It’s 11PM and you come to the realization that you need just one more item to finish up that gift that you were hoping to deliver tomorrow morning.

It’s 11PM, but you think the store might still be open, so you decide to give it a try.

Wait!  You’re still wearing your exercise shorts from your trip to the gym hours ago.  No bother, there’s not a minute to waste.  You may be the fool out at 11PM shopping on December 3 in shorts, but a man has to do, what a man has to do.

Then you arrive at the store and as you walk around, you realize that there’s not one, not two, not even three, but four other people out and about in shorts.

11PM shopping misery loves company, especially other fools wearing Winter shorts.

My mouth started to water and I smiled with pride, when my son ordered the burger made with doughnut buns.

My heart filled with pride, as his arteries filled with grease.

Thursday morning, I proudly announced to my co-workers that I was attempting to cut down on my caffeine.

When asked how many cups I used to drink, I answered, “In the past, I used to drink four to eight cups a day.”

The next logical question was, “How long has it been since I drank that much coffee?”

My answer, “Tuesday.”  Yes, two days ago.  The past.  It counts.  I was trying to move on.

Whatever demons you are facing, whatever you need to put behind you, remember to be in the moment.  Remember to be in the now.  The past is over.  A few minutes ago is done.  Leave it.  Enter the present, because what haunts you is in the past.

Take the gift that the present offers, liberation from the past.  Wake up and smell that coffee.

ORANGE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

The oven awaits…

“Dense, thin, chocolaty, and with a surprising punch of orange, these brownies check all of the boxes and then some more.  Enjoy!”

3/4 cup Butter

4 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate

3 Eggs

2 cups Sugar

1 teaspoon Orange Extract

1 cup Flour

1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the microwave, melt together the butter and unsweetened chocolate.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Mix together the eggs and sugar.

Mix in the orange extract.

Mix in the chocolate/butter mixture.

Mix in the flour.

Pour the batter into a greased 13″x9″ pan.

Sprinkle on the chocolate chips.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely, before cutting.

Makes about 24 brownies.

Revised Source:  “Double Chocolate Orange Brownies” recipe in “Taste of Home ‘Cookies.'”

You know that basketball is a sport that your son might need to grow into when his jersey numbers are almost as tall as he is.

A shadowy figure stands in your doorway.  Your sleepy eyes try to comprehend the emergency about to overwhelm.  The bedside clock reads 4:30 AM.

A weak voice announces, “Mom, Dad, my stomach hurts.”

Your week ahead has taken a sudden turn toward Tylenol and Bleach.

You know it’s a sad state of affairs, when your dashboard superheroes…

…need to be removed for “Inappropriate Attire.”

Son, trust me.  There will be days, when your glider flies high.

Then there will be days, when your little brother throws the glider and it ends up stuck on a neighbor’s third floor balcony.  All hypothetically speaking, of course.

The secret is learning to look beyond those days, when the glider is stuck, and focusing on the abundance of days, when the glider flies high.  Trust me.

There I was, sweating in the hotel exercise room.  As I did sit-ups on the floor, two teens entered.

As they readied themselves to lift weights and run on the treadmill, we exchanged pleasantries.  Then one of the teens asked, “Are you a runner?”

Responding in the affirmative, she noted, “You can tell, because you have fit legs.” The teen explained that she has started running track, so she is getting better at telling when people run for exercise.

Happy with the compliment, I told her with pride that I would let my wife know.  The teen responded with a laugh that I could certainly let my wife know that a 14-year-old girl thought my legs were in shape.

Ha!  Good to know and also young lady, I am happy to inform you that there is a new and improved version of me that is turning 14-years-old tomorrow.  So teens celebrate, because this fit old man was not the final edition.

Sitting by the hotel pool, Charlene and I were bummed.  We had anticipated that the whirlpool would be empty.  We would have it all to ourselves.  Instead it was full of one disinterested woman checking her phone (while in the hot tub?!?), one man who was (as I deemed him) wholly unworthy of such sudsy heat, and an out of place in probably most situations teen.

Had they not received the memo about our exclusive hotel hot tub reservation?  Sadly, my use of the Jedi Mind Trick was also failing, “You will leave the hot tub now.” “I will leave the hot tub now.” Nope, wasn’t happening.

Then it struck me, what better way to clear a room?  Turning to my beautiful wife, I suggested, “Let’s make out.  That will scare them off.”

Brilliant idea, Paulsen.  Public display of affection, a sure room emptier.

Sadly, my wife responded with one of those, “Stop being silly looks,” which to the untrained eye looks sort of like her “Get away” or “No way in Hell” looks.

Oh well, her loss (really my loss), as the out of place hot tubbers continued to suds up and I continued to plot their inevitable eviction.