Day 2149 Work-arounds

Life is all about the work-around.

I haven’t had time to figure out what’s happening with my phone, still unable to upload photos and not sure why! Yes, I’ve turned it off and back on, tried to change settings for cookies and what-not, but my Google system seems a bit wacky. Thank goodness for multiple devices, my iPad successfully uploaded photos. Work-around success!

At least it’s a temporary solution until I have a spare hour or two to figure out what the heck is happening (or not happening) with my phone. I posted a photo of my favorite plant, which, coincidentally, is also in desperate need of its own work-around.

All my plants flourish, grow, and multiply, except for this one. It struggles. The beautiful round leaves fall off, and its lanky stem now leans against the wall for support as I cross my fingers in hopes it makes a comeback (there’s that foolish optimism again). I’ve tried placing it in different spots, adjusting sunshine and warmth levels, yet I still haven’t found its sweet spot. Oddly enough, I have two of these plants, and both are barely hanging on.

I’ve seen this same plant thriving in other people’s homes, boasting big, lush, and beautiful, while mine inches along like it’s in slow motion. I suppose it’s all a matter of time, patience, and finding the right fix. Thank goodness for the three-day weekend ahead; I sure could use a little extra time to tinker with both the phone and the plant.

Now for a little rant… group texts....why?! I don’t mind a small group chat among good friends, but when I’m invited to a party via group text with over a dozen people, many I don’t even know, and get every single response, emoji, comment, and after-party nonsense, I want to throw my phone away! Yes, I realize I can leave the group, but I still haven’t figured out how to make the comments stop on my watch, so the dings continue.

My friends know how much I despise group texts, so everyone stayed silent when I sent one out to my mahjong group with details for next week… adding strict instructions not to respond! I actually wrote, “For the love of God, do not respond to this text thread.”

I laughed out loud a moment later when I immediately got a reply on the thread that said, “I’ll be there.” Oh, CJ! It made everyone laugh, and soon I was getting individual texts from friends cracking up over it. One even said that not responding to the group text would be the hardest thing she'd have to do all day...Life is tough! Thankfully, everyone else followed the rules, no matter how hard it was! 

Sometimes life feels like a never-ending series of work-arounds, whether it’s a glitchy phone, a stubborn plant, or a buzzing group chat. But all that adds spice to our lives: finding humor, patience, and little victories along the way. Here’s to making things work, however imperfectly, and laughing about it when they don’t...there's always at least one rebel in every group! 

"Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries" ~ James A. Michener 

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