Husband Alert!

I'm considering getting a "Beware of Husband" sign to hang on all the entry doors of our home. It's a known fact that he and I are easy to startle. Well, at least I am. He's a bit harder to get a really good reaction out of. But last night....

Oh man! I'm finding it so HARD to type this little story in completion, because tears of laughter keep pooling up, blocking my eyesight. 🤣 It was getting late (yes, 7:30 is late for us 🙄), last evening, when I headed to our bedroom to put away some fresh washed and dried laundry. As I rounded the corner into the room, little did I know that D.W. was headed out of that dark room. He had just visited the master bathroom and had turned the lights out as he began his exit. 

All I could see was this huge form moving towards me. Y'all KNOW what happened next, right? A blood curdling scream flew forthwith out of the depths of my lungs, into the closing distance between D.W. and myself. Side Fact: For those of you who don't know him, he is one of the most laid back people I have ever met, that still walk the earth. Most usually a calm, cool, everything-will-be-okay, kind of man. I'm here to tell you I have not seen what happened next more than 2 (possibly 3) times in the whole 50 years we have been together. However, don't ask me when they happened. For all I know, maybe they've never happened at all.

Out of the darkness, I am face to face with the unknown. A hulk of a man heading my way was enough to cause a little over-the-top excitement. Once this very startled woman emitted her vocality, two large arms, one drawn back as the other took a position of defense, both with fists clenched, locked and loaded, became clear as a bellow right out of a war zone, the fighter emerged. "Aaaaaaaaahh!" was the war cry. I knew I was dead as my whole life became a movie, right before my eyes. 

I froze. And we both exploded into gales of laughter. Whew! THAT ONE WAS CLOSE!!!

As always, here (hopefully) you will find me...in Mary's World.

The Girl Who Walks - Episode 4

Where could she be? It is 7:30, right? Two hours past the usual time for her excursion around the neighborhood. My mind begins playing its games of searching out the possibilities of what could be happening. Because I've grown to really appreciate this girls determined spirit, it seems only natural that I would question when something seemed off. And because there have been days that she appeared not her usual self, I began the process of eliminating possibilities. That fast moving gait she is most known for, just hadn't been there on those days and her posture had been a bit more slumped, so of course I wondered what was happening in her world today.

I knew I must head out for work with an added burden today. I suppose she could just be feeling under the weather and chose to stay in. But even that hadn't seemed to deter her in the past, so if it were indeed the case, she must be super sick. Not knowing where she lives, I couldn't just drop in to check. Also, I don't think she is aware of my interest in her and how she has inspired me to be more than my present circumstance.

And just like that, she appears! As I inched out of my drive, I noticed a form making its way quickly down my street. I moved the car slowly so as to get a better view without being obvious that I was looking at her. I know how creepy this must sound, but it's only out of concern for this girl (who actually isn't so young so that she should be called a "girl"), and finding that I had grown accustomed to using her walk-a-bouts as proof of what time of day it was. I did a half-hand wave from the steering wheel, as I drove slowly past her. She responded in kind. Good! She's okay!

One might wonder why I care so much about this lady. She is me. A bit older than me, but me. I love seeing her determined spirit. It inspires me to be determined. I love seeing her consistency. It inspires me to be consistent. I love seeing the days where a lot seems to be on her mind. Because I have a lot on my mind some days. I love seeing her happy gait. It also inspires me. It tells me she has conquered what was weighing on her mind. That means I can do the same. 

Moral to this story? We're never alone, even though we may think we are. Humanity is basically the same in that we all have mental challenges from time to time. We all have physical difficulties from time to time. We all rejoice and see the good in most things, from time to time. We all allow ourselves to dive into an abyss from time to time. Life is complex, yet so simple, that we overlook the stability it can have, at ALL times. 

Grateful for this life, here you will find me...in Mary's World.

 

 

But "WHY?"

I love it when a little human keeps asking "Why?" It is the beginning of our life's journey when there are questions needing answered. But why???? Without the why, we become robotic, simply following the crowd without understanding why we are. Because someone said to do it. We must know our "why" if we want to become leaders instead of followers.

Sometimes it can become just a game to the kiddo, but it always starts with a serious need to know the "why". They may know "what" it is being asked of them. They probably know "how" to carry out what is being asked of them. But until they know and understand the "why" (other than "because I said so"), they will never be able to achieve their deep-seated purpose, cause or belief that becomes the source of their passion and inspiration in this journey we call life. We must see futuristically if we want to equip our off-spring. There will always be a "why" that needs answered. We ALL have a "why", but sadly, many never find, let alone understand, it. Because it's too easy to believe a lie...

So much of the time, parents, or whoever is watching over the small person, will become frustrated with the simple question of "why" asked over and over again. Try not to. Simply realize you may be raising the next legendary leader. It's your job to point them to their "why", without causing them to needlessly give up, never fully understanding why the action has been required of them. We DO want to equip our littles to think, to ponder, to reason. Right?

It begins simplistically. The following example is for a toddler just learning the "why", not a teen-ager who should already know the answer...if we've done our job.

EXAMPLE: "Put your dirty clothes in the hamper." "Why?" "Because they smell bad and need laundering." "Why?" "Because you played outside all day in the rain, dirt, at the playground, etc..." "Why?" "Because you needed to get some fresh air and exercise your muscles." "Why?" "Because without those things, your body becomes weak." "Why?" Just continue the answers for as long as it takes, understanding your own "why"; that possibly you are raising the next Steve Jobs, the next Martin Luther King Jr. The next Wright Brother. Without the "why", we're not able to think for ourselves.

The "what" and the "how", isn't important if I don't understand the "why".

Just to be clear, money is never the answer to why we work. Money is a result. It may be a part of the picture, but it isn't what inspires us to get out of bed in the morning. We must ask ourselves what the reason is we want the money. Is it for financial freedom? Maybe we want to travel the world. Do we long for our kids not to have the life we had growing up? Is it to keep score and show how much more we do than others? My point is money isn't the thing that drives us. WHY goes much deeper to understand what motivates and inspires us. Because it is the sole purpose, cause or belief that drives every persons career.

And it all begins as a toddler asking "why?"

Always reminding myself of the "why" my business exists, the "why" did I get out of bed this morning, and the "why" should anyone care, here you will find me...in Mary's World.