Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Grateful for...

1.      Sipping peppermint hot cocoa on a gray, sprinkly day. 

2.      Airplanes to connect me to a family far away.

3.      Silas-isms and James-isms that make me shake my head and laugh.

4.      Facebook. Don't judge me.

5.      My husband's work ethic.

6.      Friends who pray for me.

7.      Birthday cards in the mail.

8.      Reconnecting with friends I haven't seen in 20 years.

9.      Fancy shoes.

10.  The self-esteem my parents instilled in me from the very beginning.

11.  Feeling passion for my work.

12.  Baking blueberry muffins with my boys.

13.  Fleece bed sheets.

14.  “Baby, It's Cold Outside.”

15.  Stacy and Clinton.

16.  The feel of a book in my hands.

17.  My healthy body.

18.  God's protection over my boys every single day.

19.  The typing class I took in 10th grade.

20.  Pretty Bergdorf Goodman display windows, and my NYC friends who post pictures of them on Facebook and tag me.

21.  In-laws who sacrifice for us.  Time and again.

22.  Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey.

23.  My niece, Sarine, even though she’s far away.

24.  Extra-long, scalding hot showers.

25.  Fuzzy socks.

26.  Full moons.

27.  Camping with friends.

OK, I’m getting off my shoebox now.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Get Out Of My Way

Driving home from Costco today, a car flagrantly ran a stop sign in front of me.  The car ahead of me slammed on his brakes, and so did I.  Then, instinctively, the palm of my hand lay into the horn for a solid 11, 12 seconds.

It. Felt. So. Good.

For some reason, people in Fresno don’t honk their horns.  I don’t know if they’re too polite, too mellow, or just too slow.  But I miss it.  I miss honking the horn for every little thing:

HONK!  Put the makeup away, girlfriend – the light’s green!
HONK!  Get out of my way, Grandma!
HONK!  I don’t care if your car broke down!  Call a tow truck and move out of my lane!

When I visited New York City last year, I slept near an open window listening to the charming sounds of the city, horns honking and all.  It reminded me of home – I miss the frequent horn honking in Boston.  There’s such a sweet satisfaction to it.

I’ve become much less aggressive since moving here, and have learned to honk less.  But I’m not gonna lie, it felt great to honk today, and to keep honking for maybe a few seconds longer than actually necessary.  It’s there to be used and I used it.  And I’m not even sorry.

OK, I’m getting off my shoebox now.