Some things are off my list of stuff that was irritating the living hell out of me - returning pop bottles and plastic bags! I don't drink very much pop anymore; usually only when I'm out and about, or if I have a major need for caffeine, like a migraine, for example. Then it's easy to open up a Mountain Dew! But Robert has not been able to diminish his dependence on the stuff, so we accumulate empties. He bags them up, and then he keeps 'em around for ages.

When I was over at Kirk's last week, we were - rather, he was clearing his garage of bottles and recycling. I watched more than I helped! He took his bottles back to the Can Shed, which is a business that does nothing but sort can, plastic bottles, glass bottles and pays the consumer the bottle return fee.

So, I threw all the bags I could find of bottles and plastic bags in the car, and suggested we return those so he could see where the place was and how easy it was to return them in a more timely manner. Then it was off to the recycling place to rid ourselves of plastic bags, again, a pleasant surprise for him as he had no idea the place existed. I guess that is what happens when one never gets out of the recliner and the TV remote to explore!

But, what that has to do with the card I pulled this morning? Probably not much - but again - I've never found the angel cards to lead me down a path I don't need. So, it was on my mind when I formulated my "plan". I simply got ready for the day, and suggested we make a run into town to return those cans (after making sure they were open), rid ourselves of the recycling, and stop to pick up the pizza for our feast with Lyn and the grandbabies tonight. I didn't complain or gripe, I just said, "Here's what I want to do...." outlined the plan and within the hour we were on the way. I'm sure I used more fuel than we got on the bottle return, but it was a peaceful way to get out of the house, be in the sunshine and accomplish getting pizza before a last minute rush.

But, the other part of this card is seeing Lyn and Jared, and the three kids. We last saw them in February at Robert's mother's 90th birthday party. One of my goals is to make the effort to see all the kids and grandkids more often. It's silly not to. After being so ill last fall, it brings it even closer that we need to live life to the fullest. That's why I now go out and do things without Robert. He's so content to sit in front of the television and pontificate about his own narrow view of the world...and I want more! But, I won't nag or try to change him. He has to make those decisions for himself.

My next card , pulled just a little while ago, goes hand in hand with the first card of the day. I think I've got that

one down pretty well over the years, but it's nice to be reminded that some things are simply what they are, no matter how I feel about them.

I was talking to Dan via chat last night; I usually do so most evenings when we're not busy, but lately it's been more because I just need to communicate with someone who will talk to me about many things. I wasn't able to totally pinpoint what was bothering me about our friendship. I just knew that he was always matching me - for example, I just bought a new sewing machine. When I told Dan, he had to tell me about his sewing machine and then embellish the story so he had a bigger, better, more powerful version that would do this or that or whatever would top what I was talking about.

Then, last night the light bulb moment occurred. We were talking about spring, gardening, and so forth. In the conversation he told me that he was going to have to move a great big mulberry bush. He didn't want to damage it because it is a good producer, but it's in the way of his new garage. There was more to the conversation about moving it, but the light clicked on for me when he said that he had a whole lot more mulberry bushes, and he was going to have to be better about putting drop clothes down to gather the berries. He wants to make jelly and wine, and he doesn't want to compete with the birds.

And then it hit me...the thing that was bothering me. He competes with EVERYTHING.

And, it seemed pretty darned silly that he was resentful of birds having mulberries to eat.

I had to say something. "Dan, don't you think it's a little silly to compete with birds?"

And then I stepped away for several minutes to pull some laundry out of the dryer.

When I came back, he said, "Now that I read that over, that does seem pretty silly, doesn't it?"

I said, "Yes, it does. You compete with everything. EVERYTHING. And EVERYBODY."

He got it. And, I hope it keeps sinking in, for his sake. Sometimes, again, a person just has to *be*. Acceptance of the laws of nature. It seems crazy to think that birds, who work very hard to eat would have to "compete" with someone who has plenty of money and puts up a lot of different foods, would begrudge birds their food so he can have an overabundance of wine and jelly.

Namaste'