Better to Laugh

I love grilling, and my grill usually loves me. Two days ago, the grill was heated and ready. With a plate of eye of round steaks in one hand, I lifted the lid and the hinge bolt on the left side fell out. The weight of the lid falling at the hinge almost took me over the grill. I pulled hard on the handle to bring it back so that my feet would stay on the ground. Had I released the handle and let the heavy lid fall, it may have toppled the flaming grill; in my mind, there was a split second where that scenario ended badly. I’m just glad I didn’t get seared!

Yesterday, I felt this odd pain in my rib. I thought maybe it was from lifting weights or throwing balls too hard in PE. Today, the pain was a little stronger but still just an annoyance. Tonight, I heated up the grill for some hamburgers. As I lifted the lid and carefully kept the left side from falling, the pain in my rib intensified. I had my answer to the mystery pain. I didn’t get seared, but I did get tenderized.

Now, I am on the hunt for a really long bolt. The grill may have won the battle, but I will win the war!

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When I was in the Air Force, my dearest friend liked dark meat and I liked white. This worked out wonderfully for the both of us. I don’t think we ever downed an entire chicken, though. Did we, Kim?

I have a best friend who dresses with style. We were going to a tea tasting, and I had on a blouse with stylish sweater, jeans, and running shoes. It didn’t look very cohesive, but I didn’t know how far we would have to walk, and I wanted comfortable feet. I asked her, “This doesn’t really go together, does it?” She replied, “Wear the running shoes and the running shoes will be fine.” Thanks for accepting me just as I am, Charlene.

I have a sweet friend with no sense of smell, and I have a hyper sense of smell. She sent me some candles via her husband. They were odor eating, and by order eating they must have meant their odor would eat up any other smell in the vicinity. It didn’t work out too well for the candles (gave them to another friend), but your kind gesture made me love you even more, Erin. Thanks for making me smile, once again!

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One of the reasons I love teaching so much is that moment when a student comes up with an answer you totally were not expecting. Yesterday, I was teaching Nutrition and Wellness class and the topic was stress. I passionately described how pushing down stress, frustration, anger, and pushing it down, and pushing it down, and pushing it down, instead of dealing with it, is like a pressure cooker. My hands were pushing down the air, pushing down, pushing down, pushing down. I asked what happens when you keep pushing down stress and let it build up like a pressure cooker, and a wide-eyed teen boy replied, “You get shorter?”  I totally did not see that one coming.

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I haven’t written in some time. I went through a rough patch and didn’t really feel like writing. In June, I hurt my foot while my shoulder was still injured, so I couldn’t walk briskly, run, bike, or swim for a few months. This led to weight gain, which I am still trying to work off. My Aunt Betty passed away in July. I spent the summer writing a short story of my life for a magazine contest, only to find out that if I submitted it, I would have to give up all rights, with or without compensation. That was something I just was not willing to do; I mean, it was MY story. I have been dealing with this being our program’s last school year with the seven school districts and all of the changes that brings. It hasn’t been all gloom and doom, and I have had many laughs, I just haven’t been in the mood to write.

That has changed now, and I am ready to share, again. So, if you had followed my little snickers at life, watch for new insights coming soon. Oh, and thanks, Aunt Wink, for encouraging me to keep writing. It means a lot.

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Annual Fireworks Extravaganza

We had heaps of fun July 4th, celebrating with swimming, food, lawn tractor rides, and fireworks at my parents’ house. As it grew dark, the little children had fun waving sparklers and the big boys had fun lighting fireworks. It is quite entertaining to watch four men in their 40s get excited about blowing things up. Purchasing the explosives, strategizing on the best method for launching without losing any appendages, and execution of the fireworks show, every step of the event brings them joy. My 68-year-old dad and 15-year-old nephew got in on a little of the action; the rest of us sat on the driveway at the top of the hill and watched from a relatively safe distance, with the exception of a curious 10 and 12-year-old that watched more closely.

To give them credit, the show was really beautiful and rivaled the park’s fireworks that we could see in the sky above the treeline. The evening ended with only one casualty, a sparkler burn on my 5-year-old niece. Those sparklers just look innocent!

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