The Facebook Positivity Challenge, Procrastinator's Day 4: Positive Thoughts Are Like Christmas in July

It's Christmas in July!  I've heard Christmas songs on the radio.  I've seen Christmas shows listed on the grid on my Cable guide.  We went to the American Music Theater to see a concert of the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber this weekend and there were Christmas in July displays of decorations, music, and gifts to buy in the lobby.  There was, however, no threat of snow, and that is a positive!

Okay, I know!  It's actually Day 5 of my Facebook positivity challenge, but all that positivity happening all around me prevented me from doing it the right way...on consecutive days.  I was overwhelmed.  Bending the rules and doing it my way is a positive!

My son Brian was setting himself up to watch a program on Netflix.  In order to do that, he needed to turn on the TV, the DVD player, and the WII.  The DVD player had to be set to the right channel and the TV source needed be set to 'VIDEO'.  One of my favorite things in the electronic world is to have an extra remote in my hand and change things when a family member is finding what they want.  Brian found the source option on the TV from his remote.  I then changed the source over and over.  "What the ........", "It's changing by itself!", "What's wrong with this thing?"  After about three rounds of changing the source, I let him off the hook.  We laughed and he asked, "Are you going to blog about this?"  Definitely a positive!

There was poison ivy growing through the fence at the edge of my property.  It had grown there before.  In fact, it's grown every year!  Every year I get it out of there before it gets too big, and every year I end up with a mild case of poison ivy.  Last year I bought some Round Up specifically designed to tackle the pesty strangler.  I followed the detailed and difficult instructions, protecting myself with winter clothes and rubber gloves, spraying individual leaves while shielding other plants, and got rid of the menace.  This year I decided to use it again.  I re-read the instructions and it seemed I'd have to once again wear long sleeves, long pants, rubber gloves and glasses and apply the product in that same troublesome way.  This year, for some reason, it didn't look like the shiny red leaved vine I saw in prior years. The leaves weren't in groups of three like I've seen.  I didn't feel like going through all that hassle.  It didn't even look like poison ivy!  I decided to use my weeding tool with a heavy duty pair of work gloves covering my hands.  The result was the worst case of poison ivy I've ever had.  I had rash spots in places that I know never came anywhere near those leaves, and that I couldn't scratch when I was outside the home.   The itching of the many rashes is now beginning to subside, and I'll never question the power of those vines again and I'll use the heavy duty stuff to kill it before it kills me!  Two lessons at the same time!  That's two....two....two positives in one!

I have a basic cell phone with a keyboard like an old phone dial, making it excruciating to compose a text message.  Lately when I keep the phone in my pocket, I hear beeps every time I move.  I take the phone out of my pocket and see that I've accessed an app store.  What I've realized lately, though, is that I'm sending my contacts those pre-written messages such as In a meeting, How are you?, and my favorite Pls send me a msg.  First of all, when I write a text message, I write out all the words.  There is no U for you, no pls for please, and no msg for message!  I became aware of the problem when a friend texted me asking, "How did all your meetings go?"  Another asked, "Pocket texting again?" Second of all, I rarely communicate via text message because of the time it takes to type the message with my phone, and because it's not in my nature.  I use that brilliant communication technique of calling and talking.  I have provided laughs for many friends with my cell phone antics and that is a positive!

We all know that every February 2nd is Groundhog Day.  We also know that February 5th, 2014 was the most awful weather day of what was the most awful weather year in my life and most people's lives.  There were cold, wind, ice, destruction, power failures, school and business closings, and days of hardship for this area. February 5th was also my birthday.  Yesterday I was cleaning out old emails in our cluttered Inbox and this previously unread email from a good friend caught my attention:

Happy Birthday!  I'm working on getting you a day off from school.

signed,

Puxatawney Phil and friends

Discovering a birthday greeting when it's practically my half year is definitely a positive...it's like Christmas in July!