Kindness ROCKS!

THANK YOU!

Exiting the gym a while back, I looked down and this was at my feet.  It was one of those days when I wasn't able to lift the weights I thought I should.  Also, gyms tend to have these things called mirrors on all the walls, and I wasn't particularly happy with what I saw in them, either.  Kind of a downer gym day. At least I went.

But then this message serendipitously appeared.

As I discovered later, there's a whole movement with these rocks, The Kindness Rocks Project.  Here are the website and FaceBook page!  

The Project's mission states, "One message at just the right moment can change someone's entire day, outlook, life."

Wow.

All I know is this particular rock was exactly what I needed at that moment.  Thank you, whoever left it.  You made my day brighter.

I found out about the Project through an article in the Spring 2018 issue of National Parks magazine, "Between a (Kindness) Rock and a Hard Place."  People have been leaving kindness rocks in national parks.  Nice thought, but against park rules and Leave No Trace principles.  There has been some acrimonious online debate about whether leaving painted rocks should be allowed in the national parks.

The Kindness Rocks Project and affiliated local groups have clear guidelines about using non-toxic paints and sealants, asking permission to leave rocks in public spaces and at private businesses, and being respectful of the environment, including not leaving rocks at national parks.

If you think about it, leaving painted rocks at national parks and monuments is sort of like graffiti.  Imagine if one percent of the hundreds of thousands of people who visit public lands each left a kindness rock.  Oh my!  Again, nice thought, but I don't want to see cutesy painted rocks at Gettysburg, Yellowstone, or Mount Rushmore.

Now, don't get me wrong - I think kindness rocks are a great idea and an emotional boost when you randomly come across one.  I just don't think they're appropriate on national public lands.  My opinion, for what it's worth.

As a leader of a local group in Maryland was quoted in the article, "The whole point of it is kindness, so we have to make sure we are also kind to nature."  

  

A Florida Classic

I've been home from Florida for a little while, and it's hard to believe it even happened!  It's as if I'd dreamed it, or it's something not quite real.

That Man had two races on back-to-back weekends in Gainesville, Florida, and we spent the days in between in Orlando.  We didn't visit the mouse, the wizard, or the performing sealife.  No, we went to GATORLAND!

What a great place!  It’s reasonable in price, has easy (and close!) parking, and is a great way to spend a day.  It’s just a totally different experience from the flashy central Florida theme parks.  It's been a classic Florida tourist attraction since 1949 and is still family owned.

We got there just in time for the first gator jumping show.  They send halved chickens across one of the front lagoons on pulleys and the alligators go for them.

We walked around and saw hundreds of alligators and birds, and even some crocodiles. You can buy hot dogs to feed the alligators, and the birds try to steal them. The birds are bold.  They sidle up to you casually, pretending they aren't interested in the hot dogs.  I had to keep shooing away a stork.  I could have pushed him aside, he was so close!  I just waved him off, though.  I didn’t want to get in trouble for molesting the wildlife.

Gatorland sits between two swamps, and a boardwalk meanders through one of the swamps. It was quiet in there.  Not many people do this boardwalk.  Lots of interesting plants to see, and all natural!  No plantings.  Just good ol' swamp.

There’s a train ride that takes about 20 minutes and circles the park while they tell about the park’s history. 

There's a monster swamp buggy ride. That was just silly fun.  Wear your seat belts or you'll be sorry!

There’s a zip line across the breeding marsh. There are zip lines everywhere you go any more.  We didn’t do that (chickens!) but we watched others.  

There’s another boardwalk that crosses the breeding marsh.  We saw LOADS of alligators and birds up close.  

There are hundreds of egrets, and they come and go as they please. They build their nests wherever, including along the boardwalk. There were two or three nests that were so close I could have easily reached out and taken their eggs without even stretching.

Of course, we HAD to watch the alligator wrestling show. That was as much fun as I remembered. The running commentary during the shows is hilarious.

There's a petting zoo, Galapagos tortoises to feed, snake, Florida panther, and bobcat exhibits, an aviary, and more fun experiences available.

We got a lot of walking in and didn’t wear ourselves out, either.  Gatorland is one of those places that you’d probably have to twist a teenager’s arm to go to, but they’d love it once they were there. Definitely a great place for younger kids.  Or OLD kids, like us!

OTHER (A Five-Minute Friday Post)

How does it feel to be The Other? I think I know.

I was raised in a military family. We moved several times before I was in fourth grade. Every move, I was The Other, the new girl.

I was raised in a strict Christian family. I was The Other. Strict in dress, strict in activities, just strict all around. And very sheltered. Most of our socializing was done through the church - Sunday school class parties and outings, youth group meetings and retreats, potluck dinners. It seemed like nobody at school did those kinds of things. I believed things different from the others.

I was the smart girl, the nerdy, geeky, quiet girl. I was The Other. I liked school. I liked most of the subjects, but especially science and math. The girls thought I was weird. The boys thought I was too smart. Even though all my classes were with the kids in the “in” crowd, I was most definitely NOT “in.”

Being The Other has taught me to look for Others around me - those who don’t have an “in crowd” to hang with. When we find each other, we make our own little crowd, where we can be Others together.

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This post is part of the Five-Minute Friday link-up.  Today's writing prompt was "OTHER."  For more information on Five-Minute Friday, click here.

I'VE LOST IT!

The Culprit

I had one of THOSE days. An annoying, frustrating, panicky day.

An "I think I'm losing my mind" day.

I was going out to run errands, so I gathered up all the necessary STUFF I haul along - a coat, the
phone, the list, the wallet...

THE WALLET.

WHERE IS THE WALLET?

Is there a worse feeling than not being able to locate one of the two items that literally hold all your life - the phone or the WALLET?

Where is it?

It's not in the car. It's not on the washer. It's not on the kitchen table. It's not on the kitchen counter. It's not in my purse. It's not on the end table. It's not on the nightstand. It's not on the bed. It's not on the cedar chest. It's not on the dresser. It's not by the bathroom sink (a desperate try, that one).

Where-is-it-where-is-it-where-is-it-where-is-it?

I had it last night. I paid. I put it back in my bag. But then what? Did I have it in the car? In the house? In the laundry room? In the kitchen? In the living room? In the bedroom?

I DON'T REMEMBER.

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisitwhereisit?

I moved everything in the car. I looked on all the seats. I looked under all the seats. I looked in the console. I looked back by the liftgate. Three times.

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisitwhereisit?

I searched the kitchen counter and table. Four times.

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisitwhereisit?

I went through my purse and assorted project tote bags in the bedroom (maybe I threw it in the wrong one accidentally). Five times.

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisitwhereisit?

I went through the car again - this time with a flashlight.

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisitwhereisit?

Panic reigned supreme. I was running in circles, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisitwhereisit?

It made no sense. WHERE DID I PUT IT? It HAS to be here!

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisitwhereisit?

I don't want to replace my credit and debit cards, library cards, driver's license, my other licenses, gift cards, and all that.

Whereisitwhereisitwhereisitwhereisit?

ONE LAST TRY.

I went into the bedroom and looked in a basket on the cedar chest. Not there. I moved a piece of cardboard and...

THERE IT IS!

Hours and hours of worry, turmoil, pounding heart, and utter panic, and there it sat, almost in plain sight.

Good grief.

I'm exhausted.

I'm too old for this.

RELEASE (A Five-Minute Friday Post)

"Please release me, let me go..."

That's what I said to my so-called career in December.  I retired.  I was released from my position.  I was released from the obligation to show up and give my time to a big organization.  I was released from the bondage of a paycheck. I was released to my new life, and I've been loving it!

I thought it would be like permanent summer vacation, but there is so much to do and to accomplish, I feel like I'm busier now than when I was working.  It's not quite what I expected, but it's not a bad thing!

I still have obligations, but they are obligations I've chosen - like helping take care of the chickens at my church's organic farm, singing in the choir, and playing handbells.  I've taken classes - some are artsy-fartsy, some are technology driven, some are about genealogy, and some are just for the heck of it!  I'm learning all sorts of things.

And I'm working on the house.  There are so many things I've put off doing for YEARS, and by golly, I'm attacking them!  Decluttering!  Repairs!  Improvements!  I'm releasing the unnecessary STUFF that has filled the house and gotten in the way.  I'm releasing the broken STUFF and getting things fixed.  I'm releasing the old STUFF that was good enough for a while, and upgrading things a bit. 

All in all, I'm releasing what hasn't worked so far, and figuring out what does!

Release is a relief!

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This post is part of the Five-Minute Friday link-up.  Today's writing prompt was "RELEASE."  For more information on Five-Minute Friday, click here.

First World Problems - Too Much!

There's too much STUFF in my house.

Too much yarn.
I have an entire closet and a large cedar chest STUFFED with yarn.

I have a thing for sock yarn.  And cotton yarn.  And variegated yarn.  And eyelash yarn.  And wool yarn.  Oh, me (as Dad would have said).  More than I'll ever use, I'm afraid, but I'm going to give it the old college try!  I'm working on a pair of socks right now.  I figure if I alternate knitting a pair of socks with doing some other yarn project, I might make a dent in the stash. 

Eventually. 

Maybe by the turn of the next century.

Too many pots and pans.
I have all of Mom's, all of my great-aunt's, plus all of MY Revereware.  I almost added some more from one of my friends when she was cleaning out her mom's house, but I restrained myself with great effort.  I did give some to That Girl, and some more is packed away for That Boy, but I still have more than I can comfortably store.






Too many cats.

Four.  I've already documented THAT hot mess here, here, here, and here... 

Heavy sigh.






Too many clothes.
You'll notice there aren't any pictures associated with this part of the post. 

Too. Much. Shame.

This is the WORST.  My clothes won't all fit in the walk-in closet and dresser.  I don't wear most of them.  I can't even SEE a lot of them, so they get forgotten.  Time to release them back into the wild.

I looked online for decluttering ideas. There are zillions of sites dedicated to getting rid of excess STUFF. Obviously, I'm not alone. I think Nike's "Just do it" tagline is probably the best advice, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with decluttering.

Following the instructions from one site, I did a quick and dirty closet and drawer inventory (a project I’ve been putting off for some time now). I discovered, to my great dismay, in my wardrobe inventory (excluding underwear, shoes, outerwear, and accessories, I have a whopping 367 items in my drawers and closet.  OUCH.

Here are the counts: Athletic/Athleisure 172, Casual 102, Better/Business Casual/Church 86, Professional 0, Date Night/Girls Night Out/Dressy/Formal 8. Wow.  That’s a boatload of jeans, t-shirts, and running clothes. I knew I had a lot of clothes, but who knew??? And I forgot to go count the storage box of too-small/special/holiday clothes.  Surely those don't count. At least I'm not counting them this time around.

Then, upon further reflection, I found I’d forgotten about the clothes from the recent trip to Florida!  So I counted those. Oh, my. Now I have 398 pieces of clothing. Actually, there are two more items in a gym bag I keep in the car for emergencies, so I guess I’ll just make it an even 400.  Just too many clothes, and almost all in the Athleisure and Casual classifications. How sad is THAT?

Well, at least it fits my so-called lifestyle.

I'm chipping away at the overflowing closet.  I've donated four big bags of perfectly good clothing, but the closet doesn't look any emptier.  Everything was jammed in there, and now it's not as tight.  At least it's an improvement.  I've only attacked one wall of the walk-in closet so far.  Maybe I'll make some real headway during the next stage of the purge.

What do you need to declutter? What is your shameful story of Too Much?