Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Enjoying the Little Things



A couple of weeks ago I was walking through the Allen Centennial Gardens during lunch, as is my wont, when a student asked if I would complete a survey. I said sure and wondered if she knew about the bald cardinal. Well! Not only did she know about him, but she had gossip about him – it seems that he has a mate and a nest with babies, but he has been flirting with another female. Imagine being that self-confident: here is the ugliest cardinal I have ever seen in my life, and he’s a total player! The student asked me what had brought me to the Gardens, and she said, “To see the bald cardinal?” but I told her it was actually to pray the rosary over my lunch break, so she wrote something down quickly – probably just “a walk,” or “lunch break.” She asked me some other questions, like what school district I lived in, and my ethnicity, to which I replied, “Irish, I guess,” and she checked a box. Probably “white,” which is NOT an ethnicity but a race. I somehow doubt there would be a box for “Irish,” although it would be a common enough ethnicity around here. Almost as common as German, which is also my ethnicity but not nearly as much, per that genetic test.

Today I returned to Allen Centennial Gardens for their Wednesday Wellness program, which today was making some scented dough, not for baking but just for kneading. I scented mine with lavender, lemon, and orange, much like the perfume I made during the same program last week. These free diversions are so much fun, but the people who could probably benefit most don’t go to them, just people like me who already know how to enjoy the little things in life. Then I went to a meeting on the top floor of a tall building, and the meeting room had huge windows overlooking the campus and both lakes. I made sure to sit facing the windows! Going to meetings in rooms with beautiful views and making fun floral things are just some of the free perks of working on this campus. College towns are the best!

Famous Hat


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