A SMILE

SMILE

I have come to the conclusion that a smile is very good therapy both for the one smiling and the one receiving the smile.

When I was a young man (perhaps in my early to mid 20’s) I got my first real job. I had spent four years in the U.S. Air Force. I got a job and I was now gainfully employed and I could go out and make my mark on the world.

I had been employed by a company that sold hospital and laboratory supplies and my job was to take orders on the phone. The lady that called for one of our largest customers was the most pleasant person I had ever met. She called every Wednesday morning at 8:05 to place her order. I think I even looked forward to her call just to hear the pleasant tone of her voice. Is it possible to have a smile, in your voice?

So what does this have to do with a smile? Well I just bet she had a smile, as we used to say, (A mile wide).

So what is a smile? It is easy to point to someone who is smiling and say, “Now that is a smile.” However how do you explain it and its feeling if you just use words? Maybe the actual smile is just a small part of the explanation and the feelings and emotions involved are just as important as the smile itself.

Have you ever met someone who you have not seen for a long time? If so you do not have to say I better smile now, it just happens spontaneously and it gives you a good feeling all over. So is a smile the trigger to making you and those around you feel happy?

 Is a smile just an expression on your face, with the corners of your mouth turned up, your teeth showing and your eyes twinkling? (That is if you can control your eyes?) And if this is the case can it go too far and turn into a sneer, with too many teeth showing and your head cocked to far too one side. I don’t know the answer---just asking?

I copied this off of the internet the other day. I am not sure what its purpose was but if it was to make me want MORE, it did not work. I actually smiled when I finished reading it and realized how fortunate I really am. So is this satire --that makes me smile?? Or is it being thankful for what I have?

Dear God,
I did not sleep well last night,
but I did wake up.
My muscles are sore,
but they work.
My wallet is not full,
but my belly is.
I may not have all I want,
but I have all I need.
My life is not perfect,
but my life is good. 
I am sure there are many besides myself that have several friends or acquaintances that seem to always have a smile for everyone (including me) and if you are like me you enjoy talking to them. It seems if you feel “down” they cheer you up and if you are already feeling good they just make it that much better.

As I sit here pondering I have thought of a couple of “WHAT IF'S or WHYS.?"

What if they had ask these relatives?? To smile? Would it be a better picture?

            Why when I am at a family gathering, sitting over in my corner smiling, grinning and just watching, does someone always come over and ask me “what is wrong?”

            There is nothing like a smile and laugh of a newborn baby, unless it is a mischievous smile of a toddler. Oh yes, I know about those—I have grandkids and greats.

            Does a dog really smile when he has done something wrong, or is just a facial thing to get attention?

            What if a lady, who has just spent three hours getting dressed and painting on her smile—really knew she had lipstick on her teeth??

            I cannot recall who said it but I had a friend (many years ago) who liked to say “no matter how good looking, or how homely you are—you will look better if you smile.”

            IS THE MONA LISA REALLY SMILING? ????

KEEP SMILING EVERYONE

Touche

CARL LIKES HIS WINGTIPS

If I wanted flip flops or
Slip on's that is what I
would have bought.

You know I love my
Wingtips!!

OLDEST to YOUNGEST

Oldest to

      Youngest

As I looked at this picture as I often do,

I saw members of our Baldwin Clan, at least one or two.

The oldest, born at his home, in a very small town,

The youngest in a city hospital and she wore a crown.

82 years is a large difference in age.

She was an innocent Babe and I an old “sage.”

I hope we stay together for quite a while,

I talking “goo-goo” talk and she with her smile.

We have children, grand children and great grand children now,

Which we did not even think about at our wedding vow.

We moved to the city and gave up our blue sky,

Where we began OUR Clan of Baldwin’s, just she and I.

Between the oldest and youngest there were adventures you see.

Sometimes with Children or Grand Children and sometimes just me.

Sometimes as I got older, my legs would not work, and my breath was a gasp.

But I kept telling myself, “This too will pass.”

Now I am older, I just sit in my rocker and rock, laugh and grin,

I never thought of a bunch like this when our Clan did begin.

I love them all, but differently I would say.

But I will love them all to my dying day.

So I am the oldest and still hobbling along.

And Baylee is the youngest, but really not for long?

Whether Out-laws or In-laws, it does not matter to me.

I only hope we are together in Eternity.

W.R. Baldwin

26 July 2014

       

FRIENDS

                                            

                            



         FRIENDS

I have been thinking about friends quite a bit for the last few months. A lot of things have caused that. When you get my age a lot of friends have passed on and a lot more are waiting patiently or impatiently.

Just an example is that several years ago a group of friends from my old home town decided to get together and have breakfast and talk and reminisce. When we started there were typically 14 to 20 that were there twice a month. Now there are 4 or 5. So are those 4 or 5 still GOOD friends, or acquaintances, or just like to get together and talk about “the good old days.”                                 

Another example is what happens when I meet a few of my real old friends. We shake hand, bear hug and pat each other on the back—and then we start talking about things ,just where we left off talking last time we met, even if it was months or years ago. I have to ask myself, “Is that because we don’t have anything else to talk about or is it just that OLD FRIENDS love old memories?”

I am sure many people like myself, have become friends with people because of different circumstances. Obviously some of those would be the people you grew up with, some you went to school with, some because they were friends of your wife when you got married and maybe some just because of a quirky experience you had together. Some of these people have some of the same interests I do but also some have interests that I have no interest in at all. For example I think of one person, who like myself loves to do genealogy (or as I say-look for dead people), but they also love to go to the opera, and I have absolutely no, none. zero interests what so ever in Opera.

I think any person who has best friends is very fortunate. In many cases that is a person or persons who have been through a crisis or a wonderful experience with you. I don’t know how it works but my best friend has always been my wife. I also have best friends who I have known most of my life, some who I have met through Church activities and some who it just seemed we had a bond the first time we met.

I cannot remember where I saw them but here are a couple of signs that give us a message about friends: ---1.The strongest drug that exists for a human is another human being. 2. (sign in greenhouse)   It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

A couple of exercises that I have been keeping track of, or doing for a few months have been interesting. One was to think of things you have done in your life that you have REALLY enjoyed. The other is what would you do for a friend if they ask you for help, and what might you ask a friend to help you with?

Of course I am pretty sure that everyone has heard the saying that. “A dog is man’s best friend.” Now that may or may not be true, but I find it interesting that some of the friends throughout my life have loved dogs and some did not want anything to do with them. I guess the conclusion is that a friend does not have to be a person or a “people” but perhaps some would prefer a dog or a cat.  

The last thing I was thinking about as far as friends go was if it is so enjoyable to be with them why do we seem to split up over the years. Of course there are many reasons. We move to another part of a city (and that seems like the other party may have fell off the edge of the earth, instead of from one part of the city to another.) We may relocate a long way away. We may have a change of interests, for many reasons. Some friend relationships break up because of change in social status. Some get married and the new spouse is not comfortable with the other spouse’s old friends.

Sometimes all or part of these reasons are not real at all but just imagined. However I have friends that this has happened to in almost all the cases. And yes, some were real and some we imagined.

I think that anyone, who has friends, whether they are new friends or they have associated with them for many, many years, is very fortunate.  I also think friendship is a two way street. It would be very difficult to try and have a good friend who did not also consider you their friend.

I am fortunate to have friends. I thank all of you who have been a friend whether it be for a few months, days, years or a lifetime. Also my wife’s friends who have taken me under their wing and tried to keep me on the straight and narrow, since she passed away. I truly thank you for your friendship.

Well enough musing about Friends. That’s one more thing (Out of my bucket list) that I have been urged to comment on.

WALLY

MY GRANDMA

MY GRANDMA
A couple of weeks after Donnie's funeral one of her grand daughters wrote this and gave it for me to keep.
I decided it would be better off on my blog than it would be just sitting on the hard drive of my computer, with no one ever feeling the spirit of it as I did when I first read it.  Wally





My Grandma

Miss my Grandma. Love my Grandma.

When thinking of grandma these past couple weeks, this poem kept coming to mind:

A woman was waiting at the airport one night,

With several long hours before her flight.

She hunted for a book in the airport shop,

Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,

That the man beside her, as bold as could be,

Grabbed s cookie or two from the bag between,

Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,

As the gutsy “cookie thief” diminished her stock.

She was getting more irritated as the minutes tick by,

Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blacken his eye!”

With each cookie she took, he took one too.

When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do.

With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,

He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, and he ate the other,

She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother,

This guy has some nerve, and he’s also so rude,

Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!”

She had never known when she had been so galled.

And sighed with relief when her flight was called.

She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,

Refusing to look at the “thieving ingrate.”

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,

Then sought her book, which was almost complete.

As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.

There were her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!

“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,

Then the others were his and he tried to share!”

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,

That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!

I wish I could sit here and say that I wouldn’t be ticked off if somebody was eating my cooks…But I know I’d be WAY ticked especially if they were chocolate. I guess I kept thinking of this poem because I know that grandma would be the one sharing her cookies… with anybody. That’s how I’ll always remember her. Truly loving everybody, unconditionally, Humble, kind and good.

On December 1^st, 2012, my sweet grandma was taken up to heaven. The funeral was beautiful. I hadn’t been to one since I was little. It was truly humbling to see how many people not only cared about grandma, but considered her to be one of their best friends. Tears were shed and memories remembered. What I loved most were all the personal stories everybody had to share of how good grandma was. I don’t think it’s possible to put into words how good of a person grandma is. The speakers did a great job though. The grandkids sang as best they could, but I think Caleb stole the show. I’m so grateful to have grandma as an example in my life. I couldn’t ask for a better grandma, she sure set the bar pretty high, but I love that I get to think “what would grandma do?” when I’m put in difficult situations. I love you grandma.

Here are some grandma memories I never want to forget:

-          Easter egg hunts in the backyard.

-          Spending the day with the cousins and grandma and grandpa. That usually meant McDonalds for lunch.

-          The only time I’ve EVER seen grandma get ticked was when she was babysitting when I was little and I was being a REAL stinker and wouldn’t get ready for dance.

-          Christmas: Sitting on Santa’s lap and playing with grandma’s AMAZING Christmas Village.

-          Her love of the Utah JAZZ and Diet Coke.

-          Cruising around in her JAZZY chair.

-          Visiting her in the care center. She was always concerned more about others.

-          Grandma & Grandpa always had the best Disney movies; they’d even let us borrow them.

-          Grandma’s craft group, always making things for others.

-          Grandma never wanted to miss a party, whether it was Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even just getting together as a family.

TELEPHONE ANSWERING MESSAGES

                        TELEPHONE ANSWERING MESSAGES
   I don't know if there are many people out there in cyberspace that are old enough to remember dialing a number on a telephone and having a "live person" pick up the line and saying "number please." Then the operator would connect you to the person you wanted to talk to---and yes--she may or may-not have listened to your conversation.
   Well that was a joy compared to what we put up with in these "modern times." It seems it is a lot more cost efficient and easier to put in an answering "robot" to sort out your calls than it is to have a "real person." I am sure that is the case but it is not near as customer friendly.
   I have had several sessions the past few weeks literally listening to and sometimes talking to a robot. I also did not find it to be a pleasant experience. I am sure most everyone has had a few of these fun times!
                                        A FEW GOOD EXAMPLES
1."I'm sorry all of our representatives are busy with other customers. Please stay on the line and we will answer your call as soon as possible."
2. We are sorry for the wait. Your call may be monitored for better service and customer satisfaction,
3. All of our lines are busy, please hold and your call will be answered as soon as possible.
4. We are sorry for the wait. Please stay on the line and we will get back to you in a moment.
5.We are extremely busy at the present time, please leave your name & number and we will get right back to you.
6. We are experiencing a large amount of calls at the present time. Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order it was received.
7. Then this one in very interesting. "Please hold we will be right with you"---then they repeat the message every minute with a different voice, changing back and forth from a man to a woman. I guess they figure that I will think there are 6 or 8 people just "chomping at the bit" to help me.
8. Our lines are all busy at the present time, however your business is very important to us, so please hold the line and we will be with you in a moment.
9. We are experiencing a large amount of calls. Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in approximately 12 minutes and 24 seconds.
10. Thank you for calling we really want to help you. Our hours are 8-5, Mon-Fri. Please leave your name and number and we will return your call by 10:00 AM week days or Noon on Mondays. Have a Good Day.

Some Questions-- Why is it that I don't find out that I have to make these important calls until 5:03 on Friday afternoon.
                             Why is it that I know a moment or a few minutes is not really going to be a SHORT TIME.                
                             Why do I know that when they say they will call right back, THAT THEY WILL NOT
Well that is my Monday morning RANT now I can get back to my routine life.
Wally

Cantankerous Carl's Knees

OK so my knee replacement scars show---
SO WHAT? I think about half the people in
the USA have knee replacement scars.