Here Comes the Sun!

Here it is, almost the end of May and FINALLY we, here in the Pacific Northwest, are getting some sun! In case any of you north westerners have forgotten, the sun is a big yellow ball that's in the sky (which is blue not gray) and it hurts your eyes if you look at it.

It has been so long since the sun has shone through my windows, I’d forgotten that sucker is not only hot, but it’s a revealer of slipshod cleaning. Have you ever noticed that your windows (especially the ones in the kitchen) can look pretty clean, until the sun shines on them? It can be shocking, because suddenly you can see all kinds of streaky schmutz that didn’t show before! I swear that sun is like a priest bringing out a confessioner’s dirty little secrets. Maybe we should wash windows when the sun is shining on them, that way they couldn’t lull us into thinking they’re clean. Just like we’d be way nicer if a priest followed us around 24/7. 

Night before last, when the forecast promised a bunch of sunny days in a row, I got out a moisturizer I’d stored away that has sunblock in it, and smeared it all over my face before I went to bed. I woke up yesterday morning and the first words out of my husband’s mouth were, “What happened to your face?” That’s not what one wants to hear from one's beloved, first thing in the morning! “Uhh, what?” I responded. (It did feel kind of hot and real itchy and I could see my cheeks when I looked down.) “It’s all red and puffy, go look in the mirror!” he said in a tone usually reserved for a bear sighting.

Yikes! I looked like I’d been hit with a hockey puck! The first thing I did was get ice on my face and dump the moisturizer! Today, the redness is not so intense and some of the swelling has gone down, but it’s still itchy. I feel like I’m stuck inside my face and I’m thankful I don’t have to go on television today, for it’s a given my face will induce pity wherever I take it!

Another thing the sun does is create beams that show how much dust there is in the air. The thought of sucking walls of dust into my lungs is smothering just to consider. How depressing! But, thank God for nose hairs! Nose hairs, just one more thing not to take for granted.

It only takes thinking about what you’re thankful for to lift your spirits. If it has been a while since you had a little rampage of gratitude, like appreciation for our sun, here are some thoughts to jumpstart your gratitude. You could actually execute the EXTREME actions, but just being thankful is all you really need to do.

Thinking these thankful thoughts will take you about two minutes.

• Hold your breath for a minute, or just be thankful you can breathe. 

• Turn the television volume up too loud, or turn it off and be thankful for the silence.

• Put one arm in a sling for an hour, or just be thankful both your arms work. 

• Shut the electricity off for an hour, or just be thankful you have all the blessings that go with having electricity.

• Walk around the block barefooted, or just be thankful you have shoes (and feet to slip into them).

• Sleep on the floor, or just be thankful you have a bed. 

• Lock yourself out of your house, or just be thankful you have a home (and keys).

• Tape your mouth shut, or just be thankful you can eat and talk. 

• Shut off the water to the house, or just be thankful you have pure, running water.

• Turn the book you’re currently reading upside down and try to read it, or just be thankful you can read.

• Scotch tape your eyes open, or just be thankful for your eyelids. 

• Wear mittens for an hour, or just be thankful you have fingers that work.

• Plug up your nose holes with cotton, or just be thankful you can taste and smell.

• Put a blindfold on for an hour, or just be thankful you can see. 

• Skip eating today, or just be thankful for the abundance of food you have.

Just think, in all that’s going on in our world, the sun still comes up and the earth stays within perfect proximity to all the planets in our galaxy. We get so consumed in what we’re doing, our itchy faces, what we have to do, what so-in-so is doing and all that thought and activity can cloud the truth that all is well. There is well-being that surpasses all the power we think we have and the sun can remind us of that every day (as it reminds us to wash windows and dust).

 The Joy of Being Disorganized starts with an attitude of appreciation for the person who is disorganized. It encourages you to get organized just enough to please you. It's your choice and don't allow anyone to cause you to doubt your worth, including you, because you are easily sidetracked. Click on the cover to purchase the book.