I was at the gym today, riding the bike, listening to my IPod. Usually, the music allows me to tune out the shrieks of pain from various parts of my body or the very persuasive inner voice trying to convince me that I just do not have it today, it would be best to quit and try the work out tomorrow when I will feel better or be better rested or whatever. Today, I felt pretty good and thus was able to listen to the music and think about things. First, I wondered why the wires on my IPod earphones always get tangled up in my gym bag when I know that the day before I took special care to wrap them up just right. It is one of those weird things that have no explanation, but I wondered about it anyway until a Carly Simon song came on and I listened to the words. In the song "Anticipation", near the end of the song, she repeats "These are the good old days", and it hit me that these really are the "good old days". Elizebeth and I have been given a priceless gift in our two little girls from China and it is going to be this period that we are going to look back upon as some of the best days of our lives. Sometimes in just living life, you lose sight of just how fantastic things are. Sometimes at about 8:30 in the evening when the two little ones are still going strong, I wonder if maybe Elizabeth and I were a bit insane when we decided to do this. But then it is time to read the bedtime story and things quickly come back into perspective. Every once in a while you just got to clunk yourself on the head and tell yourself that these really are the good old days. Just like that commercial about how you could have had a V-8, instead this time it is that you got to enjoy these days while you got them. The kids grow up fast.
A little while ago, I was able to take the following picture of Olivia and Ava on a cell phone camera. When I looked at the picture that I took, I was stunned to see such expressions of innocence, happiness, love, contentment, etc. This is what matters in life.

P