Destination unknown

The Treasury

 A smile is monetarily free, right?  Why then does it seem folks horde them like theyʻre gold?  Share the wealth folks!  I guarantee it wonʻt kill you or break the mood bank nor will your face shatter.

Sure we each have bad days and want to keep to ourselves or remain deep in thought.  Certainly we donʻt all walk around with a perma-grin on our faces, folks may think weʻre nuts.  Or they might just think weʻre nice. Egad!!  At any rate, Iʻd venture to guess you can recall at least one of your bad days when a stranger smiled at you as they walked by and you smiled back.  Remember?  It lifted your spirits if only briefly.  It didnʻt require conversation or physical contact but it reconnected you to the world.  Momentarily brightened your bad or sad mood. Temporarily relieved a bit of stress? 

I bring this up because a friend of mine is going through chemo. She commented on Facebook, "Do me a favor.  Next time you see someone going through chemo, look them in the eyes and smile.  I can guarantee you that even though theyʻre out and about, theyʻre still feeling crummy to some degree.  Those smiles will make their day.".  Sounds pretty simple, donʻt ya think?  Step 1--you smile.  Step 2--oh there is no step 2.  VERY simple.

For the most part, I try to smile at someone I donʻt know when Iʻm at the store or wherever at least once a day.  Partly to see if I can do it.  Partly just to see if theyʻll smile back.  Mostly because I think folks need to connect more and a smile connects us.  My son will sometimes ask "who was that" and I shrug my shoulders and say "I donʻt know".

Admittedly, no oneʻs perfect and some days thereʻs no smile to be found.  But think about it.  A smile can be the gold in someoneʻs day.  Share the wealth.  Youʻll be glad you did.

This n that

Bluff overlooking Teklanika River, Denali Natʻl Park, Alaska

What am I most proud of?  Heʻs standing there in front of me.  Over 15 years in the making and an ever amazing work in progress.  The most precious part of my life.  My son, Connor.

 

He has stood up for kids who were being bullied.  Years afterward, he was bullied but somehow found it within himself to walk away and not give the offender the satisfaction of knowing he was bothered by it.  I really donʻt think thereʻs a mean bone in his body.

Heʻll play video games till the cows come home but will help me out with ideas for crafts Iʻm completing. Proof that kids can make something without a joystick, left trigger, X to jump and Y to exit.

 

He loves to ride a fast, stinky, noisy snowmachine across the tundra but is content to sit quietly and fish on a summer day.  Or hike the river with Auntie Ti.

When he was in first grade, someone made fun of him for coloring a giraffe green.  It hurt his feelings very much.  He told me about it when he got home.  I asked if he remembered what Iʻd always told him about art.  He said, "yes, you said art is whatever you make it and you can do it however you want because thatʻs why itʻs called art".  His teacher said the next time they had an art project Connor very nicely shared our thought about what art is.  There were no more problems and, in fact, the other kid loosened up with his own art guidelines.  Too funny!  Wonder if there were purple hippopotomuses and pink iguanas in class that day.

Oh and heʻs taller than me.  In case he reads this at some point Iʻd better include it.  Taller.  Taller.  Taller.

At times the teenage attitude rears its ugly head.  Thankfully not often so far.  We butt heads at times but thatʻs to be expected. No grudges are held and things resolve quickly because we talk.  Ok sometimes we go to separate rooms to cool off but in the end itʻs only a matter of minutes before weʻre back on track.

He has a heart of gold, filled with love and kindness.  As painful as it is at times to see him hurt by words or actions, heʻs well enough grounded that he bounces back.  Onward and upward!  

He has remained true to himself and not been swayed by the "in crowd" to do otherwise.  In fact, one kid told him "you never want to do anything (drinking, out past curfew, shoplift) because your dadʻs a cop and your momʻs a dispatcher" to which he answered "No!  I donʻt want to do those things because theyʻre wrong to do no matter who my parents are".  Bam!  (And, yes, I know itʻs dumbfounding to think kids his age are already drinking.  Unfortunately in my line of work weʻve seen them as young as 10 years old.)  Heʻs a freshman now and, though high school years can be rough, so far so good.  

Letʻs hope his strength and character hold strong.  I know there will be slips along the way but isnʻt that how you learn life best?  He has family here to support him through it all, too, which I think in many cases tips the scales in a kidʻs favor.
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On an earlier post mentioning the trip to Teklanika, pictured above and below, my sister commented: "Interesting how sometimes we forget how quickly our little babies are maturing. How we just assumed all these years that they were ignoring those 'boring' moments with us. When in actuality they have weaved them so quietly into their own fuzzy sweaters of life that they love to snuggle with. Sis"   Love the way you worded that, Sis.  And oh how true.

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