Over Coffee with Ellen: Let’s acknowledge that it feels good to have a great day in the north country!

It was a shopping day, so we drove to Massena for a visit at Walmart. The Gardener and I were in the produce section of the store. I was concentrating on the items on my list as I searched for one needed item when a friend I hadn’t seen in some time pulled his cart besides ours.

He told us he had seen us and came to say “Hi!” There was a warm hug with his greeting for this columnist and a friendly “Hello” for The Gardener. How thoughtful of him to not only keep his eyes open and then seeing us across that section of the store to interrupt his shopping and take the time to make his way through several aisles to say “Hello.”

I smiled as our friend continued shopping and we made our way to the checkout counter, knowing exactly how to make a great day. Our friend had made our day great — by recognizing a friend across the store and then by taking the time to walk a few aisles over to share a warm hug in a Tuesday morning. What a joy!

I would urge you this week to take a moment and make sure a great day is made for a friend, neighbor or even perhaps a stranger.

WITH THANKS

My thanks this week to the editorial page editor of the Courier Observer. When I opened my printed copy of the Courier Observer at the top of the page where my column appeared last week (which mentioned the banners honoring veterans and all military personnel), I said I hoped other towns would also honor veterans with banners the way Massena had done.

The picture appearing with my column depicted banners honoring veterans in the town of Waddington. Wonderful! Hopefully this week I will learn of other banners throughout the north country.

LIFE IS GOOD

The gentleman ahead of me at the checkout aisle at Price Chopper was wearing a shirt that said simply, “Life is Good.” Above the phrase was a caricature of a smiling stick figure reclining in an Adirondack chair.

The cashier mentioned the logo “Life is Good,” agreeing with that sentiment. The gentleman spoke about his age, telling the clerk the year he was born. He spoke about the joys of retirement and affirmed that life was indeed good.

As I paid for my groceries and walked to my car, I thought about that simple three-word phrase “Life is good.” I know there are so many for which life is difficult.

This week, I have visited with a friend who is having difficulty in making ends meet with rising costs of the family’s needs. Another friend is dealing with a life-threatening illness and another suffering the loss of a loved one.

I understand how difficult life is for so many. But if you can walk to the kitchen and make coffee each morning, if you are able to shop for groceries and pay for the things you need and if you can enjoy breathing in the clear north country air on a Wednesday morning, I hope you realize how good life can be.

I was able to walk to my car by myself, pushing my shopping cart. I had been able to pay for the groceries I needed that day. The air was clear and the sky azure. There were no alarms and sirens that I hear so often when visiting with my sister on the phone in Los Angeles or our son in New York City.

Yes, I agree that “Life is good”! I thank the gentleman in Price Chopper for not only wearing his positive shirt declaring the goodness of life but for sharing his age so willingly and speaking with enthusiasm that at 82, life was indeed good.

BIRD FAMILY

The eastern phoebe babies in the nest over the light by our back door are growing. The parent birds feed their young continually.

My apologies; I am not a birder and honestly have no idea which bird is the mother and which might be the father. Both parents keep busy throughout the day feeding the tiny heads that can now be seen above the edge of the nest. As we watch and enjoy life in our backyard, I again think of the shirt logo I saw last week while shopping and know definitely “Life is good.”

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“The healthiest response to life is joy.”

— Deepak Chopra