In the hours of early morning

Good morning dear friends from the quiet and "still asleep" neighbourhood that I live in here in south central Kansas.  The sun is yet a ways from coming up along the eastern skyline and if you were to look at the houses along my street you wouldn't see one light on anywhere but here.  I think that's a sign that perhaps either the rest of 14th Street's inhabitants sleep way too long or that I get up way too early.  Depends upon how you look at it I guess.  All I know is that when the alarm went off two hours ago I just plain got up and the day began.

Friends and family have asked me for many years now why it is that I get up at 4 a.m. each morning, rain or shine, 7 days a week, day "in" and day "out".  They (well not ALL of "they" but a big part of them) think I'm "crazy" and I'm not so sure that some days I wouldn't agree with them.  But for most of my life, that's been how I do it.  And although I know that it's not the best way, I usually can survive on about 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night.  I get by~

One thing I've gained by this hour or two of quiet solace before I start the day is that it seems to be a good time to be able to gather my thoughts about me.  I get to drink a couple of cups of coffee, listen to music (the ONLY music by the way~70's music),  have a good conversation with God and think about being the proverbial "plate spinner".  At this point in time of life, I've got a bunch of those plates spinning and although none of them have crashed to the ground yet, some are getting kind of close to it.  It has been troubling me for the past few weeks and evidently troubling me enough to write about this morning.

For those of you "little kids" out there reading this (anyone born from about 1962 onward), the "plate spinner guy" entertained folks on the Ed Sullivan show on TV many Sunday nights when I was a kid growing up.  He was great!  His variety act involved some pretty cool stuff but my most favourite part to watch was when he got about 20 plates spinning side by side as they rested atop flexible poles on stage.  I don't ever recall one plate dropping to the floor and crashing.  Oh, not that there weren't times that they ALMOST did, but that guy knew his stuff and he was about as talented as the 8-year old little girl that I "used to be" had ever seen. I didn't realize at the time that he was sending me a "subliminal" message that years later I would relate to my own adult life.  The "plate spinner guy" is long gone now but for all of the times I marvelled at his work, I do so thank him.

My life's kind of full right now, with lots of responsibilities that I've undertaken.  Some days, it gets a little overwhelming.  But I bet every single one of you reading this can say the very same thing.  We're all a lot alike in many respects.  Most of us cannot say "no" to things and helping others and the truth be told, we really do like to help out wherever we can.  In my own life, there have been so many times when people stepped up to "pick up the slack" for me when I could not do so for myself and for those folks, I've always been grateful.  To "pay it forward" in honour and remembrance of all the times it was done for me is a way that I can help.  There is not a one of you reading this that hasn't paid it forward as well and please, may I thank you for doing so?

One of the things I learned when "old lefty" was broken for those long 9 months was that it was "ok" to ask people for help.  It was a humbling experience to no longer even do the most simple things for myself.  Those requests for help came early on in the hospital when I had to ask for help even getting in and out of the bathroom.  It's not so much fun to have to ask for help in there and if you've ever been in that spot, you'll understand what I'm saying. By the time I got back to school, it was weeks before I could do even the most routine things.  But at my school, Lincoln Elementary, people help one another.  My friends there helped me tie my shoes, put on my necklace, button up my clothes, open up doors, carry stuff around for me, and even clip my fingernails.  And that's just the start~What a lesson for me to learn, that even I could not do it all alone and on my own.  It was a wonderful wake up call, a good "whack to the side of the head" for me to learn.  Asking for help was no longer a sign of being weak~instead, it was a sign of strength.  Stronger I became not only in body but in my mind and my spirit as well.  I told you then and I will continue to say now~The very best thing that could have ever happened to me was having that accident on that early August morning, now coming onto 2 years ago.  I changed for the better and before it was too late.

My plates are full, but hey so are yours.  Much lies ahead of me before I leave Kansas in late May to my new home in Colorado with Mike.  When I shared my concerns about having so much yet to do with one of my dear friends at school, they gave me the best advice~"Take life in chunks, bite off each day only what you can chew that day and for heaven's sake, ask for help in getting things done!"  So today, I'm gonna try to remember that, especially about the part of asking for help in getting things done and also remember to enjoy each day that comes before me.  I don't want to miss the blessings that are right in front of me because I am so worried and concerned about things that might not even happen to begin with.  I am such a SLOW learner you guys.  My life here in Kansas has been blessed, quite mightily I might add.  My life, my future in the beautiful place called Montrose, Colorado will be blessed as well.  I'm thankful that God saw fit to put one man and one woman in just the right place in time together.  We really were never that far apart to begin with~but to everything there is a season....leastwise, that's what the "Good Book" says.  

Wishing for you all a wonderful Tuesday on this earth.  Take care of yourselves and one another.  Thanks for reading this and you know what?  Even if no one had ever read it, I would still write it.  I feel better already :)  

At the "scene of the crime"~August of 2011~We spray painted an "x" to mark the spot so I wouldn't ever be foolish enough to try THAT trick again.