Imagine the Matata Boys

Today is the first day of the KindSpring.org 21-Day Gratitude Challenge. The sun peeked through the slats of the window shade and a busy squirrel knocked on the roof while I read the message on my iPad "Day 1: What do you have enough of?"
It asked me to reflect on abundance in my life. On sufficiency.

The answer came immediately. I sat up in bed to properly declare my gratitude for creative abundance. For imagination. For being sufficiently endowed with a mindset that can find joy in small pleasures.

"I am," I said out loud, "grateful for pom poms."

Matata's boys are almost finished; their beanies are knitted. Today is the day to make the pom poms.

While I waited for water to boil I finished the first one. It is easy with an old, four part gadget that I've had for almost fifty years. By the time I downed my second cup of coffee eight pom poms were ready to be sewn onto the beanies. Matata watched. He coordinated the colors.









































My doctor's message was not as encouraging as that sent by KindSpring. She told me that I have moderate osteoarthritis of the hip joints. Friday is my first physical therapy appointment. Oh well! Downdog. Squats. Leg press. Pull down. I go to the Y three times a week; now I will find out which exercises work for me and which hurt me more. Isn't that what I wanted?












I asked Matata not to squint. He suggested I pay attention to the pom poms. As I sewed a suspender to one of the Bears I had an idea. I could attach scarves to the beanies. A word floated around.

SCABEANIE!

And then the first Scabeanie was created. The rest, they say, is history.