I was struck by the beauty of the moon at dawn today. Although it was a mere sliver, it was intensely brilliant, as though making a statement, or several statements. As the saying goes, great things come in small packages. What might appear to be insignificant occasionally surprises us. Take for example a puppy. A retiring couple we know recently adopted a puppy they’ve been eagerly awaiting; a rat terrier. She is so tiny we were sure to watch our step around her, terrified we’d break bones if she were stepped on. She might be tiny, but the impact this little dog is having on her new parents is enormous! Suddenly, their lives are no longer their own. Their sleep is constantly interrupted, they take her in and out, in and out, cheering on her tiny bowels and bladder. Hold her, console her, love her. She weighs five pounds. Her itty-bitty self is huge. Same thing goes for babies, of course. We are fooled, as naive young parents, by the size of the person coming home with us. We think we’ll always be the boss of them, don’t we? Yet, as the years fly by, we are blown away by…
Month: October 2011
Letting Go of Control
Have you ever noticed how seldom long term plans pan out? Life just gets in the way and nothing ends up “being” as we thought it would by now. What happened? Seriously, what happened to our economy and our retirement funds? Where’s all that home equity we used to be able to count on? And why don’t I still look like I did when I was forty? I work on it; work out all the time. Try an assortment of wrinkle-be-gone and youth enhancing creams. Do yoga. What the heck? I’m starting to look like the women I always see and tell myself “you will never look like that!” And, as long as I’m going to look like a grandma, where are the grand-kids? I’m sick of pretending all those dogs are grandchildren. They’re not! It’s a good thing I waited this long to get a tattoo. Now I see what parts of me are staying in place so I won’t end up with a saggy tattoo. The end is close enough for me to trust if I have it put it on my “end” it will swing low around my knees right where it is anyway. Hopefully, it won’t…
How to Dress for Fall in the Pacific Northwest
It was miserable the other morning, rain coming down in sheets sideways, wind howling like a banshee. And it was cold, the first morning I’d considered actually cold this fall. What to wear? I was setting out for an entire day of errands and a long meeting with my writers group. I imagined getting in and out of the car and running for my destination would require an umbrella or at least a good rain coat. I dressed for the weather, at least the weather as it was at that moment. Wool socks and comfy fleece lined boots for my feet, jeans, a long sleeved cotton shirt with a mixed blend sweater and a rain coat. My hair in a hat – it had no chance at all in the wind as it were. As I headed out the door, I considered running back in for a scarf and gloves, but I was going to be late if I didn’t get going. So, I left feeling uneasy about the possibility of cold hands. I hate cold hands. My first stop was at a small cafe to meet with my writers group for coffee and a bite to eat before…