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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Good Cheer


"The man who radiates good cheer, who makes life happier wherever he meets it, is always a man of vision and of faith. He sees the blossoming flower in the tiny seed, the silver lining to every cloud, and a beautiful tomorrow in the darkest today.


Good cheer is something more than faith in the future, it is gratitude for the past and joy in the present. Life for all of us has its hardships and disappointments. It is out of such stuff as this that human character is made. But after all this world is a pretty good place and we at least owe each other the courtesy of a smiling face and the inspiration of a cheery word.


To go about our work with pleasure, to greet others with a word of encouragement, to be happy in the present and confident in the future, this is to have achieved some measure of success in living."

-Edwin Osgood Grover, The Book Of Good Cheer, 1913

I have been hot and grumpy lately, dragging my swollen feet around, feeling every task to be a huge burden. The hair salon colored my hair too dark and I felt like crying when I looked in the mirror. I still get mad when I look in the mirror. Heat radiates from the road and sky and sweat drips down my forehead and back all day long.. Every person who stops me to make small talk about my pregnant belly is secretly despised. I just want to lay under a fan and be left alone.

And then today I had an appointment at the hospital for the final check up before my due date. And there was my baby on the screen, healthy, everything perfect, his head in birthing position, his heart beating strong.

How can I stay grumpy after that?

I came home and napped under the ceiling fan, then woke up refreshed and vacuumed, emptied the dish washer, cooked rice and meat for the dogs, scrubbed and boiled potatoes for dinner, and sat down to write this post. And ate lemon and raspberry ice cream with fresh red currents.

Thank you, my healthy little boy, for putting everything into perspective for your Mommy.

12 comments:

  1. beautiful post....dawn


    thinking of you today

    and sending love,
    kary and teddy
    xx

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  2. so sweet. Sometimes it is a child who grounds us and alters our perspective on things.

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  3. I am definitely having one of those days. It doesn't take much to throw off a pregnant mama, but the sheer sight, feel and sound of our little ones can make everything better non?
    xox

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  4. I can completely relate to your hair problem. I have a new hairdresser and I'm filled with fear about allowing her to do my highlights. Ugh. I just know that it will be screwed up. I have had so many problems in the past.:(

    So adorable to hear you call yourself Mommy. So cute.

    Wish me luck at the hairdresser! LOL
    Elise

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  5. Elise,

    What is it about our hair that can make us cry? I had a dream last night that my hair was back to normal, and was very disappointed when I woke up!

    Good luck at the hair salon!

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  6. Oh golly, disappointment at the hair salon is a downer!
    I drive 25 minutes by car to my hairdresser, even though there are at least five hair salons in walking distance. Too scared to risk a single hair. ;-)

    So good to hear you and your baby are fine! :-)
    Have you by any chance heard of Penelope Leach? I loved her "Your Baby and Child" book. I only wished I had discovered her during my first pregnancy already. It made me a much more relaxed mother (well, to the extend a mother ever relaxes).

    You are very brave to cook in the afternoon or evening! I get up at six these days, cross ventilate the house for an hour or so and in that time anything that needs cooking will be prepared.

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  7. I should have said cross ventilate the apartment.

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  8. You're a clever cookie, Merisi!
    We had ceiling fans installed in some of our rooms, and are lucky that our apartment stays relatively cool.
    xo

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  9. Oh, and thank you so much for the book recommendation!

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  10. Such a lovely post and I can totally relate to the hair salon experience!

    I tried your coconut cookie recipe last night - they are gorgeous! After a rough day at work coming back and filling the house with a beautiful coconutty aroma made everything seem right again!

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  11. Yum! So glad you like them as much as I do!

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  12. Thank you for your kind comment back on here a couple of days ago when I mentioned about feeling the heat and being pregnant. I am thankful for any breeze that makes it way through the house at the moment.

    So glad to hear everything is well on your scan and your bundle of joy is ready and waiting to make his arrival.

    Take care xx

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