Notes from Steve

I've been telling the neighbors to use my backyard as a dog park because it's big and looks like a dog park.  The problem is, my living room is like a fish tank, and it's weird if I'm sitting there (scene - Steve awkwardly waving).  Yesterday, I went down to my basement (I just got it fixed for radon - it's now not in the deadly toxic range*) - turned on the fire, and hung out on the couch for a while.  That was awesome.  My couch, I rediscovered, is the most comfortable couch in the universe.  I think I love rediscovering my own stuff.  (For those who've lost weight - shopping in your own closet is a real thing … the stuff that now fits again is truly a "soul balm" party.)

Yesterday afternoon, I went to an event in the East Village in Des Moines.  I was wearing a light t-shirt, and I took a friend's kid to Molly's Cupcakes to get a snack while her mom was volunteering.  We got cupcakes, and I got an iced coffee.  The lid wasn't tight, and when I went to drink it, I ended up pouring it all over my shirt.  Luckily, my car was right there, and I had another shirt in the car, so I went and changed.  When I got there - my car was still running.  (… long, deep, mournful sigh …)  My hearing aids are being fixed right now, so I can't hear very well, and I initially just walked away from my car thinking it was off.  It wasn't.  SO - my thought is that God, or the universe, or someone in the cupcake shop purposely planned on me pouring coffee down my shirt so I could turn off my car.  It's the only reasonable explanation.  

There's this concept I like that talks about "burning the toast".  (Like if there was an accident on the interstate, and if it wasn't for the fact that I burned the toast and was late about 10 minutes, I would have been involved in drama of the interstate mishap.)  I think I "burn the toast"** all the time.  Whoever is redirecting the negative events for me has a full-time job.

*yay 
**The "burnt toast theory" is a viral concept suggesting that minor inconveniences and setbacks—like burning your toast—are actually disruptions that protect you from larger negative events or redirect you to better outcomes. It is a psychological reframing mechanism used to turn daily frustrations into moments of gratitude, promoting a sense that the universe is protecting you. 

*or words to that effect.