Random Observations and Ponderings
If you’re someone like me who likes to give pause or thoughtful consideration to stuff the average person might not even think about, maybe you can relate to a number of my random observations and ponderings.
RANDOM: Based upon years of appreciation and careful study (my own), Scotch brand Magic Tape still hasn’t lost its ability to become invisible or its magic after all these years. To see for yourself, tear off a piece and take a whiff. It’s an aroma I’ve loved since I was first introduced to it back in 4th grade. In fact in my opinion, that’s the real reason it’s called magic!
OBSERVATION: Have you ever experienced the moment when you’ve carefully burrowed yourself under the sheets and blankets to be rewarded with what you are sure is the absolute best place on your mattress, with your head resting comfortably on your fluffed up pillow and even your toes nestled in a happy spot? Of course you have. It’s one of those simple yet perfect moments. Then it happens. Out of nowhere, you have a thought or you remember something. You try to dismiss it, but no matter how you try to nudge it out of your mind, you can’t stop thinking about it. It might be a great idea or something too important to forget that needs to be written down, or maybe it’s just some nagging thought that won’t go away. Did you leave something sitting out – plugged in – turned on? Are the doors locked? Is the alarm on? Or maybe that last sip of something an hour before bed has you needing to use the bathroom? No matter how you try, your brain is like a tenacious dog with a tasty bone. Dropping it is out of the question and it most definitely will not let go. Well ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the proverbial club.
PONDERING: Did you ever notice when you drive a certain make of car in a specific color you suddenly see just how many other people drive the same make of car or have the same good taste in colors? Or how about when you buy a new car and take every necessary precaution to park in some remote place in a parking lot; willing to walk the extra block to your destination, just so nothing happens to it? Then as you return, walking past dozens and dozens of open parking spots to get there, you find your car nearly surrounded on all sides by a plethora of assorted parked cars and vehicles. You wonder if the special magnetic quality came standard with your car, or if you paid extra for it without knowing. Seriously, what the heck?
RANDOM: You get to the movie theater extra early and with freshly popped popcorn in hand; choose the perfect middle seat in roughly the middle row. You sit down. You may even get up and move a seat or two down, just to get the absolute best view of the screen. You get situated once again. You are ecstatic. You might even congratulate yourself for getting there early. As you begin to eat your popcorn with a whole theater full of available open seats, a couple walks in and chooses the row and the seats directly in front of you. Oh yes, and the guy is nearly as tall as Michael Jordan. So with popcorn in hand, you move again.
OBSERVATION: Social calendars seem to fall into the feast or famine category. You can sit at home for two weeks with absolutely no plans AT ALL, except maybe watching a TV marathon or catching up on household chores or working on some assorted crafts or hobbies. Then, since your calendar is wide open you decide to make some concrete plans for a weekend night. It’s almost as if that one tiny act flipped a switch and the flood gates opened up and you get bombarded with invitations. You get invited to meet someone for coffee or go somewhere for breakfast, a friend wants to do lunch or go shopping or see a movie, a family dinner comes out of nowhere, and every other minute in between could easily be booked or double booked. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try it.
PONDERING: You drop something small, like an earring or a pin, and it finds a new home in the most unlikely or smallest of places possible; the kind of place where if you tried to intentionally make it go there, it wouldn’t be possible to do it.
RANDOM: You just finish placing an order in a restaurant and a waiter walks by with something that looks beyond amazing, and you are instantly hit with menu envy. It’s possibly the reason I always like to be the last person to order at the table.
OBSERVATION: Generally people, who are not cheese lovers and cannot tolerate the thought of eating raw cheese, completely understand the term raw cheese (solid, not melted or spreadable). Anyone who is a lover of cheese and doesn’t know me personally usually doesn’t quite get it.
PONDERING: Have you ever got caught up in watching a movie on regular TV, even when you already own it on DVD? For me, I have a particular weakness for any movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. My younger sister and I have shared many a giggle over making this questionable choice, especially when she complains about being tired from staying up far too late to watch one. She tells me we only need to worry if it’s a movie on the Spanish channel, since she doesn’t know Spanish. Only between you and me, I’m not so sure that would stop her.
RANDOM: When you start typing and realize your fingers are on the wrong keys and everything you’ve typed is absolute gibberish and wonder if that is how Dr. Seuss came up with all his crazy character names and silly rhyming phrases.
OBSERVATION: If it hadn’t been Adam and Eve in the garden, it would have been Daniel and Susie, or any other two names you insert here. As much as I would like to ask them what the heck they were thinking, isn’t it just human nature to want what we can’t have?
PONDERING: Do you remember the days when the only password you needed to remember was for your locker combination or paddle lock? Do you also remember classmates and friends (and maybe you too) sometimes forgetting those three 2-digit numbers? When you think of all the passwords we have to remember today – for computers and laptops; tablets and cell phones; email accounts and online sites; as well as pin codes to get money out of the bank, is it any wonder we sometimes get a bit frazzled or mentally overextended?
RANDOM: You get up extra early. You make a cup of coffee or tea. You pray. You read. You write in your journal. You throw in a load of laundry. You make your bed. You set out your clothes for the day. You walk the dog. You read the paper or a chapter from a good book you are reading. You turn on the news or check the weather. You make note of the time; you’re still early. You pour yourself another cup of coffee or tea. You spend some time in meditation or reflection. You make some breakfast. You linger in pajamas or sweats. You get in some steps or a bit of exercise. You write out a card or send a quick email. You check Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. You consider ways to solve world peace or eradicate hunger or eliminate global warming. You even think you may be on to something. You check the clock. OH MY GOSH! WHAT HAPPENED? YOU’RE LATE! All I can say is – welcome to my world!
OBSERVATION: When you’re early and heading to work, you find yourself letting cars into your lane, even those nearly half a block away. You hardly notice the stop lights on your way, but when you do you stop when the light turns yellow. You happily stop for big yellow school busses with red flashing lights and maybe a wave of childhood nostalgia hits you as you see the children standing in line waiting to get on the bus. You consider stopping to buy some donuts or pastries to bring into work. You have time to return books to the library book drop or go to the ATM to get some cash or even pick up some dry cleaning or a few groceries at the neighborhood market. You notice homes for sale, people leisurely walking their dogs, and you wave to neighbors bringing their garbage cans to the curb. Your backpack or bag is packed with everything you need for your day.
On the other hand, when you’re late and heading to work, you find yourself frustrated with the cars trying to sneak in and not waiting their turn. All you see are stop lights and for some reason it seems like there are more of them than usual and somehow they are all timed perfectly to turn red just as you get to the intersection. You pray you won’t see any school busses and you can’t believe your luck when you do. Then from the quiet of your car, you encourage the dawdling children to walk faster and move it along. You hope someone else had time to stop for some bakery items on their way in to the office, since you didn’t have time for breakfast. The pile of library books on the seat next to you, and stopping at the bank or the drycleaners or the grocery store will need to wait until after work. All you can think about is, I’m late…possibly with an added, again! You suddenly realize you’ve forgotten your backpack or your computer or your glasses or your lunch on the counter. You have no choice but to turn around and go home, and you do.
PONDERING: Did you know on the back of all Powerball tickets (at least in Wisconsin) there’s an opportunity for a second chance to win some money? All you need to do is fill it out and mail it in. I guess this might make some people nervous, because based on the number of envelopes you mail in, the state will know you play the lottery and if you have a gambling problem or not.
RANDOM: Did you know when you write Mom as a name it has a capital letter, but when you write it in general terms, as in my mom, it not’s capitalized? The same is true for Dad. Wink. Wink.
OBSERVATION: When unloading your dishwasher, always unload the bottom rack first to eliminate the possibility of any remaining water dripping onto your dishes or silverware. It sounds so simple and yet, I didn’t always think to do it this way.
PONDERING: Have you ever noticed how people say the order of names? Here’s what I know to be true, especially for family and friends; whichever person you knew first, their name will always be the one you say first.
Here’s to a week with plenty of random moments of quiet observation and wonder-filled ponderings. Cheers!
spencedaniel 