View from My Window

Sometimes, when the light is just right, the view from my window is a reflective one and I behold the inside of my home in this new light! This view is not seasonal with dogwoods blooming or leaves covering the yard but more introspective on my part.

I cannot help but reflect on what is not happening in my home.
There are no children who take daily residence in either their rooms or in front of the television. There used to be...
There are no frenzied mornings with people grabbing coffee and unhealthy food choices to tie them over until lunchtime. There used to be...
There are no piles of laundry sitting on the stairs ignored by children running here and there in order not to be late. There used to be...
There are no last minute, speedway races to the mall for "Must Haves." There used to be...
There is no longer a plethora of phone calls all night long with anxious messages from peers who must share what just happened. There used to be...
And, when the dishes need to be picked up and washed or placed in the dishwasher, there are no children hiding out in the bathrooms. There used to be...

Ah, do not pity me, my friend, for all the things I once had that no longer are part of my daily life.

Now, I have special occasions when one or more grandchildren are in my home delighting me.
Now, wine with dinner is one of life's appreciated moments to be savored.
Now, I can bake cookies in the morning and still have some in the cookie jar at sundown.
Now, I have a DVR with any show I want to watch at the tip of my fingers.
Now, I have an iPad that provides me with the quiet victories (and defeats) of Words with Friends.
Now, I can enjoy my music at my preferred volume any time of day or night.

I welcome the reality of the old adage, "When God closes a door, He opens a window."

View From My Window

Today I watched the sun rise and felt exhileration. How amazing to see the colors in a sunrise palatte!
The pinks, the blues, the purples all merge and emerge in one heck of a display. It made me glad that I had to get up early this morning. Watching the sunrise-or whatever meteorogical event is occurring-is a relatively rare event for me since I retired. When I worked, I wonder, did seeing the sun rise over a line of traffice count as "watching" the sun rise? Don't think so. Oh, well, today I enjoyed it and the hush it seemed to bring to the view from my window.

It didn't last long; sunrisings and sunsets never do, I thought, recalling watching the sun set from a sailboat overlooking the harbor at Tortolla in the Virgin Islands. Over too fast...chased by the day or the night...depending upon the situation.

A busy day ahead. Must remember to bring my sunglasses! Ha!

Today being Super Bowl Sunday, I headed to the Y to burn up some calories before I began to munch my way through the big game! There was something different in my workout today; I looked around me at all the members doing their thing and just had to smile. What diverse people I was with! There were the high school athletes sweating it out in their school jerseys! A young girl in a black chiffon, sequinned skirt and wearing tennis shoes was shooting baskets with her father. A woman about my age stood leaning against the wall, still with her coat on, texting away and smiling slightly as she read the responses. White haired men grunted and strained as they hefted weights suprisingly beyond what one would think they could manage. A slight woman and her daughter ran around the track, again and again, laughing and talking as they may or may not do during the course of an at-home activity. Lockers slammed as people came and went with the rivalry of the Ravens and the Forty-Niners forgotten in the commaraderie of exercising. People watching can be fun anywhere but, for today, since I am not holding a ticket to the game on a streetcorner in New Orleans, I decided to just enjoy my workout in a special way with my "friends."