Quote of the Day: “Learn to like what doesn’t cost much.
Learn to like reading, conversation, music.
Learn to like plain food, plain service, plain cooking.
Learn to like fields, trees, brooks, hiking, rowing, climbing hills.
Learn to like people, even though some of them may be different…different from you.
Learn to like to work and enjoy the satisfaction doing your job as well as it can be done.
Learn to like the song of birds, the companionship of dogs.
Learn to like gardening, puttering around the house, and fixing things.
Learn to like the sunrise and sunset, the beating of rain on the roof and windows, and the gentle fall of snow on a winter day.
Learn to keep your wants simple and refuse to be controlled by the likes and dislikes of others.”
― Lowell C. Bennion
I forgot how much I liked this quote until I read a partial quotation of it on the front of a card this morning. It struck me that this is what I learned this past year- a poignant lesson to love the simple things that surround us, love them so much that you no longer take them for granted, because you’re faced with the real possibility that you may not be doing, hearing, feeling, or seeing these things a hundred more times, that your time may be shortened and limited. That all the things you thought were so important, the things that people put their time into and rave about, the items we surround ourselves with really have no intrinsic value. Rather, it’s the joy of a child’s hand in yours, it’s the “I love you, Grandma Joanie” simply out of the blue that I want to hold on to forever. It’s picking Katesy up and having her snuggle her body into me, holding it a little longer than usual that gives me strength.
“…refuse to be controlled by the likes and dislikes of others”. What powerful words indeed for me. The other day I was leaving tennis with friends when a group of women came in for a workout. They are a level beyond our group and proud of it. There is one woman who I haven’t talked to since all the changes in my life from 2011 and I saw her a little distance away so I waved to her and she didn’t acknowledge me. I thought “Really? You are not even going to ask me how I’ve been, really?” But as I walked away, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her shallowness because I have watched her in situations and she cares so much about herself and has a hard time relating to other people. And I feel like the most fortunate of people because I have so many wonderful friends and people who rallied for me when I was down. It’s so easy to make assumptions about others and I have indeed been given so much that I am reminded each day that I need to be tolerant and forgiving and not allow other’s to determine my attitude.
Just a funny side-note. Yesterday, Kate and I were upstairs in the family room when I heard some pounding on the piano. At first I thought Maggie was at the piano when to my surprise she walked out of the bedroom. Oh my! My adrenalin soared as I tried to understand what was going on. Then my eye caught a furry animal, (larger than mouse or rat) leave the piano room and scurry down the stairs. Following came the noise of picture frames and other objects dropping to the ground and something hitting against the glass doors downstairs. The animal had lost it, frantic and frightened it ran along bookshelves making all kinds of trouble, or doing damage as Maggie likes to call it. I immediately phoned Joe to come to our rescue. I was not about to go downstairs, alone. Spiders and snakes don’t scare me one bit, but rodents, that’s a different story. Long story, short. I opened the front door and the squirrel or chipmunk took the hint and made for the hills. I have learned my lesson and will be closing the door when I’m not coming or going. Wish I had a picture to share but those animals move so… fast!
Last pictures of Costa Rica. On our way to San Jose, our driver stopped to let us look at view. We could hear the roar of cicadas as we stood over this expanse.
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