Jesus The Superhero!

The discussion regarding various educational options goes on here in Canada and I happened to mention one of the schools I was considering was a Catholic school. The ensuing carversation went like this:

La-la: "Hold up a minute there Mother - did you say, Catholic school?"

Me: "Why yes, Daughter, I did!"

La-la: "Nope, nope just nope! I know that gang - they'll have us praying all day!"

La-la Sees Herself Like This - All day!

Me: "Well you might have to learn a few prayers but that's hardly going to do you any harm is it?"

La-la: "Huh! That's what you think!"

She was about to say something else when the Dude jumped in - very excited!

The Dude: "Oh! Oh! Wait a minute! The Catholics! Aren't they the ones with Jesus! Oh my God! That guy's so cool! Isn't he the one with the superpowers?"

Nobody got a chance to answer as he immediately answered his own question without pausing for breath.

The Dude: "Yes! Yes! He is! He can fly and everything! And he died and came back to life again! That guys so coooooool!"

I'm Thinking This Is How The Dude Sees Jesus!

And there you have it folks - I suppose you'd call that the power of Jesus - the ultimate superhero - at least according to the Dude. 😀

Do You Ever Wonder?

Do you ever wonder just by saying something are you actually sending a big fat challenge out to the Universe or God or who / whatever runs this whole show??? You know the old adage - humans make plans and God laughs. Well, I'm thinking there's something else at work when certain humans (like me!) make a big statement or dare to express happiness - it seems to convert into a sort of inter-galactic alert and some celestial committee decides these particular humans seem to be far too content with their lot - and it's time to screw with them!

The Universe, God, Whatever! There Seems To Be Something
Out There!

Honestly, it has been a delight to see the Dude so happy in his new school here in Canada. School and the Dude are not a natural fit and it has been a battle to get him to go ever since he started way back in Kindergarten.

Kindergarten Dude - Looking Decidedly Unsure!

I was fully expecting a complete nightmare sending him to a new school in a new country and at the worst possible time of year - final term. However, he has taken to the Canadian education system like a duck to water! And the day before yesterday I happily shared my delight at this fact with anyone who would listen! It would seem this was a mistake - I should have said nothing!

Yesterday came and it was a disaster! In his efforts to make friends at his new school he has played with both boys and girls and in the past few days has had great fun playing with two girls. So yesterday he was teased by some other girls and boys for playing with just these two girls.

It was probably harmless teasing along the lines of, "you've got a crush...blah, blah, blah" but the Dude takes all these things very much to heart and now he doesn't want to go to school! And when my stubborn, single-minded boy doesn't want to do something then he REALLY doesn't want to do it!

In the past twenty-four hours we have run the gamut of emotions from anger, to sadness, to tears, and only a mixture of threats and bribes got him out the door this morning.

I hope he has a better day today, maybe even a good one but I'll tell you something right now - you won't hear it from me if he does!

From Now On  - This Be Me!

Haircuts and Happy Hearts

There's a beautiful post going viral today about a little boy who decided to get a haircut the same as his friend's so that their teacher wouldn't be able to tell them apart!

Below is a picture of the two boys.

The Adorable Jax And Reddy!

You don't need me to point out that they're not exactly identical!

This post from today reminded me of a post I put on my facebook page last week.  The text of that post is below:

"Yesterday evening I went to pick the kids up from after school care. When I arrived all the kids were gathered in a semi-circle watching a bit of television. They all had their hats on, with their backs to the door and one was pretty much indiscernible from the other.

I noticed two little boys just off to the left, immediately in front of me. I noticed them because the bigger of the two had his arm wrapped around the other little boy's shoulders and then he gave a gentle rub on the tiny guy's back followed by a squeeze.

The tiny guy turned and gave his friend a smile that said, "thank you."

The bigger boy turned and smiled back, his smile saying, "it's ok, I'm here for you."

And my heart nearly blew right out of my chest with such a surge of motherly love and pride because
the bigger boy was my son."

What I didn't mention in that post is that my son is as pale as the freshly fallen snow on the mountains in Ireland in winter time and his little friend is as dark skinned as the sky on a moonless African night.

But neither of them see the colour of each other's skin. They see each other's smiles and they laugh and play and they see when the other is a little sad and needs a bit of support.  

They are gloriously free of prejudice and hatred and just like Jax and Reddy their little hearts beat stronger and their souls shine brighter because of it.

I accompanied my facebook post with the hashtag #justmightbedoingsomethingright and yeah - I just might be and my heart is that bit happier today to see Jax and Reddy's beautiful story.  It shines like a beacon through all the darkness of recent months when so many headlines have been dominated by hate speak.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jax's mum when she says, "If this isn’t proof that hate and prejudice is something that is taught I don’t know what is.”

Matching Haircuts And Smiles!

Ugh!

I was rearranging the ironing pile yesterday when I came across two perfect little white orbs.

Gecko Eggs

Now I've seen a few strange things in my time in Australia but nothing like this. So, like the curious fool I am, I picked them up! (Well they LOOKED harmless!) At first I thought they were tiny white pebbles but then I was struck by their symmetrical perfection and that's when it occurred to me that they might be "organic"... So, I tried to squish them. Why I did this - I have absolutely no idea! Because the possible ick factor was high - very high! But they didn't give, so I examined them again. I was impressed - they were hardy little things - whatever they were.

La-la came into the room and saw that I was looking at something in my hand.

"Whatchya got there, mother?" she asked.

I showed her what I'd found and, her being the National Geographic / Discovery Channel eco warrior, animal loving princess that she is, I was pretty sure she'd know. She scrunched up her face.

"Hmmmm... eggs," she said, "definitely some type of egg but what type of egg - that is the question."

I looked at her, not quite sure now about holding something in my hands that had the distinct possibility of a creature hatching out of it!

"Well what do you think?" I asked, just a hint of panic in my voice now.

"Could be cockroach," she replied.

She said something else too but I didn't hear it. I'd heard the word "cockroach" and that was it! With my hand stretched out in front of me as far as it would possibly go - without actually dislocating my shoulder - I ran down the hallway. I may even have been screeching and ughing - yes that's now officially a word! I reached the back door and wrenched it open. With one final, "Ugh!" I flung those babies as far as they would possibly go!

Ugh!

I turned around to find a disgusted animal lover looking at me with a shocked look on her face.

"Or gecko eggs," she said, "they just might have been gecko eggs! But I don't suppose we'll ever find out now."

I narrowed my eyes to slits.

"You said the cockroach word," I informed her, "you know what even just the mention of those vile things does to me!"

"Humph! She announced, "I'm going to get the ipad now and find out exactly what poor creatures you have thrown into the wind!"

By the time I had sufficiently recovered and joined the rest of my family upstairs, the general conclusion was that they must have been spider eggs - like giant spider eggs! Visions of waking up during the night to a super-sized Huntsman on my face looking for revenge for her babies sent a shiver down my spine. I was secretly planning on moving out when Big Daddy whispered in my ear, "we're only having you on, you're okay, they're not giant spider eggs."

One of The "Locals"! The "Giant" Huntsman Spider
Ugh!

It's not in Big Daddy's nature to admit to a prank so now I was even more concerned!

A snake! I thought to myself, that bastard knows they're snake eggs!

I called La-la over.

"Is there a chance those eggs were snake eggs?"

She ponders my question.

"There's a possibility..."

"Sweet Jesus!!" I exclaim. I now had visions of a mama snake sinking her fangs into me in the middle of the night (cuz everything horrid happens in the middle of the night!) in retribution for throwing her babies away. At this stage I was moving out and taking MY babies with me.

"But more than likely gecko eggs," La-la reassured me.

I located the ipad and stabbed the words, "gecko eggs" into the google search engine.

I sighed with relief when images of the perfect little orbs I'd held in my hands appeared on the screen. A revenge seeking gecko, I could deal with.

Only thing is, I betchya any money it's supposed to be lucky to find gecko eggs and I've probably gone and thrown it away! Ah well at least I can stop worrying about being poisoned to death by a snake or giant spider in my bed - if I can avoid that, then I'll count myself lucky enough!

They Seek Him Here, They Seek Him There But Santa Is Simply Everywhere!

I was walking along the local strip of bars and restaurants the other day with the kiddies when the Dude suddenly grabbed my hand and said, "don't look now but Santa is sitting at that restaurant."

Part Of The Local Strip

I immediately started "looking". 

"Mum, stop!" The Dude demanded.
"Why?" I asked, "why do you not want me to see Santa?"
"Because," he replied, "I haven't exactly been on my best behaviour in the past few days and if he sees me he might be able to tell."

I struggled to hold back my smug grin.

"Ok," I said, "you walk on a bit and I'll have a peek and see if it really is him."
The Dude was thrilled with this idea and immediately skipped away.

However, at this stage his sister was wondering what the hell was going on. He hadn't got far when she turned around to say something and obviously spotted "Santa".

"Oh my God!" she announced, "there's a guy over there that looks just like Santa!"

At this point I just HAD to see this guy!

I turned and my mouth dropped as I confirmed with my own eyes that Santa was indeed having coffee in the local 'hood. He was dressed in a mustard yellow shirt with light brown trousers but there was no doubt this guy was Santa! I turned back to The Dude to tell him he was right, only to discover my son beaming brightly and waving at Santa! On being spotted, he'd obviously very quickly changed strategy!

In His Usual Guise of Red Suit
The One & Only
 Santa Claus!

I turned again to look at "Santa" who was now smiling and waving back at the Dude. He then gave a special wave and a nod and a wink in my direction and a mutual understanding passed between us. I nodded and smiled back and I laughed all the way home.

Ah Santa - they seek him here and they seek him there but Santa?  Santa is everywhere!😀

Together Forever

I was sitting on the couch with the Dude cuddled up to me last night and as is his way - he started asking random questions...

The Dude: Mum, how old will I be in fifty years time?
Me: Well you're eight years old now so add fifty years on.
The Dude: Fifty-eight?
Me: Yes.
The Dude: Can people live to one hundred?
Me: Some, but it's not common.
The Dude: Will you and Daddy live to one hundred?
Me: I don't think so but we'll give it our best shot.
The Dude: Oh.

The lovely Dorothy Howe - who credited
her reaching 100 years to drinking
a generous amount of whiskey!

At this stage I realised there was something going on and I could almost hear the whirring noises inside his brain. I paused the new Star Trek movie we were all supposed to be watching, reasoning that I could wait another few minutes to see where Captain Kirk and his crew would, "boldly go where no man has gone before."

Me: What is going on Dudey? What's on your mind?
The Dude: I'm just trying to figure out how old you and Daddy will be fifty years from now and how old I will be.
Then his little voice faltered and I could see his eyes shining bright with unshed tears, "I just want us all to be together forever," he whispered.

The Dude And His Mammy

I looked into those eyes - so full of pure love and for a few seconds my heart stopped beating and my whole body felt as if it had melted. However, behind the love I could see a glimmer of fear and I knew I had to reassure my boy.

"It's not whether myself and Daddy live to be a hundred or if you live to be fifty-eight," I assured him, "the important thing is to love each other in the here and now and not to worry too much about the future. We just need to take each day at a time and get the most out of being together and have lots of fun."

He smiled a watery smile and slid his little arms around me. "Okay Mummy," he said, "I'll do that but can you try to live to be a hundred anyway?"

I smiled and promised him I'd give it my best shot!

Fifty years from now I'll
be digging into one
of these!

How Your Inner Cynic Can Guide You To The Things You Need To Hear!

This morning I was taking my usual cursory glance at the headlines over my morning coffee, when, one in particular, caught my eye.  "Is THIS the secret to happiness?"  the attention grabbing headline asked.  As one who is on a constant quest for any scrap of happiness I can find, I immediately zoomed in a little closer on the seductive sentence...  It was accompanied by a photo of an attractive brunette in oversized glasses and with bright red lips.  Further perusal of the rest of the headline informed me that the lady in the photo was the blogger who has come up with a fifteen point plan to guide you to happiness.

It was at this point I had to ask if I'm the only over-weight, plain looking blogger on the planet! Any of them that go viral always seem to look like they could do modelling on the side. But I digress... Not only was this lovely lady a blogger and personal development guru but she was also described as a "happiness guru".  A happiness guru!  What the hell is a happiness guru and why the hell aren't I one of those???

The lovely Luminita

I have to admit at this point that my inner cynic jumped into action.

"For fuck sake!" It announced loudly, "here we go again, some self-appointed personal development quack, calling herself a bloody happiness guru, feeding us all a load of trite bullshit about what we need to do to be 'happy'."  I swigged my coffee, ready to move on to the next headline but my inner cynic wasn't quite finished.  "Spare me!" It announced in an even louder voice.

So, of course, always up for pissing my inner cynic off, I clicked on the headline. If there was a chance that there was even one nugget of advice as to how to improve my chances of happiness in this lifetime then I wasn't going to risk passing it up!

And I am so glad I did!  Because it would seem the lovely Luminita - also known as The Purpose Fairy - is onto something...  Below is her list of the fifteen things you need to give up in order to achieve happiness.

15 THINGS YOU NEED TO GIVE UP TO BE HAPPY 

1. Always being right

2. Always being in control

3. Apportioning blame

4. Self-defeating thoughts

5. Limiting beliefs

6. Complaining 

7. Criticising

8. Impressing other people 

9. Resisting change

10. Labelling people

11. Fear

12. Making excuses 

13. The past

14. Attachment

15. Living up to others' expectations

The article went into each point in more detail and the more I read the more I was impressed.  I've come to all these conclusions myself over the years.  Every experience I had to go through to finally arrive at these conclusions was a painful lesson and I instantly recognised that Luminita hadn't come to creating this list without a significant amount of pain in her own life.  No-one does.  I have to admit I still struggle with understanding some of these truths and applying them on a daily basis - especially number fourteen - attachment.  However,  I continue to explore their meaning.  I've been sidetracked and sidelined in recent months from this sort of exploration and feel I am none the better for it.  So, despite my inner cynic's objections, I am very glad I clicked on this headline this morning as it provided a very timely reminder to take a step back and have a look at the bigger picture.  And I would add another point - always listen to your inner cynic and then do the exact opposite!

Luminta has written a beautiful book entitled "Fifteen Things You Need To Give Up To Be Happy - An Inspiring Guide To Discovering Effortless Joy."  It will be going on my bookshelf very soon.  

Luminita's Book

The article appeared in the Daily Mail.  The link is below.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3867048/Blogger-reveals-15-things-need-happy.html