Ode to laundry…

Just kidding!

I bet you read that title, and thought about not visiting my blog today….considering that my previous, VERY STALE post was about laundry too. You may have asked yourself, "does this gal think about anything other than her crazy, out of control laundry?"

Well, sometimes. :)

I've been thinking about how I wanted a theme word for the year. I wanted a word that defined my life in a nicely tied little package and would create a sense of purpose..

The winning word:

serendipity

Frankly, I find the word a bit quirky...but I love it's meaning!

And I had never understood it's meaning…until now.

(One of my few encounters with it was seeing it on a book that I read as a child with a pink dragon on it with the title "Serendipity." Does anyone else remember that??)

So….why this word, and what on earth does it mean anyway? (Or maybe you and your dictionary are better friends than I am with mine and already knew what it meant.)

Let me explain…for those who actually read blogs all of the way through.

( Brace yourself....it's a long one.)

I was fortunate to be in my car the other day when I turned on a.m. radio (because I'm a nerd like that) and found Glen Beck interviewing Richard M. Eyre about his book "The Three Deceivers". Can I just say that I need more real brain food? You know, brain food. The stuff that makes me actually have to think!?!?

So, anyway, while listening I got really excited because they were describing exactly how I try to/want to live my life. I went to Glen's site (we're on a first name basis you know) and found the transcript. I even liked the conversation more the second go around. I would like to share a most poignant quote by Eyre.

"We measure ourselves by how much we control. We get frustrated when we can't control things, even when we're talking about our own kids. We think we own our kids. We should control them, we should control the people around us, we shouldn't need anyone. And what we end up is we get more isolated, we get more lonely, we get more frustrated and we get more jealous because there's always someone that owns more than we do and controls more than we do and so, you know, they all lead us away."

"We want to get people into the idea that what we're saying is, look, these are three powerful economic principles; let's keep them forever. Let's never give up on them for our economy and for our private personal economies, but let's not carry them over to where they become our spiritual paradigms because they all lead us away from humility, they lead us away from a dependence on God, they lead us away from kind of a wonderful serendipity adventuresome kind of a life where we say, you know, I don't want to control everything; I want to just respond correctly to the things that surprise me every single day." (click and read more.)

I totally loved what he Eyre had to say and might even get his book…when I promise myself to use it for it's original purpose instead of as a paper weight as I do with most of our book. Sigh

To learn more i went to Wikipedia and it gave a simple, concise definition.

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

While researching I even picked out a couple of cool examples in history to share.

Corn flakes and wheat flakes (Wheaties) were accidentally discovered by the Kelloggs brothers in 1898, when they left cooked wheat untended for a day and tried to roll the mass, obtaining a flaky material instead of a sheet.

The Slinky was invented by US Navy engineer Richard T. James after he accidentally knocked a torsion spring off his work table and observed its unique motion.

Cyanoacrylate-based Superglue (a.k.a. Krazy Glue) was accidentally twice discovered by Dr. Harry Coover, first when he was developing a clear plastic for gunsights and later, when he was trying to develop a heat-resistant polymer for jet
canopies ^{[disambiguation needed]}.

The microwave oven was invented by Percy Spencer while testing a magnetron for radar sets at Raytheon, he noticed that a peanut candy bar in his pocket had melted when e xposed to radar waves.

Hooray for serendipity!

I'm now noticing that serendipitous experiences are plentiful!

Here's another definition of serendipity

“A state of mind wherein a person, through awareness and sensitivity, frequently finds something that is better than the thing he was seeking.”

When you are looking for it,
serendipity
is everywhere!.

The world (ie. my concrete) becomes a canvas.
Until i make them clean it up!

A chew toy becomes a crown for a prince.

Scrap wood becomes a bridge that leads to childhood bliss.

A punctured ball becomes a very fashionable hat(and solar head warmer, I might add.)

Paint stir sticks become a manger for the Baby Jesus.

A seldom mis-used potty is re-purposed as a hat.

And a regular quilt becomes a child eating human burrito.

Oh the possibilities never end!

I even noticed that at times, I already apply the principal in my life.

For example:

On Monday I woke up started my day with a proverbial match lit under my toosh.

I WAS ON FIRE!

I don't know about you, but I EMBRACE those mornings when I just can't stop the thoughts and plans from flowing through my dusty brain.

It's the type of day when you say to yourself, "self, I could practically accomplish ANYTHING!"

And then….life…..it happened. And it happened to me.

Up until that fateful hour, everything had gone according to my plans.

5:15-5:45 Roll over and feed Dallin.

5:50- Slide out of bed.

6:10-7:00-Workout...which actually starts at 6:00 but oh well.

7:15-Come home and jump in the shower.

7:25-Get dressed and put make-up on.

7:30-Finish breakfast preparations started by Patrick and sit down to eat some yummy oatmeal/nurse Dallin/read scriptures together.

8:00- scoot the hubby out the door with a kiss and clean up breakfast.

8:15- Sit down to read scriptures (well, technically I listen to them and follow along in the B of M) while kiddies play happily…. (remember…it's still before 9 a.m. The fighting/whining/tattling hadn't started yet.)

8:30- I look over at Anna (still in her 10 pounder from the night before…which I was going to change NEXT and notice it.

A prize winning

DIAPER EXPLOSION!

When I surveyed the scene, I immediately thought, "they just had baths last night! It is not in my PLAN to clean up the HORRIBLE mess (which most defiantly would require another bath.) At that point, on a bad day, my progress could have come to a screeching halt . Thwarted by my own disappointment…..but in this instance (thankfully) I did the right thing.

As I peeled the stench infested green dinosaur jammies off of her warm little body, I reminded myself that this unfortunate (and very stinky) event didn't have to become the bane of my existence (as long as I was covering my nose.) That's it.

This seems so trivial and inconsequential, but it's huge.

Tremendous even.

So, without any further adieu, everyone happily piled into the bath tub (after the little remnants had been purged) and had a wonderful time.

That's my story.

Nothing profound, just a conscious decision to respond correctly to the things tend to pop up sooooooo frequently as a mommy.

So my word 'o' the year is, SERENDIPITy, may it live on…

So I spend fewer days this year than last, wondering where my days have gone, shouting, I've been robbed!!!!

I HOPE YOU (AND I) HAVE A MOST SERENDIPITOUS DAY!

I know I'm not using the word exactly as it was intended, but you catch my drift, right??

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.~John Lennon

Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb