Oh my, isn't it funny? Life. Sometimes its terribly funny. Both a joke and a tragedy. I woke up today and knew that it couldn't possibly be a bad day. I woke up with the most perfect blue sky visible in abstract slashes of blue showing between the slats of the white blinds on the window. I woke up slowly, my body saying it was ready to start the day. No alarms, no ringing phone. I awoke with someone I love. Someone who loves me very much. We shared coffee and oatmeal. It couldn't be a bad day with a start like that.

Many unpleasant tasks awaited me today. I think about these unpleasant things frequently. They have become part of my daily "to do list". When I look at this list that has accumulated in the last three years I realize that it isn't all bad.

People will surprise you sometimes. Small things can make even the most unpleasant task more pleasant. So on this beautiful day I am happy and grateful to the people who have helped in the tiniest ways. The AT&T customer service agent who listened to me cry (literally) last week when I explained to him why my mother won't need her home phone number any more. The pharmacist who continues to disprove every bitter thing I have thought about people in general as he patiently allows me to try another credit card, laughs with me as I tell him it will probably be turned down like the others, and triumphantly announced when he called me back today that "we were successful".

So for all those people out there who have listened, laughed, and made oatmeal. Thank you. I knew it would be a great day.