Today was a great day. As I write this, it is evening of the day after Thanksgiving. This day is now known as "Black Friday" in reference to its impact on the bottom line of many retailers. It seems that each store tries to outdo the others with their sales and also how early they open. I know of several people who spent the better part of last night and today in search of bargains.
I, however, did not conduct any business today. Frankly, dealing with the madness at the Black Friday sales sounds dreadful. (This is not meant as a criticism. If that's what you enjoy, then more power to you. Goodness knows that I spend enough time in pursuits that other people would consider boring or ridiculous.)
So what did I do to make this a great day? It starts with what I didn't do - go to work. I have been fortunate to always have a four-day weekend for Thanksgiving. That's what makes today unique - it's a free day off. I spent all day yesterday at a family get-together, and still had another day off before the weekend began!
Our number one priority for today was to set up the Christmas decorations. I am adamant about not having Christmas spread too early, but once Thanksgiving is over, all bets are off. We set up our artificial tree (no desire to get a real one), then everyone helped put on the decorations. It came out beautifully; there's something rather calming about looking at a lit and decorated Christmas tree.
There was also an added bonus to this day. When I was up in the attic to get the boxes, I noticed a couple of boxes in the corner that hadn't been paying much attention to. They were items that we put away when we moved here nine years ago and have basically forgotten. One of the boxes contained some wonderful treasure - it was filled with my baseball cards as well as a bunch of my old school work and class pictures! For a sentimental sap like me, it was a delight to behold.
I've been giving it some thought today, and I have concluded that Black Friday is one of my favorite days of the year. It's a quiet day with my family were we can start turning our attention towards Christmas. (And finding treasure in the attic as well!)
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Raking Leaves
This afternoon, I spent a couple of hours raking leaves and mowing the lawn. Generally speaking, I don't mind mowing the lawn and shoveling snow, but I find leaf-raking to be quite unpleasant. I'm not exactly sure why - maybe it's the association with the upcoming winter season. (At least with snow you sometimes get a day off from school or work). There are still a lot of leaves up in the trees, so to some extent the work today would be in vain. But tomorrow my town starts their collection of the leaf bags, so I figured I should get going.
So after lunch, I headed outside. I planned to make the chore more enjoyable by listening to some music on my iPod. Nothing gets me pumped for physical work like rocking out to Barry Manilow. However, a few minutes later, my 7-year-old daughter came out to help me rake the leaves. I appreciated her enthusiasm and willingness, but I had my doubts as to how much help she would be (not to mention that I would not be able to listen to my iPod).
After we (I) had raked a few piles, it was time to put the leaves into the large brown bags that the township provides. Then a funny thing happened. Instead of picking up a big handful of leaves each time, Amy would pick up a single leaf and admire it. She would show it to me and make some comments about its color, shape, etc. At first, I would just say a quick word of agreement followed by encouragement to pick up more leaves. But soon I found myself noticing some individual leaves. I even found one that Amy and I agreed was the biggest leaf ever!
In spite of some leaf-observing breaks, we managed to get the job done before it got dark. Since there are still many leaves in the trees, I know that upcoming weekends will contain more leaf raking and watching. I want to thank my daughter for giving me a fresh perspective on what has previously been a tedious chore.
This morning at Church, the preacher spoke about thankfulness. After Jesus healed ten lepers, only one came back to thank Him. I realized that I take many things for granted. It's even possible to be thankful for a lawn full of dead leaves. Not only did this provide me with some exercise and time with my daughter, leaves remind me of the beauty and uniqueness that can be found in all areas of God's creation. I just needed to see them through a child's eyes.
So after lunch, I headed outside. I planned to make the chore more enjoyable by listening to some music on my iPod. Nothing gets me pumped for physical work like rocking out to Barry Manilow. However, a few minutes later, my 7-year-old daughter came out to help me rake the leaves. I appreciated her enthusiasm and willingness, but I had my doubts as to how much help she would be (not to mention that I would not be able to listen to my iPod).
After we (I) had raked a few piles, it was time to put the leaves into the large brown bags that the township provides. Then a funny thing happened. Instead of picking up a big handful of leaves each time, Amy would pick up a single leaf and admire it. She would show it to me and make some comments about its color, shape, etc. At first, I would just say a quick word of agreement followed by encouragement to pick up more leaves. But soon I found myself noticing some individual leaves. I even found one that Amy and I agreed was the biggest leaf ever!
In spite of some leaf-observing breaks, we managed to get the job done before it got dark. Since there are still many leaves in the trees, I know that upcoming weekends will contain more leaf raking and watching. I want to thank my daughter for giving me a fresh perspective on what has previously been a tedious chore.
This morning at Church, the preacher spoke about thankfulness. After Jesus healed ten lepers, only one came back to thank Him. I realized that I take many things for granted. It's even possible to be thankful for a lawn full of dead leaves. Not only did this provide me with some exercise and time with my daughter, leaves remind me of the beauty and uniqueness that can be found in all areas of God's creation. I just needed to see them through a child's eyes.
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