All Together Now...

Ahh... the 80's. We could probably just sum up that decade with the excess of hair. And maybe brooches. Okay, and maybe cinched, pegged jeans.

As much as Will and I love George Michael, the scene where he's wearing the fur-lined hat and a face full of make-up is just awesome. Like a big ole dramatic snow queen.

So again... LOVE the song and his airy voice. But, the comments take it.

mamzelledalton wrote, "Merry Christmas from... a Canadian in France? Happy holidays, world! :)"

And eurovsamerik, "Merry X-mas from Lithuania ;]"

Kevintjez (no relation) wrote, "Merry christmas from the Netherlands :)"

hristinaish, "Merry Christmas from Bulgaria!!! :)"

And there were more, from Poland, Finland and Holland, Hong Kong and Taiwan and Singapore. They were from Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. From Greece and ChongQing, Spain and Qatar. And from Norway and Romania, Iceland and Ireland.

In fact, there were 14,657 more comments and counting.

They were from everywhere...

And being the sap that I am, it got me. How we're all on this beautiful blue marble hanging out there together. All siblings, not really that far removed, with this gorgeous mother. And of course, without her, there would be no gift of life. We would be nothing. There would be no ground beneath our feet, no air for breath, no water for thirst, no trees for shelter and warmth, and no friends or family or loving animal companions to hug for comfort. There would be no humor for laughter and no music to dance to. There would be nothing. As far as nothing could be.

I know you know all of this... I can only speak for myself when I say that sometimes I just forget how truly, truly profound it all is. So, speaking of gifts...

We're all in this package together. Everyday of the year, every year of our lives... So, Happy Today, my brothers and sisters from all over the globe. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy Today.

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How To Be An 88 Year Old Badass

An 88-year-old woman has walked 10-thousand miles in memory of her late husband.

* How To Live To 100

* Three Easy Beginner Meditation Techniques (To reduce stress, bishes...)

* The Other 90% Of Your Brain

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The Simple Things

Will took these photos of our garden back in the early Summer.

The colors aren't quite so vibrant anymore...

Or lush.

And the hues are starting to turn to more melancholy tones that come with Autumn... But still beautiful, nonetheless.

Well, the other morning I awoke feeling a little anxious. Not for any good reason, really. Just anxious and feeling a bit out of my skin.

I grabbed my coffee and headed out into the garden. And took a seat next to the pond.

I took a few really deep breaths (which I don't do often enough) and let the flowing water calm me...

And then, I fed the Koi and Shubunkin... (which may just be the cutest name EVER) and became mesmerized by them like a crackling fire. I felt worry dripping away...

It looked like it was going to rain at any moment. So, I picked

the ripe tomatoes.

And took a bowl and began filling it

with Golden Raspberries from our garden.

Until we moved into this house, I didn't even know there was such a thing. They're unbelievable. A little burst of heaven.

And then, it began to rain softly.

I thought that I should hurry-up and get inside, but then remembered that I wasn't going to melt. I didn't need to hurry anywhere. So, I let the warm rain gently fall upon my head while I picked the fresh raspberries. And I remembered what beauty there is in simple things. That really aren't so simple.

(Those little assholes will follow your cursor if you move it over their "pond". And if you click, you can actually feed them. And let me tell you, they're hungry little bastards.)

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BRING OUT YER DEAD!!

Holy smokes, this bastard

was sure busy last week, wasn't he? Dang... Got a little carried away there, don't you think, sport?

I have to say that I was greatly saddened by all of the very public deaths last week... And two of the biggest icons of my younger years, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson dying on the same day??? Just really bizarre... It's always so surreal when icons die. As if they're immune to it... As though they only lived in a book.

But, of course, they were real. They laughed and cried and yelled and died, just as we all do and will...

And yes, we've certainly got the birth and death part in common. Not much choice there... But, we do have a choice in how we live... How we chose to be during this precious, fleeting human life.

“Honesty is the single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product.”

- Ed McMahon

“Hi, Billy Mays here for..."

- Billy Mays

“God made man stronger but not necessarily more intelligent. He gave women intuition and femininity. And, used properly, that combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met."

But, she also said, "I'm shy. I can go on a trip for days and not go because I won't sit on a toilet seat on a plane. I'm certainly not going to go on somebody's lawn. Could you imagine, in a cocktail dress?"

- Farrah Fawcett (Her Documentary)

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.”

- Michael Jackson

"Terrible or not, difficult or not, the only thing that is beautiful, noble, religious and mystical is to be happy."

- Arnaud Desjardins

"Don't Worry, Be Happy"

- Bobby McFerrin

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