Domestic Goddess-ing. For every woman reading this that's been owning homes and having families for years, I'm going to have to issue the warning that I'm about to sound devastatingly naïve, but I've never fully known less anticipated, the pleasure of owning a home until the past three years. I thought I would be the last in line to relish the simplicity and beauty of maintaining a household, but I'm struck at times at how wonderful it is to find myself pulling flowers from the garden, preparing meals in my kitchen, and coordinating linens; selecting the perfect shade of shower curtain to go in the guest bath, carefully choosing serving wares and acquiring that divine skill of being able to differentiate "black pearl" from "black marble". Like anything worth having I know this domestic godlikeness won't last, but for now I'm going to wear that crown of laurels with pride! Cleanliness is, after all, next to godliness!
Household Products. With domestic bliss comes an ever-deepening appreciation for household products. Or should I say "extremely effective" household products. In the past few days I have come to find that should I ever commence upon a career in stockcar racing, I would like one (if not all) of the following sponsors to endorse me: Swiffer® WetJet®, Febreze® NOTICEables®, Tide® to Go pens, and Windex® Antibacterial Multi-Surface. Clorox® bleach, anti-bacterial wipes, Clorox® cleanup. While certainly not considered a "household product" per se, I have also found great pleasure in and wouldn't mind accepting endorsement deals with: the T-Fal sandwich maker, Nintendo DS (the gold edition is on my yet-to-be formalized Christmas list BTW), and LG washers and dryers. Oh and Special K Cinnamon Pecan cereal: the breakfast of champions!
Super Wal-Marts. Are one-stop shopping at its best. Where else can you buy a dust buster, mouth rinse, video console, and garden topiary in one visit? It's so convenient it's inane! The only downside I've found that I must mention is that the Super Wal-Mart of Luray does not sell vanilla flavored Fiber One yogurt, which I've found to be the most delicious and nutritious of the yogurts, and am considering filing a formal complaint. Indeed, how Super Wal-Mart can offer full barbering and nail services, drive thru pharmacies, oil lube and tire changing services (WTF?) but not sell vanilla flavored Fiber One is beyond me. Oh but lucky pants for them, they do sell wine!
The Past. I have the most appreciation not for the things I can touch or photograph, but for the things I cannot. One of these things is the past. And you know defining the past is such a subjective thing. What is your past, when you really think about it? And can anything really be your past, simply because it's not in your present? Throughout the past few days I've had enough quiet time to think richly about what I would define as my "past"; which doors I've opened that I believe will be forever revolving, and those I believe that once closed will remain permanently shut. I've learned in the past few days to appreciate those closed doors, and to hope that behind them still remains even the slightest flicker of distant memory: the simplicity of a picnic in the Shenandoah National Park, the sound of the sea as we sat parked on a winter's night alongside Ocean Drive; the heated music-laden feel of being stuck in traffic on the 66, the way the wind kept blowing my hair across my face in Corolla; the sounds of the train track through your bedroom window on a summer night, the quiet recognition that you were loved more than you ever knew. It's the simplest things sometimes, in case you couldn't tell.
In case you've forgotten.
In case you ever read this.
And last but not least, the thing I have found the MOST appreciation for is:
The Future. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and what I thought would be a simple update on my health and wellness has turned into a quite verbose (yet characteristic) dialogue. But I want to end on a good note and that note is that wherever you're going, there you are. We have all the time in the world and as cliché as that is, I think sometimes we forget. It's never too late to rewrite a chapter, flip the script, clean the slate, say you're sorry, do – whatever. It's never too late. The fate of your happiness rests solely on your ability to define and pursue it. Don't envelope yourself in jealousies and hate. Don't focus on your shortcomings and have enough security not to call attention to anyone else's. Don't limit your experience of life to unsuccessfully coursing your ideals. Communicate with purpose, remember to breathe, and for gods sake, if you're not someone's ” Blogger Buddy” don't stalk their blog! It's creepy!
Household Products. With domestic bliss comes an ever-deepening appreciation for household products. Or should I say "extremely effective" household products. In the past few days I have come to find that should I ever commence upon a career in stockcar racing, I would like one (if not all) of the following sponsors to endorse me: Swiffer® WetJet®, Febreze® NOTICEables®, Tide® to Go pens, and Windex® Antibacterial Multi-Surface. Clorox® bleach, anti-bacterial wipes, Clorox® cleanup. While certainly not considered a "household product" per se, I have also found great pleasure in and wouldn't mind accepting endorsement deals with: the T-Fal sandwich maker, Nintendo DS (the gold edition is on my yet-to-be formalized Christmas list BTW), and LG washers and dryers. Oh and Special K Cinnamon Pecan cereal: the breakfast of champions!
Super Wal-Marts. Are one-stop shopping at its best. Where else can you buy a dust buster, mouth rinse, video console, and garden topiary in one visit? It's so convenient it's inane! The only downside I've found that I must mention is that the Super Wal-Mart of Luray does not sell vanilla flavored Fiber One yogurt, which I've found to be the most delicious and nutritious of the yogurts, and am considering filing a formal complaint. Indeed, how Super Wal-Mart can offer full barbering and nail services, drive thru pharmacies, oil lube and tire changing services (WTF?) but not sell vanilla flavored Fiber One is beyond me. Oh but lucky pants for them, they do sell wine!
The Past. I have the most appreciation not for the things I can touch or photograph, but for the things I cannot. One of these things is the past. And you know defining the past is such a subjective thing. What is your past, when you really think about it? And can anything really be your past, simply because it's not in your present? Throughout the past few days I've had enough quiet time to think richly about what I would define as my "past"; which doors I've opened that I believe will be forever revolving, and those I believe that once closed will remain permanently shut. I've learned in the past few days to appreciate those closed doors, and to hope that behind them still remains even the slightest flicker of distant memory: the simplicity of a picnic in the Shenandoah National Park, the sound of the sea as we sat parked on a winter's night alongside Ocean Drive; the heated music-laden feel of being stuck in traffic on the 66, the way the wind kept blowing my hair across my face in Corolla; the sounds of the train track through your bedroom window on a summer night, the quiet recognition that you were loved more than you ever knew. It's the simplest things sometimes, in case you couldn't tell.
In case you've forgotten.
In case you ever read this.
And last but not least, the thing I have found the MOST appreciation for is:
The Future. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and what I thought would be a simple update on my health and wellness has turned into a quite verbose (yet characteristic) dialogue. But I want to end on a good note and that note is that wherever you're going, there you are. We have all the time in the world and as cliché as that is, I think sometimes we forget. It's never too late to rewrite a chapter, flip the script, clean the slate, say you're sorry, do – whatever. It's never too late. The fate of your happiness rests solely on your ability to define and pursue it. Don't envelope yourself in jealousies and hate. Don't focus on your shortcomings and have enough security not to call attention to anyone else's. Don't limit your experience of life to unsuccessfully coursing your ideals. Communicate with purpose, remember to breathe, and for gods sake, if you're not someone's ” Blogger Buddy” don't stalk their blog! It's creepy!
