Tuesday, September 27, 2011

WHAT DO I LOVE? BFF 126

BFF 126
The BFF 126 inspiration this week is “What Do You Love?” And, I said hmmmmm…. What DO I love?

I could certainly make a list of all the things I love, but it would be really long. So, I decided to pick out just a few of the things that I love.

I LOVE FAMILY & FRIENDS: There is nothing more valuable than your family, except your health. You realize this more and more as you age. Some friends are as close to my heart as family. You all know who you are…

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I LOVE GOD & MY BIBLE: I have a deep, unshakable faith. I may have one of the messiest, rattiest Bibles ever. That is because I actually read it….
 



I LOVE OLD DOGS: Pets are not disposable, but there are lots of old dogs at the pound who are euthanized daily. I had 3 dogs from puppyhood to death. The first one to die was 17. Two years later, the other two died just 8 days apart. They were 15 & 16. After 2 more years of a too quiet house, I decided to adopt an old dog from the pound. He was 12 and lived to be 17. Next was a little old yorkie who they said was close to 20. She lived her final days out like a queen.

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My heart broke when I saw a picture of a little dog on the pound site. Her face was the picture of misery while she suffered from one of the worst cases of flea allergy I have ever seen.

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That was 5 years ago. She is 15 now. This is Maggie Mae  today.




Our latest little angel was 8 years old when I adopted her. She was left behind in an eviction…  The prior owner just LEFT HER AND WALKED OFF...  I have tried not to judge that action, but I fail because the action is completely unthinkable to me.

County law required the pound make a reasonable attempt to locate her original owners.  The process took 3 weeks.  When I first saw her, she was nearly withdrawn from everything.  She didn't have any interaction with me.  It was like people didn't exist in her little mind.  She was not interested in the world around her - at all.

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To think about how withdrawn she was at the pound makes me want to cry. How could anybody just walk off and leave their pet behind??? Well, she has been with us for 15 months now and I love her very much. She will never be abandoned again because when I get a pet, it is for life. As I said…pets are NOT disposable. Molly is here for as long as God wills…

I LOVE VEGGIES: YUMMY!!! I love veggies so much that I even eat them for breakfast.
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I grab a bunch of stuff from my veggie drawer in the fridge, then I start chopping. I stir fry it all together, toss in a couple of eggs, then top with shredded cheese. I call it my scrambled veggies…

Yes…that is jalapeno pepper you see in my scrambled veggies… Shut up!!! Walk away…it is none of your business. hahaha

I LOVE RETIREMENT!!! First of all, I must say that I loved my career. I worked 42 years total - 36 of those years in Human Resources for the State of Florida. Although I had days that I hated, overall I could not have picked a career that I think I would have loved more unless I had become a personal injury attorney, but that realization came really late in my career through my work with workers compensation laws and the family medical leave act. Who knew? LOL

But…back to retirement… I love retirement because, FINALLY, I can stay at home and enjoy all of the things I love. I said I wasn’t going to make a list, but I do want to share what I love doing in my retirement.

I LOVE:

Sleeping until I don’t want to sleep any more

Long lingering time with my Bible and a cup of cappuccino

Breakfast at noon

PJ days
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Riding down to the lake on my adult tricycle with my little Molly in the rear basket and my camera in the front basket

Writing… Who knew I would ever write fiction. SURPRISE!

I LOVE LIFE!!!

It doesn't get any better than this....

By Darlene Cirinna
September 27, 2011

5 comments:

  1. Very, very nice--especially the ending!

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  2. I can honestly say that I love every single thing you spoke of!
    My career was exceptional and my retirement, so far, is phenomenal and dogs are my passion right up there with writing.
    Family and good health are nothing to be taken for granted, but rather the blessings we need to embrace daily!
    Love this, really enjoyed it. :)

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  3. I love your list of loves Darlene!! Each and every one made me smile!

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com/

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  4. I totally agree about loving retirement. I took early retirement 14 years ago, and it was the best decision I ever made :-)

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  5. @ Beth: The ending was my favorite part...

    @ Jo: I think you and I live in parallel universes...LOL

    @ Kathy: I'm glad you enjoyed my little list. I enjoyed writing this one...

    @ Paula: WOW! 14 years already. I'm only just past the 3 year mark. I'm looking forward to many, many more years. I actually retired @ 54, then worked 6 more years because I was afraid to be without a job. I was afraid our retirement income wouldn't be enough and our health care too much...I worried myself silly before I finally just let go. It has been great! I should have done it sooner. I was still too young for SS when I retired, but even so, it looks like we planned well enough.

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