In 1913, Eleanor H. Porter wrote the novel "Pollyanna." The main character's name evokes the image of a person who is cheery and positive, who looks for the best in people or her surroundings. Walt Disney brought the story to the movie screen in 1960, with Haley Mills as Pollyanna.
In my lifetime, the term "pollyanna" has come to imply someone who is naive and unrealistic, or someone who is a "goody two-shoes." But, I think that we have lost touch with that simple and gentle part of our lives. Perhaps we need to take a step back and find the good that runs throughout each day.
I've been sad, lately, as I watch my dog age, knowing that he doesn't have much time left with us. Defer is a German Shepherd/Beagle mix, and one of the joys of his life has been to raise his muzzle on the first Tuesday of each month and bay with the sirens being tested. Unfortunately, he's gone deaf and can no longer hear the sirens. I miss that joyous song, but I'm glad that Deef is still with us. I enjoy the bounce to his step as he goes forth each morning for his "quickie" or how he bounds out the back door, hoping to surprise a squirrel as we go to feed the birds.
I've been thinking about the fact that Dear Husband will be making me a boat widow again this year. Each year, from May 15 to October 15, he takes off each weekend to sail Lake Michigan. I've struggled with this, missing his company, and worrying about him sailing alone. Perhaps I need to focus on the fact that while he is away, I have plenty of time to piece and quilt and I'm not using time when we can be together. And, having seen some men retire who have never made the time for an avocation, I'm glad that DH will have a passion to occupy his time.
I need SPRING! But....this last couple of weeks in March while winter is slowly seeping away and Spring has not yet arrived, gives me time to plan the gardens for the coming warm season. It also gives me time to finish a few quilting projects before the warm weather is upon us. When it's gray and rainy, I remind myself that we NEED the precipitation. After all, we've been in a drought cycle for the past two years. I can deal with the gray if it means that my trees are getting the deep drink they need.
I've been very blessed. When I was a child, my father built the house where I was raised. It was unusually large for the times; my parents had five children and they needed the space. For the center years of my life I lived in two modest homes and an incredible array of apartments. For the last fifteen years I've lived in another large house. When I am tempted to complain about the work involved in maintaining a large house, or the cleaning that needs to be done, I look around me and rejoyce at the proportion of the rooms, or the beauty of the views. I think about the iris and herbs getting ready to burst from the ground, and know that I've been given a beautiful stop on the sojourn of my life.
I no longer grumble about having to park way out in the parking lot at the grocery store. Instead, I'm glad that I can still make that walk. I'm glad that I have a car to make the trip to the store, and that I have a job so I can pay for groceries. I'm glad for a little more exercise that will bring me a healthier life. And, I'm glad that I'm FINALLY making wiser choices when I shop, rather than tossing junk food in my cart.
Perhaps this sounds puerile to you, but I have lived a life of good fortune, and it's time I acknowledged it........and said "Thanks!"