Another TGIF Post for You

Oh it's been a week, let me tell you.  But you know what?  It's Friday, and in my case at least, leading to a 3-day weekend, as we have MLK Day as a holiday.  I don't even care that it's supposed to rain like a flood on Sunday and then freeze overnight because of the polar vortex, because I don't have to even leave the house except to take Hamlet for walks.  Mind you, I do feel cheated because the flooding rain on Sunday was originally predicted to be snow.  But since it's a long weekend, I'm gonna let it pass ...

Anyway, I have decided that this is a perfect time for another TGIF post to make me re-orient my thoughts.

Thinking about - how if you are someone who loves winter, you are considered some kind of weirdo freak.  But if you love summer, you are "normal."  Who decided that?  No, never mind I really don't care, I will always take winter over summer.  Sorry normal people.

Grateful for - the words of Mary Oliver.  Her poetry may have been dismissed by critics, but for someone like me, who has an ambivalent at best feeling towards most poetry, it made me happy.  Because words and language are a deep and meaningful part of my soul and being.

Inspired by - all of the voices raised to challenge, inform, and share knowledge and experiences this week on Instagram and other places as a result of a blog post by a woman getting ready to take a life-changing trip.  I am guessing that this weeks' events gave "life-changing" a different meaning than she originally intended, but I am glad that people spoke up and out to let everyone else know the real state of things.  I have many opinions (because, well, I'm me), but in cases like this I do a truly poor job of making them coherent.  So I would just ask that you read, think, and learn from all of this.  And try as hard as you possibly can to do better.  I consciously try, and often fail because I haven't give things enough thought, or I just did not know something.  No one should stop learning, ever.

Fun things - I have no idea.  Doing nothing is fun, but so is a good book, a good cup of tea, an old movie (particularly one of the ones that just have you thinking, "What?"), and animals to cuddle.  Or baking gingerbread muffins on a cold day.  Just being, when you are fortunate enough to be able to do that because it's what you want to do.

I hope all of you have a lovely weekend, and a safe one.  Be kind to each other.  And remember that we are all just passing through.

Penn and Oden