Anyway.
I had an obligation this morning, and I also had to get gas in the car. My morning routine was hurried and a bit frantic. How were we so low on towels? I quickly got a load into the washer and made a mental note to do my own laundry as well. (I was dangerously close to resorting to my Third String Underwear--you know those--one with almost no elastic, one pair of maternity and the youngest kid is now 35.) With little time to spare, never knowing what stage the many construction projects would be in around my neighborhood, I zoomed out the door.
Naturally, I hit two reroutes in the construction zones and had to wait an extra five minutes while an enormous dump truck maneuvered around a crane. I practiced using profanity as all seven parts of speech. It wasn't that difficult. Then again, I've been honing my craft for decades.
While driving on a particularly scenic road, one I travel often, I saw something that released all my tension and negativity. It gave me such Pure Joy, and it was really nothing much at all.
A man was mowing his lawn, a large property, with a riding mower. Sitting up front with him, encircled in one arm, was a large dog. I could only get a glimpse for a moment, but what I saw was a snapshot of complete contentment and companionship. It looked as if those two had done that together for years. They were mowing toward me, and I saw both of their faces. They looked happy.
Gosh, I love seeing stuff like that. It always makes me smile and feel good. Dog heads hanging out of car windows, same thing. That sort of unabashed Joy can lift me immediately.
I'm smiling now, just thinking/writing about it. I like a Joy that sticks with me. Even through two loads of laundry.
That would have cheered me up too! I love dogs, they're just so game for whatever is going on.
ReplyDeleteJ--I do love dogs. I'd not have one myself, but I am a great appreciator of other people's. And oh my heavens, yes--they are completely on board with anything Their People want to do. Chipper and gung-ho. Dogs are the best.
DeletePure Joy is usually sparked by nothing much at all. It's taking the time to notice it, appreciate it and file it away in your mind for future reference; that's the trick.
ReplyDeleteGigi--So true. I try to be very observant--the Writer's Eye. And small things have always made me happy.
DeleteThanks for the laundry reminder - NOT. I wonder if Mabel would enjoy helping to mow the lawn? I don't think she's all that fond of Jim (who mows our lawn), but maybe she could come to enjoy him and lend hiim a helping hand? Probably not. I bet that was the happiest scene...glad you got to see it.
ReplyDeleteVera--Mabel is pretty adventurous. Would she be frightened of the loud noise from the mower? My cats still scatter after all these years of vacuuming.
DeleteUgh, laundry. The original NeverEnding Story. Sigh.
That made me smile too just reading about it - a welcome thing after a long couple of days. Also, tell me more about this seven parts of speech profanity! My coworker and I would probably enjoy using it because the training we're having to do (new computer system at work) is so dumb that we just have to cuss about it.
ReplyDeleteBug--The Eff Word can be used quite handily as all seven parts of speech. Adding -ly or -ing is permissible, as are other word endings to achieve your goal.
DeleteI've gone through the whole New Computer System myself, as well as vicariously with my entire family. My eldest even worked with software people to design one for the company he works for. I heard all about it from that end, too. It's always awful. My sympathies.
Seven parts of speech and three languages ... I do quite well in the imperative in Latin. Love, love the dog and the mower. But I will not relay this story to my dog-mad daughter.
ReplyDeleteConstruction, yeah. And the [unmentionable in any part of speech] time change. I do hear you. You, I am sure, know what they say about Canadian roads; that there are two seasons - winter and construction.
Most of my underwear has no elastic but the maternity wear has, after 55 years plus, perished.
Mary--I can swear a bit in French and Croatian, but nothing beats the release of tension like letting it fly in English. It's less worky and more natural.
DeleteMy GPS once took us down an "unimproved road" in Ontario. We may as well have been driving in a farm rut. That was the last time we trusted a GPS.
Third string underwear - that spoke to me. I find swearing reduces my stress instantly. I"m blessed to not have a commute, but I will have to be in the city an hour before my medical test on Friday. I need to arrive by 7 am and I want it over with, so I guess I'll leave the house at 6 am. Don't think I'll see anything at that hour that will bring me joy, but one can hope. Maybe a great sunrise will make the drive more pleasant. The dog riding the mower with him sounds very sweet. Nothing like a great companion.
ReplyDeleteErnie--Oh, me too. And the science bears us out. Don't believe anyone who tells you that cursing means a weak vocabulary, either. That's patently untrue. I have command of an extensive vocabulary, and I swear like a teamster. Swearing has the ability to ease stress when used judiciously.
DeleteYou'd be surprised by what you can see at any hour of the day if you start expecting to see unusual things. I notice all sorts of stuff.
Good luck on Friday. I hope all goes perfectly and that this test gives you and your doctor some much-needed guidance.
Oh, thank you for that joy--I can just imagine their faces and the settled content of their bodies together! I *have* to narrate the internal thoughts every dog I see when I'm driving and I would have just loved that scene.
ReplyDeletemaya--Hello, and welcome to the Dept! You're most welcome.
DeleteI love the idea of narrating the dog's thoughts. What fun. You'd have had a great time with the Dog On Riding Mower, for sure. (Yet, he definitely looked so Zen that he may not have been thinking of much.)
Oh, what a lovely moment! Pets bring us so much joy, even when they are yelling at us in the morning to feed them!
ReplyDeleteNGS--My cats are staring at me now to feed them--still an hour early. I'd trade them for the Mower Dog, I think. ;-)
DeleteOh my goodness, that IS a joyful sight! I love moments like that, too, when something delightful surprises you out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne--It really was just that--a Delight. I'm so glad I was there at just the right time.
DeleteI enjoy seeing joyful moments too. With almost everyone burying their heads in their cell phones, just seeing people being people, with or without a pet, is a delight.
ReplyDeleteAlly--Yes, a Delight. Perfect word. And your point about seeing someone without his head down, occupied with a phone, is well-taken. It was so lovely to see that man outdoors, with his dog, so obviously content and happy. People on phones don't look like that.
DeleteOh, those "really nothing much at all" moments can be the best! And they spread happiness throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteccr--It's true! Even now, I can picture the man and his dog riding that mower, as well as him holding the dog with his one arm, for safety. I can still see their faces. It has stayed with me, and I am still smiling about it.
DeleteThat is the kind of Joy I can get behind as well! My husband SMILES while he's mowing the pastures and the dogs smile while riding in his UTV or our cars!
ReplyDeleteMaternity underwear? This calls for an intervention!
BB Suz--Hey, you never know when you'll have a Laundry Emergency.
DeleteSmiling dogs are my weakness and my joy. They never cease to brighten my day. How can you not be Joyful when a dog looks so darn happy just to be alive?