Sunday, August 24, 2025Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2006. Mattie was four years old. This was a typical sight in our living room..... Lego, cars, trucks, and trains. Mattie loved to build and create and he would create elaborate play schemes and of course always wanted us to play along. I may have been Mattie's mom but the other important role I served was play buddy! Watching Mattie in motion was something I will never forget, as he had a sheer love for life.
Quote of the day: I think that the so-called average person often exhibits a great deal of heroism in getting through an ordinary day. ~ Harvey Pekar
This morning, my friend from England, sent me a two minute video to look at about finding the good in each and every day. The video mentioned that on tough days it maybe hard to see anything other than the negative, and yet we can still find moments of joy, things to be happy for if we look for them. The video pointed out that as humans we are almost conditioned toward negativity bias. Meaning we focus on what is wrong, overlooking the positive. Certainly focusing on the negative is crucial during a crisis, when we have to assess all the things around us that could cause harm and danger. However, what happens when we are not in crisis? It takes a lot of focus or to retrain ourselves to notice the good and the bad, in order to create a more healthy balance.
I explained to my dad that these frames and photos were Mother's Day gifts to me from my husband in 2012. As my husband always said (I still have his card on display in my office).... "You are the best mother and person I have ever known." As I was recounting this to my dad, his response to hearing all of this was..... your husband was correct, you ARE the best person he EVER will know. Leave it to my dad! These moments of clarity and connections with my dad are positives, which I absorb and never overlook.
Before I took my parents out to brunch today, Indie and I sat on the porch for 15 minutes together watching the hummingbirds. The hummers fascinate me because it is hard to believe something so tiny and beautiful can actually fly and buzz around! Indie is equally fascinated! She never tries to chase or scare the hummers! GOOD GIRL! When I can pause and look at greenery, I can see glimmers of positives in the world. They maybe fleeting, but I am aware of them.
Since talking to the vet on Friday, I am trying to understand why Indie is pooping outside of the box. This is a behavior she has never done before. On Friday, I decided to white vinegar her box. White vinegar is like the magic cleaning solution to about every household problem! Though cats don't like vinegar, I think Indie appreciates it more than my Clorox based products. I am hoping that my new cleaning routine will make a difference.
While at brunch today, one of the managers came over to talk with us. She is a new mom and shared many new mom issues with us. She literally sat down with us and was chatting. I listened, was supportive, and then gave her my two cents. After talking with us, she literally said to me.... thank you for letting me vent, for listening to me, and for making me feel better. To me, if I can think beyond my own issues and problems and help someone in some way, then I view this as a positive, which ultimately gives my life meaning.
