Three Things

When someone recently asked my word for 2023, I quickly answered love. Because no matter what’s going on in our world, love is the answer. It truly encompasses everything. Every. Single. Thing.

Yet the word that keeps coming back at me is this: distracted. How do I keep myself from being distracted by all the wonders around us, its dirty fingers tapping us on our shoulders, reminding us that it’s not going away; at least, not quickly.?

It includes eating. Since my open kitchen is steps from around the corner to my office, it beckons me. Every two hours, like clockwork, whether I am hungry or not. Pistachio nuts? Sure. Dark chocolate? You bet. Belly overriding jeans? Oh, yah.?

And the sad truth is, I don’t care. Ooooh, did I write/think that? Yet food has become my ultimate “best friend.” And as I love my new kitchen, I savor the act of cooking new dishes, or old ones with twists and when I peek into my state-of-the-art refrigerator, I oooh and ahhhh looking at all the lovely, delicious meals I have made and …want to devour them all…in an entire sitting.

IN AN ENTIRE SITTING.

Initially, I was setting out to write about lost things found: I dropped a needed tube cap, and after searching high and wide, I forgot about it. (Advice from a dear friend: forget about looking for your item and you will find it; so true.) When I pulled my sweatshirt over my head that evening, the top fell on the floor, hiding in my hoodie.

Then I lost my diamond earring stud and couldn’t find it anywhere. So I gave up looking for it. Days later, in my office, my garbage container was spilled everywhere; Lulu, my Bordoodle, had ravaged the contents when she couldn’t resist the scent of pistachio nut shells. So I bent down, picked a few up, and there it was: my diamond post earring, sitting on the carpet! (How it got underneath my desk is truly a mystery.)

I dropped my earring back this morning, so I shook out the rug several times. Boy, did that cause much crap to fall on the floor! But no earring back. So I threw the carpet in the washer, vacuumed the floor, which was now filthy and went back to my bathroom sink. There was the earring back, right in front of me.

I’ve heard that when things happen in threes, be on the lookout for the magic to happen. (Perhaps I’ll lose my belly fat overnight?)…and then there’s this: how do people make the time to post on social media, when life is calling, calling, calling? I find it distracting to do both (life and social media/posting) and consider it a labor of love when I post. Otherwise, when the weather is warm and sultry, I only want to be outside, breathe in the refreshing spring breeze, and connect with Earth’s creatures.?

Then there’s sheer heaven: hopping onto my devoted bike! And I swear to god, riding is worth every deadline crunched or forgotten and every pistachio bag ate in one sitting.?

It also means, with the extra calories burned, I can now consume that chocolate brownie I’ve been craving….a most delicious cycle! In more ways than one.
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