A Good Day

Baltic sunset somewhere near Gdansk, Poland

Yesterday was not such a good day; I mixed up the times of two appointments.  My organizational skills are highly developed and it really throws me when such things happen.  Then, I was told by my current health care insurer that I had cancelled the policy and they planned to bill me for all my charges since March.  The benefits office of my former employer (the government) said they would FAX the insurance company a letter in a few days informing them that my coverage had never lapsed.


A few DAYS?  Who sends a FAX anymore?  Aren't our communications capabilities a little more evolved than that?   "Can't you send a PDF by email to a human NOW?" I asked.  The response was a definitive "we don't do that".  I got the feeling that the same request had been made and denied before.  This will be resolved, but it is unnerving and completely unnecessary.

Someone asked me yesterday what a good day was like for me, but being caught up in the crud of the day, I didn't have a very good answer.


I know that the Lord only gives us as much badness as we can handle.  My hands are definitely too big because they can apparently hold a lot and frankly I have been feeling that I would like to share some of what has been ending up in my paws.


Today was a good day.  What a difference.  Here is what it looked like:

My newest bonsai, a birthday gift from Debbie

One of my noisy gentleman bullfrogs

A GOOD DAY

• Watering my bonsais in the early morning under clear skies and cool temperatures in the low 70's with almost no humidity.
• Hearing my bullfrogs croaking and sitting on the log bench observing their antics.
• Fixing a yummy breakfast for my son and enjoying it with him.
• Heading out the door at 7:30 for a flea market and yard sales with the same son and finding great bargains and mostly enjoying each other's company (and also deciding that we should not do it more than once a month because we get on one another's nerves after a whole morning of driving around together; I do too much mothering and he is stubborn as an old mule ).
• Going to the gym and power walking on the treadmill for 5.5 miles and burning some 600 calories.
• Having my son install new brake pads on my SUV, saving me a few hundred dollars in labor.
• While driving to visit a friend, experiencing minimal traffic because everyone is on vacation this month, and blasting Beethoven's Ode to Joy and other favorites with the windows down and sunroof open.
• Welcoming a friend, enormous home-grown cucumber in hand, laughing hysterically at the snapshot and enjoying a brief visit.
• Having a brief conversation with an old friend who I will visit very soon, and realizing how much I am looking forward to the visit and seeing said friend and New England.
• Enjoying several hours of trip-planning time with my friend who I will be traveling with and who also fixed a lovely low-cal dinner for us.
• Rejoicing that I did not have to prepare dinner today (I have been doing a lot of cooking this summer).
• Driving home with more Beethoven and enjoying the cooler, low-humidity early evening air; watching Canadian geese fly over the highway and seeing the last reds of the sun settling in the West as I crossed the Potomac River.
• Drinking a glass of good port (ok maybe two) while listening to the night noises in the garden (including more lonely frogs croaking loudly).
• Thanking God I am alive, healthy, and have such blessings in my life including much to look forward to in the days and months ahead.

Creekside, Greenville, Tennessee

It was more than a good day; it was a very good day.  What does a good day look like to you?

Unemployment: Unintended Consequences - Two Walks in the Park

When I commuted to a job five days a week, Saturday mornings were devoted to the same errands every week - going to the bank, post office, dry cleaners, and grocery store. A rare Friday off was either spent traveling or checking off more things on my to-do list. Things are different now. I just spent two days at Great Falls Park, Virginia!

Yesterday, my friend and I decided to hike in Great Falls Park, Virginia. They have a nice visitor's center where helpful staff mapped out a 4-mile hike for us. It was very dark out, although early afternoon, and soon after we began our hike, thunder rolled and the skies darkened. Then came the rain.

We laughed at each other because we looked ridiculous as our clothes hung lopsided with the weight of the water. We were soaked. We trudged on for a while, but then it became slippery and the puddles became streams. It was fun, but not quite the fun we had intended.

We saw a beautiful blue heron on the Potomac, but most of the other wildlife took cover from the downpour and we did the same.

A $5 park admission is good for three days, so this morning I went back with another friend. This time I took umbrellas in my backpack and wore clothes that would not be quite as heavy when drenched.

Surely due to my foresight, we did not have any rain!

We saw a mother deer and her two babies. We saw all three marvelous views of the falls from lookouts high above the Potomac.

As we ventured down the shady, wooded trail, we heard a loud noise that sounded like someone hammering. I got a big smile on my face when I realized it had to be a woodpecker close by - and it must be a big one.

I put my hand on the next tree and felt the vibrations and we knew it was the one that he was hammering. We figured he was inside the tree and spotted a large hole, probably 30 feet up the tree, where he must have entered.

My friend knocked on the tree, in a cadence similar to the woodpecker's, and I soon saw a red head peeking out the other side of the tree - there were two holes! He definitely was concerned about his territory and seemed puzzled as my friend knocked on the tree again. This happened a few more times and then he gave up, assuming there was an invisible intruder that might mean danger and he pulled himself out of the hole and flew off. It was thrilling to watch.

We saw wildflowers and huge boulders in interesting shapes and heard the late summer noises of the forest insects and birds. It was a nice visit and well worth the trip.

I appreciate having the freedom to enjoy Fridays and Saturdays doing things that have more lasting meaning than running errands! I know these days are numbered and I want to make the most of them. I might just go back to the park tomorrow since my ticket is good for three days!