Can You Feel It?

The new era of digital TV? All that dusty analog gone forever...

There was a book that made the rounds a long time ago "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff." It's true. If I stand back and look at our circumstance, the big-ticket items are covered. My family is healthy, we have a roof over our heads and enough food to warrant us needing to step up an exercise regimen.

Short of moving to some country that I am not even sure exists, I don't know how to reconcile all that I love about my country with all that I don't align with. Having a roof over the head, physical safety, and enough to eat puts me way ahead of a lot of the world.

Yet, all of the bouncing around and uncertainty of the past few years has had the effect of making me ungrateful. I took on a late Lent practice of giving something up for a month, which was complaining. Not going so well. I find myself having to rededicate to my commitment almost daily. So I think I picked exactly the right thing to give up, despite my poor track record. Clearly there's a lot of effort needed there.

We are going to look for a bicycle for me. There is a place in town that sells used bikes and provides training for youth on how to repair bikes. You can also volunteer time around the shop and eventually earn yourself a bike. Sounds like a cool program. With a bike and a kid's seat attached Olivia and I can do a lot of errands around town, as most of what I need is within 3 miles. Maybe help with the spare tire I am carrying too!

I found a Mom/kid playgroup that meets 2 times a week and a drop-in summer kid's swim class. I am really hoping to get out of the house and into a community of some kind. Olivia thrives around lots of people and doesn't get a lot of kid interaction, so hopefully we can get her the social time she, too, is looking for.