don’t sweat the small stuff

As Rich As Midas

Posted on November 4, 2012 by crystal

You don’t need me to tell you that, in this life, it’s easy to be complacent. We become very accustomed to all the little comforts that are part of our everyday experience, and for that reason – we hardly notice them.

Instead, our focus is often diverted to the minor annoyances we encounter, such as a traffic light that turns red just as we approach it, or a slow poke in the grocery store check-out line. We can be quick to frown if the take-out pizza is slightly over-done . . . or our favorite team is on a losing streak.

But every once in a while, we are yanked back to the reality of just how lucky we are, and how silly it is to ever be bothered by small stuff.

So it was for Sir Beads and me with Hurricane Sandy this week. Thank you all so very much for your concern. It was a tough few days but there are those who had (and continue to have) it so much worse than we did. My heart aches for them because the taste of trouble we experienced has given me a true understanding of their situation.

We were without power for 3 days. For us, that translates into no cooking, no lights, no water, and no heat. We had prepared as best we could but, believe me, when you are in the middle of a multi-day power outage, preparations can feel very inadequate.

After some dark and chilly days, the power returned. The sound of the heat rising through the pipes was literally music to our ears. We could once again have a steaming cup of tea and a blissfully hot shower. The cold that had settled into every corner of the house was slowly dissipating. Bathroom flushes would again be automatic with just the push of a lever – not accomplished by pouring buckets of water (from our previously filled bathtub) to trigger them. We had power again and were simply elated. As we looked around at the backup of laundry, dishes, and a refrigerator full of food that would have to be discarded – we were unfazed.

In short, going through the experience has left us feeling as rich as Midas.
And, this time, I think it will take a lot longer for us to drift away from fully appreciating our blessings . . .

Hugs for all and special prayers for those who are still in distress,

Posted on March 5, 2012 by crystal

You know the rest . . .

(and it’s all small stuff!)

I had detailed plans for this weekend, which went out the window in a flash – well, two flashes.

Saturday, I wanted to get some good photos of things I’ve been working on lately. I’ve been anxious to show them to you but there was a last minute change of plan – the dishwasher, without warning, sprang a leak! Bottom line? Photography time turned into mop-up time, sponge-off the kitchen cabinet time, not to mention dry the basement wall underneath the kitchen cabinet time. Whew!

But, no problem, I could always take photos on Sunday afternoon!

Ummm, not so fast there, Crystal! Out of the blue on Sunday, my computer began to act weird. My photos were all mixed up. File names were swapped around without any clue as to why. I’d click on one photo and another would open. Huh?

Soooo, for the next couple of hours I was in the midst of trying to figure it out. In the end, the files were back to normal . . . but the sun was gone. No pictures on Sunday, either.

Honestly, Kids, I might have been tempted to let this “lost weekend” get to me – but then I came across the following picture and quote.

Notice the white arrow in the center of the photo –

it points to a tiny dot that we call “earth”.

If our world and everything in it is resting on a “mote of dust”, then surely weekend nuisances are (and should be!) totally invisible. 😀

Hugs,

10 Things That Drive Me Nuts!

Posted on September 23, 2009 by crystal

It’s better to laugh than to get aggravated, right?

Some days, doesn’t it seem as if life is filled with little annoyances? A bit of venting usually makes us feel better and can also help us realize that, in the grand scheme of things, these little stresses are pretty insignificant!

So let’s list some of the things that bug us. Then we can smile for the rest of the week! 😀

I‘ll start. In no particular order, here are things that drive me nuts:

1. In my neck of the woods, the milk we buy comes in plastic bottles with plastic caps. It drives me nuts that no matter how many times I wipe off the bottle after using it, the next time I open it, there will be a mini blizzard of dried milk flakes that fly everywhere. You’ve heard the old saying: “They can send a man to the moon . . .” I’d like to add . . . “so why can’t they engineer a better milk bottle?”

2. Mail-in rebates! I hate ‘em! Just give me the sale price up front, please!

3. Grocery store loyalty cards – See #2

4. People who breeze by, without a word, when you stop to hold a door for them.

5. It drives me nuts when I’m just about to hop into bed at night and I suddenly see a giant spider crawling across the ceiling (or I hear a mosquito buzzing!) Eeks!!! Let me tell ya – there will be no sleeping until we extricate that unwanted visitor from the boudoir!

6. The amount of junk mail and telemarketing that still squeaks through even though you’ve jumped through hoops to remove yourself from the appropriate lists.

7. Trying to pay for a purchase and being asked for a zip code, a phone number, of if I would like to apply for a store charge, the coupon club, or the frequent buyer program. I know it’s not the clerk’s fault, but it gets very, very old – especially when “no thank you” doesn’t seem to suffice and I’m asked: “Why not?” and “Are you sure???”

8. Public restrooms that are in such an awful condition that I ask myself if I really have to go! 😉

9. Watching the weather forecast on TV and having to listen to so much superfluous blah blah blah, that by the time the guy finally gets to the crucial details – like tomorrow’s temperature – I’ve tuned out and I miss that part!!! Grrrrr!

10. Spending time going through sales racks at a department store only to discover at the checkout that the item I’ve selected is one of the few things that is NOT on sale!

What drives you nuts? 🙂