Happy Birthday to Me!

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I spent the day at home. Took a day of vacation from the 9 to 5.  I sat on the deck in the heat most of the time.  I would come in and cool off and get something to drink occasionally.  Crazy. Yes. I know.  Southeast Texas in July is hot and humid. Sweltering is a good word to describe the heat.  I needed to be outside.

I have been battling the abyss some this summer. Sitting outside detoxes my mind and spirit. I spent some time reviewing my resource notes.  I like to use my birthday to reflect and assess my situation.

I am pleased at what I found when sitting and listening to my own thoughts. I am not as down as I thought I was.  I have had a few days of aggravation at the 9 to 5 and in dealing with some things at church.  The frustration was at my own performance and attitude rather than other people.  I complain about others when it is really myself with whom I am angry.  I think I have let go of the irritation and I am already feeling better about things.

There was a special set of events today that had a profound effect on my well-being. I got to enjoy the gazebo he put together for me.  Our son called and we had a great visit.  Our daughter called and we had a great visit.  Our daughter-in-law called and we had a great visit.

Another great thing for my birthday-I had an iPod that had become like an IV for my soul. I had my music with me any time I was not at the 9 to 5.  Then, I broke it.  I have had a difficult time since.  I stopped walking at the track. I feel down more than usual.  I was simply crushed without being able to listen to Dean Martin or Martin Denny whenever I wanted.  But, he presented a small package to me last evening.  A new iPod!! I am so grateful!

Now I have to figure out how to make it work again. Our daughter advised me on what to do. I want to wait until I have a clear head to fool with it.  But, I have hope for music again.  I did not realize how critical music is for me until I had it at will then lost it.

I found another gift today. As I was sitting outside, I noticed a tell-tale purple petal on the ground near the porch.  The banana tree has baby bananas!  Year before last, we ate a couple from our tree that produced late in the season.  They were very small. They had a pleasant and less sweet taste than the store-bought variety.  These have developed in time to perhaps have a full hand of them to eat later this summer.

Our daughter had sent books and movies from my Pinterest wish board earlier this month. A card and perfect gift from him.  Calls from my beloved children. Time at home feeling Texas summer to my bones.  No cake or candles. No happy birthday song. None needed.  Happy Birthday number 51 to me!  Thank you to the family for making it wonderful. Thank you to Him for making it wonderful. Thank you to him for being wonderful.

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Dinosaur

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I think I am officially a dinosaur. Our daughter says I am not.  I feel like one.  So many things going on the world of pop culture today about which I am clueless.  I hear catch words and try to remember them long enough to write them down.  I have to write them down if I have any hope of getting to my computer to look on line for an explanation.  She says I am not a dinosaur because I am still interested to know about things even if I don’t care to participate.  I appreciate her generosity.

I have been dabbling in some additional social media sites. I am trying to figure out Twitter.  I can follow and unfollow. I can like. I can look at links. But, I don’t know how to re-tweet or initiate a tweet to someone correctly or how to tweet back at someone.

I have been working on figuring out Tumblr. I like that it is similar to Instagram but has the blog connection often lacking on Instagram. I love Instagram, of course.  Just lovely photos flowing along for the most part.

Pinterest is great and very familiar. I maneuver in it just fine. I enjoy it.  Not being one who can just pin and pin without reviewing what I have pinned, it becomes work sometimes.  I like to edit and resort and delete.  I confess I use secret boards more often than the public boards.  Just because it is a tool I like to use to sort out ideas and focus intentions.

I want to upgrade my WordPress to a dot net. I think that will be my birthday present to myself.  It was less than twenty dollars for the year last time I paid attention.  I have aspirations to create a specific logo for Raining Orchids. You know, tee shirts, hats, stationery.  Ha! Ha! Just for fun.  Additional creative flow.

Still, one of my favorite things to do when I want to be quiet and still is to color. I have one of those new adult coloring books and map pencils.  That is okay.  But what I really like is my bag of Crayola crayons and my Disney coloring book.  I bought it years ago and am slowly coloring each page in order through the book.  The bright colors, the smell of the crayons, the soothing rhythm of rubbing the wax onto the paper all work together to create magic for me.

To each his or her own. I like the technical world of social media.  And I love the innocent world of crayons and coloring books.  Just because I do.  Not going to analyze this.  Just going to savor the moments.  Dinosaur or not, I am still exploring.  Still asking questions.  Still learning. Still loving life. Not yet a fossil.

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