Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello and happy Thursday, friends! Let's get right on to rhyming, shall we? It's an easy thing to do, thanks to Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

As always, our poetic host shared a photo prompt to guide our endeavors. This week's prompt is this sweet image here:

When I saw that image, the phrase happily ever after came to my mind. After all, that there couple looks quite happy. Though perhaps I'm wrong, I'm betting they've lived a long and eventful life together. That got me thinking even more, though. It got me thinking about what happily ever after really means, and it reminded me of a time when a certain member of my extended family asked me quite a question.

Now, let me preface that more by saying that I'm a 32-year-old woman, and I am not married, nor do I have children. What's more, I don't wish for either of those things. As I grew older, I realized those things are not any of the ingredients in my recipe for a happy and fulfilling life. That's certainly not true for a lot of other people, but for me, it is. So, back to the story. The family member I mentioned earlier asked me a couple of years ago, "Do you have a boyfriend yet?" Having been asked that question roughly a thousand times infinity in my life as a single female, I easily answered with my usual, "No." So then I got the strangely bristled questions, "Why not? What's the deal?" That's what I was asked, verbatim, as a single woman of roughly 30. After years and years of fielding these kinds of questions, they no longer phase me, and so I just told this family member, "There is no deal. I've chosen to live the independent life that I want, and so here I am." After a brief discussion on each individual person's version of happy, that was the end of the conversation, and that family member has never asked me that question again.

I'm pretty sure that was some level of oversharing, but that's honestly the line of thought the above photo prompt took me on. All of that rambling and oversharing leads me to say that I decided to write a poem on the concept of happily ever after. It's not a great poem, that's for sure, but I hope it in some way makes sense given all the random thoughts I just spewed out here.

Happily Ever After

What does happily ever after look like to you?
Is it a picket fence surrounding a house of sky blue?
Is it you and your significant other eating a dinner for two?
Or does it involve a happy and laughing child or two?

Or perhaps your happily ever after stars you as a hero?
Perhaps you've saved lives numbering far from zero?
Are you a doctor in your happily ever after?
Or fighting fires, or giving guidance as a pastor?

Everyone can write their own happily ever after.
It can be serious, or it can be silly and filled with laughter.
Your happily ever after doesn't have to match that of anyone else.
Your happily ever after can be just for you, yourself.

Want me to expand on this tale just a little?
After all, to rambling I've already made a full committal.
So, sit back for just a tad bit longer.
I'll try to take this tale at a sprint rather than a saunter.

There once was a girl who wished for a simple life,
Something tranquil and without drama or strife.
The older and older and older she grew,
The more about her desired future she knew.

One day, that girl found herself all grown up.
She lived in a humble home with her clowder of cats and a pup.
Books and memories lined the home's shelves and walls,
And the girl would read and look at them with a smile far from small.

Do you know how this story ends?
The girl was surrounded by books and furry friends.
As a child, that very dream had filled her with joy and laughter,
And now she had found those ingredients for her happily ever after.

Good grief, was that sappy or what?
Hopefully the point is clear, though, with no ifs, ands, or buts.
Suffice it to say that happy looks a little different on everyone.
And now, for the time being, this tale is done.

***

Now we're ready to give thanks as part of Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Thimble is course here to express her gratitude.

Obviously, for good reason, Thimble is thankful for her big eyes and how gorgeous they are on her adorable face. This here human agrees.

We're also thankful for all of you. Thank you for being our friends!

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Last but certainly not least, we have for you the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My wonderful co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. _________ is music to my ears.

2. My favorite kind of soup is _________.

3. If I were going to migrate or hibernate for the winter, I would go to _________.

4. I would _________ if I _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Tip of the Day

Today's winter tip is one that is probably rather logical, and it's therefore one that you all very likely already know. This tip is to refrain from shaving your kitty or pup in the winter, especially a shave close to the skin. The truth is, it is always best to refrain from cutting your furbaby's fur to the skin. In the winter, one obvious reason their fur is crucial is because it helps insulate heat. Similarly, though, a cat or dog's fur can insulate cool air when it's hot outside, making it equally important in the summer. Of course, in the case of severe mats, thick fur that causes overheating in the summer, or other extenuating circumstances, a shave might be required or beneficial. That being said, though, it is usually best and safest for your furbaby to never shave their fur down to the skin. That fur serves far more purposes than one, including insulating both warm and cool air, depending on the time of the year.