Meg Evans

After a long string of warm, summery days, the weather turned chilly all of a sudden last night. When I woke up this morning, the heat was running and the view out the window was a gray, cloudy dawn.

In past years I would have grumbled something to myself like “oh, yuck, now it’s going to be dark and cold for ages, no more good weather till spring.” But of course, in today’s world there are always fun things to do, no matter what the season. All we need to do is look around with the expectation of finding them, and sure enough, something fun will come along soon!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

When I was a kid, my mom always was a major stickler for prompt thank-you notes. I remember several afternoons when instead of going out to play, I was sent to my room to compose a neglected thank-you, while grumbling to myself that it was a pointless chore.

Although it took a while, I did eventually develop more understanding of the thank-you ritual. Rather than just being a rote social script, thank-you notes show appreciation for kind acts, which is a way of giving kindness in return. After visiting my mother recently, I sent a card thanking her for showing my husband and me around her current house, which we hadn’t seen before. That might not have been technically a gift, but I did appreciate her taking the time to do it, and just thought I should say so.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

I was talking with my husband recently about how it’s good that we have an adventurous family. Even though we might not always look at ourselves that way, and our travels are not as exotic as some, I’d say that adventures are more about the mindset rather than the destination—staying open to new experiences and valuing what can be learned from them.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

This morning I dreamed that one of the rabbits in the backyard decided it wanted to be a house pet, and so it kept trying to follow my husband and me into the house. Of course, that would never really happen because they all seem to have normal bunny instincts, meaning that they scamper when they see us, or stay very still and hope they won’t be noticed.

And of course, because our daughter visits often with her dogs, the house would not be the most comfortable place for a rabbit to live in! As silly as it was, though, I woke up smiling after that dream—so it’s all good.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

The rowing club’s fall regatta season starts this weekend, with a race in Cleveland on Saturday. Not many of the club members are making the trip, though; it’s just me, my husband, and another guy. Some other people thought about going, but they couldn’t get their plans together.

It does take some commitment, as well as organization, to travel regularly to the regattas. I don’t have quite enough vacation days this year, and rather than taking off all the Fridays before weekend trips, I’m planning to work some extra hours during the week and leave early on those Fridays.

I can’t complain, though, because it is helpful to have that flexibility. After all, not everyone has the option of rearranging their workweek when they have things to do.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

I’ve never been among those who hurry out and buy pumpkin spice products as soon as they show up on the store shelves in late August, but I can understand the feeling. As the season changes and the days get shorter and darker, we need to surround ourselves with fun little things to keep us feeling cheerful, even on stormy afternoons when we can’t get out and do much.

So, I’m sharing a harvest tapestry image for Nurturing Thursday, even though it’s not quite fall yet:

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

This time of year, often there are storms rolling through the area when my husband and I go rowing after work. We can’t always tell from looking at the weather forecast if we’re likely to get wet. So, we sometimes drive down to the boathouse, which is not too far from home, and then look at the sky and check the weather radar to get a better idea if any storms are near. We might row one lap and then stop to take another look.

What often happens on such days is that we have the river to ourselves because other rowing club members decide to stay home. They look at the sky, see dark clouds, and don’t want to risk the possibility they might be caught in a storm. As a result, they miss out on a lot of days that turn out to be good after all.

Of course, I’m not suggesting that anyone should take foolish risks. If we hear thunder while we’re rowing, we hurry back to the dock and get off the water like we’re supposed to do. But if we’re not sure that it will rain, we generally prefer to err on the side of adventure rather than caution.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

I had a conversation on another blog this week about writing affirmations and how that can make them feel more concrete. I said that’s how blogging can be too; we attract readers for whom our words resonate, and we affirm the content of our blog entries in our own minds.

So, at the risk of getting a little bit goofy (which seems to be the way this summer has been going for me anyway), I decided that my Nurturing Thursday post would be about sharing fun affirmations and good vibes with my readers.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

My daughter and her dogs visited again last weekend. In between looking at new cars and talking about all the things she’d like to do, she came down to the river to row with us and her brother. The next day she went kayaking with a friend. Toward the end of her visit, when the dogs started snoozing on the floor, I thought she was going to doze off right next to them! That would have been okay—even though people in today’s world get used to always being busy, we need to give ourselves a little downtime too.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

My husband bought a waterproof bag for his mobile phone so that he can keep it with him when we go rowing. The bag is designed to allow operation of the touch screen through a clear front panel.

This morning before he left for work, he held up the bag with the phone inside to show it to me. Then he told me to smile and took a picture of us both smiling at the camera. That started the day out on a cheerful note!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.