Non-fiction

Rory came home yesterday talking about how they are starting to read biographies in the 2nd grade. She was so excited to tell me what she could recall about George Washington Carver. I asked her a few questions about it, and we moved on to math and the rest of the afternoon.

Today when she came home from school, she immediately took out her reader and began to read to me the entire chapter about his life. She read so intently, and even Brady and Delaney were drawn in to the story. The original reason behind my taking her picture, was that she was reading so passionately, and looked so darn cute, that I just took a quick picture, not yet planning on using it today. And so, she continued to read, about the challenges in his life, the things that he accomplished, and desire to share all that he knew with others. It is one of those stories that really touches you when you think about what someone overcame and did with their life. It was a reminder of the good that has and still does exist in the world. When Rory finished reading I asked her what she thought about the story. It was one of those times when as a parent I was pretty sure that I knew what her answer would be. I was certain that she was going to focus on all of the things that he discovered that you could do with peanuts - namely ice cream, cake and candy. Instead, she simply replied, "He was an amazing man." Her words gave me chills, as she summarized his life perfectly. I then asked her what homework she had regarding the story. She said, "Oh none, I just wanted to tell you more about him." She is amazing too!

Choose Your Attitude

This has been my theme today, choosing your attitude. I have been making a conscious effort lately to be as positivc as I can be. There is a quote that I keep on my computer at the YMCA that says, "you can't be unhappy if you are singing or smiling". I love that expression, and truly try to live it out. You can not always control the situation that you find yourself in, but you can choose how you react to it.

Today, being Wednesday, is another early morning for me. I teach a 5:30 Spin class, so have my alarm clock set for 4:40. For those that know me, to say that I love to sleep is an understatement! I am a true night owl, and usually if I am seeing any type of 4am, I am on my way to bed, and not the other way around. But, nevertheless, this is my fate to date, so one must do what one must do. Much to my surprise, I awoke at 4:08am. It is unbelievably rare for me to wake up without a booming alarm anytime before 9am. I looked at the clock in disbelief. My normal reaction would be annoyance of being robbed those extra winks, and I would toss and turn, grumbling and moaning until that booming siren began, and my official wake up time arrived.

When I first stared at the clock, it took a few seconds to register the time, and I noted that I felt fairly well rested. Instead of cursing Mr Sandman for skimping on me, I thought to myself, "Wow, I still have time for a 32 minute nap! How great is it, to get to take a nap right after a night of sleep?!" I kid you not, I honestly fell right back to sleep, peaceful and happy, and when that loud siren, that I need as an alarm, made itself known at 4:40, I felt ready for a great day.

I brought this positive attitude with me and taught, what I perceived to be, a great class. I continued my day bouncing back and forth between mommy at school, wife at home, Group Ex Coordinator at work, and so on. No matter what hat I wore today, I tried to choose the positive attitude. At times this was harder than others. At times I had to separate myself and find another focus until I could be positive. After settling the after dinner activity, I began to ponder my day, and my picture for this blog. My house has suffered from the result of the back to school routine, and it seemed that everywhere I turned there was some level of mess and chaos. Please let me be positive, I thought. I then entered my hallway to turn on the porch light. As I did, I was greeted by the warm light of the Christmas tree that we still have up in the foyer. I noted how pretty the tree looks, and how from a certain vantage point, if you stand in the foyer, my home looks peaceful and pretty. I found my positive spin, and took a picture to capture the moment. I then remembered that today is Little Christmas. In all the years that I have been married, (10) I have never had my tree up this late. I took the picture of the tree and smiled. I am trying to keep that smile going as I walk past the laundry, zhu zhu pets, wii remotes, and clutter. I am smiling now as I realize how lucky I am to have it. If you need me, I'll be in the foyer......