A Little Sweeter at Home

People tend to wait for the proverbial 'door to open.' Some offer hope to their disappointed friends by saying, "When one door closes, another will open." This statement made me think, what about our windows of opportunity? Windows of opportunity are favorable options for doing something that must be taken immediately. Windows open; however, in time, sometimes known or unknown, the window lowers itself back down to a closed position. If you don't take the chance, the window closes, and you miss that opportunity. My question is, are we ignoring the windows of opportunity because we are waiting for a gold paved path to a huge leaded glass French door? Are we missing out on humble beginnings because we seek more substantial options?  What if the little window we have to crawl through means freedom? What if the small window can be remodeled into a large French door? Are we waiting for the perfect option? Unfortunately, an ideal opportunity may not exist. Are we missin

Today as I was driving to my father's house, the interstate was busier than usual. Usually, you just fly onto the roadway with a glance to make sure no one is coming. This day was different. This time, I had to carefully merge between a semi-truck and an SUV to get onto the interstate.  After squeezing into my spot on the road, I just drove, keeping up with the semi-truck in front of me.  I went several miles with no thoughts about anything, almost robotically. At that moment, I was very content in my lane.  When I happened to look down at my speedometer, I noticed that I was going five miles under the speed limit, which is entirely unlike me. After realizing how comfortable I was in the right lane going slower than the speed limit, it made me think about life and the decisions we make along the way. At that moment, I was content going slow and enjoying the ease of not making any moves. I thought about times in my life that I had periods just like that: comfortable and with the flo

  I did not skip the traditional Southern New Year's dinner this year; not because I'm superstitious, but because we can use all of the positive vibes we can get! Additionally, I love southern comfort food, and because 2020 has been a tough year, I needed some comfort in the form of a meal.  For those who are not familiar with the Southern New Year's traditional meal, it consists of black-eyed peas, greens, some form of pork, and cornbread. It is one of the best meals for cold winter nights, so it is a perfect way to start the new year.  Even though today's high was near 70 degrees, we still ate our traditional meal.  Additionally, I love the tradition's humbleness, and it is an inexpensive way to share the new year with others.   While the traditions may vary, here is a little background on the Southern New Year's Meal. Black-eyed peas.  It has been said that during the Civil War, the Union's troops left the black-eyed peas and salted pork because they tho