A Successful Day, A Successful Life

"To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded. "

 Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Steve is away, attending his 35th high school reunion. My thoughts wander around what defines success.

2. Clouds hung low and gray all day. The rain was a fine mist, just enough to turn one's hair into tendrils. It was a cozy day of housekeeping and housewarming.

2a. A pumpkin here, some berries there, candles and cornucopias: I added a few touches of fall to the rooms.

2b. Audrey asked for my help to bake a pumpkin pie for her boyfriend. We baked two pies together and she decorated them with little pastry leaves. Audrey has a great sense of humor and she made me laugh while we waited for them to bake.

3. Lucky there's a man in the house to kill the wolf spider standing between me and my clothes dryer. Tess' boyfriend smooshes it with his bare hand. She and I are horrified and can't help but scream. He picks it up (again, bare handed!) to throw it away and we flee, running and screaming up the stairs and behind a locked door. Our behavior took him by surprise and he laughed hard at our antics.