Love thy neighbor....

Late last night, our neighbor, Mr. Danny was welcomed into Heaven. He has been sick for a while and is no longer in pain. That makes this time seem a tad more okay. Mr. Danny has always exemplified neighborly love. He worried about us and made sure we were okay. He and Mrs. Lorrine were among the first to come visit our newborn son, even tho' we had only lived near them for a month or so. A year later, they returned to welcome son #2 with the same enthusiasm and sweetness. Mr. Danny trusted us to watch over his place and his beloved " four-legged babies" too. Neighbors in the truest sense of the word. My fondest memory of Mr. Danny was last summer on a day when he had energy, which became less and less frequent. He called looking for Andy and then in frustration called me back because his mower would not start and it was stuck at the end of the dirt road. I told him I could help. He said, "are you sure? I don't want to put you out!" "Not a problem!!"(that's what neighbors say). Here we went... Mr. Danny on his lawn mower and me pulling him up the dirt road with the Suburban and fifty feet of rope, as if he was riding a tube behind a speed boat. The smile on his face spread from ear to ear and I was given a glimpse of times well remembered in his eyes. As I turned the curve, I slowed down and looked in the rear view mirror. He raised his hands and motioned.. give it more gas... faster!!! I did as I was requested to do and darned if he didn't decide to jump the bank. Giggling and laughing all the way. I pray that today he is finding that energy-filled laughter as we adjust to life without him!

YOGA???

Last night a friend invited me to a Yoga Class. I was more than a little surprised when my oldest son decided to come and then proceeded to invite my mother as well. Come on people, this is not what we are about! I admit I was a bit skeptical about the entire experience. "Yoga, schmoga... whatever!! I bet I won't like this.. not one bit! AND I AM NOT BECOMING A VEGETARIAN!" were the internal conversations I found myself having. BUT HERE'S THE THING.. it was a really, really nice experience. I gave into the deep breathing concepts and removal of barriers and found myself challenged and actually liking it. WHAT?? That was not supposed to happen. I really enjoyed the instructor and liked the fact that she thanked us for coming to her "practice". Practice.. I thought you were the expert. However, she epitomized my philosophy that we are all allowed bad days, good days, and days when we are totally on fire! To practice means that you are not novice nor are you master. Ahhh.... lovely!! At the end of the hour, my body felt like marshmallows yet my mind was alert and reflective. It felt good to try something new and not feel failure or the need to compare my experience to anyone else's. The next time asks you try something out of your comfort zone... CARPE DIEM!! Seize the day!! SAY YES!! Get to it with the confidence that the journey IS the challenge! You might just find a new passion or at least something to giggle about among good friends!