Misery and Joy

It is a mystery to me sometimes how misery and joy can co-exist, and how joy, or happiness, can reduce one to tears.  There is so much of both misery and joy in life; the trick is to never completely lose the awareness of all one's blessings.

I know, I know, nauseatingly Pollyanna-ish statement; sorry. But it is one of my deepest beliefs, cloying or not.

Today a few simple e-mails reminded me of all I have to be grateful for, the new human connections I have formed, a reminder of the positive difference I can make in a human life, and the positive difference others can make in mine.

This is all very vague intentionally; specificity will blow anonymity.  But to say that my life has been enriched by new connections, new acquaintanceships, new community over the last several years, would be an ungrateful understatement, and the last thing I want to be is ungrateful.  So, as always, thanks God, and please keep sticking with me when I hit the rough spots.  Somehow, the line in the hymn comes to mind:  "I once was lost, but now am found" . . . I am continually getting lost, and thank God, continually getting found.

Back again, with nothing to say

I have been remiss.  

Tempus fugit when I'm not
looking!  If I had a watch
like this to keep track of it
with, I think I'd have a lot
less trouble, though.         

No blog posts in a terrifyingly long time.  

Well, I do tend to lose track of time.  Sometimes it feels as though I look down to read a page or two in a book, and when I look up again, it's a year later.  

An example:  you'd think that with October 1st the day after tomorrow, I would have caught onto the fact that it is Autumn, but out driving today I suddenly noticed that the leaves are turning!  Yes folks, it's Fall.  No doubt you noticed that, but it takes me a little longer to catch onto some things.

I used to feel quite melancholy when the first chrysanthemums showed up at the supermarkets; a sure sign of the end of summer.  It wasn't Autumn that I minded, it was what followed Autumn - Winter.  But I have become relatively philosophical about Winter; it's not so bad.  And luckily, it doesn't last forever.  It only seems that way, sometimes.  In the meantime there's hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts, snow men, crisp blue skies, atmospheric gray skies, and with any luck, snow; deep, white, sparkling snow which, now that I don't have to worry so much about getting places, I consider an aesthetic treat.  

So I am braced and ready for the inevitable:  first comes Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and only then, Old Man Winter.  (Why not Old Lady Winter?  I'll have to explore further.)  This coming year I am planning to dig up all the obscure holidays I can possibly find, like Mehrlicht, and celebrate them all.  

In the meantime, I am going to luxuriate in the colors of Autumn.