All Lived Happily Ever After

It’s thought that we are all either ‘glass is half full’ or ‘glass is half empty’ kind of people. That, depending on our disposition and outlook on life, we are either looking on the bright side or lamenting our deficits.

This is definitely one way of thinking. But my questions is this: “What is with this ‘half’ crap? Half? Who the hell came up with this?

Here’s a suggestion. Instead, what if we were all ‘cup runneth over’ kind of people? Think about it..... Admit it, this might be the way to go. Are you with me? Take a page out of Dr. Venkman's book, "I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! LET'S DO IT"


Below is the list of all my ‘gratitudes’ through out the month of November 2008. I don’t see any signs of ‘half’ anything. It’s all abundance, a month of cornucopia and plethora. It’s rich with emotional treasures and spiritual prosperity, among other things. And except for the retentive slice of me that thinks of the mess involved with a cup that is ever running over, I ask myself “Why would I ever think of life as ‘half?’ Give me abundance and superfluity. (I am thankful for my worn out thesaurus.)

November 1
I am thankful this Christmas will be different.

November 2
I am thankful for the clock falling back last night.

November 3
I am grateful for food that requires investment and time.

November 4
I am grateful that I was alive today to witness this historical election

November 5
I am thankful to the people who gathered and removed political signs today.

November 6
I am grateful for today’s windy weather.

November 7
I am thankful for the sound of rain outside my window, wind chimes tinkling in the night and laptop glow on my lap.

November 8
I am grateful learning the intense, priceless benefit in expressing appreciation.

November 9
I am grateful for people who boldly show appreciation for our troops.

November 10
I'm thankful that I'm a girl and for the amazing girls in my life.

November 11
I am thankful to our veterans and our active duty military.

November 12
I am grateful for The Wizard of Oz.

November 13
I am thankful my 17 year-old daughter asks about once a week, “Mom do you want to watch a movie with me?”

November 14
I am grateful for the anonymous comment that sent me back to my first blog posts.

November 15
I am grateful that my heart is open and ready for new Christmas adventure and opportunity.

November 16
I am thankful for weather to be watched

November 17
I'm thankful for the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and all 3x5 cards.

November 18
I am grateful for energy and inspiration, even when it is momentarily absent.

November 19
I am thankful for an abundance of office supplies.

November 20
I am thankful for gratitude rewards and for independent wealth.

November 21
I am grateful today for Dr. Peter Venkman and getting to watch for the shiny in life.

November 22
I am grateful for the things in life that I can’t wait to do.

November 23
I am thankful to friends and family who’ve taken the time to let me know they appreciate me.

November 24
I am thankful for good (and sometimes, not so good but still funny) movie quotes.

November 25
I am grateful for dessert first.

November 26
I am grateful for champagne and no concern in my head.

November 27
I am thankful for Thanksgiving leftovers. Turkey sandwich with Lays chips and a Coke on ice.

November 28
I am grateful this is the best Christmas ever (at least until next year…)!

November 29
I am thankful for the liberty to write here, or anywhere, exactly and only when the spirit moves. Thank you, thank you....*deep breath* thank you.



November 30

On this last day of November, I am thankful for those who come here to read. Thank you whether you come here daily, oftenly or haphazardly. I love you and I thank you.

I say goodbye and thank you to November today. I’m ready for December. I want to just add before I finish here, that in addition to the things I listed each day, there was so very much more. Stuff not yet ready for prime time, stuff too lengthy to go into here, intimate personal stuff, just lots of other stuff. You gotta love stuff!

As December arrives, I think of a quote from the Gene Wilder old school Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. “Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted."

(S)he lived happily ever after. Amen.

I Call It!

Sometimes you want quality.

Sometimes you want quantity.

Most of us would call dibs on 'quality' most of the time. I'm no exception and with that being said....I call dibs on quality blogs!

At the beginning of November I really wanted to write a little sentence here each day of somethings for which I am sincerely grateful. Just a quick "Thank you" to the universe and sometimes specific individuals each day, for the entire month of November.

Now as noble and well intentioned as this may have been, by about day 18 or 19, I'm thinking "Oh right, I can't go to sleep yet, I have to blog..."

Did you see that? "I have to blog..." This is probably not the best energy to bring to a situation where gratitude is supposed to be the focus.

So I will confess here and now, that I'll be glad to be done with this specific goal. I am quite satisfied with the accomplishment but 'whew!'

From here out, after tomorrow, it will be 'blog at will' for me. I love this. Blog when the urge hits. This is how it should be, I think. At least with the intent of being true to my own spirit, listening to my literary heart, not watching the clock or the calendar. It ends up being about quantity instead of quality. Phooey on that!

I am so thankful for the liberty to write here, or anywhere, exactly and only when the spirit moves.
Thank you, thank you....

"I can't put my arms down!"

Predictably enough, I have Christmas movies on my mind the last few days.

I love thinking of what's 'Coming Soon' to a TV screen near me. These are my personal favorites, in no certain order (if you can believe that):

A Christmas Story

Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas Vacation

It's a Wonderful Life

Miracle on 34th Street (1955)

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Christmas Carol (George C. Scott version)

Because It's Christmas; Barry Manilow (Kidding)

Classics all. Okay, okay I know there are a few missing: Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Even as a very small child, I was never a Frosty fan. And Rudolph scared the crap out of me. That abominable snowman guy was just frightening.

Whether I catch them on TV, borrow them from the library or dust them off out of my own stash....they are coming. And I can't wait! Christmas movies. One of the many shiny reasons I love this time of year.

This year, as well as the predictable, I find myself drawn to some movies that aren't generally thought of as Christmas movies but are set almost entirely during that most wonderful time of the year.


The two at the top of my list are:


Desk Set with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

My favorite Desk Set quotes:

Bunny Watson: I don't smoke, I only drink champagne when I'm lucky enough to get it, my hair is naturally natural, I live alone... and so do you.
Richard Sumner: How do you know that?
Bunny Watson: Because you're wearing one brown sock and one black sock



Family Stone with Diane Keaton, Luke Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker and others.

My favorite Family Stone quotes:
"You have a freak flag. You just don't fly it."
"Don't dilly-dally there, pretty lady. We're all gonna be down here talking about you."
Both by the Luke Wilson character, hmmmm.....

I love these movies for different reasons that I won't go into here. But I will recommend that you watch these along with your Christmas favorites.
Let me know what you think.
I am so grateful this is going to be the best Christmas ever (at least until next year...)!

"What are those things in the Cranberry sauce?" "Cranberries."

Thanksgiving memories. They run a wide range, don't they? All extremes.

One year we had a big wind storm, we lost power for hours, my four year old son went into heart failure and while we were at the hospital with him, my mom stayed at the house caring for my infant daughter (who was still breast feeding except that her 'source' was across town sitting in a waiting room) with no power and no dinner. A Thanksgiving I'll never forget.

Today, the turkey went into the oven early in order to be done around noon. But instead the meat thermometer said it was done at 9:30 a.m. No exactly as I'd planned. It was the first Turkey breakfast I've ever had. So by the time most people were sitting down to dinner, I had already had my turkey induced nap and I was up thinking about making myself a turkey sandwich.

So if Thanksgiving were a competition, I totally won!

2008, the year I won the Tournament of the Turkey!

I love Thanksgiving left overs. Turkey sandwich with Lays and a Coke on ice.

To "Rose lipped maidens"

I love champagne.

It's the night before Thanksgiving, I'm all snug in my bed.
We're having turkey tomorrow, good thing he's dead.

I'm sipping my bubbly, it's tickling my nose.
It's warm under my covers, except for my toes.

I'm really no poet, and I'd much rather drink
So I'll be done now, I don't care what you think....

I love champagne.


No concern in my head,

Let them eat cake FIRST!

When was the last time you ate dessert first?

It's always an option, you know. We all have it: Dessert Free-will. It may not always be the best thing for us, but the shiny thing is that we get to decide. And that we do not have to get all tangled up in whether or not it's the 'right thing.' Some might frown on the thought of eating brownies and ice cream before they've eaten their ham and cheese sandwich, that it's wrong, somehow. Says who? 'More for me,' is what I say. Where did such rules come from? Don't answer that. I really don't care. What I know is that I can eat dessert first if I want to. And today I want to. I love this option.

I'm grateful for dessert first.

"I call it Vera"

I love movie quotes.

I love long held, common quotes that have simply become part of our daily vocabulary.

• "Lucky!" Napoleon
• "There's no place like home." Wizard of Oz
• "We're gonna need a bigger boat." Jaws
• "Take it easy, Francis!" Stripes
• "Who you gonna call?" Ghostbusters

Okay, well you may not use any of these in your daily life, but maybe you should. Then I wouldn't be hanging out here all alone.

I love obscure quotes from unknown sources that make me laugh even though I have no clue to the reference, until I ask.

• "I'll be in my bunk." Firefly
• "My boy's wicked smart." Good Will Hunting
• "I was just no where near your neighborhood." Singles
• "We will rule over all this land, and we will call it... 'This Land'." Firefly
• "Sounds made up." Signs
• "Paps, you've been like the drunken, abusive grandfather I never had." Cabin Boy
• "Master, sir, do not forget to specify, when time and place shall assert, that I am an ass." Much Ado About Nothing
• "Oh...and I can kill you with my brain. " Firefly
  

I am thankful for good (and sometimes, not so good but still funny) movie quotes.