Notes from Steve

Easter was feeding 16 people at my house - the typical dinner that is our Easter.  (Very specific menu with plenty of leftovers because we live in Iowa, and that’s what we do.)  As I was up early to prepare, I thought it was a brilliant idea to bring up a table from the basement -  and as I was putting it together in the kitchen, it slipped, and I slipped and crashed hard to the floor.  I lay there thinking, “if this were one of my sisters … they for sure would have broken a hip”. I did a quick assessment and thought - “Easter miracle - I’m completely fine.”  The day proceeded without another hitch.  It was a beautiful celebration of excessive ham and desserts. 

We shouldn’t take our wins in life lightly.  Could I have dwelt on my crash/fall the entire day?  Yes, (honestly, I tried a little but with no discernible injuries, I didn’t get any sympathy) but I didn’t have the time for that - I had gravy to make.  Sometimes - I find myself getting too focused on my “injuries” rather than my blessings. 

I watched this show after the Easter day of festivities.  It was about this older guy who was entering a phase of his life where he felt he was becoming “unseen”.  Great guy becoming increasingly depressed and too focused on what has gone as opposed to his remaining gifts.  His internal dialogue was “people used to notice me, and now I’ve just faded into the background”.  It was kind of sad.*  Karaoke.  In the movie “My Best Friend’s Wedding,”  Cameron Diaz has a scene at a karaoke bar - she’s an awful singer.  But - she had confidence and an awareness and a sense of humor … and everybody loved it.  How do I … how do we stay engaged whenever and wherever we are in life?  I’m trying to focus on being confident, less paranoid, and engaging.  

*I had a situation at Fareway a week ago - it was packed with people shopping for the holiday.  I think I recognized a bunch of people, but no one really engaged with me, and I wondered if I was just fading into the background … on the way home, I noticed my zipper was completely down.  They were avoiding me.  (sigh)