Always something

Have you ever heard someone say, "It's always something."

In my experience, it's usually an older woman, and she's usually shaking her head when she says the words. She usually just got bad news for herself, or heard a family member telling a sad story of his own.

I'm never really sure if she is saying it because she empathizes with someone going through a difficult time - or because she doesn't really care, but has nothing else to say, and feels like she needs to say something.

I heard it the other day, and I found myself wondering - why don't I hear people saying "it's always something" when they get good news or hear a happy story? Or is it just that some people always see the bad?

Like, if I tell them how I had a really nice weekend, that was quiet and peaceful. Or how I was able to hang out with Joe, enjoy my deck, and even get a little sun. Or if I share how canceled Friday plans turned into a lovely Sunday night. Or about my geat Sunday afternoon nap. Or even how when a few people did bug me, it was comical and I was able to laugh.

I'm sure some people would hear all that and think, "Oh that poor girl - she spent a weekend alone, getting stood up and napping with her cat! And a few people bothered her...I guess there's always something."

When the truth is, there really is always something - to be thankful for.

Superstitious

Are you superstitious? I am. I won't walk under a ladder, if I spill salt I have to toss some over my shoulder, and I don't plan anything for Friday the 13th.

It's not that I think the universe suddenly becomes a bad place, or that bad things are more likely to happen on that day. It's more like I figure we'll find the bad more easily, because we're on the look out. Or, worse yet, we'll create situations that are more likely to end badly.

Like, if I have to walk under the ladder, I'm so focused on not knocking it over - that I knock it over.

So - no blog post today. I'd be afraid to see what might happen.

Something new

I want to write a review of a movie I saw a while back called Higher Ground. It's not my usual type of movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable and moving I found the story. I really want to share that with you - and I will.

Next week.

It's about 10 o'clock Sunday night and I'm tired, and anything I attempt to write needs to be a little lighter, in order for me to pull it off. But I did want to share a little bit about my day, which consisted of two things: Church and football.

I can honestly say that has never happened before.

I haven't gotten up to go a church service on a Sunday in over 20 years. In fact, unless someone died, got married or was baptized, I haven't set foot in a church since I was confirmed in 1990. I only got confirmed in the first place because it wasn't really presented as an option in my family.

As for football... You might recall, I started to try and learn the sport last year - and failed (though I did come up with a great list of football's finest.) While learning about cute boys comes pretty naturally to me, the rules of football do not.

I've basically shut these things out of my life because I wasn't interested, or didn't understand. I figured if it didn't come easily, why bother to give it a chance? I was pretty happy not trying anything new, and was perfectly happy devoting my Sundays to writing and shoe shopping and maybe housework.

Of course, every now life throws you a curve-ball, and you find a reason to let something new in your life. That happened to me recently, and suddenly, trying something new not only seemed like an OK idea - it actually seemed exciting.

So I did. Know what? It wasn't too bad. I'm not saying I'm ready to give up Sunday shopping altogether (let's not get crazy) - but I am saying that some things are worth a little extra effort.

Besides, if you never let anything (or anyone) new into your life, you never know what you might miss.

No words Wednesday: Creepy

Not surprisingly, no one purchased this at the garage sale.

In Memory

Don't forget to remember.

Be afraid

I'm sort of a scaredy-cat. Case-in-Point:

• For a long time, I was afraid to have a car with automatic windows, because of how easy it would be to get trapped if the car was submerged in water. Because that happens all the time. 
• I'm basically convinced that if I ever took a cruise, the ship would either get stuck on a sand-bar, and I'd have to eat Spam for a week - or a giant, thought-to-be-extinct sea creature would swallow it whole. 
• It took X all the power, will and trickery he could come up with to get me on a plane - because I was convinced the thing would crash the minute I set foot. 
• I once insisted on setting the house alarm to keep Freddy and Jason from getting me in my sleep. Because if two psycho killers, one who has come back from the dead multiple times and another who invades dreams, were to set their sights on me, of course the house alarm would be helpful.

Whatever. I never claimed to be normal.

Some of my fears are based in reality - and just manifest themselves in really weird ways. Other fears have absolutely no basis whatsoever. The thing is, I do my best not to let them take over my life. I work through them when I can, accept them when I must and make a joke about them always.

Except snakes. I. Hate. Snakes. And I have no idea why. 

I have always said that if I ever had a snake problem at my house (which is in the city; snakes aren't exactly prevalent) I'd just sell the thing. And I would. And when I say problem, I mean there's one tiny, non-venomous garden snake living in the yard. To me, that's the equivalent of the Amityville Horror. (By the way - I freaked out when I found out that movie was based on a true story. Freaked. Out.)

So, when I found this article on the Times Union website, I nearly cried. And I did, in fact, have nightmares that night. When I retweeted the article saying I'd move or set the place on fire - I wasn't kidding. 

So that's my worst fear. What's yours? (Rational or otherwise - we're all friends here.)