The Life-Long Joys of-Summer Reading

The Library Summer Reading Program was always a fun activity during my youth.  The tradition continued when Julia and Gar were young.  Little did I know, as a child, that this would help encourage my life-long love of reading.  Though I'm no longer eligible to participate in the structured goal based library programs, I've devised my own.  I've embraced a best-selling author, who Edgar has long enjoyed, starting with his just released latest mystery.  It's been fun to discover a number of this author's books in our personal library, and am enjoying a third great read.   Based upon my recommendation, Mama, also chose and is enjoying one of this author's books.

There are several mystery authors whose new works I eagerly anticipate, knowing they are sure to delight. Not too surprisingly, this love of mysteries began when I followed Mama's own childhood footsteps in devouring accounts of Nancy Drew's adventures. What fun for Mama and me to once again discover and share a series of novels that bring great joy to hot summer days.

Don't Rain on Anyone Else's Parade!

Each of us finds fulfillment and enjoyment in different big and small ways.  And big and small are relative.  Things that I find exciting may be tremendously boring to others.  And things that bring great joy to others may be trivial to me.

However, we can make the world a happier place by eagerly interacting, actively listening and responding with empathy and interest to others.  We might even learn something in the process!

This Is Exactly What I Want to Be Doing!

Whether we say anything or not, others realize how enthusiastic we are about the activity that we're:

• enjoying
• pretending to enjoy
• waiting for it to end

One of the biggest gifts we can give ourselves and others is fully embracing whatever experience we are tackling, and fully engaging with those with whom we are experiencing the activity.

Early this morning, I realized that running was exactly what I wanted to be doing at that time.  This realization encouraged me to consciously evaluate other meaningful experiences (useful, interesting or expected).  

The more frequently we plan our future activities to include only things that we will eagerly anticipate, or truly must do, the more often we will find ourselves doing exactly what we want to be doing.

Cost and Value

I love getting a great deal!  With ever increasing competition for our hard-earned dollars, we are constantly bombarded with offers for things we do and do not need or use.  Low cost offers are popular and attention getting.  Astute purchasers know that low cost does not necessarily equate to good value.  Price can be a critical decision factor, but unless we are trying to find the best price for a specific product, we need to consider how closely a given array of product or service offerings meets our other acquisition criteria. 

Ultimately, we need to ensure that the cost we pay delivers the value we expect.

Anticipation

Ideally spending time with family and friends provides threefold enjoyment - anticipation, experiences and memories. Such was the case with my wonderful trip to D.C. this weekend to visit Julia. We short-change ourselves when we fail to savor all three aspects.

Tastes of Summer

There are so many things to love about summer - more relaxed time with the kids, swimming every day, vacations and food.  The tastes of summer in Arkansas are spectacular - Cave City watermelons, Anna's cucumbers, Daddy's corn, Aunt Irene's okra, and vine-ripened tomatoes and squash from many green thumbs throughout Batesville. 

When asked why the tomatoes in Arkansas are so much better than those we buy in Houston, I answered that the Arkansas produce is infused with love.  Whatever the special bounty, the growers are anxious to share with others who they know will delight in the flavors.  

Though it would be remarkable to capture and enjoy the tastes of summer throughout the year, we might take them for granted if they weren't seasonally available, joyfully anticipated and immediately enjoyed. 

Let's Play!

As adults we so often get caught up in the things we need to do. I've frequently joked that when it's my time to die, I will be bargaining for a few more minutes to get everything finished. The musts, shoulds, and wills (see 9/14 post) consume many of us. I've begun to realize that we need to have some down-time without apologizing to ourselves or anyone else (though I do rationalize that my online SCRABBLE games are an activity to keep my brain from atrophying). OK, I'm not yet without apology to myself when I neglect the never-ending to-do list. But, I'm trying!

Let's play!

Must, Should and Will

We all get caught up in the "should and must" claims to our time. Carving out time to be with those we cherish creates wonderful memories and makes all the shoulds and musts much more manageable.

When we plan activities with family and friends it punctuates our routines with anticipation of fun to come. And spontaneously accepted or created impromptu outings provide another level of joy - fun without preparation and planning. Saying yes to an invitation to do something outside our normal activities or interests broadens our horizons and allows us to learn from the friend who is passionate about the activity.

There's always more to be done, but putting fun on the list is a must.

Pen This!

My AHA moment for writing instruments was delivered vividly and graciously in two different episodes. Everything is connected!

My terrific, creative and accommodating assistant shared the news that the pens that I had always enjoyed using were no longer on the approved list and provided me pens that were. And that same day, without knowledge of the change in standard issue pens, my best friend gave me a lovely pen.

I'm a big believer in flexibility, but also think that things you use daily should be of a quality that pleases you. I have several nice pens that I keep in my desk at home. Why wasn't I using one of those every day? I realized that this was inconsistent with my attitude about frequently using nice things. If I can keep up with an inexpensive pen until it runs out of ink, surely I will be even more conscious of keeping track of nice pens.

I've always enjoyed frequently using our silver, crystal, china and linens. After my first week of consistent use, nice pens are now added to the list.

Just Use It!

I'm a big believer in cherishing our inherent gifts and enjoying the material gifts that we are given. Crystal, silver, linen and china earn a new layer of beauty and context as they are used in our daily lives. One of the most unfortunate things I've observed is an elderly person's "hope chest unused". What's more special than occasions with your family and friends? When we'd entertain other families when our children were young, we'd set the table with china and silver for everyone. We were constantly questioned by other parents about our choice of china for all the children. We happily replied that "it's only stuff and we want our children to enjoy it too." Never at a dinner party did our children or our child guests ever break a plate. As is so often the occasion, everyone rose to the expectation that we'd all enjoy the special evening together. We treated our young visitors as special guests and they reciprocated by acting like "big kids".

Efficiency v. Effectiveness

I would love to be able to give credit to the very creative person who provided this image, but alas, it was sent to me anonymously. Kudos to you and all other creative souls who can't be acknowledged for your work that makes us laugh, think and act.

My "efficient self" loves the practicality of this image and sentiment. However, my "creative and effective" self realizes the folly of not taking time to appreciate and enjoy each chance to celebrate.

May we all remember that effectiveness is our goal!