To 'Garage Sale' or Not? That is the Question.

This past weekend I participated in the 'annual' neighborhood garage sale. I say 'annual' loosely only because our homeowner association rules indicate that we are allowed to have 'one' garage sale per year, which is why they organize it to get the most exposure possible. However on any given day I can still drive down my street and observe a garage sale taking place. Guess they didn't thoroughly read that part of their By Laws. Garage sales, though, are like outdoor graduation parties ... you plan for them despite having no guarantees on the weather. Our sale was advertised for Friday and Saturday. Friday's weather was damp, on the cold side, and rainy. Not a good day for a garage sale. Saturday was a bit better ... bluer skies, a tad warmer, but extremely windy. Overall, it was a lot of work without much reward, but that's the gamble you take.

Like anything else in life you have to look for the good within the not so good. The weather wasn't great, my sales weren't amazing, and the overall turnout wasn't anything to write home about. So what's the 'good' in this weekend's garage sale experience? Well, I finished my library book BEFORE it was due, I read through my week's newspapers and advertisements BEFORE Tuesday's recycling/trash pickup, I got a ton of exercise lifting things up and putting them down (kind of like Planet Fitness), I did some effective spring cleaning, I made a few bucks, and I got to have fun with some serious people watching. The last part can be very entertaining. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against anyone who has a garage sale or anyone who goes to one, but I was rewarded with a few chuckles. There was the lady who brought her own scanner to check the UPC codes on my paperback books. I was intrigued. She explained that she resells items on Amazon and by scanning the codes she can determine what the current values are and whether or not it's worth her purchasing it. I guess my 25cent charge for the paperback version of the Horse Whisperer was too high because she left without it (lol). Then there was the chatty lady who was in a great mood but somehow felt it necessary to share with me that she'd just eaten a '7-layer bean burrito' at Taco Bell and as she said 'It was worth every calorie'. OK, so tell me exactly WHY did I need to know that?

Well, my garage is almost back to normal and I have some donations ready to be dropped off this week. All in all I'm glad to be done with the sale. I hadn't done one in 3 years and most likely it'll be another 3 years til I do one again. Maybe by then I will have stocked up on the apparent premium garage sale items ... WWII items, tools, Barbies (in the original boxes, of course), hunting and fishing stuff, and kids' clothes. Well, maybe not. None of those items seem to be in my supply anymore. Oh well.

It Takes A Village

Do you recall the saying 'It Takes A Village'? I may be remembering it wrong or this could just be my interpretation, but I seem to recall it being about community. Last night I attended my daughter's high school music program's end of the year banquet. We had a great time. We had a good dinner, the serving staff was attentive, the jazz band played some great music, and we were able to spend an evening with friends we've had for a while, friends we hadn't seen for a while, and make some new friends as well. It was definitely a win-win kind of night.

There always seems to be more bad than good relayed to us on the news these days ... bullying, thefts, shootings, threats - you name it. But sitting through an evening like last night restores my hope in future generations. My situation was the music banquet; but it could just as easily have been a football or soccer banquet, a senior honors night, or an end of the year celebration for the drama club, dance team, or Science Olympiad. Every group has its booster club supporters, its grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends that come out and cheer at their events, games, and concerts. Letting today's youth know that we care and that we support their skills and their efforts can and will make all the difference in laying the foundation for their future.

Last night at the banquet I sat and listened to underclassmen pay tribute to the outgoing seniors. I heard about their talents, their drive, their ambitions, and their quirky and embarrassing moments. I also heard words of inspiration - from students who looked up to their mentors and from adults who support the program.

One woman (who offers a memorial scholarship each year) talked about the importance of living for today and about the responsibility the youth have to embrace their talents and gifts, but also remembering to pay it forward. As a parent I support my daughter, but it's my daughter's responsibility to support the generation that follows her. No one can do it alone. It takes family, teachers, neighbors, friends, AND a community. It takes a village.

Whether you currently have young children, your children are already grown, you have nieces or nephews or grandchildren, or there's a teenager down the street from you that actually remembers to wave hello when you drive by - show your support. That child might not have any support in their life. YOU could be that person. Just something to keep in mind.

With Spring Comes Motivation ... Hopefully!

Nothing gives me a motivational burst more than a blue sky, warm sunshine, a mid 50ish degree morning, and a cool breeze. Today it's not quite that warm yet, but yesterday morning was perfect, at least in my opinion. I went to work early with my garden gloves and shovel in my car. I was determined to transplant some of the hearty Iris' that were growing in abundance in the back of the parking lot. I was convinced they needed a new home, a place where they could thrive in the sunshine, have space to grow, and be admired every time someone walked into the church. Isn't it great when you can make all of these life-changing decisions on behalf of a plant? lol. Fortunately my co-worker agreed with me. We instantly went into action mode ... dug up and separated stalks of plants, found other areas that we felt were more deserving, dug holes, and transplanted them. Of course then we decided that they would have a much better chance with their relocation if we put fresh mulch down around them. Lucky for us there was still a big pile of it in the parking lot leftover from the weekend's spring clean up day. To finish off the day, it rained in the afternoon ... a good steady rain that lasted long enough to give the flower beds a good soaking. Isn't it amazing how God made sure they would have just what they needed to get settled in their new home?

What things give you that little burst of motivation that you need? Is it a hobby, a walk around the block, a trip to the library (that's one of my favorites), or a cup of tea with a friend?

How far ahead do you plan?

I was having a phone conversation recently that got me to thinking, which isn't a stretch for me. I often tend to think 'too long' and 'too hard' and generally about 'too much'. I guess you could say I'm a 'thinker' and a 'planner'.

I've spent most of my life thinking ... about little things like what will I wear to work today (since I heard 3 different weather reports on 3 different stations this morning), what should I fix for dinner tonight, and what color flowers should I plant in my garden next month. There are the more serious issues ... will my daughter find the right college to go to in a year and will my son get a new teaching job now that he's graduating. Then there are the really serious topics ... will the economy improve, what will gas prices look like later this year, and will my family continue to be healthy.

There are so many things that need to be considered in life on a daily basis ... your responsibilities as a parent, perhaps as a spouse, and even as an employee (if you're lucky enough to be working). I guess my question to you is 'Do you live in the present OR are you always planning for the future?' The ironic part is that none of us possess the control that we think we have. Life is full of obstacles - things can get thrown into our path at any given moment. Do we let the obstacles obstruct our way OR do we attempt to leap right over them (sometimes succeeding and other times not)?

The reality of being consumed with planning ahead is that it is too easy to forget to live in the present. Most of my adult life I've had the urge to write ... everything from journals to business letters to resumes to blogs. I've always dreamt about writing something 'bigger'. There never seems to be the right creative location where I can close everything else out or the time that I can devote to myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for a pity party. I think we all go through this at one time or another. There are things that I'm doing right now that don't leave me time for doing other things, BUT 'I' choose to do the things that I am doing (working, band boosters, volunteering, etc.).

If you choose to put off doing something for now, then you owe it to yourself to make yourself a promise to one day make the time for you. It's a gift only you can give yourself. No one will ever hand it to you on a silver platter.

Today's question: Do you make time for yourself and what do you do with the time (a hobby, volunteering, work)? The next question is probably the harder one ... how long did you make yourself wait and what finally changed to make it happen?

New and Improved?

Ever notice how as soon as you get used to a service or a product, the company changes it? Here's an example .. remember when Facebook changed to their 'timeline' format? Some people I know loved it and many others did not. I suppose the biggest reason for many was because they weren't given a choice ... we were told that we had until a certain date to change our formats over on our own or on a given date it would be changed for us. I chose to change mine over, so I'm not actually sure if that threat ever happened or not.

It seems the concept of always changing things and claiming that the changes are 'new and improved' aren't always accurate. Change CAN be a good and productive thing ... some times, but when things change just for the reason of making a change is that always a good thing? I don't think so. I used to love my white leather Keds sneakers because they fit just right, I could wipe them off when they got dirty, AND I knew exactly what to expect. Then they 'tweaked' them. Why? There wasn't anything wrong with them. So why change them?

Another example ... I've used cleaning products before that I relied on. Then the company 'tweaked' them, changed the formula and the packaging, and called them 'new and improved'. Why? I don't know, but I do know that I don't like the products any more and won't use them now. Personally I think that every year or so many companies change their products (or 'tweak' them, since that seems to be my word of the day) only to keep their advertising and marketing departments busy. Sort of a 'job security' approach, I suppose.

All I know is that summer is almost here and I'm still searching for a new pair of sneakers that fit like my old Keds!

What do you think? What has changed in your life recently? Was it a good change or an unwelcome one?

Do you wear blinders?

I've been doing a lot of people watching & listening lately. I read Facebook postings to see what is new with the people I know, I listen to conversations to hear who could use my support and prayers, and I observe people's reactions and behaviors to see what their priorities are. I've become more aware recently that a lot of people seem to wear blinders (metaphorically speaking). While many people are fully aware of their surroundings, a lot of people seem to look past (intentionally or not I wouldn't begin to assume) what and who is around them.

My church recently held a volunteer food packing event. My daughter took a donation bag to school to see if anyone would want to donate to the cause. The students in one of her classes were watching a documentary about a past tsunami and how it devastated the area and the survivors. She took the opportunity to ask her teacher if she could speak to the class about the upcoming food packing event, to which he said 'yes'. She explained the concept of packing the food and how it could get shipped to areas of disaster where it was needed most. While some students donated their leftover change from lunch, a few students were dumbfounded and responded with replies like 'isn't that like volunteering?' and 'you mean you actually give up time to volunteer?' as if to say 'what's in it for you?' My daughter had a mix of emotions ... thankfulness to those that had donated, anger to those that mocked her efforts, sadness to those who were oblivious, and disappointment for those that didn't seem to care one way or the other.

Last week I was speaking with some adults at a school function. We were discussing the differences and options between fundraising for groups and the possibility of just charging larger amounts to the parents for their student's involvement in the program. There are a lot of opinions on that subject, so I'll save that topic for a future blog entry. Some parents like the fundraising aspects because it's a way to unite the families that are involved, while some parents would prefer to write a check. No one approach is right or wrong or better than the other. The part of the conversation that surprised me was when one parent (who I like) suggested that she didn't understand why everyone wouldn't just want to write a larger check and be done with it. She suggested that we lived in nice area and she couldn't believe that not everyone would have the money available to them to do it. My input was that perhaps she wasn't seeing the whole picture. I mentioned that I knew of people who had 2 income households and after one or both of them had lost their job they were doing their best to maintain their home and lifestyle. If we really look around us we will see that some households are doing fine, some are tightening their belts, some are re-prioritizing their needs and wants, and some are experiencing the possibility of losing it all. The teacher that was present even suggested (to her surprise) that our own high school was considered in need (not sure if that is the correct term) because a large enough % of the students qualified and received free school lunches.

The point is that when you walk down your street and criticize someone because their grass is getting a little tall for your liking, maybe you should ask yourself why. Have they taken on a 2nd job recently and haven't been home all week to cut the grass? Is the house in foreclosure? Did the homeowner suffer a heart attack last month and isn't able to handle the maintenance just now?

If we don't make the effort to interact with our neighbors, friends, and even strangers how can we truly expect to see the big picture? How can we know what is needed or how we can help?

Why are some decisions harder than others?

Today I entered a Facebook post that simply asked 'Why do we struggle with decisions some days more than others?' A friend responded rather quickly suggesting that it would make a good 'Insights Are Blooming' topic. Well, there you go ... talk about inspiration.

Decisions can come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes with a lot of strings attached. Some decisions are what I like to call 'no-brainers', while trying to make other decisions often cause us to lose sleep. Those are the difficult life-changing ones. I don't think there is a one of us who doesn't have to make at least one decision a day ... our lives are overflowing with choices. What should we wear to work today? What should we pack in our child's school lunch (that we hope they will actually eat)? Should we put time aside this week to actually call that friend or relative who is still waiting to hear from us? Should we plan a vacation or stick close to home? Should we downsize our home when our kids are grown and out of the house? Should we hold on to hope and try the medical treatment that might save our life? Should we retire or continue working for another year or two?

Everyone's 'choices' that are currently weighing them down may or may not be just like those of the person next to you. We often think we are faced with decisions that no one else could possibly understand. We often feel alone. At the same time, we just might be more like the person standing next to us than we thought. Making serious decisions can be difficult. Of course, we need to do our research and weigh all of our options. Be thorough, but in the end trust yourself.

What was your most recent decision (serious or trivial)?