Antici...
2004-09-28, 9:40 a.m.

Tuesday�s fortune:

Happy events will take place shortly in your home.

I KNEW it! :::::waiting eagerly by front door to admit housekeeping crew:::::

:::::still waiting:::::

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I annoyed Son this morning. As per usual the frozen waffles were sizzling in the toaster, and a very impatient little boy perched in his seat demanding to know what was taking so long. I told him I had to stop by the waffle farm and shoot a few first.

So now, he�s full of syrupy goodness and I�m the one annoyed with the pestilence that is Instant Gratification. Why were the tolerable 5 seconds of Disco Hair In Space pleasant yesterday? It was the fond memories of the satisfaction of the experience. What heightened that satisfaction in those days? THE ANTICIPATION. I grew up in the Dark Ages of the pre-VCR, pre-microwave, pre-computerized society. We had to WAIT to see reruns of favorite shows, we had to WAIT for the movie to make a second pass at the theater, we had to WAIT an hour for our �convenience food� tv dinner to be ready. We played outside in unorganized activities and inside with board games. No matter what, it was the anticipation of all things that made them savory, and makes the memories savory as well.

How many of you have stood next to the microwave nuking your dinner and bade it to �Hurry up�? Admit it. You KNOW you have. What a change from watching Mom shove the frozen Libbyl@nd splork into the oven, or cook a roast with carrots and taters on the stovetop. If we had to wait an hour for a meal these days, we�d perish from famine in the process.

Fast food, fast information, gadgets galore to save us time and effort. So what do we do with this time we save? We ram in even more scheduled activities and stress-inducing agents. We have to pencil in sleep and bathroom breaks. What will it be like when my children are grown, reminiscing about the Good Ol� Days of microwaves and Ti*Vos and cell phones? At the rate we�re going, people may very well receive nutrients and sleep-reduction chemicals via IV port so that they can extend their waking corporate hours to 23 � per day. I vote for a regression instead.

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Speaking of voting, today Hubby and I are updating our registration with our �new� address. We�ve lived on this side of town over a year but didn�t realize until recently we didn�t change our voter registration. We could mail in the forms, but according to Hubby�s Black Helicopter conspiracy theorem, that could lead to some hanky-panky in either the beloved Postal Service or within the election commission office itself. Go figure. So, I have to maneuver that maddening entity known as the Court House. Entering via the front door is futile and leads nowhere in the vicinity of the offices you seek. No, you have to walk around the LARGE building thru a horseshoe/courtyard of sorts, and up a few hundred stairs into a wing not visible to the public. I hope the architect got run out of town on a rail. You know what�s going to happen, don�t you? I will set off on the trek, get midway in the open to the election commission office, and it will suddenly pour down rain. It never fails.

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Back to the Happy Events prediction. Of COURSE there will be happy events in our home today. Do they have to be Be-All-End-All earthshakers? Nope. Happy is the peck on the cheek from Hubby for having the coffee made when he gets out of the shower. Happy is the sound of kiddies scurrying around getting dressed. Happy is being greeted by two dogs who are genuinely thrilled when you walk into the house. Happy is having a kitty curl up on your lap for a morning snooze. Happy is listening to the birds while soaking in the morning sun pouring through the windows. Happy is seeing a light at the end of the laundry tunnel. Big Time Happenings are fun and good soul-shockers, but it�s the minutia of life that truly brings the happy. IF you take the time to notice.

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