According to the Oxford English dictionary, tolerance is ‘the ability or willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with.’
We don’t see a lot of tolerance in today’s world. There’s too much “my way or no way.”
I don’t understand why some folks can’t see the difference between, “You can if you want to” and “You can’t.”
I have a good life. A good husband. Good children. Good job. Good friends. Actually, it is a great life.
I get to spend my non-day job hours writing. I have written books that editors have thought good enough to publish, which is the culmination of a lifelong dream. I have attained my goals. How many people get to say that?
My current goal is to be happy. Being happy, for me, is taking delight in little things: stars in a clear night sky; the colors of a sunny autumn day; an unkempt flower garden; good food; a song that moves me. I’m lucky in that if I want to buy a pretty planning calendar or a cool new computer bag, I can. So I do. But do I need things to make me happy? No.
I try to keep my social media presence upbeat. We all have downsides in our lives, because that’s part of living. That doesn’t mean I need to dwell on bad days. But if I can spin the bad into something funny, something to make someone laugh, that’s a good thing.
I don’t need to pat myself on the back for being a good person. I don’t need to build myself up by judging the choices of others. They do their thing; I do mine.
Life is organic. Go with the flow. Relax. Enjoy the ride.
I am blessed. I have a roof over my head.
It leaks more often than it should, but I have one. For that, I am grateful.
Too many people in this country–this world–aren’t as blessed as I am.
Even though Thanksgiving was a couple of weeks ago, we shouldn’t limit our thankfulness to only one day. Little things add up to make a good life. Things like a roof over my head.
Today is National Bowling League Day. No, I am not a bowler. I haven’t bowled since high school, and I don’t miss it at all.
The reason I chose this topic for today is because of scenes depicting bowling in the media.
My favorite bowling scene in a romance novel is from Kristan Higgins’ Catch of the Day. The heroine goes on a series of blind dates, once of which is at a bowling alley. Her date–recommended by her priest–is sleazy. He doesn’t come off that way at first, but the signs are there. The he does something, seemingly innocent, but the heroine follows her instincts. Let’s just say payback is a bitch.
My favorite bowling related movie is The Big Lebowski (Jeff Bridges, John Goodman). This is a motion picture people either loathe or adore. I am one of the fans. The protagonist is a bowler. Check out this scene for a taste of the action. Or this one.
(CAUTION: VERY STRONG LANGUAGE IN THESE CLIPS!)
Whoever designated May 3 as National Garden Meditation Day never lived in upstate New York.
Oh, I have a bank of tulips next to the driveway. 
And there were random clusters of grape hyacinths dotting the lawn where the squirrels replanted the bulbs. (TV Stevie mowed over these.) 
But Buddha rests beneath the dead blossoms of last year’s hydrangea.
And the rest is a mess.
I’ll be fine by Memorial Day.