July 10, 2006

14 days...

Depression control: a huge bowl of Apple Jacks and Kix, with granola sprinkled in so I can say it was a healthy snack; iTunes repeating REM (Shiny Happy People), the Who (Happy Jack), the Beat Farmers (hubba hubba hubba hubba) and anything by the Partridge Family; top it all off with the toasty warm glowing wave of heat radiating from my 8" high sunburned forehead. I am ready for Optimism! Hope, confidence, cheery and cheeky good humor!



Uh-huh.

Who says I'm depressed? Or did they just mean depressing? I have no reason in the world to be down, moping, or sullen. I have it all, and I appreciate every minute of it. Sitting on the couch right now is The Most Wonderful & Beautiful Wife in the World, watching HBO on the 32" flat screen in our air-conditioned Spanish-tiled Martha-Stewart-would-approve home while the Boys are snoring upstairs in blissful slumber. The cat's snoozing somewhere around here too. I live in the most beautiful city in the world (isn't "el cajon" Spanish for "garden of Eden with 90 degree heat and a tattoo shop on every block"?) surrounded by family and friends, beaches and mountains, Disneyland and Tijuana. My kids are smart and good looking, just like their Dad, and The MW&BWITW tells me every day how happy she is. So not only is she Wonderful & Beautiful and Happy, but she's very good at her job and makes enough money to put gas in my truck and still be able to let me quit my job and go back to school.

For the day I die, I'mma touch the sky -- does it get any better than this?

Obviously, I have no reason to be depressed. I didn't even start listing my own stellar qualities, any number of which would lift a lesser man from the darkest depths. (Ok, I could work on humility.) I really do appreciate the blessings and treasures in my life, even the most mundane aspects of life should not be overlooked or taken for granted.

So what do I appreciate? Hmmm...

  • cereal with cold milk
  • Ringo Starr
  • taco night!
  • my skateboards
  • no broken bones
  • watching Her sleep
  • the Pacific coastline
  • TPetty & his Heartbreakers
  • remote controls
  • my truck
  • "shuffle"
  • babysitters
  • post-it notes
  • #1's good nature
  • #2 taking care of #3
  • #3's imagination
  • Roald Dahl
  • strawberry pizza
  • the Bro's writing
  • OHP breakfast
  • superheroes
  • walks
  • the sun
  • sand + water = beach
  • Starbucks
  • Her smile
  • double plays
  • John Steinbeck
  • road trips
  • Van Morrison
  • ESPN
  • Balboa Park
  • Her soft skin
  • dreams
  • pecan pie
  • family sayings
  • digital technology
  • street football
  • movie night
  • all-time all-star team debates
  • amazon.com
  • Ford Prefect
  • sunday mornings
  • gardens
  • late summer evenings
  • Abbey Road
  • earthworms
  • coffee breaks
  • e-mail
  • bare feet
  • play-doh
  • libraries
  • Springsteen
  • spellcheck
  • greeting strangers
  • globes
  • Her humor
  • cheeseburgers

...and all without mention of Prozac or Pacifico. See, no depression here! Of course we close with Van Halen's Happy Trails to you....

5 comments:

Slim said...

Um, earthworms? Please explain. That's a little weird.

And, I worry that typing MW&BWITW will get old. 'Her' is probably a better choice.

I'm just sayin'

Mr. Nauton said...

Yes, earthworms. And ladybugs, praying mantis, butterflies, dragonflies, ball bugs, fire-flies (still remembered fondly although it's been over 30 years since I catched one), crickets, grasshoppers and even ants, despite apprx 70 billion of them turning my gardenia into an apartment complex.

And thanks for pointing out "Her" will get old too. Now I'm depressed again. Pass the Apple Jacks.

twobuyfour said...

Ringo Starr? Come on. No one appreciates Ringo. The world tolerates Ringo. You may as well have put mosquitos on your list. Well, mosquitos with rythym.

It's good to have a list of things you appreciate. The hard part is keeping that list handy. I try to start every day reminding myself not to take things for granted and assess all the wonderful things in my life. Some days are easier than others. Sunrises, sunsets, walks, my fiance, evenings without bugs, the smiles of my children, seats on the third base side close to the action - these are all things I appreciate, and will never get enough of. I could go on, but it's your post.

Mr. Nauton said...

Wasn't "Mosquitos with Rhythm" Ringo's second choice, in case those "Beatles" fellas didn't pan out?

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