Happiness Is A Four-Letter Word

If there is never another time in my life that I am this happy, let this happiness carry me until I am too old to worry about it. Being in a new home with new surroundings is, as they say, good for the cleansing of the soul. Or, maybe that's something else that's good for the cleansing of the soul, but all of my insides are feeling "Spic and Span," these days. I could've never imagined that somewhere in my world, there would be a beautiful two-story home on a small piece of acreage that was waiting for ME to move into it. And do I hear the sound of 'Love' reverberating through the walls? They say that you are what you eat. Well, I can't help but wonder if that somehow works with houses, too. After all, you open the door and the house swallows you, whole. Depending on what kind of dinner you are (spicy, bland or seasoned just right), you may just find that you wish you had been flavored just a little differently.
Don't believe me? How about this? Have you ever noticed the homes of very excitable people? Quite often, chaos ensues throughout the home. Not always, but I tend to believe that a calm nature invites calm results. And if calm invites calm, doesn't it stand to reason that excitability would invite excitability? Naturally, that can be taken one step further, at least, to my way of thinking. Harsh, angry words that are habitually thrown from one person to another will cause the house to shudder and fear for its very safety. On the other hand, people who treat their homes and family members with love and respect seem to have homes and families who embrace them with love and respect.
Perhaps you could call me the "House Whisperer." I dunno'. I just have always felt that what goes around, comes around and I think that extends far beyond the boundaries of people treating other people kindly or poorly.
In fact, if you'll take the time to watch, you may notice that animals react pretty much as their owners do. Show me a person who yells and carries-on about insignificant details and I'll show you their pet who reacts angrily or 'cowers' from the hand that might 'pet' him, fearful that the hand may bring an onslaught of attack. much the same way. Want your little dog to quit snapping at you for the slightest infraction? Start noticing where your little dog is learning it. Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, anger begets anger and kindness begets kindness.
So, the next time you go to cuss that wall for the crooked nail you just pounded, consider how the wall must feel. Maybe a little sweet-talking wouldn't be too far-fetched to include in your updates. It just might help the remodeling to go a little smoother, ya' think?

Christmas In July

Different people have different ideas about what Christmas is and should be and I, of course, am no different. I could give you all kinds of things that Christmas means to me, but yesterday I realized that the term, "Christmas in July" is a reality, this year.
Every year, I dread the promise of hot weather throughout July and August. This year, however, has been a far-cry from so many past years of miserable, hot weather. This year, we've been fortunate to enjoy cool days, interspersed with an occasional touch of somewhat uncomfortable heat. Nothing could please me more than this welcome relief from what I have come to accept. I like cool weather. I like snow and the beauty that it brings. I like the way that snow covers up the flaws with her beauty.
In Summertimes past, I've noticed that tempers flare and people have a tendency to look as if life is too much for them. Not so, this year. There's a cheerfulness and upbeat attitude that I miss during those hot, sticky months.
Now that I think about it, I wonder what the whole worry is about Global Warming. If the earth is getting warmer, why are we having so many pleasantly cool days and nights? And if it is getting warmer, who says its our fault? Where was man to stop Global Warming and keep it from eliminating the dinosaurs? I wonder if anyone has considered the fact that, after every Ice Age, the earth got warmer. When this Global Warming has run its course, will we then make a mad rush to stop the Global Cooling?
I am convinced that, with or without man to help it along or hinder its progress, the earth has a job to do; live. And every living thing must go through a changing process. Global Warming and Ice Ages are merely the outer effects of those changes. Without change, nothing ever gets better and the earth is no different. It was created with change built into the basic pattern.
Yesterday was the last day of a very pleasant July; something I can't recall ever enjoying before. If this is Global Warming, I sincerely hope that no one is successful in finding a way to correct it. In fact, if I could have Christmas in July, it would include much of what this July has been; cool days, cooler nights and an occasional warm break to keep life interesting