Of Candy Crush and Mush…

This is going to be a VERY nonsensicle post...get ready!

I have been doing a fair amount of reflecting lately…on what, you ask???  Simply everything!

I actually wrote a blog post last week.  However, it was extremely negative and thus I saved it to my computer, for my eyes only.  Writing can be very therapeutic and that particular #nevertobeseenpost helped to cure the angst of that day.  In short, I am being deposed as a witness to an accident and the attorney began to talk to me about “Pain and Suffering.”  Hmmm… I obviously have strong #nevertobeheard feelings about the whole “pain & suffering” claim.  But, that is not what I want to focus this blog post on today.

Oh Candy Crush---oh how I miss you!  I am a Candy Crush addict.  There…I admitted to ONE of my many shortcomings.  I had the game on my iphone.  I had the game on my ipad.  I even had the game on my computer.  With 5 chances per electronic device—I had 15 opportunities to get to the next delicious level.  By the time I would finish the 15^th game, I had new lives back on the first device I began playing on—I think you get the picture.  I found myself consumed with constantly beating the next level. My rear was getting bigger—not from eating Reese’s, Snickers, or M&M’s, but simply from sitting idly wasting SO much of my time on this F.U.N. game!

In order to conquer my addiction, I courageously gave the game up.  I deleted the game from my iphone.  I deleted the game from my ipad.  And, I deleted the game from my computer.  After I deleted the game, I received a text from my son asking me to hurry up and send him a ticket to move to the next station.  I had to report to him that I gave the game up. 

So, what do I do with my life now that I have given up Candy Crush and have ALL this time?  I amped up my walking up to 5.5 miles per day + swim a mile everyday.  I also refocused working on indexing and my personal family history.  Volunteering at Head Start and reading to these adorable 4 year olds.  I am cleaning out closets.  I also have so many food storage items that I need to inventory—I am getting closer on finishing that task. 

Is what I am doing now as fun as Candy Crush?  Hmmm…attitude is everything, right?  Yesterday I was actually praying to have a better attitude.  In fact, I was praying to have a Christ like attitude.  After my prayer, I came to the kitchen and stared at this HUGE bag of fortune cookies that a friend gave me.  She told me to pull one out and read my fortune whenever I felt the need.  Well, yesterday I pulled one out and this is what it said:

“You are capable. Competent. Creative. Careful. Prove it!”

Do I believe that the fortune was an answer to my prayer? Of course not!  But, it reminded me that we are ALL capable of accomplishing goals.  We are ALL competent to serve in whatever calling asked of us.  And yes, each of us has been given creative talents.  Your creative talents can be anything.  The synonyms for the word creative are: original, imaginative, inspired, artistic, inventive, resourceful, ingenious, or productive.  Ahhh… productive—I am working on being productive.  Likewise, the synonyms for careful are:  cautious, wary, vigilant, watchful, or alert.  I think I want to work on alert—being alert to those who are in need and somehow find a way to lift them.  Now, PROVE IT!  We are all in the “proving grounds” here in this mortal life.  It is up to each of us individually to find our way back home.  Is my compass always pointing “due North?”  Not always.  But that is the beauty in this life, I have the opportunity to correct my course—to find myself on a more productive path.

So, my dear friends, when you send me a request to re-join Candy Crush, please do not be offended when I don’t respond and join.  I am doing this for my own good! Ha!

As for “mush,” a quick story about Zach, Halloween, and carving pumpkins.  Zach wanted to carve a pumpkin EVERY Halloween.  Yet, there was one problem that lay before us each year.  He could not “gut” the pumpkin—that is removing all the seeds and scraping out all the slimy junk.  The reason he could not gut it was because the slimy, gooey junk inside would make him heave and puke everywhere.  One year, I remember telling him, “you are going to have to clean out the pumpkin if you want to carve it.”  I thought if I used a firm attitude, he would get over this issue he had.  He stuck his hand in the pumpkin, barely touching the slimy mush.  At which point, Zach created his own slimy, gooey mush—yes, he puked everywhere.  He was such a funny kid and I miss those slimy, gooey, and mushy times.

Have a Happy Halloween!