Thinking Happy Thoughts

Things have been pretty hectic around here and it's challenging to find a moment when I'm not obsessing, fretting or otherwise behaving like a MOC - that's "Mom Outta Control" for the uninitiated. You know, it was pretty much okay to want to dress my daughters and fix their hair when they were toddlers. In their late teens and early 20s? . . . Eh, not so much.

In a desperate act of attempting to distract myself from the encroaching and insidious effects of MOC syndrome, I've decided to share with you all a few things that are making me happy and keeping me from thinking about whether my daughters are dating axe murderers, wearing the right shade of eyeliner, reacting badly to the amount of pollen or pollutants in the air, or styling their hair in the nice way I showed them.

Without further ado:

1. My new toothbrush. It's pink and green. When you've gone to school in New England during the early eighties and utilized The Official Preppy Handbook by Lisa Birnbach as a guideline for all that is good and beautiful, the toothbrush matters. Seriously.

2. Watching favorite old movies and musicals like The Band Wagon, Meet Me in St. Louis and Friendly Persuasion with my youngest daughter.

Okay, who am I kidding? Yes, the films are fun, but it's the fact that the youngest is still only ten and I don't have to fret over who she's dating that's the true appeal. It's also true that she still lets me comb her hair and even occasionally style it as long as it's an appropriate style for any combat that might come the way of an elven warrior.

3. The Gilmore Girls seasons on DVD were inexpensive at Target recently.

4. I still remember how to crochet a granny square.

5. The laundry is all folded.

6. Lost is over for the season. Finally. It was shocking how much mental energy I have spent lately on this show. Now I can finally rest easy in the knowledge that I will not become one of those people who spend hours with Google trying to determine if an obscure reference on 'Lost" means something profound or is just a throw-away line by the writers. Just in time . . .

7. I have a stack of my favorite magazines waiting to be read. We will not dwell on the fact that so many remained unread because I was too busy obsessing about a. the daughters, b. Lost, or c. who will win on Dancing With the Stars and just revel in the glory that they exist to be read.

8. How lovely the backyard and garden are thanks to the hard work my husband has put in this spring. The roses on climbing over the little arch are particularly gorgeous. It's soothing just to look out there.

Off to enjoy the day!