My delicious leftovers life

I will take my leftovers over McDonald's food any day. Sorry Big Mac, but on a perfect Minnesota evening, how can you compete with a patio view overlooking a wooded and slightly overgrown yard? It's just so GREEN. And the soundtrack of chirping birds? And the flowers and faint smell of herbs growing in pots on the deck? Don't worry- I won't judge you if you prefer autombile exhaust and greasy burgers with a coke, to leftover pasta and crisp white wine. We've all got our issues.  Believe me. Right now, I'm feeling way too peaceful to share mine.

I'm not gonna lie. There have been times when I've been tempted to compare my life to the jet-setters and foodies; as well as the cattle ranchers and live-off-the-landers. Both lives seem so different from mine- perhaps that's why I follow several blogs from either end of the spectrum. There is something so intriguing about it. Reading is a little like living vicariously; so long as it doesn't infect you with jealousy and hold you back from the full-tilt living of your own life, it can be fun to visit. I raise my glass to those people with the chutzpah to dare to do something different than most of us.

Still, it is so very important to appreciate all we have. What's in front of us, right now. Like our jobs; especially if you're lucky like me and get paid to do work you find meaningful. And our families and friends. Life is so very short. I know this. I've had far too many loved ones pass on before their time. It sucked that my dad died when I was only 24, before I got my sh@* together. My daughter will never know him, except through the stories I pass on.And it's an unfortunate lesson to learn- but I guess you can say I had the benefit of having MY mid-life crisis almost 2 decades before my peers. So I got the 'wild' out early.

My life is unsophisticated. My house is not fancy. And yes, there's been awkwardness and lost love and pain. But none of that matters. Not really. Because I've so been blessed, with my simple, hard-working, fun, goofy, full, creative, one-of-a-kind life. And, I wish the same and more for you.