i have had a third dental surgery in less than as many weeks. the trouble indicator on my car says “low tire”. i spent yesterday filling a storage facility with all manner of furniture, boxes, musical instruments and paintings. only to discover that there’s three overflowing closets in the house that i’m just a little unsure about. my son broke up with his girlfriend and is considering making his way back home–just as home is being packed up and given over to a new owner.
what to do? what to do? what to do?
i don’t have an automatic thank you note generator like the presidents of the united states. but i do write a lot of thank you notes. i don’t send them all because some people who are so very good to me would probably get a little creeped out.
you might think that your day is something that happens to you. the boss man tells you what to do. your body parts either work or they don’t work. people do and say things that are sometimes funny, sometimes loving, sometimes utterly irrational.
but i think life is something we can create. and i guess i think of creation as including thank you’s. even if the only thing you can say thank you to is the sun for rising in the east, that’s at least one thing that takes you outside of the controlled box and into the pilot’s seat. sometimes i can’t think of anything except sun and coffee to be thankful for. that’s all right. but today i have a lot of things to be thankful for. including my dentist. and i will write him a thank you note. i might toss that thank you note–which will encompass nancy his receptionist and laura his assistant–but i will write it and remember them. i feel better already!
in 14 days, the presser home will become someone else’s home. i am happy for the young couple who have purchased this place. i am excited and just a titch worried about what happens next. but i took a bike ride on saturday. i ended up in phillo, illinois which claims as its village motto to be the “center of the universe”. i wonder if NASA knows about this. the center of the universe encompasses slightly under a square mile and has a population of 1,400. its streets are named for presidents and i respect a town that doesn’t forget millard p. fillmore.
some of the people i have met this year have talked about “safe” places and “safe” people. particularly the people with agoraphobia, post traumatic stress disorder or just general “damn this world is a lot more chaotic and strange than i think i can handle”. . . i think phillo taught me that the center of the universe, and the safest spot in the universe are always with me. . . . unless there are particular circumstances. . . .
arlynnpresser 
June 12th, 2012 at 4:42 pm
Too funny Arlynn. You crack me up.
June 12th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
I will acknowledge the miracle of my recovery and be grateful that I’ve found it .
June 12th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
I especially like your blog posting today. I am grateful for your light that shines and enables those around you to see and notice such great things in our lives.
June 12th, 2012 at 8:27 pm
and i’m grateful to you! mark, you do great things and i read about the classes you take and realize i could use some of that in my life! bestest, arlynn
June 12th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
I just laughed my buns off while reading this! (Now I have no buns.)
June 12th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
About 16 years ago I had a major bout with anxiety/depression. I read a sentence in a book that really helped me “let go and let God.”
It said, “No matter who I call on the phone, who I have a face-to-face meeting with or how much I mull something over in my head, I cannot make the sun NOT come up tomorrow.”
I had an incredible feeling of relief when I read this. It was then that I realized I cannot control everything. 🙂
June 13th, 2012 at 12:49 am
Nicely written, Arlynn. Sheesh, girl, you have so much happening at once! I’ve learned to chant in the past few years and my montra has been, “Just breathe…..”. It may sound silly, but it has gotten me through more than a few bad moments and even a few near panic attacks. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I don’t see anything humorous in this posting. You keep on keeping on, girl. And know that you have people all over the world who are willing to help you. Love, peace, blessings, and a home…..wished for you. xoxo Julia
June 13th, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Awesome post, and great reminder of safety within ourselves and others. Thank you sooo much for sharing. A real treat, and a quaint little town! 😀
Pink.
June 13th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Hi Arlynn, A nice asessment. The only safe place is God within us. About 2 years ago, I was told that I had a pancreatic mass and about 6 months to live and started making out my list of things that needed to get done. 3 MRI’s later – the mass is gone. After this dress rehearshal for my own funeral, I woke up one morning and found out that I’m no longer afraid of anything.
June 15th, 2012 at 11:14 am
The whole world is safe. Just not controllable. Even I am OK, really.