December 7, 2015: Not an Ordinary Day

Today was not an ordinary day.

In Dr. Seuss' language, my thoughts on the day would go something like this...

"You have a brain in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. Unless someone truly cares an awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

Well, I will just sum it up by saying that today certainly wasn't an ordinary day, but I will accept that. Life is full of changes, good and bad.

Sometimes the toughest part is figuring out if life shake-ups are truly a good or a bad thing. Personally, I have found my biggest life challenges have turned into opportunities. Doors opened to new people and adventures. A new chapter in life.

I am bullish in my view that this will be the case once again.

When the unexpected creeps into the door of normalcy, the best response is not one of self-doubt, anger, or fear. The best response is gaining perspective and self-awareness.

As of late, I had been thinking a lot about my practical upbringing and the worth of this virtue. Somehow extravagance and fanciful thinking have become part of the company I have been keeping.

And now, I reflect.
prac·ti·cal - Concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas.

fan·ci·ful - (of a person or their thoughts and ideas) overimaginative and unrealistic. Designed to be exotically ornamental rather than practical.

I was raised in a practical family. My family never met pride or ego. They just lived a good life. My parents believed in hard work and a high work ethic. Money didn't grow on trees and you did not buy what you could not afford. They taught with their words and actions. All humans were treated with dignity and respect. And they didn't profess to the world the great things they intended to do. They just quietly did them.

I should have known better.

Life lessons...just like I tell my kids and my mom continues to tell me. And I have gained an arsenal of both wisdom and knowledge in the lesson area during my recent life journey.

A bit painful at the moment, but all will be good in the end. And tomorrow is a gift of a new day.
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Postscript: December 7, 2016:

This picture was taken 'the next day', December 8, 2015. My father-in-law, Larry smoothed over the rough edges and brought a smile to my face the day after this blog post. And each day following, all 365 of them, have been a wonderful journey. No doubt, life is very good.

Teaching me to be 'retired', Stella style :)