Any Day Above Ground is a Good Day, right?

I wish I could draw!

I can’t even make stick figures that would mean something to anyone.

There are three things that I would really love to draw.

One is a new blog masthead. I would love to draw what I always pictured in my head, when I was a child, whenever I heard my mom use the term “no dejas titere con bonete”. It would be something like a carnival pitching booth where little puppet heads would pop up and you would have to knock their colorful pointy hats off with a ball. It would be a vibrant drawing with great circus colors!

I would also love to draw a caricature of me to use as a profile picture, only a nerdy version, with the big glasses and a stern expression. It would be black and white and she would have her arms crossed in front of her. She would be based of course on my features with dark hair.

The last thing I would love to draw is a cartoon. I see it in my head so clearly and if only I could somehow put pencil to paper and create figures instead of words that would be so cool! This cartoon would be based on the everyday story of my day/life.

Frame one you would see that same nerdy caricature hopping out of bed with a “we can do it” attitude. Rested, refreshed, ready to take on the world. My little nerd would have messy bed head and a cute little granny nightgown!

Frame two you would see that same little nerd, now a showered, combed, dressed woman with perfect makeup and lipstick, in her little suit ready for the office with her travel coffee mug in hand and her purse walking towards her car. Big smile, still with that “we can do it” attitude. Sun is shining, trees are blooming, little birds are singing in the trees and you can see that because there would be those little musical notes trailing up the sky that say the birds are singing.

Frame three you would see little nerdy insurance agent sitting behind her computer, smiling with her headset on speaking with clients, her desk would reflect her mind at the moment, neat and tidy, organized and ready to face the day.

Frame four and five and possible six you see this same nerdy insurance agent handling problems, putting out fires, frown lines growing on her head and replacing that smile. You see the clock behind her signifying the hours passing. You see her desk getting increasingly piled upon with paper and files, you may see her on the phone again while a client is sitting there across from her desk looking at his watch and a co-worker at the door asking “are you going to be available soon?”

Frame seven you see our poor little nerdy insurance agent with a glazed look on her face. You see the clock behind her saying it’s 5 o’clock, quitting time. You can see the toll the day has had on her face. Her hair is a mess, the lipstick is gone, there was no time to reapply, glasses are crooked, suit is disheveled. Desk is just a chaotic pile of what the day has thrown at her!

Frame eight you see her driving home, you see gridlock on the highway, it’s a darker, drearier picture. You can see people in other cars honking to hurry others up, maybe one or two with their windows open extending their middle fingers at other drivers. Our little nerdy insurance agent just driving along, tired, broken just wanting to get home and go to bed. That “we can do it” attitude gone!

Frame nine you see her arrive at home, it’s night time and she’s walking away from her car towards the door to her house, no birds, no sunshine, no lipstick, dragging her purse behind her.

Frame ten you see Frame one again because our little heroine is ready to do it all over again. She wakes up every day with that “we can do it” attitude no matter what the previous day threw at her! 

See, our little heroine is naturally energetic and enthusiastic about life. She’s a glass half full kinda gal. She wakes up each day to new possibilities and wonders in the world. As she’s getting in her car in the morning and driving to work she notices the little things like birds singing and trees blooming, she enjoys them and values them. She goes off every day like a little worker ant, ready to be busy and productive!

But as the day goes by, life kicks her in the ass! Things have to be taken care of, clients have to be coddled, co-workers have to be helped, phones have to be answered. Every day she makes decisions that affect other peoples’ lives and she always has to have all the right answers, all the knowledge. Her license and the reputation of her employer is on the line. That’s a lot of pressure for this little worker ant.

So after a long day she’s tired and whipped and just drags her little butt home.

But hope springs eternal and I remain positive. I see the best in the day and what it has to offer. Are all days like this? No, of course not. Some days have a Happy Hour waiting at the end!

My point is that I am glad that I have a naturally positive attitude and I hope someday when I’m in a nursing home that the attitude stays with me and that I will sing and laugh, maybe dance with a few old gentlemen, maybe pinch their butt…who knows? Anything is possible. As they say, any day above ground is a good day!