Pursuit of Happiness.
Wednesday, April 27 2005
The pursuit of happiness is often a daily chore. Finding the things that make me happy is a serious business.
I find pleasure in small things, mostly.
Walking past a gorgeous garden, where the owner obviously knows that he/she is doing.
Hearing the birds singing, cheeping, and even squawking.
Watching a daughter string Cheerios on a ribbon for a necklace.
Hearing my son sing at the top of his lungs when he listens to "HIS BOYS" (Beatles).
Having a big laugh with my tempermental teens...and even the preteen who rarely seems to make good choices lately.
Grilling outside, and smelling the charcoal get to that perfect temperature.
Getting little dorky gifts from someone saying they just were thinking of me and couldn't help themselves.
But, out of everything, my greatest happiness is when my home is completely clean and stays that way for more than just a few hours. Inevitably, there is always some project going on....some pile of papers that need to be graded.....pencil shavings on the ground, glue on my school table.....not to mention the erasers hiding out in small places under the table and next to the schrank, laundry that needs to be put away. When I wake up each day, I like everything to be in order. I hate getting up to chaos....it makes me cranky and I take it out on everyone. So, I make everyone pick up the night before, letting them know that it will save them the next day. Preventative Medicine, so to speak. Unfortunatly, by noon, the school day is in full swing and it looks like a bomb went off. We don't usually get done until 1-2 in the afternoon, and it always seems if people are going to visit me, this is the time they do it----before I get the chance to get the house under control. Lately, I've been way more anal about getting the whole house picked up before the kids start school, but someone always says "Who's coming over anyway". Does someone have to come over for us to have a nice house? I missed that memo. One time, recently we had an apostle come to town, so I thought I would be smart and get them motivated by asking "What if Elder Perry wants to come over to our house? Do you want him to come in while it is looking like this??" I could only use that one for about a week, and then no one believed he might actually pop in one day. Darn. I think that I will never have a daily tidy home until everyone moves out. Then I will have to find something else to do that makes me happy. I guess I'll have to scrapbook. Darn.
The pursuit of happiness is often a daily chore. Finding the things that make me happy is a serious business.
I find pleasure in small things, mostly.
Walking past a gorgeous garden, where the owner obviously knows that he/she is doing.
Hearing the birds singing, cheeping, and even squawking.
Watching a daughter string Cheerios on a ribbon for a necklace.
Hearing my son sing at the top of his lungs when he listens to "HIS BOYS" (Beatles).
Having a big laugh with my tempermental teens...and even the preteen who rarely seems to make good choices lately.
Grilling outside, and smelling the charcoal get to that perfect temperature.
Getting little dorky gifts from someone saying they just were thinking of me and couldn't help themselves.
But, out of everything, my greatest happiness is when my home is completely clean and stays that way for more than just a few hours. Inevitably, there is always some project going on....some pile of papers that need to be graded.....pencil shavings on the ground, glue on my school table.....not to mention the erasers hiding out in small places under the table and next to the schrank, laundry that needs to be put away. When I wake up each day, I like everything to be in order. I hate getting up to chaos....it makes me cranky and I take it out on everyone. So, I make everyone pick up the night before, letting them know that it will save them the next day. Preventative Medicine, so to speak. Unfortunatly, by noon, the school day is in full swing and it looks like a bomb went off. We don't usually get done until 1-2 in the afternoon, and it always seems if people are going to visit me, this is the time they do it----before I get the chance to get the house under control. Lately, I've been way more anal about getting the whole house picked up before the kids start school, but someone always says "Who's coming over anyway". Does someone have to come over for us to have a nice house? I missed that memo. One time, recently we had an apostle come to town, so I thought I would be smart and get them motivated by asking "What if Elder Perry wants to come over to our house? Do you want him to come in while it is looking like this??" I could only use that one for about a week, and then no one believed he might actually pop in one day. Darn. I think that I will never have a daily tidy home until everyone moves out. Then I will have to find something else to do that makes me happy. I guess I'll have to scrapbook. Darn.
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