From the Observation Deck

Today’s title is meant to reference the fact that there’s always someone bigger, someone better, someone worse off, someone better off—okay you get my meaning, I hope.

I really dislike it when people use the phrase, “perception is reality.” Phooey. Reality is reality. The only kind of people who don’t see reality for what it is are either stubborn, self-centered, crazy, or on the opposite side of me in an argument.

Okay, I know that we all see things differently. If you asked eight people to describe an accident they all saw, you’ll get eight different stories. But in some cases, let’s face it. The truth is the truth. Let’s take a test to to confirm my profound and accurate statement.

Which one of these animals is a ferocious, man-eating monster?

Perceptions can have a profound affect on our lives. How you perceive the world around you can be a big part of how you carve out your path, how you relate to other people, how you deal with the stresses and challenges of life, and how funny you think I am. Which of course, you all agree that I am both witty and charming.

But cerealy folks (yuk, yuk), I spoke in a previous post about bad days and perceiving our stresses as not so bad when put up against others who are worse off. I’ve had some more challenging days since then but am more worried about some of the people in my life that I love dearly. Praying for others can really cast a light on the blessings I have. So thank you God. Thank you to my friends and family. And thanks to all of you who make my days beautiful and meaningful.

And to end this, and give purpose to this entire post (‘cause I really thought this card was funny and wanted to post it), enjoy this great laugh and have a great day!

This has been a challenging week. I felt like a black cloud was floating above me, cursing me, putting things in my way, tripping me, and causing unnecessary stress. Let’s review.

Sunday

Beautiful day. Easter. What could possibly be wrong with that? Nothing really. Except my horrible neighbors—who I now refer to as Mr. and Mrs. McNasty. Mr. McNasty took a walk down the street to take a picture of Grendel playing in the woods behind our houses with his BFF, Elwood. Other than having too much time on his hands and behaving like a five-year old jerk, he’s trying to stay out of jail for throwing trash on our lawns by catching us doing something. I really hope they decide to up and move across the country. Having annoying neighbors can be a super drag to live with. But I am trying to “let it go.”

Monday

First, Grendel threw up in the doorway of my room and bathroom as I was getting ready for work.  Nice. So then the lights in the parking garage at work were not functioning that morning and as I sleuthed into my little space I heard and felt some scraping going on. Damn! Okay, not sooooo bad but another chore. Good thing my Dad bought me that rubbing compound for Christmas last year. That is one gift that keeps on giving. When I got home from work, Grendel threw up again—this time his entire dinner. He’s okay. I however am not.

Tuesday

As I leave work I step into a little hole filled with rubble in the parking garage. My right ankle twists, hurling my body down onto my left side bruising my toe, ankle, knee, and hip. I’m big and tall and when I go down, I go down hard. I sat there in pain and shock for a few minutes, limped my way over to my car, thanked God that no one saw me, then cried in pain all the way home. I’m still feeling it now—I hate getting old. And to add to this, the tree pollen is covering my car, my nose, my chest, and my head, giving me one nasty allergic headache.

Wednesday

Some rush-hour car accident resulted in an hour plus commute to work. I stayed late to make up the time and told my co-workers about the fall the night before only to be laughed at. That part is okay; I just added it for some extra sympathy.

Now here is where the week took a turn. I went over to my friend’s house and met a man from Zambia who is a lawyer working for the International Justice Mission. His name is Brigadier and he told us a bit about what he does (he defends widows and orphans and girls who have been assaulted, and prosecutes the offenders). Basically he has a strong faith in Christ and uses his gifts to save people. Suddenly my little woes of the week were more like the whinings of a spoiled, self-absorbed jerk. You know, like my neighbor. Oh do I hate that looking glass.

Thursday

I counted my blessings, prayed for the people I love and the people Brigadier is helping, and had a lovely dinner with my really nice neighbors and my little buddy Cayden. He’s currently my favorite 1+ year old.

If you’d like to learn more about IJM or donate, visit www.ijm.org.

Have a great week!

Addendum:

I added this extra bit here on Friday after publishing just to let you know what the rest of the week brought—because I know how much you care about the details of my daily activities. 

Friday

I took a nice half-split tumble / crash into the sink /counter this morning, bruising my wrist and elbow. It’s official, when they find my body the doctor will say, “She died of being a klutz.”