100. CLEAR NIGHT SKIES

Leaving mouths ajar with tiny light from afar

* Thanks to my mom for indirectly suggesting this simple miracle. Recently, she wrote, "I just had to double check that number. [Reaching number] 98 is very impressive. # 100 is certain to require a stellar theme!"
* Because of the ambient light, it is hard to see stars when close a city. I went to college close to Cleveland, where we often had this challenge. I would often remark, "How exciting, just to see one star!"
* I envy those, like my sister Missy, who know the different constellations of stars.
* Here's how you can tell the difference between a star and a planet: As they told us at the nearby Uni. of Maryland Observatory, "Stars twinkle. Planets don't."
* What an even greater gift to see a shooting star! "The Heavens declare the glory of God."

99. AUTO BODY SHOPS

Vehicular repair can show that you care

* In the Washington DC area, there are an alarmingly high number of people that drive cars with dents in them. To me, it is a sign of contentment with wrecklessness and disorder. It is as though they are saying, "I run into things and it's not a big deal. I might get in another accident and get another dent, so why fix the first dent?"
* On the other hand, driving with dents could be a sign of contentment with simplicity. Are drivers of such cars actually saying, "My car has a dent but there are other more important things in life about which to worry. I don't need to have a perfect car."
* This summer, I was hit by a deer (in the rear passenger door) and another car (in the rear bumper) and recently had both dents fixed. It is amazing how the body shops can make your car look as though nothing ever happened.

98. OPEN WINDOWS

An outside connection while still in protection

* Hooray for the fresh breeze blowing into my bedroom! Hooray for the familiar sounds of train whistles and birds! It is a wonderful time of year when there is summer warmth but not so much that we turn on the air conditioning and must shut our windows.
* When I go to sleep with the window open, it's almost like sleeping outside - without worrying about attacks by wild animals, nosy neighbors, or sudden thunderstorms.
* When I was in college, I liked open windows so much that I would leave my window open even in the winter.

97. PICTURE FRAMES

Just the right view for art old or new

* My sister Gina is an artist. She has repeatedly pointed out that having the right frame is very important to bring out the best in a painting.
* During visits to art galleries, such as the National Gallery of Art near my home, it is interesting to take note of all the different kinds of frames.
* I can think of other things besides paintings that are framed to accentuate what is in the middle - photographs, windows, eyeglasses.

96. STAIRWAY HANDRAILS

Permits corner-round-going without needing slowing

* When I reach the end of one flight of stairs, I grab the railing and swing around to the next.
* If there were no railing, I think that I would have to slow down, catch my balance, then speed up again. My office is on the fourth floor at work. So how much time do I save during each work day by using the railing?

* At work, of course, it is necessary to not swing too wide and run into colleagues.