Favorite things

I am so looking forward to this week. Today was a good day.  I gave blood and that always makes me feel good, giving back somehow.  Though it also makes me tired and so I had a great nap.  After all, the lady taking my blood said No exercise today.  I think I drank about 2 gallons of water today too.  Very thirsty.  At Church this morning sitting in the choir and looking out on the congregation I realized how very much I love the people in my Church.  At follies practice I rehearsed with a great group of guys.  And tomorrow after work my co-workers and I will eat out at Red Lobster in what has become an annual LeeAnn's Red Lobster birthday celebration.  This year Joe will be there too and I'm really happy to have him meet my friends and co-workers and for them to meet him.  They're a crazy group.  And I'm pretty animated with them around too.  So he may get to see a side of me that he's not seen yet.  Hopefully, it won't scare him away. LOL

Friday is the beginning of what is gonna be a really fun weekend.  A bunch of people I haven't seen in 35 years will converge on Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater on Friday night to start off our class reunion.  I can't wait to see everyone again.  Saturday night should be an absolute blast getting to perform my comedy and see other classmates perform.  Sunday I'll spend with Joe and then do my comedy for speed dating.  And Monday a Sr. volunteer banquet in Wagoner.  Life is good. 

As on top of the world as I am right now, lots of fun stuff coming up, a new love in my life, wonderful friends and family there is one thing that is making me really sad and that is the estrangment from a family member. Sometimes you can't do anything to change a situation but wait and hope that time will heal the wounds.  Thats what I am hoping.  

Today at Church Rusty the pastor was talking about attitudes and I think if I heard him right he said that there is about 20% of people who remain optimistic in spite of whats going on around them.  Then there are 40% who stay negative and 40% who sort of hang in the middle, sometimes optomistic and at other times not.  I definetly count myself in the 20% always optimistic.  It takes a lot to get me down.  I don't really think of challenges as problems but as learning experiences.  Even the recent car issues.  I now know a whole lot more about alternators and batteries. Tucked away in my brain is the way they work together. Useful information for next time or for helping some other confused single woman with a car that won't start. And I know how to pop a clutch now. .

Every day is an opportunity to work thru a problem, tackle an issue and learn from it.  Without some stresses in life the blessings wouldn't be nearly as sweet. Even the car battery has a positive and a negative terminal.  Learned that too.

If I hadn't had so many bad dating experiences and gone out with men who were absolute jerks, would I have recognized the great qualities of the man I am seeing now?  Feeling healthy is so much sweeter and something I want to hang on to because I experienced what it felt like to be unhealthy.  Working thru a recent conflict with someone I care about has made me realize that with communication, even misunderstandings can be resolved and in this case, bring 2 people a lot closer.

For the follies I am learning a spoof song  about getting older..its the My Favorite things song from the Sound of Music but with a twist. From raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens to Maalox and nose drops.....
And the chorus, when the dog bites, when the bee stings to when the bones ache.......

The good things in life are so much sweeter because of the bad things that we survive.

Comedy gigs and blog writing, facebook and handbells
Sunflowers, good friends and the way that the rain smells
I phones and yellow cars and the choir where I sing
These are a few of my favorite things

And the bad...well, I prefer not to even think about those things. Because focusing on the good things, having an attitude of gratitude, staying calm in the midst of a storm, and forgiving those who haven't forgiven us...well those are what life is all about. The kind of life I want. 

Have a great week!