Save the Drama for your Momma

My mom and I have a running joke (one of many) that we both dislike excitement. Why? Because it usually means something bad is happening. Case in point, the past few days and weeks.

- My uncle (my mom's twin brother) has been diagnosed with cancer and the prognosis doesn't look good. I guess cancer is bad any way you look at it, but you get the idea.
- My family history shows some bad signs when looking at my mom's side of the family. Her sister, brother, and father have all suffered from and died from cancer. All in their early to mid 50s. Yeah, not promising.
- My mother doesn't want to go to her brother's funeral. I don't blame her. Funerals suck. If you've ever been to one, I'm sure you'd agree. But I think some effort should be made to do something. Me, well, I don't think I'll go. I want to but I'm not sure it would help anybody and I'm not sure the funding is there.
- And finally, while we're speaking of death, I want to be buried after I die in the Oconto Cemetery in Oconto, Nebraska alongside the rest of the Richard family. But I don't want any services until the following July. Had some relatives do that when they passed and I like the idea. Most everyone can get time off in the summer and by having it planned out in advance, people don't need to worry about making last-minute dashes to the airport. I'll be dead after all, so when you come to see me doesn't matter.
- Moving on, I was working on some laundry on Sunday and heard a crash. Yvonne and I both thought it was the other or the kids or just something that the kids left out. Turns out it was a bottle of laundry soap. A full bottle. And it fell on the cap. And the cap broke. And the soap spilled on the floor. Under the washer. And dryer. Yeah, you get the idea. We spent 2 hours cleaning it up. Thankfully it wasn't this Sunday because we would have left it on the floor instead of missing the Superbowl.
- A few weeks back, Yvonne told me that her new truck was "jumping" when she drove it. I didn't really believe her until it happened to me too. So it's now at the dealer getting the planetary gear replaced. Luckily it's under the manufacturer's warranty. And CarMax was nice enough to give us a loaner while it got fixed.
- The weather has played havoc on all of our schedules. From 2 hour delays to closures to work days to just plain insanity. Sometimes the closures were warranted, but on days like today, they weren't. Not even any rain and we have a delay. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

I'm sure you can see a trend. Lots of drama means a high chance of whining about the bad stuff in life. We all have crap to deal with. It's how we go through life and helps define who we are as people.

But with each low is a high. I think we can find balance in life, but sometimes it's harder to find those positive tidbits to make up for the crap. So in an effort to make up for my whine above, here are some positive pieces of news.

- I think I lost another 5 pounds. I stepped on the scale the other day and came in at 224. Easily 4 to 6 pounds lower than my previous 231. Which is on top of my weigh-in of 235 in early 2010. So I'm happy about that.
- Part of my weight drop is likely due to eating less for breakfast. And working out more. I'm happy to have a trainer that can beat me into submission once a week. I've noticed an improvement in all those odd muscles that I rarely use.
- I'm super-happy to be running on the local rail-to-trail once a week. Sometimes it's a struggle to get there, but it's fun to see something new every time.
- I'm even more excited that Yvonne is going to the same trainer next week. It'll mean more adjustments to our schedule, but I think she'll have fun. All while getting her butt kicked.
- While tax season is crazy for me at work, I'm happy to report that most of my late nights are done and I have a lovely wife that is willing to bring me food when I'm trapped in my "office."
- William had a wonderful visit to the dentist. That pretty much says it all.
- Elizabeth had a wonderful report card. Again, that speaks for itself.

So. Drama. Not for me and not for my momma. I once thought I wanted to live an exciting life. Now that I'm older and a little wiser, I've decided a boring life is just fine. Meanwhile, I'll try to find those positive things to balance out the negatives.