Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Looking Beyond the Surface

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I had a conversation with a dear friend yesterday about making judgments too quickly. About looking at a situation or a person and making a quick assumption about that person, that situation, without taking the time to look a little more deeply. Don and I have conversations about this sort of thing all the time. And it’s invariably sparked by one or both of us saying something like “I assumed this or that about X. I was so wrong.”

It’s a life lesson I keep learning.

For example, I looked at this beautiful coneflower and saw the flower:

Then, using the lens of my camera, I looked a little more closely and saw this:

There was much more going on than I originally thought.

A quick glance while watering showed me green leaves. Until I took the time to look a little more deeply.

And I saw this little guy, designed to blend in with the plants, but not really part of the plant. A new detail. More information. A change of thought about the picture I was seeing.

One of the ideas I hold dearest to my heart is this:

A miracle is a change in thought.

It’s that simple and that hard. But each time we suspend our assumptions, look a little more deeply and stop that impulse to judge, a little miracle occurs. Things shift. Ideas change. Clarity emerges. A door opens.
Just sharing some thoughts on this Wednesday morning.

Friday Question: Do You Own a Smartphone?

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Ask me what time I got up this morning.

4 am. Yep. 4 am. And I went to bed after midnight.

Riley has had a few accidents during the night lately. I deliberately stayed up late last night in order to give him some extra time to get ‘bathroom ready.’ The problem is that he is so sleepy by that time that nothing works, if you know what I mean. So when I awoke at 4, I thought I should come downstairs to check out the situation. It wasn’t good.

After clean-up, I tried to go back to sleep but it just wasn’t working. At about 5:30 am, I heard a bark. Back downstairs again. No Riley. Where the heck was he? I found him in the bathroom. Hey, at least he was able to get up by himself! At this point, I figured I should just stay up and I made coffee. That little dickens got up twice more – one time to let me know he had to pee. Okay, Riley. You’ve atoned for your mishap in the middle of the night.

 

So, as one does in the early am, at least, as this one does, I opened the laptop and read my email. I also charged my iPhone. One of the emails concerned an app for iPhones and iPads called Shakespeare Pro.  It has everything Shakespeare wrote – including the Sonnets and a Glossary. Cost? $1.99. (It’s currently on sale.) Oh my. How perfect for this Shakespeare Voice and Text Coach.

(Please excuse photo quality. It’s not easy getting a good photo this early in the morning!)

It got me thinking about just how amazing smartphones are. I can grab my phone, open this app and find any piece of text that I need. Wow. I can take pictures. I can check the weather. I can listen to my music library. I can check my email and read your comments. I don’t use it nearly as much as some people do – I rarely text, for example – but it has been invaluable to me.

Don, who said he didn’t want a smartphone, is changing his tune. He mentioned to me that he just might need one. He’s away from home and will be again in autumn and I know first hand how helpful it is to have an iPhone when you’re away from home. I imagine I will do what I did when I purchased my phone; wait for the new iPhone to hit the stores and then buy the older version at a much cheaper price.

So here’s my question this Friday morning. Do you own a smartphone? If you do, what do you use it for? Or have you held off on this kind of purchase? Or do you simply have no desire for one?

Please share. It’s now 7:16 am and I need something to keep me awake for the rest of the day!

Life Updates

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Time for some updates about life here at the cottage;

Riley: Life revolves around my boy for the present and that’s just fine. Often, I am awakened at 4 or 5 in the morning by his bark. I run downstairs, lift him up and help him make his way outside where he takes care of business and then gets a nice drink of water. I put him back on his bed, go upstairs and usually, not always, go back to sleep for a while. Since I never had babies, I think this has become my time to experience middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes.

This weekend, on Saturday, he got up by himself 4 different times and walked around the room endlessly. It must have felt so wonderful to be able to walk on his own after being bed-bound for so long. On Sunday and Monday he got up one time. Today, he’s already been up twice!

This is good news. He’s still frail and needs to be carefully watched but the fact that he was able to use his weakened muscles to get up is heartening.

He’s such a stoic, determined boy and I’m proud of him.

Don: Don came home for a few days and it was so nice to have him here. He goes back to the Berkshires this morning. We had a really wonderful weekend together.

I know some people scoff at the idea of a husband also being a ‘best friend.’ Sorry. I’m here to tell you that my husband is my best friend. I’m not just repeating some Hallmark card sentiment because it sounds cute. As you know, I’m careful with my word choices. The fact is, I am extraordinarily lucky to have found a life partner who is the person I most want to be with, the person I most want to talk to and feel safe enough to confide in, the person who makes me laugh and who I trust completely. We have a really healthy, solid marriage and I don’t take it for granted. Remember, I waited until I was in my mid-forties to marry.

And, boy, did that patience pay off.

Mom: Today is my mom’s birthday. She is 85 years old. Mom, I know you’re in a nursing home, but no matter where you are or what your circumstances, you are still the same wonderful person you’ve always been. I celebrate you and all you’ve given to our family. I am grateful every day of my life for you. I love you. Happy Birthday!

Happy Tuesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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