Five Things I Have Recently Learned

1. Water is Extremely Important.
So we just got our water back on this afternoon. Evidently the underground hose/pipe thing had a crack in it and, when half of the side yard was being dug up as they made this discovery, it turns out our well was evidently not up to code, so that had to be remedied as well. I never realized all of the things you need water for … it’s not just if you’re thirsty or something. I mean, I’m just about out of clean underwear, and my children were peeing in cups and dumping them outside. It was crazy!
The yard:

The picture Andy texted me to rag me about the waterless situation:










2. It’s Not That That Hard to Change Brakes.
When I bought my car, I knew it would need the brakes replaced sooner rather than later. The dealership was pretty upfront about it, and replacing brakes is something Andy can do pretty easily so, considering the price cut on the car, it seemed like a good idea. Anyway, they got very squeaky a few weeks ago, so it turned out to be sooner. We did the brakes in Andy’s driveway, and I felt like pretty hot shit because I actually HELPED :-) I felt so non-girly!
My dirty hands (after removing one of the tires):

Andy fixing my brakes:










3. Catching up With Old Friends is So Much Fun!
One of my friends from high school is a hairdresser in L.A. She was in the area for Father’s Day, so she organized a mini-reunion. It was so much fun catching up with everyone! The coolest part was that none of the people that went were among my close high school friends, but we had a blast. I was in the hospital on a morphine drip during my ten year reunion, so I missed out on the “what the hell has everyone been up to?” thing. This kind of made up for it. Oh, and those Mango Martinis at Blue Latitudes … they are freaking amazing!











4. Some People Are Just Not Nice.
I don’t talk smack about my co-workers, but suffice it to say that one of them had me in tears a couple of days ago. Now, I admit that I cry easily, but what I’ve always loved so much about the school I work at is how nice everyone has always been—the kiddos, the staff, even the administration. There is now a person that is jealous or threatened or something, but anyway, it’s freaking harassment. I’m trying to come to terms with it and try to figure out the best way to move forward. Yuck!



5. The World is So Beautiful.
This is the most well-placed (and best timed) rainbow I’ve ever seen. It reminded me of what is really important, and so I’m sharing it with you.

Finding Beauty in Small Places

My Advisory went outside to play basketball this morning.

In the field just past the hot top, a rather industrious spider had spun a gorgeous and shockingly large web. One of my students noticed it, and we all went in for a look.

It was just breathtaking, all sparkling with dew and twinkling in the morning sunshine.

What was even more beautiful to me, thoughn was the fact that none of my kiddos felt the need to destroy it or even mess around with it in any way. No, they looked, drank in the perfection of this gift of nature for a moment (admittedly short, but a moment), then went about their business of forcing unathletic old me into actually playing basketball.

I am always struck by beauty, but this unexpected double whammy was just what the doctor ordered :)

When have you found beauty in completely unexpected times or places?

The Natural Beauty of New Hampshire (It Kind of Sneaks Up On You Sometimes)

When I walked out of work today, the air tasted so good. It was like drinking water from a mountain spring. I know that sounds cheesy, but I don't know how else to say it.

During my ride home, I couldn't seem to get enough of the scenery. Now, I've lived in New Hampshire my whole life; it isn't like there was anything there that I hadn't seen a million times. Perhaps my "drink" of air made me more aware, I don't know. Whatever it was, though, the snow-covered mountains in the distance, the snow dripping from trees, the ice-covered ponds (I randomly drive by a lot of ponds between work and home), it just made me want to be a part of it. I wanted to go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, neither of which I've done in ages, and just absorb.

When I get caught up in nature, it's usually at or near the ocean. You can taste the salt water in the air, and watching the tides is to me a constant reminder of how miraculous the earth is. There's a state park in Wells, Maine with really cool hiking trails that I very much enjoy, but it's based in an estuary area, so there's still that ocean connection. Then, of course, there's Bar Harbor, where ocean somehow coexists with mountains (this is strange for a New Hampshire beach native like me) and everything is just unspeakably gorgeous.

It's funny, but I got thinking about how I always seem to end up commuting to work. The drive to Nashua was almost all highway--that was the best part of commuting to Nashua, and that was the worst part of commuting to Nashua. Although I'm kind of a vehicular speed demon who truly enjoys highway driving (I know, I'm weird), there's not exactly a lot of impressive scenery on Route 101. My present commute through some legit New Hampshire backwoods takes my breath away every day, even when I get pissed off because I'm stuck behind somebody that feels it necessary to go twenty miles below the speed limit--and there's nothing I can do about it because there isn't a single passing zone.

I don't know if today's epiphany will change my irritation with some of the people that drive my route, but I do know that it was so amazing to be so blown away by nature that I was physically shaking.

It's a beautiful world.

Addie's Observation

I am reminded of what a remarkable young lady my daughter Addie is at the strangest times.

"Hey, Mom? Have you ever noticed that the morning sky is so much prettier in the winter?"

I mean, this kid is fourteen. Her main focuses are friends, computer, acne cream, that band she's obsessed with, and brooding. She's a master of the brood.

But every once in awhile, she comes out of the teenage angst persona she's recently cultivated and makes an observation that just blows me away. How magical it is that this young lady can look at the world, take in the ugliness that exists, yet find almost unspeakable beauty in a winter sky?