Butterfly of Happiness

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If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies. ~Author unknown

When

I was

Cleaning up

Some nasty weeds

The yard men ignored,

I saw a fluttering

From the corner of my eye.

Looking closer, I saw it was

A gorgeous butterfly of unknown

Species, resting on the rocks below me.

 

Silly woman, pointing her phone at me!

Has she never seen a butterfly?

Well, then, I’m a Red Admiral —

Quite common really if you

Would keep your eyes open.

Monarchs get all the

Attention but

I deserve

Some praise

Too!

 

Note: Poetic form is Double Etheree.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, St. Anthony!

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Sometimes life drops blessings in your lap without your lifting a finger. Serendipity, they call it. — Charlton Heston, American actor and political activist

Do you remember those federal economic stimulus checks sent out during the COVID pandemic to help Americans make financial ends meet?

Three rounds of “direct relief” were made, starting in March 2020. Even individuals and families earning more than the cutoff point were eligible for partial payments.

Well, I distinctly remember receiving the second one. Opening up the check. And putting it aside to deposit later.

But things got busy, and somehow I misplaced the check.

Who’d have guessed it would turn into a year long nightmare?

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Busy as a Bee

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Take time to smell the roses and eventually you’ll inhale a bee.  ~Author unknown

There once was a bee who did think
From flowers he could steal a long drink.
He chose one and got busy
But left in a tizzy
Without siphoning any of the pink.

Note: This poetic form is Limerick (which I haven’t written in a long time!)

Standing Out

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Knowing who you are is the best defense against who they think you are. ~Dodinsky, author

Zinnias

I

Stand out

Among them

Though I’m a part

Of all the others

Diff’rent — not bad or good

Just trying to be myself

Soaking water, air, and sunshine

Minding my own business as I grow

Conscious I’m the same but very diff’rent.

Note:  Poetic form is Etheree.

Father’s Day, 2022

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But no matter what’s said, there’s something like a line of gold thread running through a man’s words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, American novelist

For those of us who’ve lost our dads, Father’s Day becomes “just another day.”

No special meal with your happy family gathered around the table. No decorated cake or grilled burgers. No Hallmark cards. No gifts of goofy ties, men’s cologne, or hand tools.

Just another day.

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Giving Out Smiles

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If you don’t have a smile, I’ll give you one of mine. ~Author unknown

I think a very caring young person at one of the houses Monkey and I pass on our long walks must be familiar with this quotation.

If not, perhaps they’re just blessed with a happy personality and derive a sense of joy from making others smile.

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Diet Inconsistencies

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Some people have a foolish way of not minding, or pretending not to mind, what they eat. For my part, I mind my belly very studiously, and very carefully; for I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly will hardly mind anything else. ~Samuel Johnson, English writer

Call me strange, but I’ve spent decades minding what I eat.

Long before it became popular, my mom transitioned us to a heart-healthy menu that I continue to follow as an adult.

But over time, I’ve noticed there are several things I just can’t eat. Some upset my stomach; others I don’t care for for a variety of reasons.

Here are my five top problematic foods:

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Fighting Families

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Family quarrels are bitter things. They don’t go by any rules. They’re not like aches or wounds; they’re more like splits in the skin that won’t heal because there’s not enough material. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald, American fiction writer

Silence just might be
Worse than angry words.
At least with angry words
One has communication.
Silence is so … quiet, so empty,
Like the vast wasteland
Decried decades ago.

Still, it’s angry words
That wound so bitterly.
Angry words that scar,
Leaving hurt feelings
And bitter memories.
That cause rifts in relationships
And once said, cannot be taken back.

Family isn’t the place
For this type of insidiousness.
Family is where love should prevail.
Support, encouragement, and loyalty triumph.
And peace predominate.
At least, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Sad that too often it doesn’t happen.