Life is a waiting game. We are consistently waiting on one thing or another. Like right now, we’re waiting on the birth of our second grandchild. We’re keeping the cell phone handy, waiting to jump in the car and go, waiting to see what he looks like and hold him for the first time. When I take a good look at life, I realize we’ve been doing nothing but waiting forever. Remember when we had tiny babies of our own, and couldn’t wait for the time when we’d be sleeping through the night again? And how it was waiting for toddlers to learn to use the potty chair and tie their own shoes and grow up to become independent adults. And how about waiting for teenagers to come home on weekend nights with the car and themselves in one piece? Wait, wait, wait. It’s enough to wear a person out. And lets talk about spouses. How many of us women are still waiting for him to take out the trash without being asked or to drive without tailgating? And how many men are waiting for her to realize it’s not the jeans that make her look fat, so quit asking.…
Category: Randomness
Sorry I Forgot to Blog!
A friend called the other day and asked if I’d been sick. “No, why do you ask?” She explained she hadn’t received a blog notice from my web site for a while and thought I must be sick. I had to admit I’d just been so busy, I actually forgot! The realization led me to examine my forgetfulness lately. For example; I just had the perfect example but can’t remember it now. That’s how my mind has been since the beginning of the 2013 “Holiday Season.” How does one reclaim the brain after yet another holiday survival? It’s possible with the culmination of so many years of stress, exhaustion, excitement, and sugar, that the time comes when the brain overloads for one last time with no turning back. The damage is done. It’s over. The fat lady has sung. It feels like running a marathon and then never being able to so much as walk again. Have I reached a final burn-out? Will there be no cerebral recovery? I keep forgetting about the resolutions I made a mere twenty two days ago. I’ve failed to exercise more in the New Year than I have in the past. I eat well…
My New Year Resolutions
A clean slate – that’s what a new year is to me. A nice fresh start – an opportunity to challenge myself then revel in my stunning accomplishments. Or not. It all depends on what I have resolved to do and how I plan to go about it. I tend to make a resolution as I’m in the act of breaking it, then resolve to never break it again just as soon as I’m done with this one last infraction. You know, like I resolve to give up sugar for the year but not until all the sugar in the house is used up. I can’t just waste it and let it get old. You know how fast sugar gets old. So by the time the sugar is all used up, three or four months have gone by and it’s too late to activate that particular resolution. Or, I resolve to work our vigorously four days a week but not until the first of next month. I have a thing about starting a fresh New Year resolution at the beginning of a fresh new month. If I fail to start January 1st, then it’s too late on the 2nd. I’ve…
Merry Christmas!
Last evening was dark early and freezing cold; just as it should be in Seattle this time of year. Yet, we bundled for the elements and soaked up the infectious excitement of a toddler off to see Christmas light for the very first time. It was pure magic; the kind that warms you from heart to head to toe. Nothing like seeing the scene above through the eyes of a little one. This Christmas Season, I’m going to try looking at the world like it’s all new to me; as if I’ve never seen the beauty of the lights, tasted the freshness of a candy cane, or put eggnog in my coffee. I’m going to be in awe at Christmas Eve service and sing carols like I did growing up – loud and off key. And I think I’ll take walks at night with my husband and our dogs and love the sky no matter what’s coming down – rain, snow, moon light, star light – whatever’s going on, it doesn’t matter. It’s all good and I am lucky to be here, alive and well, with people I love who love me too. Have a very Merry Christmas! God…
A little space…
One would have to be living under a rock to avoid the assault of the holiday frenzy. And what a frenzy it is! Merchants advertise repetitively, drilling their “must have” merchandise into our subconscious. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and eggnog hold hostage our sense of smell, all that glitters is gold, at least for now anyway, and don’t stupidly fall behind today’s cutting edge technology. You dinosaurs must keep up! “Wake up people!” the economy screams. “It’s time to spend some money and do it with a smile on your face! Quit being so selfish. Your retirement can wait!” I can’t even watch television anymore. It’s so sad. Does he really have to go to Jared’s for me to be happy? Am I going to be snubbed if I’m the only woman without an open heart from Kay Jewelers? And seriously, how do they get that big red ribbon around that nice little Lexus parked in the driveway where snowflakes glisten and children listen, and the mom of the house, looking far too young, bounds out the custom front door of her million dollar home wearing mere cashmere while jangling the keys and blinding us with her white as snow teeth? It’s…
Just Thinking…
I hope everyone had a “making-good-memories” kind of Thanksgiving. After all, that’s pretty much what we’re doing as we stuff the turkey and bake those pies; making memories for ourselves and those we care about and hoping it will be so wonderful we’ll cheerfully look forward to next year. Although ours was the smallest gathering ever, we had a memorable time. Even though it was cold, the day was sunny and perfectly still. We built a roaring bonfire on the beach and delighted in our baby grandsons fascination. It was toasty warm and we played around our beach fire for hours. At dinner, we ate way too much and complained about our aching stomachs. I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit guilty, wondering about those out in the cold or those with stomachs aching from hunger. I bought a couple of those pre-packed holiday dinners in a brown bag the grocery stores put together and sell for the food banks. That way, shoppers don’t even have to think about what to donate. Just buy the ten dollar bag, leave it with the cashier, and you’re done. At least I did that much, I told myself. It was better than…
November Blahs…
Life needs a little perking up. I’ve noticed this about everything lately; the house, the decor, our activities or lack thereof, the routine, meals, hair style, relationships. It’s as though I’ve forgotten to freshen anything up for a long time and just now noticed how stale it’s all become. I’m starting to perk things up around the house with new sofa pillows although I can’t seem to find the look I’m after. I’ve shopped on-line and through brick and mortar and have had no luck. Picking out fabric and having some specially made just might be the way to go. At least I’m thinking about it which in itself makes me feel adventurous. Doesn’t take much. I moved a few small pieces of furniture around and relocated a couple of plants. That helped. And I raked the yard, bagged all the leaves and pulled every weed I could find. I think planting a bunch of spring bulbs before it’s too late is a good idea. Anticipating a yard full of flowers brightens things up, if only in my mind for the time being. My hair dresser changed my style and gave me a great cut. I love it and feel…
If This Tree Could Talk…
In San Antonio, Texas, there stands a land-mark Oak tree in the heart of the Alimo. It is one hundred and one years old and is an attraction in its self. The immense tree stands tall and sprawling, opening its arms to welcome visitors from all around the country. I wanted nothing more than to climb up the trunk and on to the draping branches that bow low to the ground, an invitation to make myself at home if there ever was. In my dream, I would settle into the natural cradle way up top, pull out a journal and write. I can only imagine the feelings, visions, and emotions I would experience as I coaxed stories from the soul of my new found friend. The tree weighs seventy six pounds per cubic foot. I think it could hold me just fine. The mighty branches are so heavy they touch the ground then find strength and support to begin reaching up again, high into the vast Texas sky. Yet, we are asked to honor the restrictive border surrounding the tree and keep off. It’s a protected tree, you see. We aren’t allowed to feel it’s great strength under our insignificant…
Surprise, surprise!
I don’t know why it’s such a surprise to find it dark as we head out the door in the morning. And, we’re all blown away because sunset is at 4:45 this afternoon which makes it pitch black by 5:00. It happens every year at this time, yet it’s always so shocking. “Can you believe how dark it was at 5:00?” we ask each other as though the whole situation is a serious freak of nature. “I can’t believe how dark it is in the morning! It’s like getting up in the middle of the night.” To make it worse, we have these notoriously gray days; rainy, windy, dark depressing days. Our beautiful Pacific Northwest falls flat on it’s lovely face in the winter. Yet, apparently not for everyone. There are those who dwell among us with webbed feet and closets full of REI rain gear. They outfit up and take on the weather like warriors. Those are the aliens spotted combing the beaches in torrential rain storms, hiking through our dense forests dodging falling trees in hurricane force winds, stomping through flooding streams and mud filled trails. I have such respect for those conquerors of the…
Evolution
I recently had a conversation with a woman we’ll call Barb, who told the story of her son having a sleep over at his friend’s house. When Barb picked up her son the following morning, the friends mother carried on about what a pure joy Barb’s son was to have around. She was baffled, saying he is normally surly and miserable and rarely even talks at home. It got me thinking about how we wear different hats all though our lives, taking one off and donning another to fit whatever environment we find ourselves in. Often, we have one hat for family, one for work, one for our friends, etc. As the years go by, some of us fail to realize it’s okay to pick one hat and stick to it. After all, there comes a point where we know who we are. Once we have that figured out it’s our job to honor ourselves by being true to ourselves. My first job in high school was at a fast food restaurant. The owner of the burger joint was a family friend and he has never once passed on the opportunity to remind me, in the most condescending way,…