White, Puffy Turbulence

In June of 2024, our friends Barb and Eric invited us to join them for their 25th Anniversary trip on an Alaskan cruise. Hubby has always wanted to visit Alaska, and I was excited about the potential for a vacation. Without a second thought, we were Alaska-bound!

The cruise, however, required us to fly from St. Louis, MO to Seattle, WA. Flying is not Hubby’s favorite means of transportation, but he was willing to forgo his fears for the sake of Alaska. Casting his concern aside was well worth it, as our cruise was wonderful and Alaska was GORGEOUS!

On our flight back, the pilot announced overhead: “The seatbelt signs are now on, and everyone should remain securely buckled in their seats. We are flying through some rainstorms, and turbulence is to be expected.”

Looking out our window, there was nothing but blue skies and white, puffy clouds. There were no signs of turbulence ahead.

When the plane did its whole rocking and shaking thing (a.k.a. turbulence), the view remained unchanged. Fortunately, the disruption in our airborne peace did not last long.

After the flight, we were discussing the rocky portion of our ride. Hubby said he had been on planes with much more severe turbulence, and those pilots never made any kind of warning announcement. Our pilot’s heads-up made him feel better about the upcoming instability and helped him remain calm despite the storm.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we always had this kind of white, puffy turbulence?

I think this is a question I’ve needed to ask for a while now.

Continue reading “White, Puffy Turbulence”

Whack-a-mole Mentality

Whack a mole 2Have you ever felt like you are waiting to be whacked each time you get up in the morning? Is the day gonna be a pain free, pop out of bed kind of day OR is there a fluff-covered hammer coming at you?

I feel like a whacked mole frequently.

If it isn’t my kids hating every effort I make to give them a happy childhood, it is my husband who just doesn’t get why I need to worry about my endless list of concerns, or it is the cranky guy at the gas station who doesn’t think I know how to put air in my own car tires. (He really deflates me.)

Here’s the deal. Whack-a-mole is a game. It is a game of chance (just like life).

We are always going to be the mole blindsided by a whack or taking a risk to enjoy the time when that hammer doesn’t come down. Sometimes, we are the ones wielding the whacks on the other unsuspecting adventurers. Whatever the case may be, we all have the potential to be a mole in this wacky world.

The silver lining is that the Whack-a-mole game of life gives us some special rules and opportunities. Continue reading “Whack-a-mole Mentality”

White Puffy Cloud Days

White Puffy Cloud Days

White Puffy Clouds.jpg

There are so many beautiful days in the year. Days when the sky is the perfect shade of blue and scattered with white puffy clouds. I remember my high school English teacher talking about white puffy clouds days and about how we should be outside to celebrate them. I always wondered why we didn’t.

As a teacher and a mom, I find myself trapped inside too often on those glorious days. I have been known to say, “Ok kids, we are going on a field trip” or “It’s a white puffy cloud day and we need to write about it” and out we go. This is not popular with all the other teachers or students in my school, but it will be ok.

With my own kiddos at home, I try so hard to take walks or play ball or swing on the swings on these white puffy cloud days. Clearly the day was made for play and taking time to move lazily (like those big ol’ clouds).

If you find yourself looking out at a white puffy cloud day, find a way to be a part of that day. Take a walk on your lunch break. Assign a writing assignment or short outdoor lab for your class. Go on a nature hunt with your kids. Hold hands on the back porch with your sweetie.

Be a part of the white puffy cloud movement!

The white puffy clouds were made to be a part of your world so be with them.

By: Melanie A. Peters