Dear Reader:

I have come to the conclusion that since life is short…the only way to squeeze the most out of it is to go lateral!

It is like spreading my favorite pimento cheese on a slice of bread…I know it is going to go fast…because I love pimento cheese (one special brand) but if I spread the cheese thick and cover every single corner of the slice…I will have made the most of one “delicious” moment in life. (My mouth is watering just thinking about it…thanks Jackson for picking me up another container of it!)

When we hear expressions like “Spread the Joy or Spread the Happiness” it is the ‘spiritually correct‘ choice of words. Like my pimento cheese sandwich…if we spread joy and happiness to every corner of the world…reapplying it quite heavily …the world has to respond back with the euphoria of sharing this planet with everyone else.

Instead of me just having one happy place…we are allowing everyone to find his/her own special place that speaks to each of them… without a single word being uttered.

The only problem, we need to keep in mind ( when it come to expanding our  lateral life to its fullest)…is that if we choose to look at life negatively…it, too, will soon cover every corner of the world. The choice is ours… and that brings me back to a favorite quote of mine from Brer Rabbit.

 “Don’t go looking for trouble…it

will find you soon enough.”

Can’t  we mere mortals get ourselves worked up “into a pickle” over things that we have no control over? (Believe me when I say I include myself into this particular “mere mortal” category)

We keep worrying over possible problems that might happen at some time in the foreseeable (or not) future. It is like having an aching tooth…we know if we stick our tongue out and press on it…our tooth is going to hurt like the devil…but we do it anyway…over and over and over again.

Poor God…He must shake His head in disbelief and frustration at His creations that exist in human form.

We are a “piece of work” but certainly not the “work” God originally designed and/or intended.

I think Ellen Burstyn (playing Vivian) in the movie: The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood …while apologizing to her daughter Sandra Bullock (playing Sidda) …summed up the human tendency to prolong the agony of problem-solving with these (now) famous words:

“Oh…you know me Sidda…I can take a bone and chew on it until all the flavor’s gone and then stick it in my hair.”

So until tomorrow…Let’s try burying our “bones of worry” with God…He can handle everything we toss at Him…so let’s toss the bone…rather than “stick it in our hair.” (or we will “laterally” have to use more shampoo)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Burying our worries reminded me of my favorite all-time commercial…remember this one- Travelers Insurance?

Travelers Insurance dog commercial (very funny) – YouTube

* Look what Ambika sent….a collage of precious pictures of Ajay…Ambika also asked for prayers for her… as a new young mother learning afresh about motherhood.

..She told me she was still reading the blog but she was too tired to respond.

Ambika…we have all been there…soon this early babyhood stage of sleeplessness will be a distant memory….replaced by the more demanding challenges of toddler-hood and so on and so on and so on…Welcome to Motherhood!!! It’s a lifetime job…the best one in the world!

*Little Tinker has become a very involved member of the fairy community…she just completed making this Fairies Welcome sign for others who need a place to call home.

* Cindy Ashley just sent me an interesting story about two people who drew a line that forever changed the existing culture of “This land is our land.” Until tomorrow….

* Walsh sent me these pictures…paddle boarding Sunday evening and fishing Monday evening with the beautiful sunset on the horizon…a little male bonding going on….glad that paddle board isn’t short but long…and wide! The good life!