Do you REALLY know what you want?

The lady at the grocery store checkout put a single piece of chocolate between two dividers. I had to look again. Was she really standing in line to buy a single piece of chocolate? I watched in case someone else joined her with a jug of milk or a bunch of bananas or even a box of graham crackers and bag of marshmallows. Nope, no one came. The cashier rung up her single bite-sized gold foil wrapped chocolate and the woman paid. Then she picked her purchase up between her thumb and forefinger and left the store.
Wow. I would have bought at least two!
This made me think about things we stockpile "just in case." Why so much stuff?
It's like writing a book and putting in too much description. One taste (one perfect element of description) can be better than a whole trunkful (a chapter of purple prose).
What is YOUR guilty indulgence?

Boxing Ladies

After a recent visit to my active 88-year-old father-in-law's care center (where he's recovering from a broken leg and eager to get back to doing yard work), we exited through the lobby. To our surprise, we discovered two ladies watching mixed martial arts on TV. Not only were their eyes trained on the screen as two guys grappled and kicked and blacked each other's eyes, but one lady had her hand raised in a fist. This element of surprise is perfect for a story plot, and leads to much speculation, such as: were these two women the Number Girls for early boxing matches, carrying signs for which round it was in skimpy bathing suits? Did they have brothers or husbands who boxed or wrestled? Were they female wrestlers in their day?
What do you think?  

Snow Rise

 I can't take credit for this idea, because it was my mother who looked out the car window at the white blossoms and said, "Look! The snow rose from the ground to the trees!" It was such an interesting perspective that I smile when I share it with you.

How many times do we see the same old things and think nothing new of them? How much more interesting would life be if we shook our thoughts a little to rattle them around into new patterns? Now I've got my eye on the leaves of my window plants pressed against the glass like little green hands, yearning toward the sunlight. I don't always remember that they are living things, yet shaking up my perspective lets me see them as little green growies who are moving toward a goal.

What's new around you?

34th Anniversary!

This is not my driveway, but since Bob and I observed our 34th wedding anniversary last Friday, it seems a fitting photo. (I don't say "celebrated" because we both had to work, but it was our anniversary nonetheless.) I think the best thing about our marriage is adaptability. Coming from vastly different backgrounds can create uncommon ground, but coming out the far side of misunderstandings with more tolerance is a big bonus. And last night, Bob called me his friend. If that's not romantic, I don't know what is!
So tell me, what warms you and splashes big, bold paint on the driveway of your heart?