An entry on a WTF social media site raged against the circumstance of an elderly gentleman being taken advantage of by a building contractor. Run of the mill for this site but in this case I know the gentleman. Continue reading
friends
cherish the company you keep
Taking my ratty 2017 calendar down and thumbing through the months is a time for reflection. The charity and minor hockey raffle tickets I purchased in support with draw dates long gone and no phone call. The receipts for my hair appointments paper clipped to the side and the dental appointment cards to be moved into next spring.
Never mind resolving to lose the muffin top; that’s important sure, but instead I take stock of where I am and who I am.
I’m thankful that the close call to someone I love was left unanswered and he came back from the precipice to be with us.
I wave goodby and wish those well who unceremoniously unfriended me when I didn’t fit in with the changes they made.
I embrace the new opportunities and friends that showed up at the same time this year. Both enrich my life.
I feel blessed.
It’s a time for reflection as I hang my 2018 calendar up and as a dear friend once said to me “make new plans, Susie”. I am, and in doing so I have good reason to cherish the company I keep.
Happy New Year, my friends. I wish you all the best.
something I learned from her
There are things that stay with us. Words that matter and have meaning far beyond the moment they are spoken.
I was always a little intimidated by her quick wit; the ability and forthrightness as she said what was on her mind. In awe of her intelligence. In another sphere she could have been a doctor, lawyer, an author. As a cherished Grandmother and lover of Christmas, her days were full.
She let me know that contrary to what I was taught, it is ok to drink beer from a bottle. It’s ok to sit on the beach with the wind blowing our hair and laugh and drink beer as we sat huddled in down jackets determined to enjoy the frigid day at the beach.
She hugged me tight the last time I saw her and said “…we had a good run, Susie. We had a good run”.
She taught me to look at things I can’t change and be able to say “….we had a good run” while I step into tomorrow.
the thing about birthdays
The thing about birthdays is that they happen. If we’re lucky, we continue to mark the day of our birth over and over and over again. I relished the stages of celebrating my birthday…..well, until lately. Continue reading
looking for a sign
Sometimes I need to say “this I can change, and this I can’t.”
Photo courtesy of Thierry Maillot
in the middle of moving
“In the middle of moving” is how the email note started that was from my friend this week. I’m not sure where the move is to but I am sure that he’ll look up when he lands and steps into lifestyle changes and he’ll find fierce inspiration in all he does. ‘Cause that’s just how he rolls. Continue reading
pig moments and the accidental collection
Well, it’s interesting that Sigmund Freud harkens the psychology of collecting with ties back to toilet training. And in his way, he says that the loss of control and what went down the toilet was a loss we strive to get back by collecting things. Give or take a literal translation of his theory. Continue reading
my Mom’s dreams
As we hit our teenage years, our Mom is around sometimes like an unwanted appendage weighing us down and sometimes like a crutch holding us up. We’ve all been there; “ohhhhh Mom, really??” and the phone calls “Mom……..it’s me…”.
It’s a hard transition from being a needy child to being a teenager and then to a young parent ourselves doing it our own way. And all along the way our Mom is there trying to fit into our ever changing outlook on what she should be for us. This isn’t a bad thing; it’s a natural progression. Maybe it’s also a natural progression to soften the edges and embrace her with respect and a deep connection as we age along with her, and to long for missed opportunities after it’s too late to take them.
I look at this picture of my Mom from very long ago and wonder what dreams she had. I never asked her. I never knew since we didn’t have much of a relationship beyond my childhood, and then not anywhere close to knowing what she dreamed of. I feel sad for that.
Ask your Mom what she dreams of. Then love her for her dreams.
9 people, 6 days, a tribe and a mug
9 people in a room for six days. Like really, really in a room. Not leaving. And days are 12-14 hours long. That’s what it means to work for our election as an officer facilitating advanced voting opportunities for the masses.
I don’t care who you are, it still takes a big inhale and twinge of expectation and anticipation mixed up with the tiny insecurities we all pack around when you commit to in this case, 6 days of intense group dynamics. Continue reading
lessons learned from BookCrossing
The delight in finding. The delight in setting free. It was all there in BookCrossing. With ebooks and the convenience of reading everything on a screen I pack around, I’ve lost some of the “bookness” of a book. Continue reading
cruising with the sunroof open
Hey Mom…………
Yes, Jasmine?
How about we go cruising with the sunroof open and sniff the spring time air?
Well, yes……let’s!!
Oh yeah!!!! What a day we’re having, just me and Mom driving in the sunshine!
perspective
I remember a conversation with a friend when I said “I just don’t know where I fit” and the response was “well, right here. That’s where”. This past few months since leaving the teams I was working with, it’s been a bit of a stress and pressure and an overwhelming feeling that I have to find a new “fit”.
Any time there’s a big change we struggle to find a place that doesn’t bind or pinch or slosh around like an overfilled wading pool. Maybe the fit is in our perspective of our here and now. Maybe it’s ok to step back and change perspective.
A walk in the Ancient Forest near my house is healing and inspiring. Offering a note to be taken that today is a tiny piece of everything; that it’s ok to just breathe and be.
dreamingofsquirrels 
You must be logged in to post a comment.