The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Cute!

I am always amazed that in a world filled with good, bad, ugly and cute that the really bad and ugly hasn't hit my family in full force. Tornadoes? Missed us. Cancer? Not yet. Horse breaking a leg? Nope. Drug addicted relative? Been there and got through it. Lately my life has been filled with cute since as you know, I am antique and vintage crazy and enjoying every Breyer Horse and depression glass vase. But when does the 'cute' run out? When does the good teaching job and the husband, daughter and son healthy, accident-free, employed and sane change? And is mentioning my good fortune jinxing me and us? I'm not sure.

Our dog, Dozer, and my stepmom, Reba, recently died and each was a sad event but expected. Life does end, and Dozer was ready for the big dog house in the sky and my stepmom had been praying to go quietly, which she did. So these two deaths don't count as 'bad'. My husband and I often wonder why good luck has continued to come our way. We wonder: when will it run out? Or, as in one article I read in "Goodhousekeeping," do we make our own luck? And if the ugly does hit me smack in the face, will I be able to handle it after so much 'cute'?

The other day I was searching for the worth of a porcelain horse I had bought, and googled "china horse." Instead of photos of adorable figurines, I was bombarded with graphic images of fighting horses surrounded by a cheering audience. China has outlawed 'horse fighting' but the 'sport' is still going on in rural areas. Two stallions are baited with the scent of mares and then . . . you get the idea. Only don't google it. The photos have stayed with me for days, and I did not spend time scrutinizing them. It was an example of ugly that I could not shake. How had I not heard of this before? Supposedly, the Chinese government has worked hard to keep photos of the sport from leaking out. And I must admit I did not read or research the issue after seeing the pictures, so I don't really know. Yup, this is called sticking my head in the sand.

The good, bad, ugly and cute are all part of life. Sometimes the bad and ugly seems to unfairly hit people who don't ask for it. We have friends and family who have lost jobs, health and loved ones all in one swoop. This has been a good and cute few years for me and my family.

Knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, kiss the garden gnome, and I hope it continues. How has your year been? Are you ready for the good and cute? Or braced for some ugly?