Spark.....

Fun word.

The other day, to my 1999 Grand Marquis Check Engine Light car (the previous owner, tired of being blinded at night by the continuous glow of the check engine light, placed electrical tape over it to hide it's 'grandeur').... so.. out to start the day - list of things to do going thru my brain..... Get in car, which, at age 62 is an event in and of itself.. (Speakinowhich, any of you other old farts go to Piggly Wiggly, get out of car, struggle, lose balance, laugh, turn to see if anyone saw that? Uh huh, didn't think I was alone. Who woulda ever thunk getting in/out of car would one day be considered exercise?)

So....... I turn the key...... nothing. Absolutely nothing. Worse things happen - sure. There was no spark to the motor. Alternator? Starter?.. Being my non-mechanical self, I opened the hood - aha.. There was so much gunk built up on the connectors to the terminal ends - yuck. So... I find the right sized wrench (15th one I tried worked, par for my course).. and, I proceeded to break the connecter as I tried loosening it.

Hitched a ride to auto parts store.. new connector.. pulled off the old one.. cleaned all the crap off the cable.. replaced.. probably got enough crap on coat, shirt, jeans there was decent certainty they'd soon be holy, pitched in the trash.

Turned the key - yum. Spark. Started.

Spark: something that sets off a sudden force. Sparky Griswold invoked laughter in Christmas Vacation. Sparky Anderson incited ire from umpires. Kid comes off bench, sparks a rally. The smile (spark) of the coworker that help make Monday mornings bearable. The reciprocal spark between a couple.

Sure. Some could care less if they were ever considered a spark, and hey, that's cool. I'd bet though - deep down - even they are boosted, lifted when around, immersed with others who "set off a sudden (good) force"..

One of my favorite things to do is people watch. I love seeing spark. Infants, little tots, youth, hounds, cats, and yes, even the spark from old farts. Recently, article in Kansas City Star relating how two 99 year olds kept up their marriage for 81 years (the National record holders).. She said “I always let him have my way!” Aha, she's sparky - thus the sparkle in his eye for her (and sure, vice versa.)

Last night. Fire pit. Screen over the top. Didn't stop sparks from popping out. I wasn't a Boy Scout, so I'd never heard the phrase "Smoke follows beauty." (For SOME reason, it never got in my eyes.).. Sparks unite friends.

Something that sets off a sudden force. I prefer to think of spark in the positive sense. Eyes wide open. Lucky in life. Emotions perked by the sparks that are specific to the nature of things we treasure.

When I think of spark I think of fun. Laughter. Rejuvenation. Come alive. Surprise. Uppers (and again, no, not the artificial kind).. Positive life jolts. 'Regular ole regular' daily jolts. Sparks turn the corners of the mouth up.

Brain freeze just now. Sparks the end of blog today. May your human battery terminals be (clean and) sparked daily, so that you roll on in life with smiles - even if your check engine light is eternally lit as mine is. Happy day - love, Victurd.