RANDOM THOUGHTS

October 12, 2025

This blog may be like no other I’ve written because it is not in my usual style, not a bit poetic or lofty, not at all!  But real, nonetheless.

A few years ago, a person I value asked me: “How did you get to be 80 and still love Jesus as much as you do?” Or, put another way, “how are you not a crabby old lady?”

Well, this month I will be 83 and I’m still pondering that question!

There’s no “one thing” answer, I’ve decided. I’m still looking for one though, cause I like focused answers. 

But in this month of my 83rd birthday, I have some, just a few, ideas.

Maybe you can expand on them, revise them, and use them in your own search for love, boundaries, joy, and all things wonderful in your own lives. And if you have a few of your own to add, I’d sure love to hear them.  Or if there’s one you want me to expand on, I’d love to hear that too.

One answer is that in stressful moments, I ask my self what it is that I really want. Then, “and how is my own behavior helping me to get that.” Reminding myself of my real goal overcomes any crabby angers I’m feeling in the moment. It’s a principle I’ve lived by for over 50 years. Not always so good at remembering it in the moment, but coming back to it always restores my joy.

Another thing is how I respond when people say, “well, trials help you grow.” I think I am like a plant in my garden, that whatever harsh weather may come, I need sunshine and water to weather that storm and grow in spite of it,

Sunshine is in the things around me that I see, the visuals. Like using a mug a trusted friend gave me years ago. It says “cup of courage.”  Like having freshly cut flowers in my house. Like baking something and leaving it set on the counter to be admired by me all day. Like setting the table at supper time with pretty placemats, napkins and best silver.  Like painting my toenails. Like making my bed.  All those little things that make my little world shine…for me.

Water is in how I nourish myself. It is in reading a really good book, drawing something in front of me. Just to examine and draw it. Not to frame or even show. Just to be creative. Or making a pot of yummy healthy vegetable soup and letting it simmer all day. Or wearing a pretty dress and putting on make up even if I’m not leaving the house. Those kinds of things.

I nourish myself with pretty things, things that are already in my life, things I need to stop and take notice of, enjoy, be grateful for.

Another answer might simply be gratefulness.  I am always so aware of how much wonderfulness is in my life. The early years of our marriage, we were below the poverty line, not one dollar extra for anything. But I had my little house, I got to be a stay-at-home mom, I had toddlers who wanted me to cuddle and read books with them, a daughter who loved doing housekeepery things with me. The electric bill got paid every month, we never missed a mortgage payment, I was blissfully happy and grateful.

Now I have money for extra things, my house is a bit bigger, I am healthy, and grateful to be 83.  When I get stressed out about something not going right, I stop and look around and know that there are millions of women who would trade places with me in a heartbeat. Even tho the water heater just broke and my kitchen is all torn up!  If I am not grateful in those hectic moments, I give up my own joy and peace, so yes, I am always, every moment, grateful.

This next one is pretty important: to be aware of where I have influence (control) and where I do not, and to focus on what I can do. To not spend my precious thoughts and soul on things I wish were different, should be different, but that I have absolutely no influence over! Lately that’s been a really hard one. But I still work on it every day, every hour. To not get entangled in all that out there. Negative people, weather, prices, politics, all that stuff. I’ve learned to “do all I can” and then let it be. To do all I can in my circle, yes. Like the serenity prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

That sounds like an easy thing, but for me it isn’t, and I have to keep remembering to see that some things are not in my control, darn!

But staying in my circle is not always easy. I am a doer, I like fixing things, but it robs my life of energy and joy, so I lay it down and walk away.

Rather than going on and on, I will stop with one more, although it is not the end. In an interview with Stallone, about the making of the movie Rocky, he shared how hard he trained, even running up those famous steps. At first he carried his 130 lb. dog and couldn’t make it more than half way.  He finally did, but only without the dog.

My take-away is that when tackling a really hard task, something I really want to tackle, to accomplish, I ask  myself if I’m carrying some extra baggage, trying to cope with stuff I shouldn’t be carrying. That is wearing me out. 

Some really big changes, challenges, are won one baby step at a time! One, then the next, and the next.

So there it is, my beginning answer to why I am so happy, so easily pleased, so eager for the next day of my life.

Some things to think about.