Joy And Excitement In The Mundane

I'm so excited. This morning I experienced a first. It wasn't the first time it happened in my entire life, but a first in over five years. I got ten hours of sleep! HOORAY for me! I went to bed around 11 pm, woke up at my usual 6 am. And, as usual, closed my eyes to catch a little more sleep. That never happens because the Sleep Train never arrives at this station after 6 am. But this morning, when I opened my eyes again, my clock said 9:15. I couldn't believe the Sleep Train had stopped, so I turned on my bedside radio. National news had just finished and "Live at Nine" was introducing their guests for the morning's show.

I almost cheered. I haven't been this excited since last month when I found enough loose change in my purse for an ice cream cone. Although, I must admit that the track meet last weekend was filled with excitement. Oh yes, my dinner last night was exciting, too. I was looking forward to eating some homemade chicken vegetable soup I had thawed out because I knew it was really, really good. But, when I dumped it into the pan and discovered it was a pulled pork-shell noodle casserole instead, I said a silent,"Yummy" followed by a very audible, "Thank you, Lord". I was so excited.

I think I need to get a life. If such simple, everyday, run-of-the-mill kind of things excite me, I need to get out more. On second thought, I love the fact that I can find joy and excitement in the simple, everyday, run-of-the-mill kind of things like sleep, track meets, and surprise casseroles.

Speaking of casseroles, those wonderful dishes filled with anything and everything one loves, I am planning on taking a walk today. (How is that for a segue?) Walks, like casseroles, are filled with everything I love. There will be flowering plants (and weeds which I don't love as much). There will be robins, sparrows, juncos, crows, red-winged blackbirds, and flickers. There will be happy, tail-wagging dogs as well as barking ones. There will be puddles on the road and mud elsewhere. There will be wet horses, and drippy rain. There might even be a few light gray clouds.

I'm sure all these things will be on my walk. They will be there for my enjoyment--or not. It's up to me. I can look for them, appreciate their beauty, and, like a child, find pure joy in what I see with my eyes as well as the spray I feel on my face. Or, I can trudge along wishing the weather were nicer and, at the same time, complaining about the dogs and the puddles and the drizzle, and sneeze inducing Scotch Broom, and the...

So, now I will get myself dressed for the adventure. Who knows what I will discover or experience during the next hour. The question is, how much more excitement from the simple, everyday, run-of-the-mill kind of things can I take in a week's time? I hope it is an infinite amount.

After I get home, I will try to find that same joy and excitement when I clean bathrooms. Wheeeee.

Finding joy and excitement is the seemingly mundane,

Jan