D Minus Makes All The Difference

There is a song I used to sing constantly. And rightly so because it was derived from a movie that I constantly watched. And why not when it featured Julie Andrews as a mountain climber, a child tamer and Catholic rebel rouser. (Unlike Whoopi Goldberg in the Sister Act who sought refuge amongst the nuns so none of her nemesis could find her.)

Yes, the beloved based on a true story, The Sound of Music!

I feel we are already off to a bad start. Three words into this blog and I mislead you. There is A song. Singular? All those von Trapp songs played a vital role in my childhood but one of those songs I remixed the other day. As the snow came tumbling down in the middle of March, I, in my off-tune, off-beat over zealous, extremely loud voice, belted out:

“I have confidence in winter. I have confidence in snow. I have confidence that spring will come again, besides what you see I have confidence it will flee!”

So maybe my parody isn’t YouTube’s #1 watched reaching millions in just minutes. Maybe it doesn’t even make sense. But it made me stop and realize that snow is summer’s precipitation at a much, much colder temperature.

And I have confidence that it will flee.

That it will flee, not that we will flee. We can’t speed it up. We can’t rush it. We can’t force it. Spring must come on its own. But we don’t have to stand still. Together we’re going to rediscover spring.

We’re going to D Minus life.

1) D-clutter: Spring has sprung. And when it comes to the homeowner, renter or anyone who is trying to dust off the stubborn remnants of winter off their shoulder, they spring clean. Purge. J.C. Penny’s latest slogan? If it fits, you feel it. The D Minus way of living? If it’s too tight, too loose, you don’t wear, the color is puce or the buttons are about to pop, D-clutter.

2) D-stress: Is it just me or did we all get plowed up together amidst the snow and salt of life and piled high in shopping center parking lots, packed tight by the boom of the plow, waiting for weeks of sun to melt us so we can loosen our joints and jog our merry way home? 

No?

Okay, but seriously, what happened to hibernating? We have been extremely blessed with opportunities to exercise our creativity and network with like-minded people and meet new individuals, and yet less time to get to know ourselves and our families. Did you know my nearly 6-year-old nephew can make brownies from scratch? Neither did I.

3) D-activate: It may seem numbing to be neutral for a while, to just enjoy the quiet of life, even if everything is loud around you, but it’s a most refreshing state of being. All those wise written words about the ability of hearing more when you’re quiet. Though it may take time to adjust and appreciate, it is true. It’s like Winston Churchill expounds, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is what it also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

So it shows; the D Minus life is an act of courage. It’s a life of contentment. And ultimately it's a statement of confidence in knowing who you were, who you are and who you want to be one day.