Things I've Learned....

I must be a remedial learner in both patience and mathematics. At least with math, I can use a calculator. I think I need a calculator that adds those two tiny bits of patience and melds them into large blocks of patience.

Funny how dogs don't seem to want things as much as we do. Of course, in most cases I am not a materialistic person, nor am I a dog. Dogs may want to get to things.....oh wait, maybe I do to. There are a few things I am totally materialist about. It is humbling to admit that.

I don't need fancy clothes. I can find terrific deals in thrift stores. I don't need fancy cars, but I won't drive crap again either. I like to look put together and coordinated, but am far from high maintenance.

At Halloween time at the store, I am amazed at the folks who think nothing of dropping $75-100 on a costume. Or $50 or more on make-up designed to look like you've just suffered a major accident. I have enough trouble some days with eye liner, blush and foundation. I really don't need to look like I have a gaping flesh wound. Nor do I have the skill for that either.

I wasn't entirely surprised to find a "bloody hand" in the container we store popcorn in at work. We offer free popcorn every day we are open. Some folks might have dropped their teeth when they saw that - I just had to laugh. Ghouls, spiders, ghosts are all part and parcel of this time of year. From now until Sunday we'll be in Halloween. We're pretty much done with Fall and gearing up for Christmas. We blow through seasons like bubbles on a wand. Here, then gone.

Even in my impatience I'm working at slowing down and staying in the day. As much as I want, life doesn't happen on my time table. If ever there was a slow lesson to learn it was that.

There are spooky people and people who dress like spooks. There are people who wear more make-up than they wear their own personality. There are times to rush forward, and times to hold back. And always, always plenty of times to stay in - the moment.