Everything Should Come With A Box

Don't you agree?? How much easier our lives would be if the world accepted this simple concept and accepted my humble wisdom.

Let's see. Hmmmm. You would not have to traipse to some hidden gift wrap counter in the farthest corner on the lowest level of a department store to obtain said container when your arms are juggling sacks and receipts and a purse while you are bundled up in some plump winter attire feeling like a beach ball all on your own....perspiring I might add. (Gosh -- can you tell the author, who prefers to wrap packages as opposed to using gift bags, is composing this lovely run-on sentence at Christmas time having recently experienced the role of frustrated shopper herself??)

Then there is the time the harried gift wrappers can't give you a box because they haven't received the latest shipment they were expecting that was due yesterday? And all they can offer are the two extremes -"Would you like a coat or a tie box, Ma'am??" Ahhhhh!!! So what are you supposed to do? Hope that you haven't thrown away that last shoebox your child's Adidas came in or the shirt box you had used previously for the three birthdays and Father's Day you already celebrated during the year??

Yep, that famous quotation floats into the consciousness of the now -- "My Kingdom for a horse". Guess those feelings of angst are generations old. I understand that some are much more important than others with farther reaching serious consequences. But, heck, all I wanted was a box.

This Machine We All Share

The Body. What an incredible invention. It has been around for thousands of years and has taken humanity much a part of that timeframe to even figure out how it all works, let alone replicate the pieces/parts. There is no patent on this machine. No one has ever stolen the pattern or the mold in order to reproduce it as a cheaper rate or to make a fortune or to create competition.

Think about it. This collection of tubes, screws, liquids, motors, chemicals, filters, wires, electricity, rubber bands, plumbing fixtures all covered in a shell of canvas and fur is beyond the realm of incredible. It is the stuff of pure fantasy.

Wow. This apparatus does it all. Walks. Talks. Sees. Thinks. Communicates. Laughs. Cries. On an on. It breaks down on the inside and is injured on the outside. It gets broken. It wears out.
It stiffens, swells, expands. It stretches and shrinks. It turns colors like brown, red, black&blue. It gets spots. It itches. It burns. It gets invaded. It can kill or repel alien intruders.

It is fine-tuned through a miraculous titsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny microscopic architectural blueprint that is so far past mind boggling that comprehension is surpassed. This intricate recipe allows the appliance to heal itself. Inside and out. To reproduce. To have talent. To make this planet a better place.

Ah. Did you catch it? The concept. This invention wasn't created to be static like a robotic automaton. This machine was blessed with endless possibilities. Are you taking advantage of yours? Respect and be awestruck by what you "are". Orchestrate your gifts and make a difference to the other machines that surround yours.

Labels of Life

My youngest niece and her husband are going to have their first child in January. I was thinking last evening as I did the dishes about how their world will change once the little one arrives. And I was reminiscing how I felt the first time I had someone call me "Mom" after our son was born. I LOVED it! I was one of those now -- a mother-- and it felt so right.

As I savored that memory, the word "family" arose to capture my thoughts. Because not only had I gained the former tag (just as my husband was now "Dad), we also could claim this latter term together. Being a "couple" or "married" was wonderfully sufficient for those years we shared together in the front end of our marriage but that bright-eyed infant changed it all. "Wife" is one I am especially proud of.

Once the floodgates of brainstorming opened I realized how many labels actually exist in my life. "Graduate" brings memories of that special, proud tingle I felt when I reached out to received my diplomas being extended to me from my high school principal and then my college dean. No one's smile was bigger than mine. I had done it. Woo-Woo!!! Watch out, World!!

"Sister", "daughter", "niece", "granddaughter", "daughter-in-law" all signify deep emotional bonds in my heart. The professional titles I have earned are woven into my life's resume. I am pleased to have studied and achieved those significant letters that now appear after my name.

"Christian" is not just a label but a vital personal claim. "Volunteer" reflects a soul-held desire to be a part of the lives that exist around me.

What are the labels of your life? I plan on adding a few more....how about you??

The Instrinsic Value of Thank You

About two weeks ago I gave a list of specific blessings that I was acknowledging by giving thanks publicly. Those individually mentioned had each added immeasurable dimension in my life. Today I want to shift thinking about that subject of Thanks by just a few degrees so to speak.

When you audibly share "thank you" to someone, do you ever "visually absorb" (Don't you like that more colorful prose I invented for the seemingly plain choice, "observe"?) what happens to that person in a purely physical sense? Did their altered facial expression ever register a reaction in your brain that made you blink? Made you realize that your sincere offering touched and actually altered the reality of their day? Created a blip on their personal radar? Their eyes brighten, focus sharpens. Their countenance lightens. Their mouth corners lift seemingly by invisible lighter-than-air strings. All are shining responses, reflections bounced back at you for a simple human kindness.

Wonderful habits bring wondrous returns. Heartfelt outreaches explode exponentially. For a very small investment incredible profits are guaranteed. This bears repeating.....guaranteed. This simple plan never loses value, infinitely retains its priceless status.