Don't Worry, Be Happy

For todays edition I am going to discuss something that frequents my thoughts quite regularly. Being happy. I think that being happy is a decision you make every day. You either want to be, and strive to achieve happiness , or you are content with being a grouch. Whether you're too lazy that particular day, or you LET someone get to you, or what have you. Happiness is a state of mind, and an important one at that.

So with that said, lets run over a few clichés. How about; "Woke up on the wrong side of the bed." IE you're just a grump that day. Now we all have these days. I had one of these last week, where first thing in the morning, things start going awry. Like dropping my mascara brush into my new fuzzy winter boots and having the brush miraculously do about 300 spirals all over the top, "fuzz" if I may, as well as all around the inside, as well as 3 spots down my arm. Really? It couldn’t have just fallen straight to the ground? It had to summersault like an Olympic diver all down the inside of my beautiful new boot? And then of course once you’ve awakened your inner grump nothing else seems to go your way that day. I myself always am constantly tripping, dropping things, or my favorite, where it seems as if my butt has grown three sizes overnight and I misjudge and knock over everything in my path.

You get my point here right? I think that if you wake up in the morning and verbally say "I am going to have a good day," then you will. Otherwise, I think you should wear a disclaimer so that the rest of us can stay out of the way. Because moods are contagious.

There is another cliché that says something along the lines of (and don’t kill me if I butcher this) "Be happy so that when others are around you, they cant help but be happy too." Something like that. And I have the perfect example of someone who personifies this. Her name is Ms. Earnestine, and she's probably 80 years old. I see her once a week and I always always think to myself after she's gone that I want to be more like her. Her happiness is contagious. She always greets me with a "Hey Kay!" and then we carry out our business. She is just so terribly friendly! And to be 80 (I'm guessing) and a widower, when most people are at their most cantankerous, she is an absolute delight.

Another point I feel I must make is that too often people do what makes OTHER people happy. I would call myself a people pleaser, to an extent. But there are some places where I have to draw the line. I often get called selfish. No, I am not going to argue that because I definitely can be. But you know what? I do what makes me happy. So where do you draw the line between selfishness and doing what makes you happy? I don't have the slightest idea. All I know is that when it's time for me to go, I want to have lived a life of "haves" not "have nots."

Adventures in Life

I haven't blogged in quite some time so excuse my lack of pallor as I brush off the dust. I always enjoyed having a way to look back on important events in my life, so I thought I'd begin again.

With that said, let me just go ahead and input my disclaimer. 1) I am a correct spelling and grammar fanatic, but texting and autocorrect has impaired my abilities so bear with me. 2) This is my blog. I don't care who you are, or what you think. If you disagree with something said here, too bad.

Okay, with that out of the way, lets trudge on, shall we?

Thanksgiving is in two days! I can't believe how this year has flown by. It has brought forth many changes in my life, both good and bad. Well, not bad per se, just different. Like most people, I have some large aversion to change. Where to begin?

Let's get rid of the elephant in the room and let me begin with my parents' divorce. It came as a bit of a shock to me. I was not expecting it. They know what's best for them, obviously, I took it kind of hard. I always took pride in the fact that I was one of the few people I knew with parents that were still married. My family doesn’t "do" divorce, I remember saying. Most of my family are still married to their original "sweetheart", if I may. Blah, don’t really want to go into all of this. I'll just sum it up with this; it made my views on the subject do a complete 180.

Moving on… let's talk about friendship. Know how when you're in high school and you have (if you're lucky) a whole group of friends? And then when you graduate,  you and those friends slowly drift apart whether it's due to different colleges, or marriage or whatever. So you go out, and make new friends. You make friends at work, at school, you make friends with friends of friends, etc. Life goes on. And then what? You stay friends forever? No. Those friends move, have children, marry, etc. People come and go, in and out of your life. They disagree with your choices, or beliefs, or simply just are too busy to keep up with the charade. This is the hardest lesson I've had to learn this year. Not saying that it's all been bad, however. I've realized that you can trust a few, and sometimes good friends come into your life when you least expect it.

What else has happened this year? Let's see… one of my friends got married, one of them got engaged AND had a baby. I also had the pleasure of meeting the most inspiring man. I know, right? Too bad he's 11. I love that little boy. I KNOW, right? Me, the girl who hates children. Okay, so hate is too strong  a word. But my dislike for children has always been fairly apparent, and I never really wanted any of my own. He changed all of that in a very short period of time. Not only that, he taught me a lot, as well.The list here is a long one. He taught me to be less selfish (which is definitely one of my biggest shortcomings), that it's okay to be silly, that it is indeed easy to curse less. Also that it's even more enjoyable to cook for someone if they always say "Mmmm this is good. Thanks Kayla!" after every first bite. AND if they want to help you cook, and rename the dish appropriately afterwards. Because after all, Kenneth Casserole is much more pleasing to say than simply "beef enchiladas."He is only in during the summer, so I don't get to see him much, but it seems like he's always here in some constant reminder or another. I always think of him while getting ready for work because when I would spray my hairspray he would always say "That smells good Kayla, what is that?" To which I would always reply, "It's just hairspray, Kenneth." I miss him a lot. I feel like a little part of me is missing. It's amazing how someone can make such a big impact on your life.I went to Walmart today, and heard a child lauging, that sounded just like him.

Which brings me to my next subject. Walmart.

OH. MY. LORD.

I think I will forever be the "cokes and or plates" girl when it comes to who brings what for Thanksgiving. I can cook. At least I believe I'm pretty decent. My mom and grandma instilled in me several kitchen skills over my 24 years. Mom was constantly saying "Now are you watching me do this?" while I'd be errantly sitting at the bar doing who knows what. I successfully cooked an entire "Pre-Thanksgiving" meal for friends last year, except for green bean casserole, and desserts. That was pretty good, right? Lol Anywho, I digress. So I went into Walmart today for the aforementioned Cokes, because I waited until last minute last year and they were almost all gone. Also I'm off work today and I know Walmart is a mad house the week of Thanksgiving. So I went relatively early today , wanting to miss the rush. Well, apparently that is impossible this week. People .Everywhere. Standing in the middle of aisles staring into space, walking at the speed of smell in front of me, and per usual Walmart fashion, screaming kids, and hillbillies.

But I was not expecting however, the 62 year old grandma,with no teeth, and therefore little verbal communication skills following me around and trying quite unsuccessfully to make conversation. She startled me in the Christmas décor (because we all know I get distracted and off task in Walmart), by asking if I had "puth uth my chwithmathtwee" yet. I said "Pardon?" to which she repeated the question, only to have to repeat it again after I said "I'm sorry, whaa?" It finally dawned on me what she was trying to say, so I asked if she had put hers up yet. She replied with "No…no…not yet." And then we stood there looking at one another for what seemed like an eternity before I said "Well, you're supposed to wait until after Thanksgiving anyway, right? Have a good one." And sprinted off to the makeup section before I had to try and translate anything else. People skills are not my forte. I'm naturally shy and have a hard time making small talk. So, there I was, trying to pick out the best Essie nail polish color for my Pinterest inspired candy cane nails, when there she was again…standing there next to me, looking at me and smiling sheepishly. I gave her a quick once over via my peripherals before I decided my Walmart adventure was over. For the week.

So here I sit. Needing a shower, and something to occupy my time. Like a good book, or maybe a few episodes of Sex and the City. Until next time....

-Kay-