What a Blessing

In the struggle to open jars, I've not spent a lot of time looking for items which could assist in that endeavor. I think about it but usually when I'm supremely frustrated with whatever it is I can't get open. Wash cloths and dish towels just don't seem to provide the right grip. So, I bring the item into the office and endure the mild ribbing that comes from a guy who pops open jars all the time.

My friend, Meredith, decided this just would not do. She took it upon herself to wander about and search the aisles of a variety of stores looking for something that would help me get lids off. She wound up at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I wouldn't have thought of this place as it's a bit of a drive to get to the nearest one and it's located not in a spot I frequent.

Sometimes I feel like a Luddite. Modern technology can be overwhelming. "The good old days" can seem a simpler time when our senses weren't assaulted with information, most of which we don't need. But, thanks to the very technology that is everywhere, she sent me a photo from her iPhone of the jar openers Bed, Bath and Beyond had available. There were some bandy things that didn't look real promising for me. Then she sent a photo of these. When I think of grips, this is what I think of.

There are three sizes in the package. This looks promising, but will it work.

Here is the juice. These bottle have stymied me. This is the third one I haven't been able to open. I thought the first two were a fluke but no, something about the seal V8 puts on these bottles makes it impossible for me to open right now. This will be an adequate test of the ability of these pieces of rubber to assist in opening jars and bottles. I used the cone-shaped one for this.

Viola. Opened with very little effort, too, I might add.

Meredith, you have no idea, well, scratch that, you probably do have an idea how happy this has made me. Eventually, I would have stumbled upon these on my own but not before feeling my independence slowly eroding at the edges. I am hugely, hugely grateful for smart friends who know where to look and what to look for. I poured myself a big tall glass of juice last night and savored every sip.

Next up is a jar of applesauce.

Beverage:  Earl Gray tea

Deb

Blessing or Luck?

Things were sparse in the Luck Journal yesterday. Unlike Friday when I filled nearly a whole page, I had to really think about what kind of "lucky" things I could put on the page.

Life is like that.

One of the highlights of Friday was going to get a polish and fries from Flips down the road. Although I left around 11:30, it seemed as if many people had the same idea and many people felt Flips was the place to go. The line snaked back into the eating area.

Flips owner takes pride in fast service. He likes people to wait no more than 3 minutes for their food. It might take longer if you have a large order, but individual orders shouldn't involve lengthy waiting. It's reasonably good food too, standard for a fast food joint.

In front on me, on this day, were three members of Glen Ellyn's Fire Department. They were well-known to the owner of Flips who called them by name. Two of them and me ordered a polish. They got their sausage with stuff on it. I just want mustard. There was some confusion about the orders and I had to wait while another polish was cooked for me. It seems one of the firemen got mine. Oh well. So I have to wait. I knew it wouldn't be long and I knew it would be good food when I did get it.

The owner of Flips apologized profusely for the delay which amounted to a whole 8.5 minutes. "Free dessert. Free chips. What would you like? And here," he said, going to the cash register. "Two dollars off your meal for having to wait."

I said it wasn't necessary, that the food was worth waiting for, but he insisted. So I took a chocolate chip cookie. He turned to a guy and said, "Cookie, both!" and turned back to me, "I'll give you chocolate chip and oatmeal. I'm so sorry." What a way to make a day!

It was the little things all day that just make it a luck filled day. My online friend, Jonathan, and I were teasing each other about whether it's luck or blessings. He prefers to call what I'm keeping my "Blessings" journal. I have fallen back into "Luck" journal all because I'm not sure I believe these are blessings in a religious sense.

Whatever they are, they are serendipitous. It's easy to fall into a pothole and feel I can't get up. That book was right in one respect. When I find the luck/blessings, actively look for them, I find many more, even on days when it feels as if there isn't any luck.

Beverage: water

Deb

What Is It?

I hope you can read this comic. It was in the Sunday paper on April 11th. It's the last panel that struck me. (Click on the panel to enlarge.)

I don't agree with Agnes' assertion. In fact, I don't even find it particularly humorous. I see Grandma's comment as an example of finding happiness in the little, ordinary, every day things of our lives. In this comic, Agnes and Grandma are poor and they make do with whatever they have. That, in and of itself, to me, defines a kind of happiness many of us can't understand.

I used to think more, more, more meant I was happy. I realized that I filled the hole in myself with stuff in an unsuccessful attempt to ward off unhappiness. Since that realization, I have struggled, unsuccessfully at times, to be sure, to find happiness every day. Witness the "Luck" journal now evolving into a "Blessings" journal.

What makes someone happy will vary day by day, minute by minute. I have tomato soup, my last can, simmering on the stove. I have tossed in a small handful of rice, frozen peas and carrots and some Bacos. The smell as my supper cooks is wonderful. I have one container of pot roast ready for lunch tomorrow. I have frozen chicken breast pieces I toy with cooking. I will have to cook them this weekend, but how.

I have two cats who came running to greet me when I walked in the door. The only bill I received today was for the car insurance which I can pay monthly which removes the need to come up with hundreds of dollars all at once to be insured.

Business has picked up. It's been downright crazy this week. We have everything covered and the potential exists that I will, once again, have to go into the field to cover jobs. This is a good thing. I am more hopeful that friends I have who are currently out of work will find gainful employment this summer.

So, while Agnes may claim that a pecan stuck in one's tooth is not happiness, I would say

"Happiness is where you find it."

I have a friend who I think is entirely too negative, even for what slings and arrows he has suffered in his life. I know, from experience, that you cannot change anyone unless they wish to change, but what I'm trying to get him to see is that it's not gloom and doom. Even when he has to confront a person he thought was his friend, there can be a blessing and a happiness, however meager, in the event. It might be something as small as the knowledge that this person can no longer poison your life because you won't let them or that the sun is shining on a brilliantly beautiful afternoon.

It really becomes, "Is the glass half-full or half-empty?" I try to take the tact, "It's not whether it's half-full or half-empty, it's can I get another?" Your take on all of this is probably, "Why is she drinking her Asti from an Elmer Fudd glass?"

Beverage: Asti

Deb