Just Loving Life…

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Dear Reader:

Do you see what I see?  Miniature peaches are growing on my patio! After saying that I just didn’t have time to grow vegetables, fruits or edibles… (since my flower garden consumed so much of my time to maintain)… God thought differently.

When I first saw the plant container (back in early spring) and glanced at the silver tag…all I read was patio peach….and “assumed” it meant some kind of peach blossom. I was thinking how pretty the blossom would be and I bet it had a great fragrance!

I needed something big for the patio so I got it and now I realize what I got- miniature/dwarf peaches…(after taking the time to read the label again.)

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Actually I have three peaches growing on the plant! I am a peach grower…who would have ‘thunk it’? The whole thing just makes me so happy!

I honestly have no direction for this blog post today other than to say “I’m happy.” And it is not the kind of happiness that depends on circumstance. (since my car is still in an ambiguous state of health, my hot water heater just died and I pray every day that my two old heating/air conditioning units make it through another day.)

But today….right now…I am a peach grower and I am just plain “peachy”  about it!

I was reading a short interview recently on Pharrell Williams, who sang the mega-hit “Happy” (originally for the Disney movie Despicable II -2014) and the effect this song has had on his life.

He said, in the interview, that in hindsight every thing in his life had been leading up to this song. He owed all his happiness to the people in his life who helped guide him to this happy place….his grandmother, who, while dying of cancer, begged him to go to music camp one summer, his music teachers in middle and high school who encouraged him to pursue music and friends and family who never gave up on him.

When his first big single came out…it flopped. Williams said he did go into a temporary depression…asking himself “What went wrong”….only to realize later that the lyrics were all about him…excluding his audience and others in his life.

He said it was the best mistake he ever made…true happiness isn’t self-centered…it is far-reaching….far-sharing…a feeling that encompasses young and old, from everywhere around the earth… in every culture.

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He found what he was looking for….In “Happy.” Williams says that it doesn’t matter where he is traveling in the world today….young and old recognize him (by his hat) and begin singing and dancing to “Happy.” It is such a catchy tune you just have to start moving when you hear it.

Williams says that he has learned that happiness is at the core of humanity…we all want to be happy…silly, deliriously happy. We want to just feel happy for the moments in life that make us feel carefree and joyful again…no prerequisites (money, possessions, home location, education, job security)  needed. Happiness is free.

So until tomorrow…A thought came to me (while  I allowed a few ‘pity party’ moments to hover around me concerning broken appliances and vehicles)…. that there is a way to make a  free payment each and every day!

Pay someone else a compliment! And guess what? You will feel HAPPY!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

IMG_6203Anne shot me an email to say she arrived safe and sound in Oregon and is now enjoying the Pacific ocean on a cool, windy afternoon….life is good….Anne says she is “happy!

Now get ready to sing along and dance with sheer happiness! Like blowing bubbles…you can’t be sad while listening to this video….great way to start the day!

Pharrell Williams – Happy (Official Music Video) – YouTube

* Sometimes we need an official “face lifter” to make us smile and be happy…especially when we are very tired….Tommy is very fortunate to have Kaitlyn!

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Kaitlyn made a music video for Rutledge’s first birthday last year (2014) using the back ground music from “Happy.”

Happy Birthday Rutledge! – YouTube

* I remember last year when this song (“Happy”) was all the rage Eva Cate would bounce up and down in her car seat if we were in the car together every time it came on.

John videoed her dancing to “Happy” last night…she still loves that song…like her Boo. Thank you John!

Now let’s all be happy today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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4 Responses to Just Loving Life…

  1. Gin-gEdwards says:

    Thank you Becky for reminding us each day of how blessed we are and that our true joy lies in a higher power. Love you.

  2. Becky Dingle says:

    Always has….always will! Love ya Gin-g!

  3. Johnny Johnson says:

    I gave you the wrong name for the gas treatment, sorry! The treatment is called Star Torn and it will take the skipping and hard to crank right out of your engine. You should really try it. The stuff works great. You only put a few ounces in a whole tank of fuel and it costs about $10.00 per bottle. That should last a couple of months.
    Because I fell behind reading because we had a death in the family and had to go to Atlanta for better part of a week, I’ll comment on another blog. The piece from the book with the mentally challenged young man. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone had his level of trust and belief in God? Don’t we all know God is all around us and he could be under the bed! I loved that excerpt from the book. I think now I must get the book and read it in it’s entirety. Thank you again for the inspiration! I think I must listen to Happy this morning as I go out to work in the yard!

  4. Becky Dingle says:

    So sorry about your loss…glad you had a safe trip and back and good to hear from you again and your insightful comments…trust in God like a child…it doesn’t get any better.

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