Not that I think it was the Loch Ness or anything like that. I mean I was under water, and swimming in salt water, so it could have been clouding my vision. The salt water is hard on my eyes and it always takes a while to adjust and for the initial sting to go away. Yet, it wasn’t the usual life in the water, like a seal or an otter. It certainly wasn’t a whale. And it was absolutely not a jelly fish or an octopus. It was….well, I don’t know what the heck it was! That’s the problem. I’ve never felt uncomfortable swimming in Puget Sound. I love the salt water, the cold invigorating temperature that snaps a person right to attention, just in case one was tempted to fall asleep as if in a nice warm bath. That will never happen in the waters surrounding the Puget Sound. Yet, in the same vein, one will never encounter a strange, large, unidentifiable…what should I call it?…a sea creature. Right? There I was with the only other people on the beach being the neighbors who were out wake boarding. I new if I panicked I would most likely…
Category: Randomness
It’s All in the Family
As I watch my eight year old nephews face break in to a huge smile, I see my niece from another brother. I watch another nephew pull a goofy face and I can’t get over how much he looks like one of his uncles. I have two nieces that mirror my own daughters in mannerisms that make me laugh. It’s all in the family, isn’t it? Our daughters narrow shoulders came from my mother, as does her determination. Our son’s short stocky frame is his grandfathers as is his jovial laugh. My younger sister is so much like the brother we lost; I wonder if she knows it? I hear my mother’s voice coming out of myself all the time. It’s kind of nice. I don’t miss her so much knowing I’ve got a little bit of her in my personality, like her sense of humor. Inappropriate at times, yet good to have. I remember times it got her into a bit of trouble, just as it has me. When we are all together it is apparent we all belong together, the family resemblances glaringly obvious. Yet none of us minds, at least not that I know. We’re an okay…
A Tree With No Limbs
I met a woman years ago I consider more of an acquaintance than a friend. We met through a mutual friend but have never gotten together on our own. Perhaps we feel we wouldn’t have anything in common without her, the elastic band that stretches between us. Or, maybe we fear it would be unfaithful to get together without our mutual friend. Whatever the case may be, I’ll never forget a particular conversation we had one day, the three of us, while meeting for lunch downtown. The mutual friend and I were discussing our families, particularly our daughters who know each other well. Suddenly, the acquaintance blurts out, “I feel like a tree with no limbs.” We looked at her with questioning eyes. A tree with no limbs? What was she talking about? She went on to explain how sorry she was she never had children. Regardless of anything else people may or may not have in common, nearly everyone can talk about their kids. It’s a topic that guarantees conversation. She said it doesn’t matter where in the world a person lives, where they work or what they do, women with children have something in common and it’s a…
Nothing Like the Auroma of Fresh Coffee!
When our son was a toddler, he followed me to the coffee maker every morning. He waited for the beans to be freshly ground and then he’d give me the signal which was a tug on my leg. Before anything else could happen, I would bend over to offer him a good long wiff of the fresh ground beans, then I’d make a pot. We always knew he’d be a coffee drinker. For years he poked his nose in the grinder and inhaled all the way to the bottom of his toes. He’d smile and walk away having his fix. When he was about nine or ten he asked me if he could have coffee with us. We explained that he couldn’t for many reasons. The poor guy was going to have to wait. Now days he makes his espresso nice and fresh every morning and revels in the luxury of rich gourmet blends invading his senses. I don’t know what it is about the aroma of fresh coffee dripping in the pot every morning, like a welcome mat set out for a fresh new day. I think it has a lot to do with holding…
Energy
It’s all about how we use it. Energy is energy. Weather it becomes positive or negative…well…that’s up to us. The surprising thing is how many people use it in a negative way. The question is, why waste good energy on the negatives? Let’s use an example. Your are stuck in traffic and will be late because of it. Most often our reaction is to fume. Fuming takes energy. When arriving at your destination, you notice you are exhausted just from getting there. What if sitting there stuck in traffic, you decided there was a reason for it. Maybe there is an accident up ahead that you would have been a part of if not for the slow traffic. Or perhaps you would have been speeding and gotten a ticket if not for the inconvenience of the traffic. I don’t believe there are any coincidences in life. Everything happens for a reason. If you decided to accept that philosophy and accepted the circumstances instead of fuming, you would arrive late, but relaxed and still full of energy. The energy would not be used up on negativism and would still be available for positives. Now, take the example of wind.…
If only I could remember where my memory is!
The human brain is a computer; the original and unarguably most complex computer of all time. The average American uses about 10% of the brains capacity in a normal day, although nearly 100% of our brain will be used at some time or other in a given lifetime. Now, that’s not saying much for us, in fact, it’s a little embarrassing. Of course, there are some people who utilize a greater amount of brain power in their daily lives; the super stars of eCommerce, of Wall Street, of Brain Surgery. As for me, I’m pretty sure I’m in the 10% category most of the time. Well I was before I stepped over the hill anyway. Now I’m simply struggling to remember to use it. If I could only figure out a way to use 20% of it, I’d most likely start remembering things again. I hate getting in the car and wondering, as I put the key in the ignition, where it is that I’m in such a hurry to get to. My Google Calendar is a life saver. It’s always sending me little email reminders of where I need to be and when. I love it. I’ve trained myself…
Katie’s Legacy
Katie died of a brain aneurism. She was thirty one years old. I didn’t really know her all that well but I attended her funeral service out of respect for the family. From that service and the gathering that followed, I discovered I’d missed out on knowing a beautiful soul. This young woman had not only managed to touch the hearts of many in her short time on earth but she’d made a huge impact and an actual difference with her life. Katie leaves behind a legacy of love. Not a person spoke of her without embellishing on the love and caring they’d always felt from her smile, her laughter, her touch. One young woman spoke of the impact Katie had on her life, particularly over the last few years. How she’d learned to truly care for others and share her thoughts and feelings with family and friends because of Katie’s example. She vowed to “pay it forward” as she knew Katie would want her to do. She vowed to take all the love and acceptance she’d received from her friend and pass it on for the rest of her life, in effect, stepping into Katie’s shoes. I…
Let’s Not Talk About It!
I don’t want to be a complainer, so I’ve decided not to carry on about my dilapidation. If you’re over fifty, you know what I mean. I’ve decided not to be the kind of person who looks like they’re in pain every minute of their lives, even if I am. You know the people I’m talking about. You ask how they’re doing and they look ready to cry. Then they say, “Well, as good as can be expected under the circumstances, I suppose.” Then you’re trapped. You have no choice but to ask what the circumstances are and that leads to endless whining and complaining about every ache and pain imaginable. So, I’m not going to tell anyone about the way my feet hurt so badly I can hardly walk, (Plantar Faciatis, if you were wondering), or how my hip wakes me up in the night, (probably need a replacement). And I’m certainly not going to talk about my hot flashes and night sweats and the fact that I’d give anything for a good nights sleep. No, I’m not going there. I have vowed to avoid complaining at all costs. I’m just going to go to the podiatrist…
A Girls Best Friend
These are my dogs, the best little buddies a person could ask for. Rita is on the left, Maggie on the right. Without these two, I would be the size of the Goodyear blimp. They are, first and foremost, my exercise program. Rita and Maggie rise and shine with the crows every morning. That’s early around here. With the sunrise comes the yawn and stretch of the crows. They have a tendency to hang around on the deck railings bight and early so as to drive the dogs crazy. The barking begins as does my day. Two cups of coffee later and we’re out the door for a good three miles. Rita is never done, never tired and always begging to keep going. Maggie, on the other hand, has short little Corgie legs and has had enough by the time we reach home. I like to get some writing done first thing, so we head into my office and get to work. Their job is to curl up on my sofa and listen to me read as I write. Normally this puts them right to sleep, but they put up with me for a few hours. In the…
What to Wear?
It’s that time of year again. I spent yesterday clearing the winter clothes out of the closet and moving them to another closet. Then, I got out all the summer stuff and dumped it on our bed. I was so excited – I love summer clothes, especially summer dresses and skirts. But things are changing in the warm weather wardrobe of this woman in her fifties. For some reason, many of my old favorites don’t look quite right any more. Actually, some of them have gotten a lot smaller over the winter. I don’t know how that happens. Regardless, I’m in a world of hurt. I have nothing to wear. I either need to go shopping or shrink myself into my shrunken clothes. Is there time to do that? I mean before summer really sets in? I’m not sure and the last thing I want to have happen is for the eighty degree weather to show up and not be prepared. What would I do? If I wait too long, all the good stuff will be gone, and the stores will start bringing in the fall merchandise. Yet, with the way our weather has been, there’s a good…