The Possibility Jar

Ah. . . life and all it's possibilities! So many routes, so many paths, so many obstacles! I have heard that there are three people in this world: Those who complain and fight life, those who let life happen, and those that make life happen - the way they want and on their terms. I'd like to think of myself as fluctuating between the let it happen and make it happen. Yeah baby. . . I'm not sure if everything is so black and white, or black and gray and white -as it seems to have been determined.

My philosophy - it isn't unique - is everything in moderation. Except the icky stuff. Like, I don't think it's OK to kill people in moderation. How would that trial go? Um, sir, I only killed a couple folks - isn't that kind of a moderate number compared to many other killers? Or with crack (any kind of crack - for those of you who, well, KNOW). Some things are better left untouched.

On the other hand, some things are worth trying - even if they seem scary. Some things are worth dreaming, even if they seem impossible. Isn't that the mere definition of DREAM? To dream - the impossible dream . . . la la la la la la. It's not a showtune, but that one's for you, GFD.

If you don't dream, you will live in stagnance. Some dreams are ginormous and take years and years to achieve and some are little ones - like - hey, I hope to make it through the week without giving in to my diet or smacking my kids :-) Luckily, most of us achieve those. . .But this is about the big ones. Life changing dreams.

Everything I've dreamt of, and worked hard for, has built me. I have been called ridiculous and idealistic, but I don't care.

My mom and I were talking one day about my aunt (her sister) and her new boyfriend. Her sister was recently divorced after 20+ years of marriage. In her mind, she just couldn't take it anymore. She just wasn't happy. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is she has this amazing - almost too good to be true - boyfriend. He's all JUDE could be - and thensome (I think he does laundry and cooks and cleans). My mom was sharing some of the fun times my aunt was having and followed it up with this:

It's everything I'd ever dream for my sister. I don't dream anymore because, why dream when they never come true?

I was floored. Was I a product of this? I was and am. I told her that she had to make her dreams happen and that no one was going to do it for her.

When my husband and I met, we talked about our dreams - like most people do when they're getting to know each other. And, throughout our marriage, I've been the dreammaker - the one who makes them happen. I'm also the family motivator and, well, a lot of other things. Each time I've come up with something I want or something that I think we should do, it's knocked down as impossible. A laugh here, a shake of the head there - nah, he says. Can't. I just don't see how we could swing it, or really? you want to do that?

Through many difficulties, 4 children - 2 with disabilities and two others that act like children (imagine that!) I have still been the one. Even when my husband lived out of state for a year (for work) I shouldered not only the daily duties, but worked toward our dreams and we accomplished them. Once I got rollin' he supported me, but getting him going was and is the problem!

I'm tired. I'm tired of proving - over and over again - that it can happen with a little blood sweat and tears - and I'm not talking those classic rock dudes because I'm not a big fan of their music. For awhile, I think I gave up. I think I actually felt like my mom sounded! But no more.

The other day, I brought up an idea for a yearly family tradition and it was shot down again. It felt like I was slammed in the chest with a big fat boulder. It took me a day, but I got back on my horse and, for the millionth time asked him to consider responding in a more positive way - and then, out of nowhere, I said it. It just came out - like, hey, can't you just say, sure, let's put it in the possibility jar? That's when we both cracked up.

He's warming up to my "nostalgia" idea - and he's trying to get POSSIBILITY JAR to catch on at work as the new catch phrase.

Last night, I had parent night at the high-school (EEEK - I'm sooooo old!) and the hubby wanted to know if a little nighttime exercise was in the possibility jar. I told him that it was near the bottom of the jar. The night went long. I called to let him know that the lid to the jar had been screwed on tightly and that there was no access to it.

So, think about the possibility jar - what is possible? What's near the top? the middle? the bottom? I'm definitely incorporating that lingo into my day -- it's all about the jar - and I'm hoping it overflow eternally!

once again, proving I'm a huge dork. :-)

Pop Goes the Weasel

Have you ever experienced premature....well..explosion? Get your head out of the gutters ladies...I know what you were thinking... This is not an x-rated blog, and something perverted or deliquent come out of moi? please!

This is just a narrative, a little testimonial why people should not drink pop. Yes, pop or soda, whatever you call it. Push aside the horrible teeth rotting, artificial sweetners and loads of sugar and nasty tastes...let's talk dye and carbonation. We all like a little bubbly here and there, champagne, bubble baths, bubble wrap and for me (and many of my friends) soda water. Club soda water.

Take note: soda water in cans does not freeze well. You know how you shake up a can accidentally (or not) and then you open it and it sprays everywhere. Now give that a little Emeril and take it up a notch and stick two full cans of soda water in your car and freeze overnight in subzero temperatures. Now imagine that shook up can with an opening the size of the entire lenght of the can. The damn can split right in half....it EXPLODED everywhere in my car. It looked like an experiment from Myth Busters.

Okay, no big deal, it happened overnight....but the funny (and yes, it was funny) thing was that the entire inside of my car, mainly roof, dash and seats were covered in ice! I had stalagtite and stalagmites everywhere. It must have exploded slush and because it was so cold it just froze in place.

See, my hubby found it first (he was warming up my car :)) and wasn't all that mad. Ya know why? It was water! Not pop. No dye! No sugar! I didn't ruin my car! If I was a pop fiend, my truck would have some serious problems and it would have caused a little tension....but yeah! just water. DOWN WITH POP!

I had to drive to work, I had a long coat on which was a necessity to sit on my frozen seat. As I drove with the heat on I scraped my ceiling while my daughter kept saying, "It's snowing in mommy's car". I had to chuckle. Stupid things like this always seem to find me. This one at least nobody was hurt, no damage was done, it reinforced good drinking habits, it made my daughter laugh and I didn't really have to clean anything up...it just dried...or refroze.