G Is For...

Not every day is a Capital-G good day, but almost every day is good in some way.  A long time ago in a totally unrelated class, the instructor turned and asked, "How many of you are happy fifty percent of the time?"  A number of hands went up, but not mine.  "How many are happy thirty percent of the time?"  More hands went up, but not mine.  "Ten percent?"  Seemingly satisfied, he returned to the the class subject.  Oh, Good Grief!  I'd been waiting for him to raise the percentages, not drop down.  I'm not sure I'd want to get out of bed if I thought I'd face a day with only a fifty-fifty chance of being happy.  I'm not talking about laughing-out-loud happy all the time, or going around all day with a silly grin.  Something my mother said when I was a kid has stuck with me all my life..."Know when you're happy."  In that same vein, she explained that, "This, too, shall pass," referred to good times as well as bad, and it was important to recognize those moments of joy and even contentment when they come, to acknowledge the now.

Life at Farview gives me so many, many opportunities for happiness.  (Let me expand that...life, in general, gives us so many chances.)  All I have to do is lift my eyes to see sunrises and sunsets, a soaring hawk, a breeze fluttering leaves like tiny banners, storm clouds marshaling forces over the mountains, the seasonal changing panorama of the surrounding hills.  All I have to do is listen to the roosters welcoming the day, the yips and howls of the beastie boys running in the night, the gentle nuh-nuh-nuh of a mother doe as she murmurs to her newborn kid, the plop of big, wet snowflakes hitting the deck.  All I have to do is touch a warm udder, the silken feathers of a hen in my arms, the fur of Bessie Anne as she gets her nightly massage, newly turned earth in the garden.

I'm not some dithering Pollyanna.  I'm beset with trials and tribulations as is everyone else.  I have those times when I want to throw back my head and howl.  They pass.

Yesterday Tree Guy came and whittled away some more at the oak.  I had a nice chat with one of my sons, who shared some good news.  My milk customer brought her two little girls and I had a chance to nuzzle that sweet baby neck.  I fixed my balky vacuum cleaner, and got more work done on a sewing project.  Pick-Me-Up Peggy sought me out at bedtime for a cuddle.

It was a Good day.