I am very used to observing life…not only my own, but the lives of others that happen to be in the spotlight (of any sort).  I like to watch people – not as a substitute for living vicariously through the lives of others, but as a way to either inspire me or to create an attitude of gratitude for the blessings – and trials – that come my way.

My gripe is one that I have to hold myself responsible for.  The other day I was sucked into one of those "reality" shows about "real" housewives – you know what I'm talking about.  I listened intently to the stories of their busy days…playing tennis, getting plastic surgery, shopping, going away on girlfriend vacations where some of the husbands tagged along and someone got their feelings hurt.  I don't really follow the stories, at least not with any regularity, but I know it always involves a lot of drama and it certainly isn't the kind that I am facing at my house!  And you know what I have to say to that?  Thank Heavens!!!

There seems to be quite a following of not only these "real" housewives,  but other anomalies like little girl beauty pageants and obnoxious brides, where the audio content is so  bad that as much as 30% (a totally non-scientific percentage) of it is "bleeped" out because it is inappropriate for the ears of anyone that might be listening…me included!  I understand that these shows are super cheap to produce – no high salaried actors to pay, just people being themselves (wink, wink!) with a camera capturing their "real-life" stories. In some sort of sick way, I understand, though I find it disturbing, that these shows are so wildly popular, where the individual is encouraged to be narcissistic and is rewarded with a platform for their bad behavior to be seen around the world, encouraging more of the same because others desire the limelight.  I don't think that being in the spotlight is intrinsically good for these participants, but what do the producers care?  They just want to share the disaster that results from a camera recording these people's interactions…it's like waiting and watching for the train wreck that is sure to happen in their lives.  But that is enough is enough of that!   So how exactly are we are supposed to entertain ourselves? 

Reward good behavior with good press.  Check out this amazing bit of good news! 

This is such an amazing idea!  Just think of all those 2-liter bottles that end up in our dumps…10 cents worth of recycled money-back plastic bottles can bring light to an otherwise dim home.   Who ever came up with this is blessing the lives of so many people.  This is definitely of good report and praiseworthy.  This is change I can believe in!  This is the "real-life" sort of action that we should be celebrating, one with no "bleeping" required.   I could watch this sort of inspirational story all day long.  Now for the gratitude.

A few weeks ago, I shared a blog about a trip to Sprinkles Cupcakes in La Jolla, and the story about how I was introduced to the cupcake shop.  I talked about a daily "whisper word" and how you can get a free cupcake.  Over the past two months, I have made the occasional trip there early enough in the day to get a free cupcake with friends, particularly one whose husband was out of work for a few months and money was tight.  It's always a nice little outing, where we can sit and chat about things going on in our lives and not feel guilty about spending money that has a much better place to go.  I just love Sprinkles Cupcakes!  Sprinkles might not be just for special occasions, but a Sprinkles cupcake can make any day a special occasion.  That statement so works for our family, especially on this day. 

Today would have been Scott's 57th birthday.  The past 2 months, 10 days since his passing have gone by really quickly.  As I have been trying to sort through all his paperwork, I found several In-N-Out gift cards, all loaded.  Most of them came from his Scouts and their families, as a "thank you".  That will make lots of sense to anyone that knew Scott well.  You see, In-N-Out was a traditional stop on the way home from any of the Scout's overnight camp-outs.  He would regularly use the cards for boys that forgot to bring money, but some must have gotten buried under paperwork on his desk.  We decided that it would be a fun place to go on Scott's birthday.   Even though all the children are not in town today, we will be celebrating together "remotely" by eating dinner at our local In-N-Outs.  But back to Sprinkles.

I had a visit from a sweet friend today.  She came to the door with a familiar kraft-colored bag with a sweet treat for Scott's birthday…a dozen Sprinkles cupcakes.  It was such a thoughtful kindness!  I hadn't discovered Sprinkles until the day after Scott passed away, so he was not familiar with the tasty treats.   Never fear…one will be eaten in your honor, dear!  There were several occasions during our married life when Scott was not home for his birthday.  But somehow I know that his presence will be felt more today than those other missed birthdays.  This is our Scott/Dad memorial birthday.  We will not be celebrating with presents, which he didn't like anyway, but with time spent with family, remembering our happy times together and looking forward to when we meet again.  Scott always said that if I threw him a surprise birthday party, he would walk away from it.  Well…we're having it without you.  Happy Birthday, sweetie…happy birthday!