The other day my daughter called me to our front door, “Look !”, she said, among our succulent plants was a pumpkin vine and on the vine there was a beautiful, bright orange-yellow flower. I was amazed. We get pumpkins every Halloween. They sit on our front porch, welcoming fall. They are there through Thanksgiving, and by that time they usually rot and I throw them in the garbage with the grass clippings. End of story. Well, somehow one of those rotten pumpkins left us with one of its seeds, and that seed grew among succulents, that don’t get watered that much, and it gave us a beautiful flower. Now I have NO idea how to take care of a pumpkin plant. I will google it. I have no idea if that pumpkin flower will result in a pumpkin. What I do know is that seed grew into a plant beyond all odds and it grew towards the sun and it left me in awe of the amazing power of nature. And I realized we all have that power in us. Despite everything we have been told, or raised to believe about ourselves we all have the natural power to bloom despite the odds. Now, if that flower results in a pumpkin, that will be really cool, but that little plant has already given me such an invaluable gift of hope, and of being in the now. Right NOW it is my beautiful, bright August flower teaching me that possibilities are endless.

As we enter a new year and we are still in the pandemic, I find myself wondering if I will ever be able to "dress below the chest". I have become well versed in the professional on top and the comfortable on the bottom approach to getting dressed in the morning. I even splurged on some designer facemasks for the few times I venture out and face people without a zoom screen. It was a fun indulgence and I felt happy that part of the mask proceeds went to charity, but it was not enough! I know it is trivial and there are far bigger issues that we are facing, but the ability wear a really cute pair of boots gives my self esteem and mental health a boost, and one that I didn't appreciate until it no longer mattered. One of the key lessons that I am learning through this challenging time is to appreciate what we so often take for granted in our "normal" lives, even the littlest things. Perhaps when the pandemic is over and I am able to get dressed for work I won't be so quick to complain that the alarm went off early and I have to find something presentable to wear to work. And maybe I'll be more appreciative of a nice comment from a co worker, or more willing to share where I got a great deal. Bottom line I'm going to commit to appreciating the little things in life, right now! So here's to my fancy face masks and my very comfortable jeans. And here is to the future in my cute boots. And ultimately here is to my good health and my ability to share my thoughts! Have a great week!

I live in Southern California and despite popular belief we do have seasons! I moved to SoCal many years ago from the Midwest and I know winter. Last Saturday night I was outside in my backyard and the weather was amazing. The crickets were chirping, the air was warm. I was wearing a short sleeved t-shirt. It seemed like summer, but my Christmas tree was still up, we were making soup and football was on. My head said it was January, but my soul felt July. I experienced an overwhelming sense of joy. Somehow I was snuck a tiny bit of warmth and sound that I normally experience all summer long, and never really pay much attention to, but on this January night it felt like a piece of heaven. I'm sure it was the contrast from our typical 50 degree January nights that caused me to pause, take a really deep breath, appreciate the out of the norm weather and realize how lucky I was to experience the moment fully. It was a tiny pause, but it made me smile. I wish you a happy moment like this. Have a great week.