just talk...

Dogs that chew....

I can read his mind, I know it, he is thinking "If I chew on her sweater, the bedspread, the blanket, her arm, she will understand it is time for our morning walk!" The puppy, who is now almost 10 months and is a bit bigger for his breed doesn't seem to be affected by the temperature. It is in the 20's out there and feels like 10 degrees, according to the phone. This has been a different sort of winter. So many warm days that when the cold finally came it is bitter. I made the mistake of running the dogs in 7 degrees and didn't prohibit the air from getting to my lungs giving me some sort of nasty bronchitis type cough. The run was a blast! We travelled some 5 plus miles heading up and down the mountain on the west side of town, the three of us smiling all the way, yes these dogs smile! However this cough has made me a little reluctant to repeat the journey. It feels a little silly to suffer from a self induced cough. Plus I think my pride was a bit injured, somewhere along the line I must have felt a bit invincible. Stupid cough was humbling. Cough almost gone, the reality of you can only push yourself so far, still fresh. My knees are also trying to contribute to that discussion, I keep pressing the mute button. But that run, wow, there is nothing like going outside, dogs on leashes, exploring the roads, feeling your body heat up to make you think it was 70 degrees not 7. The human body is amazing! All parts working collectively. Eyes seeking out the trail, ears in tune with the environment, arms and legs pumping. Then what about the unseen? The heart, lungs, blood, muscles, all working together to complete the motion of movement. No wonder there us such a thing as as runners high. It should warm up here shortly, if I bundle up just right perhaps...

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is my favorite. You open a present and it is like you are getting away with something. It is not the pressure of Christmas Day. 

Today was a gift. A walk in the morning. Sightings of deer and quail and one sunrise, only get one of those a day ya know. Then a tour out to the golf course. Nice lunch with my husband, he made fish bowls. Then shrimp boil with my son, husband's step mom and step sister. Very nice, I will take it!

Butterflies

Beautiful Butterfly Why is it that a butterfly's flight so captivating, turning me into a child? Such vivid colors!

Of course when my grand daughter and I visited the butterfly pavilion I was again impressed with all these beautiful winged creature's. Not Al, she was impressed with this turtle hiding here. We had to go back several times to check him out. Now given a chance I think he might have taken a bite out of us, a butterfly, not so much....🐢

Devices

Oh yeah a new device to blog with! I am thrilled! So many thoughts but just where to start. So much unrest in the world right now. I told my grand daughters we were meant to share. Can you imagine the entite world's population shared? If we all did that simple thing? Would the world be at peace?

Waking up early

Mornings are so quiet. The dog signals she is awake by walking just barely into our room to see if I am going to get up, she knows I am awake by my movements. The cat appears from the hallway where he has been sitting by the heater. There is a snow/rain mixture coming down which makes a run unlikely for the dog but a walk may happen. The cat not interested in even going outside finds a spot on my lap and we sit by the heater. Dog just waits on her bed where, she can spy us in comfort.

What turns will this day take? It is the weekend, the series of days to recover from a week of self imposed stress and stressors. Once again proving if you react with calm, life will go calmly, if you let something aggravate you it will and it is not worth what that does to your demeanor. 

Yesterday was librarian's day, who knew?

Testing in our building and movement restricted. You make the best of it. Removing myself for a bit helped. Guess every situation you learn new ways to respond to what glides into your path. 

Already feel ten times better for having slept, fixing my tired, my sad, my mad, reminding me of all I, and most of us have to be thankful for. Peace to those who are struggling today. You are always in my thoughts and prayers. From my son to the orphans and populations that suffer the effects of war, terrorism and the evil that plague their lives. May they be reminded of the good and find their good.