Try

Today’s gratitude word is “try.” And when I wrote the word down in September I’m sure I had some noble purpose in mind (not really). But I’m going to do something slightly different today because I am bursting with miscellanea that has nowhere to go but right here. So instead of the noble idea (that doesn't really exist), I’m going to share recent things I’ve witnessed that illustrate the power of working hard for your goal.

·         There’s this one. I admit I was a little grossed out by the idea of piecing together partially digested money. But what an intrepid couple! And they’ve learned a valuable lesson about leaving things where their dog might get them.

·         On Monday as I was driving to work I glanced at the car in front of me & saw a MOUSE running along its back bumper! The car started moving & the mouse went back into the trunk. Later, as I was trying to figure out how to tell the lady she had a mouse in her car (& whether that would even be a good idea in morning rush hour traffic), I saw the mouse on the bumper again, poised to jump off the car as it stopped. I didn’t get to see the leap, but I choose to believe that the mouse made it safely into the grass by the side of the road. Can you imagine how it was feeling? It was so cute & brave… OK, I know it probably wasn’t really brave, but I choose to believe that it was.

·         The other day I was trying to sing in the car. I came to a sad realization. Listen to this “playlist” – I sang: Come Ye Sinners, Amazing Grace, America the Beautiful, the Star Spangled Banner (badly – it’s kind of hard to sing that one sitting down), and Be Thou My Vision. Do I have anything other than religious or patriotic songs in my repertoire? Well, I do have ONE other song that I can sing from memory, but the chorus goes, “Hey mister, take a chance, it only costs you a dime a dance, and if you’re looking for romance, I’ll be nice to you. Hey mister, it's so cold when you don't have anyone to hold - I'll do anything I'm told to do... Baby, I want you.” I’ve mentioned it on the blog before – it was on the flip side of Vicki Lawrence’s The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia. I was nine when it came out & I used to sing Dime a Dance all the time. Thank goodness there were no “Misters” out there taking me up on my offer. Anyway, the point here is that I’m trying to sing some every day. Reya says it’s good for you – it makes your voice stronger, and it’s fun. I just need to learn some new tunes.

·         One last thing. I’m trying a really simple version of yoga these days. Our rector’s husband is an instructor so he’s offered to give classes once a week. I remember back in the day I could sit on the floor & cross my legs with no problem (criss-cross applesauce). It’s been such a long time since I even tried – it feels good to realize my limitations and try to push past them a little bit each week.

So, what new thing are you trying to do lately? Saving money (literally), taking a leap of faith, learning new things, stretching? Do tell!