The spunky conclusion to Moxie week!

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Moxie - The ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage; vigor; verve; pep. [Moxie week starts here. Go to this post for this week's Bliss Initiatives.]


Moxie week is winding down and I'm feeling very satisfied. I had some of the most fun I've had since I started my blog. Many of you were kind enough to participate in my moxie challenge and for the first time many of my Facebook Fans took time out to comment too. I was taken a bit aback by a couple of people leaving after I posted a somewhat political post but please do not think that I am questioning my worth as a blogger or anything like that. I was primarily surprised by it and I totally enjoyed that it kicked up the action over here. It was exhilarating to know that I could cause a reaction with something I wrote. Pretty exciting really.


I also did something new by inviting my friend Jingle to chime in on the Moxie topic. I knew she would do a terrific job and moxie was certainly the topic for her! She may not have thought about it before but that girl oozes her own brand of THUNDEROUS MOXIE. I feel very fortunate to have bumped into her somewhere along the way. For you new readers, I first introduced her during my last whimsy week, but I've been following her for even longer then that. It has been an ongoing treat and I am glad I could introduce her to you her.


Before I get to my weekly score, I wanted to mention that I have been working on an entirely different system, based more on the Ben Franklin method of following virtues (Check out this post if you are interested in my ideas about scoring the Everyday Bliss project) and I'll be ready to reveal it sometime in the next couple of weeks. Until then, on my scale of 1-10 I'll give myself a 6. Once again I didn't complete all of my initiatives and unlike Jingle, I think I am still tiptoeing toward Moxie rather then letting it fly. I will give myself  6 bliss boosts because I really felt my personal bliss on the upswing following all the support and interest in this topic. 


And now for no other reason then to do so makes me smile, I've decided to participate in this week's Saturday 9. You'll get to know a few random things about me and it is a spunky way to end Moxie week! Oh, and stop by the Saturday 9 page to see how 40+ other bloggers answered these same questions!

Saturday 9: Your Smiling Face

1. No matter what's going on in your life, what always makes you smile?

This is an easy one. My daughter ALWAYS makes me smile! She is a a total riot and I am the luckiest mommy on the planet. Here is a tidbit from this morning for your enjoyment:

J -"Mommy I want some milk." 

Me, "Could you try the P word?" 

J - "Panda??" 

Me, "Do you think Panda will help you get some milk?" 

J "Maybe, panda's are pretty nice!"

LOL -- eventually she went for please and got that milk!


2. What's the biggest lie you've ever told?

Tough one. I don't often lie and if I do it is usually to protect someone's feelings. You know, "Thank you so much, I love that new blouse you got me."

3. Do you hold a grudge?

Rarely. I have a rotten memory so I prefer to save what limited space is available in my mind for happy thoughts. Life is too short for grudges.


4. What is the worst job you've ever had?

Hmmm I'm sure there was one. There goes that memory thing again! My first job was at McDonalds I didn't really dislike it once I got there but I always hated going. I never actually quit, I just stopped going. I didn't even pick up my last paycheck. I kept the brown and white striped polyester uniform. It makes an excellent Halloween costume!

5. What would be your dream job?

Best selling novelist. There I said it. That is some moxie for me! Telling you that I think I could write something worth reading and have enough people interested in reading that it could pay for a fun and lavish lifestyle. Now that would be very cool!


6. What is the happiest event you've experienced?
Conception and birth of my daughter. I never knew I could be so happy. Happy and scared too. I was responsible for another life. Up to this point I could be very self centered now the world revolves around her instead of me. 

7. What is the saddest thing you've experienced?

I feel like I should say the death of my father but honestly by the time he died, after a couple years of suffering with prostate cancer both he and I were glad to see the end. I have regrets, like not talking with him as much as he would have liked and for not asking for his advice when I had the chance but that is different then being sad. The first time I remember being really sad was when I had to take my cat to the vet to put her to sleep. She, like my Dad was suffering from cancer and it finally came to the point where keeping her alive would have been cruel. I held her in my arms while the shot was administered and watched the life leave her eyes as her final purr came to an end. It brings tears to my eyes as I think of it now. I have lost other pets but she was the first and while I think it honored her for me to be there in her death but still it is a difficult thing to experience. Being there for her actually made it possible for me to be there when it was my Dad's time. For this I will always be thankful.


8. Do you tend to exaggerate or underestimate?

I exaggerate good things and underestimate bad. I am an optimist through and through.


9. List the cars that you have owned. Give us just a few words about each one.

The first was a Chevy Nova. I bought her for $400 and sold her to my brother 2 years later for $200. An awesome first vehicle for both of us!
After that I had a Dodge 600 convertible, black without airconditioning and I lived in Alabama at the time... not the best choice but I got it "for such a deal!" lol
Then I had two Labaron Convertibles that I purchased new. I totaled them both in accidents that were not my fault. After the second time I bought a Pathfinder which I named Gilgamesh. When I finally felt safe driving again I began to feel guilty about how much of a gas guzzling giant Gilgamesh was and traded him in for a Maxima, which I named Chakotay (homage to Star Trek Voyager which I loved at the time) which used a lot less gas but still felt like way too much car. I finally traded Chakotay in for a Hyundai Hatchback Elantra which I named Ananda (means Bliss in sanskrit) and I still drive her today, almost 10 years later.

Next post: Humility week gets started!

My 13 bliss virtues: joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community, romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, surprise