Dust if you must

I think I posted this little poem before but it came back to mind these past few days as I find myself "summer-cleaning." (Yes, don't judge, I also spring-clean, fall-clean and winter-clean.)

I've always been one to dust and clean every corner of the house before I felt like I could sit or actually engage in an activity of enjoyment. Not that I'm not enjoying myself while cleaning. I'm one of those rare birds who actually likes the satisfying feeling of cleaning. Making something look better than before. Making something shine. Standing back and admiring the new look of a room cleaned and orderly.

My daughter tells me she is the same way and gets this from me, like a curse. Well, okay, where do you think I got this part of my personality? Of course...from my mother, who else?

So this is the poem:

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better

To paint a picture or write a letter,

Bake a cake or plant a seed,

Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,

With rivers to swim and mountains to climb,

Music to hear and books to read,

Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there,

With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.

This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,

Old age will come and it's not kind.

And when you go, and go you must,

You, yourself, will make more dust.

So that tells me, if I read it carefully, that not only are there other things I could be doing with my time rather than busying myself cleaning, but that in the end, it's futile anyway. 

Hmmm, something to ponder.

But in the meantime, I'm going through the house room by room, spiffing everything up, washing curtains and bedspreads, emptying cupboards and closets,  reorganizing drawers, all so that I can eventually sit and relax (someday). Stitch a sampler. Read a book. 

The only thing contradictory about this is that people like me, rare though we may be, enjoy the process of cleaning as much as engaging in those other activities. I am relaxed when I'm working. I'm happy vacuuming. 🙆

But in the spirit of the poem, I get it. These tasks or chores or whatever you may call them are really never done. The feeling of satisfaction is fleeting, and the bottom line is you're the only one who even cares. 

So the lesson is to find happiness and satisfaction in pursuing things like painting a picture (I can't draw a stick), climbing a mountain (my knees are bad), swimming a river (I'm water-phobic), and cherishing a friendship. 

Okay, the last one I can do. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

So my new goal is to cherish a friendship (a phone call, a letter, a visit), stitch a sampler, go for a walk, or read a book, equal to the time I spend cleaning. One hour for one hour. 

I think I like it already.

As always, thank you for allowing me to share my random thoughts.

And if you wish to become a "Follower" - I would be beyond thrilled. 

 

Friends and neighbors

I still find each day too short 
for all the thoughts I want to think,
all the walks I want to take,
all the books I want to read,

and all the friends I want to see.

                                                  ~ John Burroughs

These strange days of isolating while the coronavirus floats its potentially-deadly droplets into the atmosphere, I find I am missing my friends and casual get-togethers terribly. Facetime and Zoom may be better than nothing but are poor substitutes for sharing a cup of coffee across the table from a friend.

I've been thinking about friendships in general, and the interesting, varied and sometimes even strange ways in which friends meet. There are the obvious such as one's own siblings, cousins and co-workers. With any luck, you are blessed with friendships from these groups. My own BFF is from high school, another obvious group for that age. Together she and I have celebrated weddings and showers, shared child-raising, empty nests, joys and sorrows. In addition to this cherished friendship, high school brought me and my best friend into a foursome group of friends still close to this day. And no, I won't divulge how many years that has been. 

One of our annual get-together lunches.

But there are the not-so-obvious ways we connect and in which close and long-time friendships are formed. 

Neighbors can just be neighbors, or close friendships can be formed which in my case turned out to be a lifeline. When we lived in Ohio in the early 1970s and my husband's job involved traveling, I developed a medical condition that caused me to sometimes lose consciousness. My neighbor, Sandy, who I already considered a friend, came across the street to check on me every morning. If she saw I wasn't well and needed rest, she scooped up my two kiddos and took them home with her until I was able to get them. Another neighbor became a lifelong friend and I am Godmother to her first-born son. And another neighbor in our condominium resulted in a very strong bond though she has since moved away.

Many years ago, there was an AOL site where you could post an inquiry and get responses. I was researching for a story about my maternal grandmother from Sweden who met my grandfather when he was in the Danish Merchant Marine. Although I had postcards he wrote to her from the ship he was on, sailing the world over, I had no idea what he did or indeed what the Merchant Marine was.

So I posted an inquiry hoping to learn more and received a response from Shelly in Queens, New York. She was researching as well, hoping to learn about her birth parents since she was adopted as a twin infant. I told her my birthplace was New York and that led to us chatting back and forth. Oftentimes these chats just end naturally when the subject of the inquiry is exhausted. But not with me and Shelly. We became friends and our friendship grew beyond our research resulting in several visits to see her in New York, sharing visits to South Street Seaport, Broadway musicals and trudging though a December blizzard holding my luggage up to miss the snowbanks.

And who would think riding the city bus, of all things, would bring a dear friend? It's how I met Laura. We waited at the bus stop together every morning on our way to work, striking up a conversation, then another and another, leading to a dinner invitation at her home. Retired now, we have remained friends.

And simply by offering to recommend a travel service following our 2004 trip to Czech Republic, I received an email from a woman named Sharon in Iowa, asking why or why not she and her husband should book a tour with this particular agency. There was a certain chemistry in our exchanges of information that blossomed naturally into a strong friendship. We meet when we can, sometimes along with our husbands, though they live in Iowa and we are in Minnesota. Last summer, we visited with them in their gorgeous home.

Then there are Facebook groups. Since I am an avid cross-stitcher, I joined a group of stitchers whose love of primitive stitching is what we have in common. There I met Barb. Barb lives in the birthplace of my paternal grandfather in St. Ansgar, Iowa. We started sharing messages about her town, our stitching projects and everyday life. Somehow we were magically drawn to each other like a magnet. She is my most encouraging friend in every way and is there to be my rock when I need one. Hopefully I am that for her as well. We connect by messaging often and meeting at least once a year. 

So friends are found in both likely and unlikely places if you are open to looking. A spark can grow between two people and you'll end up not knowing what you ever did without them.

Are we going to be friends forever? Asked Piglet.
Even longer, Pooh answered. 

👭

As always, thank you for reading and allowing me to share my thoughts.

An uneventful holiday

America's Independence Day holiday is today.

The 4th of July in our country is traditionally celebrated with large family and friends' picnics, grilling hot dogs and feasting on potato salad, baked beans and plenty of lemonade and desserts. This is a day of fun, laughter and relaxation, perhaps a get-away to the lake for boat riding and tubing. Taking in the local parade, kids catching the candy thrown by the various floats, politicians shaking hands, handing out flyers, firetrucks all polished and blaring their horns and sirens as children cover their ears.

Evenings are the best part. Elaborate fireworks are enjoyed complete with ooohs and aaahs as the colorful flashes light up the sky as you sit on a blanket or a lawn chair at the local park (as mosquitos feast on your body, if you live in Minnesota). You might come back home to build a small fire and roast marshmallows for S'mores.

Gooey marshmallows lightly browned over the fire, then pressed over a Hershey bar on half of a graham cracker, then covered by the other graham cracker half. Is there anything better in the whole world? I say no.

Or following the day's activities, you just fall into bed exhausted but happy at all the fun enjoyed.

Well, not this year.

We're left with memories of 4th of July festivities of bygone years. Actually, only last year.
 
This year, like most summer activities we're accustomed to, Independence Day is going largely unnoticed, uncelebrated and sadly quiet. Oh, there are a few things going on with small family gatherings, a few lakes are sporting boat parades, or perhaps if you're lucky enough to have a firepit, some weenie and marshmallow roasts.

But very unlike all other years, we have not heard even a single firecracker go off in our neighborhood. Although those with pets are happy, we are missing even the annoying pop-pop sound of amateur fireworks, sparklers and firecrackers going off into the night as we attempt to sleep. For days before. Tonight I would welcome the sound. 

🧨🧨🧨

We're all missing our local concerts in the park, day camps, town festivals and even joining our neighbors on their porch swing. We wonder when this will end.

But I hope you are finding even some small way to celebrate today. America is still celebration-worthy, despite the corona virus closing everything down and the violence headlining the evening news. Many have fought for the freedom we enjoy to celebrate, or not celebrate, the way we choose. Many don't have the same privilege.

As for us, we are content to be in our air conditioned house in this hot and humid day. Doing whatever we choose to do. For me, that means a luxurious day of cross-stitching. For hubby, a nice afternoon nap. Something on the grill for dinner. Ice cream topped with fresh strawberries.

Happy Independence Day to you, whatever your day brings!🎇

As always, thanks for reading and allowing me to share my random thoughts.