Having recently gone through a growth spurt, Cait was in need of some new clothes. So off to the Mall we went. We always concentrate our efforts in this one particular store, because we always have good luck finding cloths that fit and that Cait will actually wear.
The tradition is to make our way around each department — shoes, pants, tops, etc.– until, at the very end, we come to the fancy dress section. This is where the fun begins.
You see, Cait has always loved playing dress-up and still does. So the first time we came upon the glittering racks of evening wear, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. When it didn’t occur to her that there was anything wrong with “just trying on the dresses,” I squashed my initial impulse to say no and instead said, “Sure, why not?” She had a blast, and I must admit so did I. Ever since, we’ve always saved time for the gowns and party dresses.
The rules are that she’s allowed to try on any dress that catches her fancy — no matter how gaudy or age-inappropriate. And since there will be no purchase, I keep all editorial comments to myself. Thus, great fun is had by all.
She’d gone through several dresses, when she pulled out a shimmery black and metallic green number. It was interesting trying to get her into it because there was no zipper, but lots of laces. So we pushed and we pulled and we tugged. And she lost her footing and wound up tumbling backward on the dressing room floor.
With her hair tussled over her face, the dress up around her neck, and her legs and arms in the air, she held the pose and blurted, “Dead Dung Beetle!”
I’ll be darned if that’s not exactly what she looked like! We both cracked up laughing so hard that it took a few minutes to compose ourselves.
All the while, my daughter was still trying to wrestle herself out of this ridiculous dress. Once she finally emerged, she sighed, looked at me with a grin and said, “Stick THAT in your Happy Box!”
Indeed, that was eminently worthy of the Happy Box, and got immediately and safely tucked inside.
Other items that have made it into my Happy Box this week:
Because the animals have been rising earlier and earlier and some like to eat right away while others prefer to wait until the sun comes up, I’ve had to devise a way to keep track. Hence the White Board on the dog food closet. This way, on the off chance that one of us can manage to get a little more shut-eye, the other will know who’s going to legitimately be looking for breakfast and who’s going to try to trick us into a 2nd feeding.
So, the sign– Wink has been off his food this past week because he hasn’t been feeling well; he’s contracted Lyme Disease. (I’ll post my current regiment on Lyme treatment next week.) I hadn’t had any luck trying to get him to eat this morning. So seeing this sign left by Andrew was definitely cause for celebration.
Cait never got around to planting her Sunflowers this year, so I’d reconciled myself to going without the special cheer they bring. But I’d also mentioned previously about getting to live vicariously through my “gifts and guests” this growing season. Looks like a few stray seeds made it to the ground last year and lo and behold…! Mother Nature — ain’t she a beautiful thing.
And speaking of Mother Nature… Our pond is an ongoing source of delight for us nature buffs around here. Every year, along with the regulars (our Great Blue Heron, King Fishers, wild turkeys, sundry other birds, muskrats, deer, coyotes, foxes, et.al.) it continues to attract an ever-widening circle of wild life. Its most recent tenants are this little duck family.
Oh yeah, and last but never least! The garlic harvest is done! : )
AND it looks like I’m going to have a bumper crop of grapes this year!
What have you placed in your Happy Box this week?
My two month old lets me change her clothes constantly (with a smile) so perhaps I have some future trying-on-dresses-just-for-fun outings in my future! :-) love that!
I love the happy box! And trying on dresses sounds like a lot of fun…especially without the pressure of actually needing one, which can dissolve into the whole appropriate conversation, which is far less fun.
LOVE your happy box idea. I will share it with my own kids.
Is being thankful the same thing as being happy? That’s a very difficult question. In my opinion, you can be thankful for a certain thing but not necessarily happy. But the best thing is being thankful for something that makes you happy. I hope that these dogs will soon be thankful for finding happiness in people who will take ood care of them. Check them out: http://apps.facebook.com/save-a-dog/
“And it is all oh so worth it, isn’t it?”
It is so so worth it.
Cindy, you are a great mom. And I know from what you’ve shared, you have a pretty wonderful daughter too. I know you two will find a way to come out the other side of the pot hole stronger for it. And I know that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier at the moment. But I’m glad you’ve found a way to rest your mind in your Happy Box. Know that you are in my thoughts.
I love the image of all your cute herb bottles all neatly lined up. And a big CONGRATS for beating your husband! But most of all, I’m with you — I’m hanging on for Fall!
Thank you Karen for this post. My happy box was temporarily empty this last week. My daughter and I ran into a huge pot hole, figuratively, and I have been totally derailed. She’s a senior in high school and up until now there have never been any problems. She saved the best for last! Anyway….we are getting through it together, and learning even more about each other…..and growing in grace for each other too. This morning I sat and wrote about all the good things in our lives, there are so many that I could write for days on end! It’s important to fill the “happy box” even when we are not so happy. Even though this last week was tough, I still saw many signs of goodness and abundance all around me. My neighbor brought me a blackberry pie, “just because”, my herbs have all been harvested and dried now, all lined up in their cute little bottles on the spice rack. The sunflowers in the yard are resplendent in their glory, I have a beautiful home and my family loves me……and Fall, my favorite time of year, is on it’s way! I have also seen the beauty in cleansing tears, felt forgiveness in my heart and gained new perspective this week too! I also beat my husband for the first time playing racquetball! It’s all good…..all of it. The pain, the joy, the blessing of family, simplicity in all her sweetness and the complexities as well. My Happy Box is full this morning……and I’m thankful.
May each season be sweet to thee…….I wish you all quiet joy.
Deb, interesting question. Is being thankful the same thing as being happy? Hmm…. I wonder if being thankful has more to do with a feeling of acceptance and/or peace. I think of being happy as being a more active emotion.
I was fascinated with Anne Frank as a young teenager. Such an inspiration and so heartbreaking at the same time. It must have been amazing to see the actual house.
Holly, love your definition! Yes, that’s it — it can be both laughter and something that lights you from the inside out. Glad I wasn’t there for the infrared dryer debacle. I’m sure I would have peed my pants from laughing with you. Really, what else are those contraptions good for except making you laugh because they certainly don’t work as dryers.
And your description of where you and your mare and corgi have come to brought a well of tears. How well I remember traveling that bumpy road to come to rest at the place you are now. And it is all oh so worth it, isn’t it?
does it have to make you laugh or can it just light you from from the inside out?
Laughter: My best friend and I went to a movie and lunch. A Girls Day Out. In the restroom of the lunch place, she could not get the infared hand dryer to work and I started to giggle because I had a bad time too. She started to laugh and it just disintegrated into hysteria. I was laughing so hard I could not tell her I had the same problem.
Light from the inside out: my mare and my second oldest Corgi. My mare and I have traveled a rocky road in the past 3 years to find the comfortable place we are in together now. She is a joy and a partner. Dashie…every time I look at him, he makes me smile at how far he has come to trust me. Just a short 2 years ago, *everything* was a battle and I did not trust him anymore than he trusted me, but just today…..he was relaxed, sound asleep and when I gently ran my hand over his belly and scritched him a little….he gave a deep contented sigh.
these are all things tucked away in my Happy Box.
I wonder if your Happy Box is different from my gratitude box? Or is this a hint that I should be happy about the things I say I’m grateful for?
I was able to take myself to see the 1956 George Stevens production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The local art theatre has a monthly donation screening day and I love this version. I have actually visited Anne Frank House on Prinzengrakt (sp?) in Amsterdam.