This Present Joy

I remember a friend of mine in high school was given a book with the title 10,000 Things to Be Happy About (or some similar title) . I flipped through it then and have picked it up in bookstores over the past years. My first thought when I saw this book of hers was, "Wow--that's a HUGE number of things to be happy about." And I also remember thinking, "How did someone catalog all those things onto paper?" I wonder how much time it took the author to compile. I've tried it myself--compiling a similar list. You'd think it would be easy to just list all the little (and big) things to be happy about (or I like to think of it in terms of Things to Be Joyful About). Maybe it's writer's block or maybe it's just distraction--but at a point, I come to a halt in my list. Having a child in the house has allowed many opportunities for cataloging new "things to be joyful about"--whether it's something she says, does or just her reaction to n...

Wait--it's a four-letter word but I've never categorized it in "that" category before the previous few months. It's such a common word in our society, whether it's spoken or inferred by someone. I tell my daughter to "wait" when I'm in the middle of something, whether it's talking on the phone, working or even coming to get her out of bed in the morning. I remember when I was little, I would ask my mom for something (maybe a new toy or piece of clothing)--and sometimes, her answer was "We'll see." I came to really dislike that response. To me, that usually meant a delayed "no." Did anyone else's parents use that response with them? I'm sure I'll use it with my daughter soon enough. What makes waiting so difficult? For me, I know there is something about being "in the know", in control and achieving immediate gratification--whether that's with regards to food, what's happening in our world,...

This blog title sounds like it could be the name of a toddler's board book (or a middle-grade reader's mystery). But, alas--it merely describes my predicament as of late. Those who know me well know that I am always in the mood for dessert (or a "treat" as I often call it.) You name it--cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, breads, ice cream--and I'm all about it. Working at a summer camp for a few years didn't help this habit, since we'd have dessert after both lunch and dinner. I will say, though, my sweet tooth comes into play mainly with homebaked goods--I can easily (or more easily) pass on the store-bought and pre-packaged cookies, cakes, pies, etc. I have pretty good willpower when it comes to candy, too (though I have a certain weakness for Junior Mints.) Just like you shouldn't go grocery shopping when you're starving (that's never a good outcome for our family--I usually come home with an extra few bags of "unnecessaries" than...

Months ago, the pediatrician told me that it was time for Carly to see the dentist. My first thought was, "Really? What will they possibly check at that age?" and a second thought quickly followed--"How in the world will a child of that age sit still (in a dentist's chair, at that)? But, with Carly nearing 2 1/2 years old, I decided to make her first appointment. The pediatrician had even given us a list of suggested dentists in the area, so I quickly realized that it wasn't just a "polite idea" for her to visit--it was a strong recommendation. When I made the appointment, I asked the receptionist what to expect at the first visit. She said they would check to see that her teeth were coming in properly, talk about diet, etc. When I mentioned my doubt to her about young children sitting still in a dentist's chair, she said, "Oh, you'd be amazed at what they can do." This was going to be interesting. The morning of Carly's app...

Our neighborhood used to be a pecan orchard--which has always sounded particularly romantic to me. You really wouldn't know it, now, though, except for the fact that every two years, the trees produce an abundance (let me correct that and say OVER abundance) of pecans. They are on the ground starting in October and still there in the late winter. People are often out in their yards, picking pecans to make pies, cookies and other tasty treats. Some even post signs telling passersby not to pick pecans from their yard. So, with all these pecans in our yard, it shouldn't have shocked me to see the following sight in our yard one evening. I will occasionally turn on the back porch light as I walk by the back door, just out of curiosity or maybe more out of habit (or maybe just to make sure no one is lurking in our backyard). Anyway, I was taken aback to see three raccoons and an opossum in our yard. They were just loitering, casually moving around the yard, nibbling on the pe...