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“Happiness often sneaks through a door you didn’t know you left open.”-John Barrymore
I read a post a few days ago from a mom who had found herself in a
sweet spot in life (The Sweet Spot), and that has had me
thinking a lot the past couple of days.
sweet spot in life (The Sweet Spot), and that has had me
thinking a lot the past couple of days.
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Last week, with the husband out of town
and all the females in the house not feeling 100% for one reason or the other,
my daughters and I had a week of nothing but each other. We watched movies, we
colored in new coloring books with new crayons and markers, we played a lot of
games, including what we call Mean Girl Uno (you have to have the Barbie Uno
deck with the switcheroo card for this one) and just really enjoyed one
another’s company. That was definitely a sweet spot for us. Even my youngest
daughter commented in the car how much she had enjoyed spending time with her
sister, of us all just having endless ‘girl days’. I have to agree with her.
Even with all the ailments, it was nearly perfect…a true sweet spot.
and all the females in the house not feeling 100% for one reason or the other,
my daughters and I had a week of nothing but each other. We watched movies, we
colored in new coloring books with new crayons and markers, we played a lot of
games, including what we call Mean Girl Uno (you have to have the Barbie Uno
deck with the switcheroo card for this one) and just really enjoyed one
another’s company. That was definitely a sweet spot for us. Even my youngest
daughter commented in the car how much she had enjoyed spending time with her
sister, of us all just having endless ‘girl days’. I have to agree with her.
Even with all the ailments, it was nearly perfect…a true sweet spot.
We have so many sweet spots in our lives,
so many we don’t even notice and we take for granted. That age when our bodies
are young and nubile, healthy and strong. That is a sweet spot, one we don’t
recognize until 15-20 years later when our metabolism has slowed down and our
joints creak and pop just getting out of the bed every morning. When we have to
eat more bland foods due to gastric upset, we are reminded of the sweet spot we
had when we could eat what we wanted, never worrying about spices…the hotter
the better! Newborn babies, toddlers that sleep through the night, potty
trained kids, kids big enough to clean the kitchen…all of those things are a
sweet spot at one time or another for parents but times that we often skim
right past and never give it a second thought.
so many we don’t even notice and we take for granted. That age when our bodies
are young and nubile, healthy and strong. That is a sweet spot, one we don’t
recognize until 15-20 years later when our metabolism has slowed down and our
joints creak and pop just getting out of the bed every morning. When we have to
eat more bland foods due to gastric upset, we are reminded of the sweet spot we
had when we could eat what we wanted, never worrying about spices…the hotter
the better! Newborn babies, toddlers that sleep through the night, potty
trained kids, kids big enough to clean the kitchen…all of those things are a
sweet spot at one time or another for parents but times that we often skim
right past and never give it a second thought.
I for one cherish those sweet spots. I
look for them in daily life, always searching for that silver lining. There
have been times over the past few years when people ask how I can continue to
be happy. How can I smile and act like all is well when it is not? Aren’t I worried? First, only
a select few know of the hard times. Yes, I go through hard times. Of course I
do. Are the hard times juxtaposition of the good times? I don’t know. Maybe.
Does it help me appreciate the sweet spot even more? Absolutely it does. Second, I am not going to worry about that which I have absolutely no control over, and that is a lot of stuff. So, I don’t sit around and worry about the future. I worry about the here and now, of course, because I am a mother and some worry will never go away, but tomorrow can worry about itself. I will prepare for tomorrow, but I won’t sit around worrying about it.
look for them in daily life, always searching for that silver lining. There
have been times over the past few years when people ask how I can continue to
be happy. How can I smile and act like all is well when it is not? Aren’t I worried? First, only
a select few know of the hard times. Yes, I go through hard times. Of course I
do. Are the hard times juxtaposition of the good times? I don’t know. Maybe.
Does it help me appreciate the sweet spot even more? Absolutely it does. Second, I am not going to worry about that which I have absolutely no control over, and that is a lot of stuff. So, I don’t sit around and worry about the future. I worry about the here and now, of course, because I am a mother and some worry will never go away, but tomorrow can worry about itself. I will prepare for tomorrow, but I won’t sit around worrying about it.
“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”-Abraham Lincoln
I have had a rough year physically. I had
some really great years and then my Lupus started flaring up more and more in
the past two years, with this year being a literal Lupus hell year. Add that to
the fact that we are going through ‘the lean years’ in my home (which probably
has something to do with the flare-ups) and we are looking at some unclear, and
often unbalanced, times. What keeps me moving forward is The Sweet Spot. I know
it is there, I have tasted it many times. So what if what I have at different
times is the bitter pill to swallow? I know my sweetness will come again.
Silver linings are everywhere if you only just look for them. Even with all the downs, I have had some mighty ups right along side the downs. It is the recognition of the sweetness that keeps me plowing through the bitter.
some really great years and then my Lupus started flaring up more and more in
the past two years, with this year being a literal Lupus hell year. Add that to
the fact that we are going through ‘the lean years’ in my home (which probably
has something to do with the flare-ups) and we are looking at some unclear, and
often unbalanced, times. What keeps me moving forward is The Sweet Spot. I know
it is there, I have tasted it many times. So what if what I have at different
times is the bitter pill to swallow? I know my sweetness will come again.
Silver linings are everywhere if you only just look for them. Even with all the downs, I have had some mighty ups right along side the downs. It is the recognition of the sweetness that keeps me plowing through the bitter.
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