Grand Ol Parking Lot

Funny how perspectives change.

The house I grew up in had a nice, big yard (at least it seemed big to me at the time), that was bumped up right against the parking lot of our local grocery store. This created some definite pros and cons, although the pros were probably more aimed towards my brothers and me (being kids).

One main con was, of course, traffic. Although being in a small town, apart from a few crazy drivers, it wasn’t bad. The lights in the parking lot were sometimes annoying, and our yard would gather bits of trash from litterbugs. Oh, but the pros…

Did you know lit-up parking lots at night are the best kind of rollerblading rink? (I won’t mention the one time a car caught me by surprise… God had His eye on me.) Fun times. Another great thing is that during the winter, the grocery store’s snow had to be piled up somewhere. And being in New York, we got quite a bit of that white stuff. Guess where they piled it? Right along the back edge of our yard. Instant snow hill/fortress.  It was usually too steep for sledding, but that didn’t stop us from sliding down on our bottoms.

When my brother and I were old enough, the grocery store was one of the first places we were allowed to go alone, since it was so close to the house. What a thrill that was! And of course, the distance between the store and home was so short that precious groceries, like cranberry sherbet, didn’t have time to melt before we could eat them. Did I mention there was a video store adjoining the grocery store? Another fun spot to go and pick out that night’s movie rental.

If I were to purchase a house today, one place I would not look would be directly behind a grocery store. I’d see all the cons and would steer clear. Or perhaps…I’d let my inner child come out and I’d see all the grand possibilities. Sliding down a mountain of snow on my bottom does have appeal…

I love hearing from you. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts!

Peace in the Mortification

Lately I've heard myself saying things like, "When I was a kid," or "Years ago..." I suppose now I'm old enough to use those phrases without it seeming ridiculous to those even older than me. Of course, it also makes me feel old, but I suppose that's not going to change any time soon.

Another thing that probably won't change is feeling utterly ridiculous about certain past decisions or behaviors. Everybody looks back on at least one instance in their younger life, smacks themselves upside the head and would prefer never to be reminded of the incident. Now, I gotta say, I don't have too many instances about which I feel too stupid, but there are some. The good news is I've discovered I don't have to keep beating myself up over the past. Why? Because I've learned from it. I realize that not all people have the skill of learning from the past, but I can say with confidence that I'm at least getting better at it. And as I get better, there is peace.

A little back story... Yesterday, my office buddy and I were discussing the fact that my perceptions have changed over the last few years, and I'm able to see situations and people much differently than before. It was an area in which she knew I struggled, but she just had to sit back and wait for me to grow and learn things for myself. Thankfully, she was patient enough to wait.

Realizing how I'd perceived things several years ago, and realizing how it would appall me if I would react to situations now like I did then, I was mortified. And I even said so. My buddy's response? "But there's peace in the mortification." It sounded so funny that we laughed, and I even posted it on Twitter/Facebook, but if you look past the humor, it really is a very profound statement.

Being mortified by past actions means I've matured. I've come to the point where those things actually do mortify me. And that only proves I've grown. Knowing that brings peace of mind. It's a peace knowing that I'm still growing and learning and moving forward. We all do stupid things - it's only when we ignore them and choose not to learn from them that makes it sad.

So I guess I'm proud to say I'm mortified. Which...really sounds weird, but thankfully you've read this post and understand what I mean...I hope.

Here's to being mortified. May we all find peace in mortification, but be less mortified in the future.