Impact

I read something today and it reminded me of a few things in my life that make me smile and sigh happy sighs. In the big scheme of things, I suppose they are small... yet each one is truly impactful in my life.

1. I have awesome friends. I have the kind of friends that call to ask if you want to take a car ride so you can rest some place other than the two places you don't really feel like resting anymore; the kind that call to remind you for the 10,000th time about the horse that walked into a bar since they know it will make you laugh again and again because of its sheer stupidity; the kind that come and pick up your kids and take them blueberry picking, then bring them home and make blueberry bread with them; the kind you can call in the middle of the night to come sit in your house in case a child awakens; and the kind that deliver treats, DVDs, and, more importantly, their company. I'm not sure if everyone has these kinds of friends, but I do, and I appreciate them.

2. I don't have to work if I really don't want to, which is a blessing in and of itself. That said, I have things in my life about which I'm passionate, that I love to do. While there have been moments when I've worried about sacrificing time with my children in order to pursue these things, my jobs are flexible enough that I can usually strike a balance. Ultimately, though, whether the kidlets are watching me work with a child who has special needs or they are visiting my place of employment and wanting to be there more and more, I'm hopeful I'm setting a good example for them, teaching them to be compassionate, service-minded and inspired.

3. I have a sense of humor about everything. I can't imagine going through life without one. I could never take myself too seriously. To those that do, my deepest sympathies, for, as I've said time and again, I have learned that laughter is not only life's lovliest music, but also an amazingly powerful medicine upon which I rely heavily to get me through some of the tougher times I face.

4. I like to ride my bike. I like it enough that it doesn't even bother me to ride it on the trainer when that's my only option. Not only does it make me feel that even though my body's failed me, I can still do something for myself, but also it affords me the opportunity to catch up on a few t.v. shows or watch a DVD that a friend has delivered.

5. I've hiked and backpacked in amazingly beautiful and remote places where, often, I didn't see another soul for days on end. I've seen things that few other people have ever or will ever see. I have, perhaps, the world's ugliest Italian leather hiking boots. They cost a fortune back in the day, on my first year teacher salary, no less, but I needed them because they were warm and completely bulletproof. I girled them up by buying thin, pink bungee cord to use as laces. I still have 'em on there. I wish I had a sum total of all the miles I've hiked in them through the years. They've gotten me safely up my share of fourteeners and once kept me sure footed hiking through the Grand Canyon in the pitch dark. I love those stupid boots. It's not so much the boots that make the impact... it's the knowledge of the places I've been and the places I will go, one step at a time, under my very own power.