Simple Joys

Welcome to Simple Joys on Chief 187™Chatter.

Life was overwhelming last week. So much good was going on while, at the same time, disaster, it seemed, lurked behind every corner.

I’m not going to lie to you, I lost it. Maybe I lost it several times for a few seconds here and there, but on Wednesday last, I all out lost it completely. Crying, despair, ranting, hopelessness, and nearly to the point of giving up was where I was. But, I didn’t give up.

My steadfastness coupled with the stress release I allowed to happen, resulted in a tremendous Simple Joy I will share in this article.

And now, without further ado, is this week’s Simple Joys.

Karate. My two sons take Karate and have been studying it for years. My eldest son is a brown belt who tested for his 1st Degree Brown. He is six months away from potentially being a black belt candidate. My middle boy earned his “High Orange” belt and is so very proud of his accomplishments. Normally my daughter and I stay at home and their father takes the boys to class, but I wanted to be there for their testing.

My eldest son spars as a part of his training. He had to endure a line fight with four adult black belts to pass his test; he did so with flying colors. It isn’t an easy task! It hurts, is scary as hell, and leaves one breathless and shaken. But my son never gave up and passed splendidly.

Being able to bear witness to my sons’ tests, especially the line fight, while my daughter and I played quietly in the corner of the dojo waiting room was a Simple Joy that was one of the highlights of the past week.

Earache. In no way, shape, or form is an earache a Simple Joy, but my middle boy got one and it was severe. I’ll spare you the gory details, but the pain was unmanageable and the boy was truly under the weather for many days. Having the good fortune to be a stay-at-home mommy to care for him is a Simple Joy I thank my lucky stars and husband for every single day since becoming a mother.

The breakdown. Sick children, husband in an intense Master’s program that is stressing him out and keeping him away from home several days a week, and trying to debut my own Internet Radio show during the middle of the week is a recipe for disaster.

My son’s earache prompted me to cancel all of our busy Wednesday appointments. A friend thankfully offered to take my eldest to his Den meeting, and I tried to concentrate on the premiere of my racing program, Drafting the Circuits with Chief 187™, Crate, and Sinista-1.

But a combination of the inflamed ear, a two-year-old daughter who makes messes because they are fun and gets her attention, and a feeling of inadequacy led to my ultimate breakdown!

It is my opinion that strong people are the ones who allow themselves to have a breakdown. We cannot be perfect, do it all ourselves, and figure everything out in a timely fashion all of the time. My breakdown was a Simple Joy because, once finished, it offered peace and clarity and the knowledge that I would get through everything I had to confront.

Hanlon Razor. I’ve written about this man before. He is a dear friend and a colleague in my Internet Radio world.

Sitting down at my computer, moments before my show debuted, my producer said his computer contracted a virus! He was not sure he could run the show that night! I felt panicked but already had my breakdown so my calmer head surfaced.

While weighing my options my oldest appeared at the door telling me my middle son needed me because, “the pain was so bad”. My husband, of course, was not home from school yet. I zoomed up stairs because I am a mother first. Thankfully my oldest volunteered to stay up late and sit with the boy who had a fresh dose of medicine that needed time to kick in before it worked. They were allowed to watch television. With ten minutes before air time I got back to work.

I contacted Hanlon who is more than capable of producing my show, even though we hadn’t talked about it once. He was doing the Wednesday program I had given up to get my own show. He left the show to his co-hosts while still on air to help me out – with seven minutes to spare.

My co-host, Crate, had never worked with the program we were using so he was nervous and unsure of himself, although he is a veteran radio man. With literally 90 seconds before airtime everything came together perfectly and the show went off without a hitch. Having Hanlon Razor in my world and his graciousness in my time of need is a Simple Joy I will always cherish.

Family Guy. It’s rude, crude, outlandish, and just plain wrong a lot of the time, but my Simple Joy was watching DVR’d episodes with my hubby over the weekend and laughing until tears streamed down my face.

My husband. When he tells me how gorgeous I am and I am in a robe, unshowered, with no make-up on and haven’t run a comb through my hair he makes my heart soar. When he writes beautiful things about how much he loves me on Facebook and Twitter and ladies tell me how lucky I am, I tell them I know it, I’m blessed. Having my husband in my life, supporting me, loving me, still lusting after me, and holding me every night is a Simple Joy I will never tire and never give up.

Life came at me fast and furious with wicked curveballs and stress-inducing factors. I caved in and cried. When I came out the other side I saw the plethora of Simple Joys that occupied my week. I found my strength, my humanity, my friends, and my faith.

Simple Joys is not just a post I write weekly, it is a way of life that has enhanced my life immeasurably.

I wish you all Simple Joys daily!