tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86844082024-03-20T02:28:47.374-07:00The NEW Old MusingsWriter. Dabbler. Seeker.
In search of Spirit and its messages.
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.comBlogger644125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-16343511757148477442022-08-04T12:54:00.001-07:002022-08-04T20:01:13.495-07:0040 years of The Serenity Prayer<p><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">40 years ago today, I trembled my way into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, accompanied by a woman I had just met. It was a typical church basement meeting room with unflattering fluorescent lights, a long table, and folding chairs, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. There were neatly dressed, well-groomed men and women, a few who looked sickly and bloated, even a little yellowish, many in jeans and tees, some chatting, others quietly reading a thick book, most with a cup of coffee or can of soda in front of them. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">It took me several of those meetings before I could choke out the words admitting that my name was Beth, and yes, I was an alcoholic. And yet, why else would I have been there? You don’t just wander into a 12-Step Group for fun. You go because you don’t want to live like you have been. You go because you don’t know what else to do. You go because you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Maybe you go because a judge has ordered you to. And like me, maybe you go because you think you may have a problem, but you surely aren’t that far gone yet. (Hint: If you’re there, it’s because you DO have a problem and yes, you DO need to be there.)</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">I could not imagine a life without drinking wine with Italian food, a day on the lake without plenty of beer, a nice dinner without a few cocktails beforehand (which turned into during, and after…). I was just in awe of those speakers who had 10 or 15, or even 25 years of sobriety, and knew I could never do that. It was just inconceivable. My group of friends all drank. I wouldn’t fit in anymore. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">And yet, here I am, 40 years sober. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">In those many church basements and a few dedicated clubhouses, I was shown a blueprint for living my life through the 12 Steps. It was so simple: Admitting I was powerless over alcohol and that my life had become unmanageable….Came to believe that a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity…..and so on, one step at a time, worked through on your own timetable. And you could go back and repeat. And people would encourage you and talk about their own experiences, openly. There were often tears. There was genuine laughter. There were hugs. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">The only rule was that for the next 24 hours, one day, you couldn’t drink. I was given a small metal coin with AA engraved on one side, and told that if I felt the urge to drink, I should drop the chip into the glass, and when it dissolved, I could have the drink. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">People gave me their phone numbers, told me to call if I felt shaky. When I came back, I was welcomed. And I watched them do the same with so many others, whether or not they had succeeded in not drinking that day. “Keep coming back” was the mantra. “Good things happen to alcoholics who don’t drink.”</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">In those rooms, we discussed and read the 12 Steps and the 12 Traditions, one at a time, over and over. Many speakers told their stories and left us with the assurance that if they could do it, so could we. I learned that the difference between my story and that of someone who had lost home, family, health, maybe even liberty, was that I hadn’t had to go down those roads YET….the lesson being that drinking/using never ends well and it can be a simple matter of time before you get there, in the dungeon of self-loathing and lost blessings. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">One step at a time. Rinse and repeat. Meetings. The Serenity Prayer was never far from my lips, and especially in the beginning I used it constantly to keep me focused on what I needed to do, giving me strength to live a minute at a time on some days. It wasn’t just not having a drink, it was knowing that the drink was not going to be an option to help numb the anger or resentment or pain or fear. It was figuring out what I could change and what I couldn’t, and sometimes desperately pleading for the wisdom to see and be able to live with the difference. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">When you live life one day at a time, it is much easier to manage. When you have an outline of how to manage your feelIngs and relationships, and how to move forward in a kind and positive way, it is life changing, one day, one step at a time. It never gets old. You are never “done” with any step, because if you are living, you are changing and evolving. The 12 Steps are as relevant to me today as they were at the beginning of this journey. I did not do them perfectly nor always as suggested, having just the *slightest* tendency towards following my own drum. But the outcome has been positive. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">I am so grateful for these Life Lessons, this blueprint for being, that I came to in such a desperate and pain-filled way so long ago. I see them reflected in teachings from our great Ascended Masters, of Buddha, Master Jesus, Quan Yin, Sensei Usui. I have found them in movies and novels. I see them sometimes in news stories about the helpers who appear when there is desperate need. And I still work, one day at a time, to use them in my own life and responses to the world’s hurting and injustices. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">Spending more than half my life as a recovering alcoholic was not one of my life goals. But those choices led me in a positive direction when I stepped into that basement room, and I am filled with gratitude for 40 years of stubborn determination to not drink for the next 24 hours, and to follow, however imperfectly, the 12 Steps. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">The Serenity Prayer</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">God grant me the serenity</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">To accept the things I cannot change;</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">Courage to change the things I can;</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">And wisdom to know the difference.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;">— Reinhold Niebuhr </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 23.6px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29.7px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23.55px;"></span><br /></p>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-11733512421689885602018-01-13T22:12:00.001-08:002018-01-13T22:26:23.006-08:00Friendships: A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-style: italic;">"True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island. To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing."</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-style: italic;"> ~ </span><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Baltasar Gracian</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 17px;">I've never been one to have a lot of friends at once, and the few close ones I do have have taken years to develop. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">But they're the ones you can call on when you don't know anybody else who will listen to your fears and worries and rantings, who will hug you and hand you Kleenex as you sob your heart out, and tell you whether you're simply caught up in the emotion of the situation or whether it really IS as bad as you think it is. And then they'll help you figure out where to go from there.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">They're the ones who will call YOU when you try to isolate and say "I'm fine" when it is clear that you are no such thing. They'll beat down your barriers and show up uninvited. They don't buy the "I'm fine" crap you're trying to sell to the rest of the world. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">They're also the ones that you can pick up with right where you left off, no matter if it's been 10 minutes or 10 years. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">It takes intention to develop that kind of friendship. You talk, in person, on the phone, via email or social networking. If it clicks, you keep going. You go shopping and to lunch. You share at least some interests and go places together -- the home and garden show, the quilting show, the movies, a play or concert.. You show up for their events; they show up for yours. You keep touching base with each other, intentionally. You ask about them and what's important in their lives; they ask about you and your activities. It isn't forced, it isn't really work, because you really want to know. You've clicked over into friendship, a deep, loving friendship.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">It's said that friendships fall into the <a href="http://considerthisradioshow.com/reason-season-lifetime/" target="_blank">categories of reason, season, or lifetime.</a> I think that's pretty accurate. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">In these days of social media, people have long 'Friends' lists -- numbering in the hundreds if not thousands. I understand that often it is for marketing purposes, especially when one is an entrepreneur and needs to develop a base of supporters -- I mean, who has thousands of 'friends' in real life? Not me. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">I am surprised to see myself with slightly more than 200 'Friends.' Many are people I used to know through various jobs and places I used to live, from high school or college, and while we might have once known each other fairly well, we don't anymore -- but neither of us wants to break that tie from the past just yet. They're the 'reason' or 'season' friendships. And yet there are one or two from this group who I expect to be in occasional touch with, outside of Facebook, for the rest of my life. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Some are relatives who I don't know very well, especially as adults, but we share a common family tree and some interesting memories of our grandparents and our sibling parents -- and I've actually come to know a few of them a little better because of the Facebook ties. They're also 'reason' friends, although I will know most through our lifetimes. But where we might have been close cousins as children, we are now merely related adults.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"> A very few are people I've come to know through our connection online and while I have never (or only once or twice) actually hugged their necks, I enjoy their stories. And nearly all the rest are people I know, most not particularly well, from living in my current area. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">There are a handful who I count as dear friends. We've gone through at least some stages of the friendship building, and there is a connection that goes beyond social media. They are the 'season' friends -- who may yet develop into the lifetime ones. We are enjoying the journey together, and that's what matters. I am grateful for them.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">At least two do not use Facebook at all -- but we pick up where we left off when we do see each other, which may be once every few years or two or three times a year. We send cards, exchange emails or texts, sometimes phone calls. Those are the lifetime friends. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">One of those friendships began in 1982 and has lasted through divorces, depression, alcoholism, anguish over children, our parents' deaths, radically different political and even spiritual viewpoints, and a (ex)spouse who molested both of our daughters. I know that whoever dies first will have the other at her bedside, if at all possible, to help in that last transition. Because we love each other, warts and all.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">It is a privilege and a great joy to have such a friend. </span></span><span style="color: #282828; font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 17px;">I never take these dear friends for granted, and I hope I give back to them the caring and consideration they have extended to me. We all learn from each other in this world, and it is such a blessing to have like-minded people to play with through this life! </span></span>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-3676784088849196712018-01-03T22:47:00.001-08:002018-01-13T22:14:37.268-08:00Time for a change<br />
<i>Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. ~ George Bernard Shaw</i><br />
<br />
It is sobering -- embarrassing, really -- to see that I did not post here one single time in 2017. And not much in 2016. And I have the nerve to call myself a writer?<br />
<br />
Time for a change.<br />
<br />
For the last year or so, I've posted daily quotes on my Facebook page every morning: words that inspired me at the moment, sometimes amusing, sometimes a bit close to the bone, but always positive.<br />
<br />
<i>You attract what you think about. </i>That's a truth I've learned over the past few years as I've expanded my spiritual journey through the study of Reiki and other energy/light work experiences. Everything works and feels better when your outlook is positive. The Light comes through much more easily.<br />
<br />
Old Musings has been around since 2003 -- a long, long time for a blog. I've written about topics that were on my mind at the moment -- family, politics, the news, daily living. Some were rants. Some were answers to writing prompts. Some were sad reflections about grief and loss and disappointment. You can still find them by using the Labels or searching the archives, if you <i>really</i> want to look back. (I confess -- I couldn't bring myself to just blow away 13 years of posts, and I wanted to keep the name of the blog -- so there you are.)<br />
<br />
At the suggestion of one of my occasional readers (<i>thanks, Dr. W.</i>), I'm repurposing "Old Musings" into "The NEW Old Musings." I'll begin every post with a relevant quote, and posts will still reflect what's on my mind -- but they will all be positive, in hopes that you (and I) can find the Light in every situation, every event.<br />
<br />
If our purpose is to create our own lives, then let that creation be good, be strong and healthy and <i>grateful </i>for all that we experience. Even the hard parts.<br />
<br />
If you're still around, please join me again as we explore this life from another viewpoint. And thank you for reading.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-284063046384844352016-08-01T18:27:00.000-07:002016-08-01T18:27:15.970-07:00Critical thinking or just hitting 'like'?I was unfriended recently because, I'm pretty sure, I wrote a comment on a friend's Facebook timeline that respectfully challenged the source of a political story. I was very careful not to be inflammatory or tromp heavily on that person's cherished convictions.<br />
<br />
My reason for even commenting was because I thought the post/link, about election fraud, sounded a little too much like propaganda rather than being factually based. When I investigated the organization that issued the 'study,' and read comments, and followed links, it began to look like one either backed by the Trump people or the Bernie people to discredit Hillary and the Democratic National Committee. While it purported to be a non-partisan organization run by a group of non-partisan lawyers, journalists, analysts, etc., there were no names attached to it at all on their website, and the DNC and Hillary appeared to be the only ones investigated and targeted -- nothing at all about the Republican election and voter registration fraud that has been widely publicized in the last decade or so.<br />
<br />
My comment pretty much said that. I questioned the assertion that it was a 'non-partisan' organization.<br />
<br />
Clearly it was not welcome. And equally clearly, I was no longer welcome in that person's life.<br />
<br />
I thought about it all day and why it upset me, other than losing a friendship that while not a close one was a pleasant one with someone I thought highly of.<br />
<br />
And I figured it out: it is the lack of evidence of any critical thinking -- and it doesn't just extend to this particular post and 'study,' but to all such social media posts that claim a candidate or organization did/said/stole/lied in some very authoritative and absolutist language with very little supporting evidence cited when you actually read the story. Often the 'study' is reported by a site that is widely known to have a left or right or special interest bias.<br />
<br />
I'd venture to say that many -- if not most -- Facebook users hit "Like"
or "Share" based on the
incendiary headline without even READING the whole article!<br />
<br />
How many actually research it and look for sources, <i>reputable</i> sources, with a truly non-partisan point of view, sources which actually strive to present both sides of the story instead of wildly slanting whatever thin strands of 'evidence' might be there? Anyone? Even a little bit?<br />
<br />
Well, I do. I was raised to think, to ask questions (conversations around our dinner table were often quite lively). As a journalist, I was trained to provide both points of view in a story, or else label the story as <i>editorial</i>, not as <i>news</i>. As an English major, I was expected to learn critical literary analysis. As a liberal arts<i> </i>major, I was required to sample different philosophies and disciplines, and taught how to examine them and draw my own conclusions based on evidence provided.<br />
<br />
Is that even taught in our schools anymore? Are we giving our children data and expecting nothing more out of them than to regurgitate it on tests? Do we have discussions about politics or religion or social issues within our groups of family and friends without rancorous judgment and angry disagreement? Does anyone remember how to disagree respectfully?<br />
<br />
I think not, at least based on what I am reading and seeing on social media and in the news and newspapers.<br />
<br />
And yes, I do watch the news, I do read newspapers and blogs and magazines. I have heard many of those who post on Facebook claim that they 'never' watch the news -- too biased -- but rely instead on Facebook groups to get the 'real' story.<br />
<br />
<i>Hello? </i><br />
<br />
These groups are not unbiased. They present a particular point of view. If you don't balance it out by also reading groups who present a different viewpoint, you are not getting 'the real story.'<br />
<br />
No one likes having a dearly held belief challenged, political or religious or social. But if you respond by refusing to consider any other evidence, if you continue to wear blinders and steadfastly forge ahead without considering what else may be waiting just outside your narrow tunnel vision, you risk losing much, much more.<br />
<br />
I'm sorry that I lost a friend over politics. I'm sorry that this person didn't value our relationship enough to just block my posts but keep me as a friend -- as I have done over the last two elections with some of my friends and relatives.<br />
<br />
But I am not sorry for speaking up -- although I pretty much have decided that for this election, I am simply going to vote my convictions rather than ballyhoo them on Facebook, hard as it may be. You may hold me accountable to that.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-16003513590495330402016-04-01T16:49:00.003-07:002016-04-01T16:49:34.195-07:00Women! Are you really going to stand for this? Donald Trump said out loud and very publicly this week what the Republicans have pussy-footed around saying (through enacting and proposing and supporting anti-reproductive rights legislation) for years:<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> Women who have abortions should be punished.</b><br />
<br />
and while he may not have said it in these exact words, what he meant was: <br />
<br />
<b>Women should not be allowed to determine what medical procedures are performed or medications prescribed when it comes to their reproductive systems.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> Women's lives are not important when a fertilized egg is growing in a uterus. That group of cells takes priority over any medical, emotional, or spiritual needs of the woman.</b><br />
<br />
<b> If women think they can get away with acting in their own best interests on anything relating to reproductive rights, they better think again, because WE WILL COME AFTER THEM. </b><br />
<br />
It's been all over the news, and many groups (including some of the Repubs) have responded in shock and dismay.<br />
<br />
But all you have to do is to look at the state of reproductive health legislation in this country to know that Trump has just voiced <i>exactly</i> what the majority of our Republican legislators (both federal and state), and not just a few Democrats, alas, really think.<br />
<br />
That's what Trump has done throughout his bombastic and unprecedented presidential campaign on many topics, not just this one, actually. He has openly voiced what is not politically correct or acceptable to say. <i>(And I am NOT defending him on this.)</i> The maybe-not-quite-voiced conclusions? Women (and minorities, Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants) should NOT be treated equally. They are not worthy, they are not as good as (white Christian) men, they do not deserve equal pay for equal work, they cannot and should not be allowed to determine what happens to their own bodies. But we support women, they say ..<i>..in the bedroom, the kitchen, the nursery, the classroom, as nurses and caretakers...<b>not</b> in the executive offices, as decision makers, as innovators, as doctors or lawyers....</i><br />
<br />
But Trump and all the other presidential campaign candidates and associated events are not the real subject of this particular blog post.<i> </i><br />
<br />
THIS is: <br />
What I do not understand (and haven't, really, for years) is WHY the women of this country are allowing Trump and the lawmakers who believe and say these things about women's reproductive rights to get away with it?<br />
<br />
WHY are you not protesting and actively campaigning to defeat candidates who would take away this very personal, very basic right of an individual to determine her own medical treatment and options?<br />
<br />
WHY are you silent when state after state after state limits access to safe and effective and LEGAL access to birth control and wellness checkups and medication and mammogram screenings and reproductive cancer screenings, and yes, abortion?<br />
<br />
WHY do you believe that a group of mostly men, mostly older, should determine how, if, and when you receive medical care and medications as it relates to your reproductive organs?<br />
<br />
WHY on earth would you believe that ANYone, ANY organization, ANY group, ANY law, has the RIGHT to tell you what you can and cannot do about your body?<br />
<br />******************<br />
I remember when effective birth control was not readily available. I remember when abortion was not legal and thousands of women were helped by an underground network of clergy, doctors, lawyers, and others to receive what we all hoped would be safe abortions. I remember women who died from illegal, botched, kitchen table procedures, who were rendered sterile or maimed because of desperate do-it-yourself coat hanger and knitting needle attempts. <br />
<br />
I supported and worked for safe and legal abortion, for access to birth control and reproductive counseling and medical tests and wellness procedures. Planned Parenthood was a godsend for millions of women then, and continues -- even though it has been so hobbled by the untruths and vicious lies that have been spread this last year -- to do so now. I lobbied on Capital Hill and in the Missouri legislature. I wrote letters and gave interviews and marched in picket lines and parades. I was then and continue to be PRO-CHOICE, even though my reproductive days are long over.<br />
<br />
So where are you, Millennials and Generation X and Generation Z? <br />
<br />
What are you doing to ensure that these rights stay legal and accessible?<br />
<br />
What are you going to do when our presidential candidates tell you that women who have abortions should be punished?<br />
<br />
Do you not understand that your access to safe and legal abortion is under attack -- and is dwindling?<br />
<br />
Do you not understand that your access to safe and effective birth control is under attack...and being curtailed?<br />
<br />
Do you not understand that your right to make medical decisions for yourself is already limited and is likely to be even more so?<br />
<br />
How can you not care?<br />
<br />
**************** <br />
<br />
<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana <br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/georgesant101521.html</div>
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ~ George Santayana in <i>The Life of Reason, </i>1905.<br />
<br />
“People are always quick to call evil what they do not know. The unknown
sprouts fear. It spreads like an infection, burrowing into every facet
of their lives. They need a scapegoat, someone to blame. Fingers are
pointed, accusations are made, and a target lands on somebody’s back.
They grow angry. They turn violent.<br />To history, human nature must be a
stubborn and tiring student. No matter how many times history tries to
show it the error of its ways, it never learns from its mistakes.”
<br /> ―
<a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">Kelseyleigh Reber</a>,
<span id="quote_book_link_25865068">
<i><a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">If I Resist</a></i>
</span><br />
<br />
<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana <br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/georgesant101521.html</div>
<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana <br /> Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/georgesant101521.htm</div>
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-69286694566428701792016-03-17T16:08:00.000-07:002016-03-17T16:08:00.037-07:00A note to my United States Postal CarrierDear Thin Lady with the Hoodie who stands at our subdivision mailboxes peering intently at the letters in your hand:<br />
<br />
Please go find another job.<br />
This is not working for us. It can't be working very well for you, either, based on the conversation I had with our postmaster one day last week, and a mail supervisor the day before. And honestly, I'm working up to another conversation with the postmaster about the quality of our mail delivery service. (I learned also that mine was among MANY complaints received in recent weeks, so this is not new.) <br />
<br />
I know the current carriers are training you so that they can have a little time off from their current six-day-a-week delivery schedule. I talked to your aunt. She was not helpful. She said, "I'm doing the best I can."<br />
<br />
It isn't enough. <br />
<br />
You actually have <a href="https://www.apwu.org/sites/apwu/files/resource-files/PO-603%20Rural%20Carrier%20Duties%20and%20Responsibilities%2009-13.pdf" target="_blank">a handbook</a> that describes in detail the requirements of your job as a rural postal carrier. There is a lot to learn and a great deal of reporting accountability, and I can certainly see where aspects of the job are difficult to remember.<br />
<br />
But when you get it all together, your job is to deliver the correct mail to the address on the package/envelope, and not put it in someone else's box. You are not doing that very well. If you are dyslexic, then find a job that doesn't require you to read numbers and letters with complete accuracy. It isn't this one.<br />
<br />
Twice in the last two weeks, I have had packages placed in others' mailboxes (and I'm wondering now about things expected over the last few months but never received). You had no way of knowing what was inside: it could have been a priceless heirloom, a birthday gift, prescription medication, a freebie giveaway. IT DOESN'T MATTER what was inside: your job is to deliver the mail to the address. You failed to do that.<br />
<br />
In one case, my neighbor/friend called to tell me about it, and I retrieved the package from him. In the other, it was left in someone's box who I don't know well, and it was retrieved by a Postal Service supervisor who came out to the subdivision boxes after I went to the post office to find out what to do, since the package sender had called to make sure I'd received it and was able to track it as having been placed in the parcel locker. The supervisor opened the main panel of the mailboxes and searched through all the individual slots until he found my package which, despite having been delivered the previous day, was thankfully still in the individual's locker box.<br />
<br />
I'd really like to believe that the person in whose box it was placed would have notified me or returned it to the Post Office or left it in the box with a note that said "Misdelivered." That's what I would do. But what if they didn't? What if it was medication that they could steal or sell? Or financial account information that could be used for identify theft? A check that could be cashed? Government documents that could jeopardize a person's medical or legal benefits? Are we going to find stacks of mail behind a dumpster that you just didn't have time to delivery properly? Yikes.<br />
<br />
YOU are liable and responsible, missy, just as much as the person who receives mail not intended for them. <br />
<br />
You have a solemn and clear responsibility to deliver the mail only to the person to whom it is addressed, and you did not do that. I'm now waiting on a report from my doctor who told me it was mailed last week, and then again on Tuesday. Not here yet. We'll see if it comes tomorrow. (And of course I will check with the doctor before I head for the Post Office.)<br />
<br />
Mail delivery is not just a job, it is a trust, a contract, between the sender and the carrier to get it to where it needs to go. I have great respect for the US Postal Service for doing an immense job correctly most of the time, and I am amazed that it goes as well as it does. But you're a weak link here, and it sounds as though you've had adequate time to learn the process. Please find something else to do, for both our sakes. Because I won't stop complaining until it's right. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-33538132238381655692016-03-17T15:07:00.003-07:002016-03-17T15:07:29.173-07:00No excusesNot really. My intentions to post daily with the Reverb 15 prompts were totally positive. But stuff happens, and intentions sometimes are put aside for other things.<br />
<br />
So some three months later, and here I am again, thank you, God/dess.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-9258509713875571802015-12-02T12:46:00.001-08:002015-12-02T12:54:35.096-08:00It's Reverb time again -- 2015: Day 1<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">For some years now I have participated in a writing prompt titled Reverb. It's a look back at the year that is ending and an intention for the coming year. It is always insightful.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">You are invited to participate, if you'd like, by <a href="http://www.katmcnally.com/p/ways-to-play-reverb.html" target="_blank">going here to sign up.</a> Even if all you to is to reflect on the day's prompt, it can be beneficial, but you also can post links to your blog in the daily linkys for others to read. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">So onto the first prompt: </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"> “Maybe lists are like prayers.”<br />
<br />
<i>What sorts of lists do you have on the go at the moment?<br />
<br />
What do they suggest you are praying for?</i></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">I am a list-maker; always have been. I write stuff down -- grocery lists, things to do, ideas, packing lists, things to remember, menus or baking projects for holidays and parties. Even if I don't write it down, there is always an agenda in my head, a list, of things I want to do each day and pretty much the order in which I intend to complete the tasks. I wake up with lists. I go to bed with lists. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Mostly they are a sort of shorthand, however -- not the minute-by-minute to-do lists that my daughter has taken to doing so that she doesn't forget things. I write brief words, or abbreviations like 'ct fd' on my calendar, meaning "Pick up the bag of cat food at the vet's office." I use my calendar as a list too -- things I need to do each day or each week, events I want to remember like "RF, LM c/TG" meaning that we are going to a play with our friends and then to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Right now I have lists for Christmas in my head -- nothing on paper yet or virtually unless you count Amazon wish lists. Gifts for others that must be purchased and sent; cookies I intend to bake; what I'm fixing for a couple of gatherings we have scheduled; holiday items I need to get for next year when they go on sale after Christmas. A list of to-dos: write holiday letter, sort through papers on my desk; get out the Christmas card holder; make sure meds are ordered through January; pick up cat food. That sort of trivia.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">If my prayers are reflected in my lists, they would all be gratitude prayers for so many blessings: <i>thank you </i>that I feel well enough to go to the play and to a restaurant and to an event -- that I am not in afib and not hurting anywhere and have energy. <i>Thank you</i> that we are blessed with enough money to purchase gifts, food, shelter, medication, and pay bills and have reliable, safe vehicles, and yes, to buy enough cat food to keep our boys and girls healthy and well. <i> </i></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><i>Thank you</i> that we can begin planning to attend a very special party in February. <i>Thank you</i> for friends to have lunch with, to go to events with, to send cards to. <i>Thank you</i> for my wonderful, devoted husband who is still recovering from extensive sinus surgery and needs an extra trip to see the doctor that requires a last-minute overnight stay. <i>Thank you </i>that I still have a memory and enough intelligence left to even be able to write things down and remember what they are! <i>Thank you </i>that I am alive! That I am here!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><i> </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><i> </i></span></span></span>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-59516275099775844502015-06-28T15:58:00.000-07:002015-06-29T17:05:38.935-07:00Haters gonna hate....I guess<b>For those of you who do not want to read my take on a political issue, stop now. Don't bother to comment. </b><br />
<br />
Along with millions of others, I have watched and celebrated the decisions this week handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States. It's not that either of them directly affect me now; it's that they do impact my friends and family, along with so many millions who have worked so long and so hard to make them happen, who have prayed for them to happen, whose lives are changed for the good because they happened.<br />
<br />
But this post is not directly about either decision.<br />
<br />
It's about seeing that a Facebook friend 'liked' a post by someone else that piqued my curiosity enough for me to go read the post.<br />
<br />
The accompanying picture showed the White House illuminated by rainbow lights -- an image that was all over social media. But this original poster had written about how disturbing the picture was -- not because of the ruling, but because of the "fucking clown who lives here" and who "feels it's his right to involve himself in your life....<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">" The post ended by saying that Americans are slaves and sheep to the media and the lies "the pompous ass who lives in this house dictates." </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Whoa, Nellie.</span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">So....President Obama is responsible for the marriage equality ruling? Huh? Because of his lies and fabrications? Because he wants to control our lives? </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">We learn early in school -- well, at least I did -- that our government has three branches in order to act as checks and balances for the others. We learn how they function. And we learn that the Supreme Court's job is to make sure our state and federal laws and our President's actions are within the boundaries set by the Constitution. (There is <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/role-supreme-court" target="_blank">more basic info here</a>...)</span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The President had nothing to do with the Court's decision(s). Under our Constitution and our laws, he could not assume that power. The Congress didn't either. Nor did the media, folks. </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The Court decided the way they did based on the Constitution and how the case that was argued before them is interpreted through Constitutional law. Nothing else. </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">This post was clearly from someone who hates our President. HATES him fiercely and irrationally and vengefully. And while all our Presidents have had their haters (I was no fan of George W. Bush, believe me), President Obama has been the subject of more vitriolic venom and vengeful action than ever before (or, as in the recent Congress, <b>IN</b>action, deliberately and for no other reason than the Republican Congress HATED that Obama was in the White House and <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-gop-pledge-to-block-dems-legislation/" target="_blank">made a pact not to pass any Democratic bills</a>).</span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The primary basis for this hatred is <i><b>race</b></i>. You know it; I know it; they know it. It just KILLS them to see a black family in the White House, a black man as the leader of our United States. Any other reason given is way secondary to this fact. It's just not acceptable to publicly hate on a black man in power because of his color; especially not when he is our duly elected President (by a MAJORITY of the voters, by the way). So the haters always find another way to justify their diatribes and hate speech, even when Obama had <i>nothing</i> to do with the reason the haters state -- like this Supreme Court ruling, for instance. It's his <i><b>race,</b></i> people. His black skin. That's the real reason. </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">In truth, however, <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/6/26/8849925/obama-obamacare-history-presidents" target="_blank">President Obama has been an extremely influential leader</a> (despite the Republicans in Congress). Most remarkable is that he actually managed to get a national healthcare bill passed -- a feat attempted by leaders of both parties since 1912. But there is a lot more on his star chart. Read the article.</span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><i>(I have absolutely NO doubt that if Hillary Clinton becomes the next President of the United States that she will be the next target for extreme hatred and vilification by the conservative camps. And that, friends, will be because of her sex: a woman? In the White House? As the Commander in Chief? Leader of the free world? A WOMAN?)</i> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">So yes, this post disturbed me a lot. The fact that someone I know 'liked' what the poster wrote disturbs me too. It's worth pointing out that both the original poster and the person I know have many inspirational and motivational posts on their public pages -- comments that urge people to keep going, to stay positive, to be who you are and embrace life, among others. To write or approve of something so full of hate and contempt (on so many levels, from the full text in the original post) seems to belie their good words of hope and encouragement and acceptance. I'm not sure you can do both and actually live what you purport to believe. </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">There is a popular quote by Janis Ian making its way around social media: "We don't have to agree on <u>anything </u>to be kind to one another." </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Maybe that doesn't extend to politics, to Supreme Court decisions, or Democrat-Republican, liberal or conservative differences and opinions. Or religion, especially when one religion sees itself as the only right way and everybody else is wrong, no question, no arguments. Or social justice issues, where everyone is equal but some are a little more equal than others, especially if you have money, are male, and are white. </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">But I think it does. </span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">However:</span></span></i><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">*** Do not make the mistake of thinking that I am a Pollyanna who never sees the ugly side of anything. Do not think for one moment that I do not know what it is to lobby and fight hard for issues I believe in, or to be bitterly disappointed in the actions and inactions of others, especially politicians, but also corporate management. Do not label me as a do-gooder, knee-jerk liberal Yankee Democrat who doesn't know what the "real" world is like. And especially do not dismiss my incredibly good research skills, my ability to write an impactful letter or testimony or opinion piece, and my Scorpio nature. All while being kind, of course.... </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-7813205887569060972015-04-15T10:52:00.002-07:002015-04-15T10:52:45.774-07:00April Moon 15, Day 3<i>The prompt: </i>Giving birth doesn't have to be literal. So far in my life I have birthed...<br />
<br />
...A lot of pretty good marketing ideas and advertisements for both non-profit and public sector organizations, and a whole bunch of them for a couple of corporations. <br />
...Various reinventions of my life depending on where I was, where I wanted to go, and/or what was necessary at the time -- like coming to California 18 years ago<br />
...Two daughters, neither of whom came from my womb, but who grew in my heart. <br />
...A nice portfolio of newspaper and magazine clips of stories about people, places, events, and more -- starting many decades ago. I no longer write 500-word ledes, by the way.<br />
...Ideas, advice, friendships, relationships. It's a growth process, never a completed journey.<br />
...Myself. Learning to be who I am, one day at a time, and figuring that out.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-24588987505228988122015-04-14T22:45:00.002-07:002015-04-14T22:45:32.264-07:00April Moon 15, Day 2<i>The prompt</i>: Knowing what I know now, I would tell my ten-years-ago self:<br />
<br />
Ten years ago I was 57. It was 2005, and we were full-on into our real estate career, busy, active, working hard.<br />
<br />
My mother was slipping bit by bit, too many miles away from me. I was on the Arts Council and very busy with that volunteer work. We were about to launch a new photo club which would meet with nine people in our great room on that first meeting, and which, ten years later, has morphed into something a bit different than our original ideas, but is still going strong.<br />
<br />
I'd come a long way, however, and really was well-launched on a good path for me. But there are a few things.....<br />
<br />
<br />
Today I would tell that person who was me then to <i>let it go</i>. The people-pleasing. The fear. The resentment. The anger. The only thing all of that angst will change is ME, and not necessarily for the better. It will not change the people, places, or things at which the fear and anger are directed. <br />
<br />
I would gift myself with Mary Oliver's miracle-working poem "The Journey" and memorize it. And I'd read more Mary Oliver poems.<br />
<br />
I would remind myself that the most important thing about life are friends and family -- and honestly, I was already very aware of that in 2005, but still too trusting, too ready to accept people as honest and true. People are often not what they seem to be, even dear, close, loved ones. That is a bitter, bitter pill to swallow and process. Lack of trust, deception, lies, and fear are devastating. <br />
<br />
I would pull that back in myself, me who had always given too much and carried too many others along, trying to fix it all for them. I wish I had known -- and understood -- then:<br />
<div class="" style="position: relative; text-align: left;">
<div style="margin: 0px 2em;">
<div class="poem">
You strode deeper and deeper<br />
into the world,<br />
determined to do<br />
the only thing you could do,<br />
determined to save<br />
the only life you could save.<br />
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: grey; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; left: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: left; top: 0px;">
“</div>
<div style="bottom: 0px; color: grey; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: left;">
”</div>
</div>
From "The Journey", in <i>Dream Work</i> (1986)<br />
<br />
<br />
I would give myself permission to have more fun, to be more spontaneous (something I still don't do enough of), to enjoy things.<br />
<br />
I would be grateful for each day for my health, although I was already working to keep it good.<br />
<br />
I would remind myself that I am strong and capable and that I can weather some terrible disappointments and griefs, and still be loving and kind.<br />
<br />
And I would tell myself to be kinder: to myself, to my family and friends, to clerks, to telephone callers, to random people I see on the street. Judgement serves little purpose: kindness does. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-69593607090475545212015-04-14T12:10:00.000-07:002015-04-14T12:10:31.879-07:00April Moon, Day 1"That's when I knew that this chapter of my life had ended. And now I was free to.."<br />
<br />
That's the first writing prompt for the marvelous 2015 April Moon series from wild wonderful writing woman <a href="http://www.katmcnally.com/p/ways-to-play-april-moon.html" target="_blank">Kat McNally,</a> she of Reverb and August Moon. <br />
<br />
It's a little different this year, she explains. It's a story-starter, really. I'm a bit late in beginning this one, but it'll work no matter when I begin or end!<br />
<br />
While I can think of several chapter endings, at least a few of them are not appropriate for a public forum such as this (although they're great stories). But let me tell you about the end of my freelance career....<br />
<br />
It was January 2010 and we'd been to see one of the traveling Broadway-style shows that Redding regularly featured at their Civic Center -- "The Wedding Singer." Actually, we hadn't subscribed to the series for a few years since Tony was working in Chico at that time, and the plays were always on week nights, which made for a very long day of driving for him. These were gifted to us by friends who couldn't go.<br />
<br />
After the performance, we headed, hand-in-hand, back to the truck in the parking lot. It was dark and the lot was dimly lit. As we got to the back of the truck, we parted -- Tony to the driver's side, me to the passenger's. There was not a light near the truck, so I was walking mostly in the dark. I came past the tailgate and headed down the side of the truck.<br />
<br />
"AHHHHHHHHH," I yelled as my toe struck the concrete parking curb stop which was partially hidden under the truck bed. There was nothing to grab. I flew sideways and landed on my outstretched right hand, then my hip and body followed.<br />
<br />
I crashed onto the blacktop and just lay there for a minute. A couple of people from nearby cars came hurrying up to help; Tony came around the end of the truck, and they tried to help me sit up.<br />
<br />
I knew my wrist was broken. It was in an unnatural s-curve, although it didn't hurt. "It's broken," I said, holding it close to my chest. "Maybe not," said Tony, as he helped me stand, along with two other men, and then together they boosted me into the truck since there was no way I could grab onto the strap to pull myself in.<br />
<br />
I thanked the others and we headed for the Mercy Hospital ER. I had the presence of mind to take off my rings since my hand hadn't begun to swell yet, and also directed Tony to the hospital.<br />
<br />
They took me back immediately and it wasn't long before they shot me up with painkillers and an anti-nausea drug. X-rays showed several pieces of shattered bone. Long story short: It was splinted that night; a week later I had surgery and the wonderful orthopedist put it back together with many screws and a plate.<br />
<br />
But even that night I knew I wasn't going to be writing stories anytime soon. It was my right hand. My note-taking hand. And there's no way I'm typing stories with just my left hand.It hurt, and I had no idea how long I'd be in a cast. Certainly I wasn't going to meet deadlines any time soon.<br />
<br />
It was over, those freelance gigs. And I wasn't too upset about it, actually. I loved the interviewing, the getting to meet new people and find out their stories and how they got to where they are. But the deadlines? Meh. The stress of trying to tell their story accurately and yet still making it enticing in a mere 500-700 words? Very hard. I would sweat blood over the story and always ended up paring it down, hopefully not losing the essence as I chopped words. I would not miss that part. <br />
<br />
The next day I called my editor to tell her I was out, but that I had a replacement in mind, a local friend who had no freelance experience but whose writing was clean, interesting, and sharp. They both agreed -- and my friend Melissa is still writing for them, five years later. <br />
<br />
I was ready to be done, apparently, and the Universe took a rather drastic way of letting me know that. I needed to get out of the way to allow Melissa her opportunity.<br />
<br />
While I know I could have resumed freelancing once I'd healed, it never felt right again. <br />
<br />
<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-80021266633637450232015-03-21T17:33:00.001-07:002015-03-21T17:33:37.808-07:00#Reverb 15 -- March -- DeclutteringThe prompt: <i>Spring favorites | Cleaning out the closet, updating your beauty regime,
tackling DIY projects. What are your favorites this spring?</i><br />
<br />
I swear that I am in a constant state of decluttering....closet twice a year when I switch from warm clothes to cool clothes, the office every time I sit down at my very messy desk, the kitchen when I open a messy drawer, the linen closet weekly when I put away clean, folded sheets. And don't get me started on the attic.<br />
<i> </i><br />
It just never quite seems to come together, though. There is always more to do. It is never finished.<br />
<br />
The last few months have been interesting, though, in that through my reiki group and increasing passion for this healing modality, I have read more about astrological influences and energy involvement than I have ever studied. This past week, for instance, was a huge week with a new super moon, a solar eclipse, and the spring equinox. There were other astrological references that I only vaguely understand, but involving cycles and degrees, beginnings and endings.<br />
<br />
I understand beginnings and endings. And the energy felt tumultuous, big, charged. It was a time for big change, a time to let go of things that no longer serve our best interests to make way for new things to come into our lives. It was a time for evaluating everything, including relationships and projects. And its effects continue through the next six months, so no, I didn't have to get everything done this week.<br />
<br />
But I'm embracing this spiritual journey that reiki seems to have launched me into, planning to continue training with three days of level two training coming up, and opportunities for 'woo-woo' workshops appearing. I am appreciating the energy and wisdom that my little group of reiki students/practitioners offers, and learning so much.<br />
<br />
Practically, I'm again cleaning out closets as I contemplate cool clothes (since our winter appears to be quite over), and discarding bits of paper, cosmetics, medicines, tubes, boxes, and the like that accumulate in drawers over time. I am finally throwing out three bags of fabric that I cut into pattern sections (along with the now outdated patterns) oh so many years ago, facing the truth that no, I will not ever sew them, and wouldn't wear them anymore anyway. More, more, more of this kind of cleaning out!<br />
<br />
And more more more of the 'woo-woo' experiences that are resonating with my deepest self right now.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img class="CToWUd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjsp35LyUe6l6pORVnRxjD3HZI15aWsYlyJ5ArBKHsei9RRu2igLdagm0uCrGf6RDBLEE_QynxXeSEcMnof8EsXvmA3BKLCn0xKirTQtqYuWYnfol3mu49YWRlA18WAq0i2v8X-CRmIjjwyLD79zkcQCubfxIX-YA=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: 0; min-height: auto!important; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-44630078418273830312015-03-02T17:42:00.003-08:002015-03-02T17:42:47.752-08:00#Reverb15 -- February<i>Wuv, twue wuv...Love is strange | What characteristic or habit of yours
is so odd, you'd be mortified if your partner ever discovered it?
Alternatively, what makes you a total goober and your other half still
loves you for it? If you're single, let your freak flag fly and tell us
about what you're afraid might turn off a potential mate. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Well, I'm a little late, by two days, to this prompt for February, and honestly, I'm not sure about it.<br />
<br />
At this stage in my life, I'm pretty much What You See is What You Get....not about being 'mortified' if my partner discovered some habit or characteristic. Actually, I gave up that deceptive practice a long time ago.<br />
<br />
And that's a GOOD thing.<br />
<br />
Why hide a part of who you are from your partner? How does that make for open, honest communication if you share only what you think s/he would want to know about you? How would <i>you</i> feel if your partner withheld a part of him/herself from you because s/he was afraid you wouldn't love/like them anymore, or if you would be horrified at learning about a habit or characteristic? <br />
<br />
I don't much like surprises, especially surprises like those. I want to know all about the warts, the uglies, the nasties, the funkies. If I can't handle those details, then the relationship isn't one I should be in. And I hate even worse being blindsided -- I mean, don't YOU?<br />
<br />
Seems to me that if you have a habit or characteristic that you think is so awful that you can't talk about it to someone who you claim to love and cherish that maybe you'd better both take a look at the habit AND think about why you're reluctant to 'fess up to your partner.<br />
<br />
Do I have little habits and characteristics that are hinky? Yup. But he loves me. And he knows them all, as I know his. No secrets here. And that's a GOOD thing. <br />
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-43332048812312185052015-02-09T20:31:00.000-08:002015-02-09T20:31:16.022-08:00#Reverb 15 January -- my UNgoal<i>The Prompt: Ungoals | What are you so NOT doing this year? What's on your "I just can't care about that" list?</i><br />
<br />
Well, I'd love to say that I am not going to have any more big medical issues this year, but that got blown to hell last week when we discovered that the sight in one eye -- my GOOD eye, vision-wise -- has deteriorated quite a bit.<i> </i>So I will be having an MRI to rule out brain tumors and strokes, and then we'll go from there. Meanwhile I am back on eye drops for the glaucoma. Not something you want to mess around with. My doctor is on top of it, though, and I'm grateful for that.<br />
<br />
So instead I'm going to reiterate what I've been saying and mostly doing for the last couple of years: I am not spending time with people who I don't much like anyway, for whatever reasons, and I'm not doing things or participating in causes that I don't feel strongly, even passionately, about. I don't play games anymore with people. If you don't like what I am and what I believe, that's fine. We'll be done. <br />
<br />
When you clean house, when you open the doors and declutter your house, literally or figuratively, it makes room for new, good things to come in and take root. I want more things like my wonderful reiki group, like our new drumming sessions. I want more gratitude and joy. I want to always see the glass as half-full. <br />
<br />
<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-2411144133975264342015-01-07T16:03:00.000-08:002015-01-07T16:03:19.410-08:00#Reverb 14, Day 31<span style="color: purple;"><i>Big (or small) goals: What’s on tap for next year? Share your big (or
small) goals with us. Why did you pick those goals? Are these things
you’ve always wanted to do? How are you going to get them done?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Job one is recovering from hardware removal surgery from a triple arthrodesis I had two years ago. I am hoping for physical therapy as I haven't walked with a decent gait for at least three years, and I am tired of feeling off balance and like Lurch. Everything in my body is a little 'off' -- and I want balance.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Actually, balance is pretty much the goal for 2015 in all things. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I did not like the 'obese' code in my doctor's pre-op instructions, not ONE bit. I don't think of myself as 'obese,' but according to the BMI charts, I suppose I have been either there or in the overweight category for years. Even when I lost 50 lbs back in 2002-3, according to those charts I was still overweight. But I didn't look it -- I looked slim and healthy in the photos from that time. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">So we are both on a quest to lose weight and ramp up exercise, not to look buff and skinny, but to look and feel healthier and not so achy-breaky. We both need to gain strength in our arms and legs, we both need to increase core strength. I need always to work on balance (which I have never had, really, even as a young person). </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Yoga will help me do a lot of that, and so will some strength training at the gym. Like I said, it's about balance: feeling and looking healthier and stronger, with more stamina and strength. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">That also means putting my head in the right space to do this, not feeling deprived and anxious, but knowing that spirit will guide me to the right place for me. My mantra is "I am here." Right here, right now. One day at a time, one bite at a time, one workout at a time. We can do this. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Commitment to that is the only goal for 2015. The rest will follow. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><i> </i></span>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-41063147516746817772015-01-06T21:07:00.000-08:002015-01-06T21:07:08.327-08:00#Reverb 14, Day 30<span style="color: purple;"><i>In and out list: Each year the Washington Post (and various other media)
pens an “in and out” list comprised of pop culture people/items that
are in and out. What’s on your in and out list?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i> </i><span style="color: black;">In: </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Bluetooth iPod speaker</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.vitacost.com/love-grown-foods-power-os-cereal-original-8-oz" target="_blank">Love Grown Power O's </a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Magnesium Oil</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Rescue Remedy Sleep Spray</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Alegria shoes</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Local beef</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Zevia Zero soda</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Out:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Earbuds (except in the dentist's chair)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Cheerios</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Ben-Gay</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Benedryl</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Crocs</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Supermarket pink slime beef</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Diet sodas with Spenda or aspartame</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I suppose I'm woefully behind the times regarding pop culture. Most of what I know I've learned either from Entertainment magazine or one of the television Insider-type shows. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I'm retired! I wear jeans and yoga pants and tees and sweatshirts and hoodies and sweaters. I listen to what most would call moldy oldies, abeit I have an eclectic mix of classical, high church choral, Broadway musicals, Celtic, and classic rock groups on my iPod. I sort of feel like Ouiser in "Steel Magnolias": </span></span><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">"I do not see plays, because I can nap at home for free. And I don't see
movies 'cause they're trash, and they got nothin' but naked people in
'em! And I don't read books, 'cause if they're any good, they're gonna
make 'em into a miniseries"</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">That, of course, isn't really true about me -- I do see plays, I do go to movies, and I do read books. But I'm picky. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-38945130181640632692015-01-04T16:25:00.000-08:002015-01-04T16:25:28.561-08:00#Reverb 14, Day 29<span style="color: purple;"><i>Day in the life: Describe a typical day-in-the-life. Give us details!
Give us pictures! Sometimes our days can seem boring. Is that okay?
What do you do to make your days feel a bit special?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i> </i><span style="color: black;">Oh, how retirement changes day-to-day life! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Tony almost always gets up before I do. I snuggle back down in the covers and snooze, awakening usually between 8 and 8:30 (unless I didn't sleep well, in which case it could be an hour later). Sweats and slippers on. Flip on lights on the plant shelf (where my angels sit); open great room blinds, and I'm ready for a cup of tea (sometimes decaf coffee). Teabag in the tall St. Elizabeth Hospital cup, cup under the Keurig dispenser (hot water). Sit in my green leather chair with my iPad. McMurphy leaps to the arm of the chair, his butt barely missing the cup of hot tea, and into my lap, where he insists on snuggling, stretching out long paws to push away the iPad. I comply. Sort of, anyway, holding the iPad at an awkward angle so I can cuddle the cat too.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Tony is in the office and comes into the kitchen anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes later, always coming over to my chair, leaning down, and giving me a kiss or three. (*lucky girl* aren't I) And then he goes to the kitchen to fix breakfast -- alternating cereal (hot or cold, depending on the season) or eggs. (ditto that *lucky girl* thing)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">"It's ready," he'll say. I put down the iPad and come to the table, where I dispense vitamins, we enjoy breakfast and bird watching since he's already replenished the feeders tjhat hang outside the sliding door by the table. We clear the dishes; then sit back down and read aloud, taking turns with each book, from the two books we've chosen for the year's morning readings. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">From there, depending on what's on the calendar for that day, I may go back to my chair with a second cup and browse through email and Facebook and blogs for another hour. Or I may go back to the bathroom, pausing to make the bed, and get showered and ready for what's on the agenda.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">{{{Day goes along -- maybe a trip to town, to an appointment, to lunch -- maybe a movie together or a day trip or errands or grocery store. Maybe some laundry. Or cleaning. Or writing. Or reading. Lunch happens, usually together, unless I've got a lunch date. Or we decide to combine errands and lunch. Or I bring home a sandwich. We will be adding regular exercise to this timeline in 2015, either at home or at the gym. }}</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Around 5 p.m., the TV news usually goes on and I begin puttering in the kitchen in preparation for supper. We generally eat between 6:30 and 7, sometimes lingering for half an hour if we're deep into a conversation. I clear the table, he does the dishes, I feed the cats, and we're ready for an evening of TV -- unless I still need to do the daily email I write to a small group of family and friends (a bit of nothing much -- what I did, what's going on with the weather, maybe a commentary about the state of life or something newsworthy, and a quotation that either reflects how I'm feeling or is something I think one of the recipients should hear), which takes maybe 20 minutes. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">We are such creatures of habit. We record a number of TV series and movies, and most always have a discussion that goes something like: "What do you feel like?" "I dunno. What do you want to watch?" "Oh, I could be up for most anything." (or, alternatively, "I don't feel much like a movie...I want something light and fluffy....I dunno.") Eventually we either take turns narrowing the choices ("Uh, Person of Interest, Agents of Shield, or Divergent.") or I just click on something (I nearly always am the mighty ruler of the TV control.)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Unless it is a movie, we do that again in the hour it takes to watch a series. I know. It's SO co-dependent. We know it too.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">The exceptions are when we have both Showtime and HBO favorite Sunday night series to choose from, and we know we'll get to at least two of them, so it rarely makes a difference which we do first. And Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, in that order, don't need conversation to choose either. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">News at 10, and it's off. Tony goes back to the office for a last bit of computering; I usually play a game or two on the iPad, and then I'm off to get ready for bed and reading my Kindle. He'll come in, both cats leading the way, in half an hour, snuggle down, and is usually asleep quickly. I read for maybe an hour, and then it's lights out for me too, and hopefully to sleep (perchance to dream....)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Boring?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I suppose it could seem that way. It doesn't feel boring, however. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">We prefer to think of our days as drama-free. We like our little routines and rituals, and even when we're traveling in Sallie Forth (our travel trailer), we follow pretty much this process. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I like waking to the same routine every day. It puts a structure, a beginning that is predictable and comforting, to another lovely day. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Every day that we are together and feeling good, every day that allows us to control what we do and when we do it is a special day. We don't need excitement and drama and lots of socialization to feel satisfied and happy with our days, and neither of us needs to be entertained or kept busy, since we are both exceptionally self-directed with our activities and interests. If there is a downside to this, it is that we ARE such compatible creatures and enjoy our routines, and sometimes need to shake things up a bit, to change what we are doing to promote better, healthier habits. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Life is so good, folks. We are so, so blessed. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-34152303497777330762015-01-03T12:56:00.001-08:002015-01-03T12:56:36.323-08:00#Reverb 14, Day 28<i><span style="color: purple;">Creativity: What does being creative mean to you? How do you express your creativity?</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I have always regarded myself as a creative person, pretty much centered around the various fine arts, although I learned long ago that I am more of a dabbler than a perfectionis<i>t. </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">And yet when I was working, I often found new ways to look at old problems or different paths to complete a project or changing up a long-established process to make it easier and more effective. I was often self-directed, especially in the non-profit positions, which usually makes such creativity easier to implement, and I also learned how to be creative with a very small budget. When I worked for the larger corporations I was part of marketing communications, the 'creatives' part of the business, and change wasn't always as easy to do or as accepted by management. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I learned to work with a group or a committee, but that is not an easy road, especially if personalities are strong. And sometimes I didn't work very well with a group, preferring to be solo or with only one other person. Management doesn't like that much, though.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I think creativity is the ability to see/hear/perceive something in at least a slightly different way and then to express that through whatever means is appropriate to the medium. Being a creative has been a big part of who I am throughout all my life, and I find my greatest satisfaction and joy comes from that ability to see differently -- as well as the same. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">My creative nature shows in what I wear, my jewelry, my shoes, what my house looks like, what I read, what I listen to, what I like to watch and do, even (when possible) in what I like to drive. I like being a little different, a little quirky, although it took years to embrace that. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I'm not singing or taking photos or painting or sewing right now (all the dabbley stuff): the constant creative outlet in my life has always and continues to be writing, even if it isn't polished and perfected. I write only for me these days: while I love that people enjoy my blog or find wisdom in my writing, what I say is truly from my heart and mind, and not to please an editor or an audience. It is who I am, if you care to read it. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><i><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></i>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-50041976089711341892015-01-03T12:35:00.002-08:002015-01-03T12:35:47.918-08:00#Reverb 14, Day 27<span style="color: purple;"><i>Creature of Habit: Did you form a new habit this year? Or continue with
an old one? Is it a good habit? Or one you’d like to break?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Bad habits:</b> Sleeping past 8 a.m., sometimes way past, because I read too late or don't go to sleep easily at night; indulging too readily in candy or milkshakes or cookies that I know are going to pack on the pounds (and which have) and do not contribute to good health; putzing too much on the iPad and/or computer during the day in lieu of getting some long overdue cleaning tasks done; not climbing on the exercise bike at least three times a week NO MATTER WHAT, or going regularly to yoga. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Good habits:</b> Continuing to cook most of our food from scratch, thereby controlling salt intake and other not-good ingredients; carefully regulating carb intake for most meals; practicing gratitude every day; being intentionally kinder to myself and to others. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Lots of room for improvement. But progress continues. </span></span>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-63549350133631373942015-01-03T12:24:00.000-08:002015-01-03T12:24:14.705-08:00#Reverb 14, Day 26<span style="color: purple;"><i>Energy: What gave you energy this year? What took away your energy?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Energy. I have never been so aware of energy and how it comes to us, what we give ours to, whether it is positive or negative. That's thanks to my reiki group which began meeting slightly less than a year ago, and which is so focused on our energies and how they manifest. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Two years ago I was slated for foot surgery in late December, involved in a group that had a lot of chaotic energy, and acting as payee for my daughter who was in a basically negative living situation but seemed unable to get herself out of it (for a lot of reasons). My own energy was afraid and angry a lot of the time, and the foot that was getting cut on felt like a piece of wood, which also was concerning. I felt pulled in so many directions and none of them positive. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">And I knew that prescriptions and Western medicine were not going to help me with this. So I went in desperation to a woman I knew slightly who did energy work and asked -- almost begged-- her for help. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">WOW. Everything changed. With her help and counsel, I went into that surgery unafraid, positive about the outcome, and feeling so much more peaceful about where I was. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">That work has carried me to today, facing surgery again (this time to take out the hardware that was put into my ankle two years ago), and blessed with a supportive group who believe in the power of energy to heal and to change lives. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I have actively worked on keeping my energy charged and healing as well, and try hard to avoid getting enmeshed in people, places or events that sap it, releasing relationships and memberships when necessary, or changing how I react to others. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">It is intentional, this good energy, and takes the realization that all is temporary -- good, bad, ugly, hard, easy. It all changes eventually. What I can control is my own reaction, and I try to keep that focused on the positive, the good healing energy, by deliberately meditating on it, praying, practicing reiki, and being kind both to me and to others. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Yes, there are not so good days. But I have control over how that affects me. And I choose positive energy. </span><i> </i></span>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-8323273340278062852015-01-03T12:09:00.000-08:002015-01-03T12:09:01.763-08:00#Reverb 14, Day 25<span style="color: purple;"><i>Thanks and Gratitude: What are you so grateful for? How did you count your blessings in 2014?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I don't even know where to begin on this one. I have practiced active gratitude every day this year, with prayers morning and night (and often in between). Actually, I have intentionally practiced gratitude for more than 30 years...the "attitude of gratitude" was drilled into me at one point, and it has become a way of living.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">But especially as I grow older, there are so many itty bitty things, alongside the big huge ones, that I am grateful for -- hot water in my shower, a good parking place at a store, a meal where everything came together just right, a day without afib, a phone call from a friend, a reiki session that really hit home....</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> I am so grateful for my husband, my home, my kitties. For no afib, at least right now. For enough of everything. I am grateful for our relatively drama-free life. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">So. Many. So. Much.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I try to give back to others through donations, through being kind or helpful, by trying to be thoughtful and accommodating (but not to the point of people-pleasing, something I have worked on for years now). Kindness is such an important quality, and one we have not always been taught. So I work on being kind and not so judgmental, either of others or myself.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><i> </i></span><br />
<br />
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-53850118401417952572014-12-31T14:19:00.002-08:002014-12-31T14:47:27.440-08:00#Reverb14, Day 24<span style="color: purple;"><i>Home: Tell us about what home meant to you this year. Are you a homebody? Did you do a renovation? Move? Redecorate? </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Home is wherever my honey and my kitties are. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">We proved that for some six weeks of traveling in our little trailer (in two trips) this summer. It's small and compact, but it has our things, our pillows, our kitties in it, and when the four of us are tucked up in bed at night, it just doesn't get much better. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Honestly, we could be anywhere as long as we're together, and it would feel like home. Safe. Comfortable. Secure. Relaxed. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">We do love our house-home, however. We designed it exactly how we wanted it to be, colors and layout and style, and it still works today, nearly 12 years later. As much as we love traveling in the trailer, it feels really good to be back home (even with hot temperatures in the summer). It's familiar. It's ours. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><i> </i></span><br />
<br />
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-41329367475933149152014-12-31T14:19:00.000-08:002014-12-31T14:20:54.834-08:00#Reverb14, Day 22-23<span style="color: purple;"><i>Day 22: Thank You Note: Write a thank-you note to someone who broke your heart,
or made your life harder than it needed to be. Bonus points for sharing
it here.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i>Day 23: </i></span><span style="color: purple;"><i>I never thought I’d…: What did you think you’d NEVER do. But you did this year. Why? What changed your mind?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I'm hard-pressed to think of someone this year who fits the Dec. 22 prompt criteria. While there certainly have been those who made my life harder than it needed to be, that wasn't without my permission, if not expressly, by default. And breaking my heart? Oh. That has happened so many times with one child or another, but that's over time, not just this year. In fact, this year probably had less of that than there has been in many years, for which I am so truly thankful --- and aware that it could change at any moment. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">When we love someone, we offer our hearts up to be broken if we truly love them. We trust that all kindest care will be taken by the other party, of course, but that trust has sometimes been broken in my experience. And it is devastating. But you learn. Or you don't. I don't trust nearly as readily as I once did, and I am far slower to offer trust, at least fully, than I once was. But I still believe that someone to whom I give my love and trust will give theirs back to me -- and even though that has sometimes proven false, I still try. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Sometimes when things are harder than they need to be, there are lessons to be learned -- that nasty old patience one, for instance. And sometimes life is just hard. You put one foot in front of the other and walk one baby step at a time. Eventually things will lighten up.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">2. Last year -- any year, for that matter -- at this time I would never have imagined that I'd have an ablation on my heart, allowing doctors to thread a catheter up my femoral artery, poke a hole in my heart, and burn tiny little patches throughout it. I barely knew what it was. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">But I did it. I'd do it again. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">Because of it, I am (so far) free from atrial fibrillation, that awful, nauseating, anxiety-producing flip-flop-hard-beats-that-aren't-regular in your chest. I no longer have to take blood thinners or do monthly blood tests. I no longer bruise at the slightest bump. I am not worried about a stroke every time my heart acts up. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">I am lucky that I was a good candidate for the procedure: not everyone is. I am lucky that there is not significant damage to my heart because of afib. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">We do what we have to do. I had to do this in order to have a better quality of life. And in 2015, I'll continue that quest by regaining strength and losing weight. </span><i> </i></span><br />
<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684408.post-44504383420332213142014-12-30T10:16:00.000-08:002014-12-30T10:16:20.377-08:00#Reverb 14, Day 211. This is the last day for Kat McNally's Reverb prompts. She writes, "<span style="font-size: 16px;"><em>Today, I'd like you to revisit what you wrote on 1 December on the first day of Reverb14.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">How does that compare to where you are now i.e. what can you say <u>today</u> with certainty?</span></em></span>
<br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: purple;"><em>Then, without thinking too hard about it, grab a pen and some paper and finish the following sentences:</em></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: purple;"><em>In 2015, I am open to...</em></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: purple;">In 2015, I want to feel...</span></em></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: purple;">In 2015, I will say no to...</span></em></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: purple;">In 2015, I will know I am on the right track when… But when I find myself veering off course, I will gently but firmly…</span></em></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: purple;">In December 2015, I want to look back and say..</span></em></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: purple;">2. </span></em></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: purple;">Purging: What did you get rid of this year? Physical things you tossed
out or donated? Or did you purge a bad relationship, job, etc…?</span></em></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">1. I can still say exactly the same things today that I did on Dec. 1: I am reasonably able-bodied, I love and cherish and adore my husband, I like my life and who I am, and I am happy to be alive.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><br /></em></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">I can add that life is short and can end in a heartbeat (as it did for my daughter's father-in-law on Dec. 29, unexpectedly and sadly), and that we must try to make the most of every single day.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">So.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">In 2015, I am open to...committing to a regular exercise plan, calendaring it so that it will remind me daily. </span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">In 2015, I want to feel...healthier, and stronger, and that I can walk without lurching because of foot or back pain.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">In 2015, I will say no to...causes and people and events that do not ignite my passion or who are not willing to be truthful or when I believe that getting involved does not serve my highest and best interests. </span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">In 2013, I will know I am on the right track when....I am not second-guessing myself in the wee small hours of the morning, and when I am feeling stronger and more flexible. But when I find myself veering off course, I will gently but firmly....'fess up to my exercise and life partner, my husband, and get back on the path. </span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">In December 2015, I want to look back and say....I feel so good about this year! I am stronger and feel better and am happier than ever.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">2. Oh, I purge fairly frequently, although there are many piles and nooks with stuff that needs going through and making decisions about. I am good about purging clothes and shoes that no longer work for me or fit me or that I really love wearing. (Not so good about purging piles of paper, however.) I went through some bookshelves and donated some to the library and some to my daughter this year. Did the same for household knickknacks and linens; gave still-good ones to one or the other of the daughters, threw away the rest, and we took several loads to thrift stores. </span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">In 2015, we are already planning to tackle the home office and old files. Time for all that saved paper to go or to be filed and stored. And there are supplies that we no longer use: donate or discard. Ditto with business books.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">And then there is the attic. Uh huh.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">I actively try to stay away from people or groups or events that make me uneasy or irritated, and intend to do more of that in 2015. This year I cut ties with one group, rather sadly because I so strongly support the cause and message. But the method for getting that message to the public has become stagnant and clique-y, and it no longer is a joy and calling to participate in it. I felt like a load had been lifted from me as soon as I told the organizers why I would not be participating again.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Negative people, negative experiences, negative situations have no place in my life anymore. I want to surround myself with kindness, with genuine caring, and with opportunities to learn and grow in good directions. </span></div>
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946709925967078983noreply@blogger.com0