The world at my fingertips. The ultimate magazine. Questions answered and suspicions confirmed. Pictures shared with loved ones. Shopping without leaving my comfy chair or getting out of my pajamas. Maps and locations. Stereo wherever I go. Journaling and note taking. Communicating with family and friends anywhere. Watching movies and TV shows sitting in my closet. These are the luxuries afforded to me via my iPad. Not to mention my useful new friend Siri. (It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.) The ultimate toy I did not know I needed. Actually did not know I wanted.
How blessed am I to have this gorgeous instrument of music, peace, wonder, relaxation and stimulation for the mind sitting in my living room wrapped in black lacquer with the whitest of ivory keys? My piano. A gift from my husband the first year we moved into our new home. I usually play my favorite pieces when I am home alone as I don’t want anyone ruining my joy by laughing at my misplaced fingers as they (my fingers) attempt to make music. Playing the piano is a playful joy for me. I am sure that is why they call it ‘playing’ the piano because its fun. It never ceases to amaze me, that when played in the proper sequence, music comes from those black and white keys. More than anything, I am amazed that I can actually make this happen. I struggle to play by memory but when given the notes I totally forget about time and get lost in my own musical world. I hear the right notes even if I’m not playing them because my conscious knows how the song should sound. So its my own little escape from the world.
I gingerly dip my toe in the steaming hot water and I decide to give it a few more minutes to cool off. The luxury of being able to immerse myself in clean, bubbly, hot water surrounded with candles and easy listening music, dim lighting and an ice cold Perrier is the ultimate in relaxing stress relief. I often think about the unfortunate homeless of our city and I think how they would assume they had died and ended up in heaven if they were able to enjoy this experience and my grateful antennae stand on end. I do not take this privilege lightly. I close my eyes and empty my mind of every problem or negative emotion and I soak up good vibes. I inhale deeply and let it out ever so slow and as I do, I feel the stress and toxicity leave my body, replenishing my strength to keep up the fight.
My heart leapt for joy when I rounded the corner onto the road that passes by our closest shopping mall and I saw ALL of their evergreen trees lit up in all their Christmas glory with moving lights that resemble a waterfall in winter. It makes my day every single year. The sight of those glorious and spectacular lights just puts me in the right spirit. I can barely drive to work and leave them behind. Often, as I drive home from work in December, I will take what I affectionately call the ‘Home Alone route’. It takes longer but I am not in any particular hurry to get home as I slowly drive past the homes with their creative Christmas light displays and I rate them to myself. I usually have Christmas tunes playing in the car and I bask in my guilty Christmas pleasure of enjoying the lights. I drive down out-of -the-way side streets if I see something spectacular in the distance. Its all about the lights at Christmas for me. I know I’m talking about my favorite things but I am not a fan of anything that has to be blown up. Actually I think somebody should actually blow those up (in the literal sense of the word).
Everyone one under one roof. By everyone I mean, Andrew, Lexie, Mike and I. This is euphoria for me. When I lay my weary head on my pillow at night and I know that the whole family is sleeping under the same roof, this just soothes my stressed out soul. It truly does. It feels even better than having my feet wrapped in warm paraffin wax (and that feels amazing). I’ve had seasons when the kids have been spread across the world suffering illness, poverty and stress and I was in no position to comfort them. Mike has been on trips in areas of the world where his safety and health has been at stake as well. It is so reassuring to reach out and feel him there and hear his breathing (OK…snoring). And to top it off I can hear the kids laughing in the another part of the house as they watch some TV show or movie together. I take a very deep breath and I thank the Father that for this moment in time we are together. We are here for each other. All is well.
The only thing more fun than shopping for myself is shopping for someone else. When I find an item I I covet for myself I just know that this is the best gift for my female peers. Finding a gift that is going to make the receiver pee their pants is my goal. So I guess I should get some rubber pants to go with that. I love to seek out that perfect gift. I anticipate the receivers excitement. I want that person to feel so special and blessed. I also love to present my gifts with sentimentality and style. I put a lot of thought into how I package a gift. It’s an important part of the presentation. I want it to look like I took some time and I put some serious thought into it. I love to bless people. I really do.
The Red Plaid Apron 