Bird Brain and Nest Theory

So the other day I went to throw the towels in the dryer. But when I looked in the washing machine, there wasn't one single piece of fabric to be fluffed. I had ran the cycle, but forgot to add the soiled linens. And I had just been discussing (boasting really) on our frugal use of detergent. Never mind I just wasted a whole bunch of water.

Yeah. I'm scattered lately.

Every night in bed, I catch myself just before falling asleep, heart palpitating. Sometimes I get up and start walking around for no apparent reason. My husband asks me what I'm doing. I usually don't know.

I'm forgetting something! Something important! Something more than a load of laundry. I just don't know what it is.

Alex starts college next week.

We went on a girls' shopping trip yesterday. My plan was to leave her some profound, imparting wisdom. But I just blanked. I couldn't come up with anything she doesn't already know.

Get rest.
Be involved.
Know your limits.
Brush your teeth. No, I did not say that. But I will.

She told me her godmother stopped by the other day and gave her great advice on handling herself at parties. Thank god for godmothers. I forgot that she might get invited to a party.

Alright. Enough. The girl is ready. She's beautiful, brilliant and ready to soar....I think her mama will be just fine as long as her soaring routes her back home once in a while.

Ready to Take on World.

Good Lord. This really is going to happen. She really is going to college. It hasn't seemed real. And now we're packing and Cole has dibs on the bed.

At this point, I feel my best use is quit doing laundry and admire photos of my daughter. And of course, thank God for my blessings.

#proudmom

#smile

In Seth McFarlane's award winning movie, A Million Ways to Die the West, there's a rumor of a man (from Texas) who actually smiled for a photograph. Sobriety defined decorum in the Old West, apparently. Otherwise, you just might appear a lunatic. Imagine being skeptical of a smiler for the camera! In this age of photo bombs and selfies! Certainly, how good for times to have changed, allowing for folly and joy.

I've been thinking about the topic of smiling a lot lately. It began when I met a group of my mother's friends the other day and was struck by one lady in particular. She wore one of those smiles that made you melt inside and I immediately felt special to know her. All of the ladies were friendly, but her inviting smile was like a soulful, unspoken welcoming. I can attest she made my whole day brighter.

Research shows a smile can activate endorphins within the giver and the receiver. Yeah, I just made that up. But doesn't it seem right? No matter, who could deny the warm fuzzy when someone, anyone, presents you a sincere happy face? It feels like eating ice cream, without the calories.

One day a coworker and I were talking about giving presentations to groups. As bankers, we often have to give information on some pretty dry topics. We do our best to keep the audience engaged. But it doesn't always work, no matter how dazzling deposit compliance or human resources can be. I do become amused, of course, by the sleepers. They have mastered sleep with open eyes. Then there are the scowlers–the "I don't care what you are saying and I don't care what you are telling me" people. Or at least that's what their expressions insinuate. My coworker has given them the benefit of the doubt. She doesn't believe they actually think those things, but has diagnosed them with "resting bitch face."

Resting Bitch Face |restingbichfās|
phrase
A crabby facial expression, projected by an unsuspecting person or non-expressive animal. 

Hmm. One of these needs a smiling lesson...

But there is always that tiny group of smiling nodders. You know the type. You love them! You can't take your eyes off them...because you know they're rooting for you!

A nodding smiler. That's who I want to be. It's who I want my kids to be. The type of person who will always root for you.

Award-winning Smiles