I've noticed a lot of 'kitchy' posts - clever little sayings about one thing or another - popping up from all sorts of sites - all over Facebook more and more.
It's funny - it's supposed to be a means of socializing - a positive thing. Have you ever noticed you can 'like' anything - with your clever little thumbs up - but there's no way to 'dislike' anything (where's the thumbs down?) People are reconnecting like never before with this amazing program, and the re-connections are wonderful. So we smile - click our likes, our pokes, share silly sayings and clever anecdotes - but there's a lot of digs, and jabs, and slams in there as well! It's sorta cool that people feel their freedom of speech and 'tell it like it is' (or as they see it) - but sometimes I think people forget that what they write is out there for the world to see!!
Jobs get lost, feelings get hurt, friendships come to an end, and things often don't look like they fit that thumbs up everybody is dishing out!
I saw a post the other day by a 'friend of a friend' (why it's on my page - I still don't know). But she mentioned that her pet of many years had passed quietly in the night and that the children in the household were heartbroken. Her feed had about 4 comments and 20 thumbs ups!! Shouldn't that have been the other way around? And a thumbs down or no thumb at all?
Then there's the grammar, the abbreviations, the shortcuts, and the spelling. OOOH MY GOD don't even get me started with the horrible grammar, incorrigible spelling, and ridiculous abbreviations! In our land of spell-check (which half the time isn't even used) - our kids aren't learning how to spell. They don't know when to use Their, There, or They're ..... Do, Due, or Dew..... orwhere an apostrophe goes! (Yes, let's forget punctuation - "It's like so not important!!"
Before I went into Nursing - I was going to be an English instructor. I so pity the English instructors of today. How do they sleep at night? I give them 2 thumbs up for working so hard while social media is undoing all their hard work in the after hours.
The electronic - technologic - information age is creating a generation of social cripples, grammatical slouches, and handicapped spellers! People do not know how to use courtesy anymore on the phone or in person. They'd rather text than converse. And our world is becoming an angrier and angrier place! Why? There's no humanity left in conversation! The written word comes across a lot less personally - it has no gestures, no voice tones, lilts, or inflections, no smiles, no laughter. And often it is misinterpreted as something else by the reader - than was intended by the writer for those very reasons!
Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and the myraid of other accesses to social networking may have opened many otherwise closed doors and re-connected people in a wonderfully magical way - but it is breaking down the human side of social contact.
I count myself as a victim of some of this. I still send real cards, and still use the phone unless it is for a 'future' reference and don't want to disturb someone with a phone call - I text when I have to - but really prefer to call. However, a letter in the mail? I think the messages in my xmas cards are about as close as I've come to that - for a few years now. Our society is evolving. And it is becoming more and more antisocial. I see it all around me - every single day, and as happy as I am to be back in touch with long lost friends and family - the direction of our society makes me worry about my grandchildrens' futures!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Dreams come and go.....
How many contests have you entered? How many have you won? How many cost nothing to enter? How many had a fee?
Looking back - all the way to my teen years. I couldn't begin to count the number of contests I've entered. Many with smaller, less expensive prizes, and many more with dream trips, houses and cars. As a teen - I loved the trivia games on the radio and was quite good at them. The first prize I ever won was a hair dryer. I laugh now thinking about it. It came in a zipped hat-box shaped case and was this plastic cap that fit over my head (even with curlers in my hair) - and it had a hose (much like the clothes dryer hose only smaller) - attached to a motor in the case. Plug it in - turn it on and adjust the heat - I used to curl my hair every day.....just to use my awesome hairdryer! I also won a transistor radio - small enough to carry in my hand. The sound was like it was coming through a tin can, poor quality at best - but top of the line in the day! And it was all mine. It went everywhere with me. There were other miscellaneous odds and ends, gift certificates for stores and restaurants mostly. I thought I had the elusive contest-winning gene!!
In later days, when lotteries came about - the dreams of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars kept me going through some pretty tough times.
I was a young woman in my 20s (29 actually) - with 3 childen and a very sick husband. I was in college, and working a puny job at Burger King. My husband's illness was extended, he was off work for a long period of time with a diminishing sick-leave income, and we were on the verge of losing so much. I played the lottery now and then with our last dollar - in hopes of winning to see us through the tough times. His illness hit very close to the holidays - xmas to be exact. I'd had a lay-away of gifts for the children that was going to be lost - as I couldn't pay for it, and there was not any way for me to shop for toys, food, or a tree this particular year. Things looked pretty grim for us at this time. The lottery I did win at this time was friendship.
The outpouring was tremendous. My neighbor Jane (went by Wilma at that time) - worked for a GI Dr. - when she told them of our hardship - he paid to get my childrens' gift layaway out. I was in nursing school at the time and the entire class came to the house singing christmas carols out front and then - each with a gift in hand - still singing christmas carols one by one bringing the gifts in and stacking them in the house. My brother Bobby took me to get a tree and was going to pay for it to help me out. When he told the man at the tree lot about our hardship - he GAVE us the prettiest tree on the lot free of charge. One of my nursing instructors raised cattle and filled our freezer with beef. One of the nursing students - who I had become close friends with - asked me what each of my children wanted more than anything - I gave her the list - her wealthy mother bought everything on the list for the kids. My husbands co-workers took up a collection which came to $100s of dollars which helped catch up many very over-due bills. The hospital my husband was in put together a wonderful food basket - it was huge - that had all the fixings in it for a Christmas feast. And good friends brought my husband home in their 4-wheel drive truck - IV and all. (It was the dead of winter, and the roads were horrible and deemed too dangerous except for chains and 4-wheel drive). He spent Christmas day with us - on the couch - IV running. The hospital allowed me to care for him for 12 hours so he could be home with his family and we could be together xmas day. All in all - instead of not having a holiday - it was one of the most incredible we ever had. It was like a dream - like a wonderful feel-good story you read about in magazines - and it was our story. Our lottery win.
Time has come and gone since then. My husband recovered, we were together 22 years before going our separate ways. Our children are all grown and some have children of their own.
But I still dream. Every year one of the TV channels builds a dream home and a green home. They give them away, (fully equipped and furnished) in a drawing - along with a vehicle of some sort and sometimes also a large sum of cash (to help pay the taxes?) I enter - every year. I watch the show on TV - showing tours of the homes - showing their perks, views, neighborhoods and beautiful architecture and design. I'll keep entering until I die probably. They're all way too big for me now. But if I won one - I would have something wonderful to leave for my children. And I would definitely enjoy the heck of it while I'm still alive! Most of them are so big - all the boys could live in them!!
I still occasionally play the state and national lottery when the jackpot is some obscene amount of money - and dream of all the things I could do with that money - Helping every one of my kids have better lives - with homes, cars, boats, all sorts of fun things and bank accounts that are comfortably full - and doing all I could for the rest of the family as well. How fun to be Santa Claus! Giving and giving. Surprise! - Yes mam - that house we are showing you - belongs to you......Surprise! Here are the keys to the brand new car out front - a gift from your sister, mother, aunt, great aunt, cousin, second cousin....friend...... whatever my role in their life.... Surprise! You're going on that dream trip - all expenses paid - oh and here's some spending cash.
Yes, a girl can dream.
Looking back - all the way to my teen years. I couldn't begin to count the number of contests I've entered. Many with smaller, less expensive prizes, and many more with dream trips, houses and cars. As a teen - I loved the trivia games on the radio and was quite good at them. The first prize I ever won was a hair dryer. I laugh now thinking about it. It came in a zipped hat-box shaped case and was this plastic cap that fit over my head (even with curlers in my hair) - and it had a hose (much like the clothes dryer hose only smaller) - attached to a motor in the case. Plug it in - turn it on and adjust the heat - I used to curl my hair every day.....just to use my awesome hairdryer! I also won a transistor radio - small enough to carry in my hand. The sound was like it was coming through a tin can, poor quality at best - but top of the line in the day! And it was all mine. It went everywhere with me. There were other miscellaneous odds and ends, gift certificates for stores and restaurants mostly. I thought I had the elusive contest-winning gene!!
In later days, when lotteries came about - the dreams of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars kept me going through some pretty tough times.
I was a young woman in my 20s (29 actually) - with 3 childen and a very sick husband. I was in college, and working a puny job at Burger King. My husband's illness was extended, he was off work for a long period of time with a diminishing sick-leave income, and we were on the verge of losing so much. I played the lottery now and then with our last dollar - in hopes of winning to see us through the tough times. His illness hit very close to the holidays - xmas to be exact. I'd had a lay-away of gifts for the children that was going to be lost - as I couldn't pay for it, and there was not any way for me to shop for toys, food, or a tree this particular year. Things looked pretty grim for us at this time. The lottery I did win at this time was friendship.
The outpouring was tremendous. My neighbor Jane (went by Wilma at that time) - worked for a GI Dr. - when she told them of our hardship - he paid to get my childrens' gift layaway out. I was in nursing school at the time and the entire class came to the house singing christmas carols out front and then - each with a gift in hand - still singing christmas carols one by one bringing the gifts in and stacking them in the house. My brother Bobby took me to get a tree and was going to pay for it to help me out. When he told the man at the tree lot about our hardship - he GAVE us the prettiest tree on the lot free of charge. One of my nursing instructors raised cattle and filled our freezer with beef. One of the nursing students - who I had become close friends with - asked me what each of my children wanted more than anything - I gave her the list - her wealthy mother bought everything on the list for the kids. My husbands co-workers took up a collection which came to $100s of dollars which helped catch up many very over-due bills. The hospital my husband was in put together a wonderful food basket - it was huge - that had all the fixings in it for a Christmas feast. And good friends brought my husband home in their 4-wheel drive truck - IV and all. (It was the dead of winter, and the roads were horrible and deemed too dangerous except for chains and 4-wheel drive). He spent Christmas day with us - on the couch - IV running. The hospital allowed me to care for him for 12 hours so he could be home with his family and we could be together xmas day. All in all - instead of not having a holiday - it was one of the most incredible we ever had. It was like a dream - like a wonderful feel-good story you read about in magazines - and it was our story. Our lottery win.
Time has come and gone since then. My husband recovered, we were together 22 years before going our separate ways. Our children are all grown and some have children of their own.
But I still dream. Every year one of the TV channels builds a dream home and a green home. They give them away, (fully equipped and furnished) in a drawing - along with a vehicle of some sort and sometimes also a large sum of cash (to help pay the taxes?) I enter - every year. I watch the show on TV - showing tours of the homes - showing their perks, views, neighborhoods and beautiful architecture and design. I'll keep entering until I die probably. They're all way too big for me now. But if I won one - I would have something wonderful to leave for my children. And I would definitely enjoy the heck of it while I'm still alive! Most of them are so big - all the boys could live in them!!
I still occasionally play the state and national lottery when the jackpot is some obscene amount of money - and dream of all the things I could do with that money - Helping every one of my kids have better lives - with homes, cars, boats, all sorts of fun things and bank accounts that are comfortably full - and doing all I could for the rest of the family as well. How fun to be Santa Claus! Giving and giving. Surprise! - Yes mam - that house we are showing you - belongs to you......Surprise! Here are the keys to the brand new car out front - a gift from your sister, mother, aunt, great aunt, cousin, second cousin....friend...... whatever my role in their life.... Surprise! You're going on that dream trip - all expenses paid - oh and here's some spending cash.
Yes, a girl can dream.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Creature Comforts
I was sitting here today - imagining. How much of my 'stuff'' do I really really NEED? I live in a small 2-bedroom apartment. I also have a small (could MAYBE park a Mini in it) garage. My apartment AND garage are chock full of STUFF.
Looking around - I see many things I purchased - because I just 'had to' have it. Yet they sit unused since purchased - many for years. I am 'sucked in' to marketing techniques. They convince me I 'gotta have it' yet once I do - I never use it. I never thought of myself as gullible - yet here I am - surrounded by STUFF - and most of it, I don't need. This cooker does so much more than the others, this oven cooks more evenly, this pan will last forever, this bag sealer will save you money on food, baked goods don't stick in these floppy pans, these containers make food last longer, this bottle opener is easier to use..... the promises go on and on.
Well - the cooker - no better than any of the others, the oven - really?, the pan - in the trash, the bag sealer - has yet to seal a bag, those stupid floppy pans - EVERYTHING sticks in them!, and those lifetime guarantee containers - I wish I had the address - I want my money back. The wine bottle opener I love.
Funny thing - I've heard no ads or any promises about one of my favorite finds - my coffee maker. I stayed with friends who had one. By the time I left - I knew I had to have one - no matter how much more those stupid little cups that fit in it for individual servings cost. I managed to get a great deal with a sale + coupon + gift certificate....but am still paying the exorbitant coffee prices. I did manage to find a re-usable cup that regular coffee can be put into - so am able to cut cost now. (but the yummy flavors of the pre-packed cups .... mmmmmmm)
My favorite creature comforts..... my coffee maker for sure, my salt/pepper mill combo (love that thing), my e-reader (back to reading on a regular basis again - it's like having a library in my home!), and my DVR - I LOVE movies!
I pitty the day I die and my poor children have to dig through my stuff and figure out how to get rid of it. My suggestion - an ad on craigslist that reads something like this:
Mom Died: She collected a lot of cool crap - and we don't want it. Do you craft? She has something you need! Love Halloween? - Get your butt over here! Need foo-foo Christmas stuff? (She had two trees - does that tell you anything?) - Collectibles? Well her inner child was nurtured with her Crayola tins (with crayons) and Kaleidescopes. Clothing...she was a big lady - but had good taste in clothes AND shoes! And household goods...OMG - her kitchen has so many neat toys - you'd think she was a gourmet chef!! The list goes on and on. Come shop....until you drop. We've got Walmart beat hands down here!!
What they don't inherit in money - they'll get in creature comforts.
Looking around - I see many things I purchased - because I just 'had to' have it. Yet they sit unused since purchased - many for years. I am 'sucked in' to marketing techniques. They convince me I 'gotta have it' yet once I do - I never use it. I never thought of myself as gullible - yet here I am - surrounded by STUFF - and most of it, I don't need. This cooker does so much more than the others, this oven cooks more evenly, this pan will last forever, this bag sealer will save you money on food, baked goods don't stick in these floppy pans, these containers make food last longer, this bottle opener is easier to use..... the promises go on and on.
Well - the cooker - no better than any of the others, the oven - really?, the pan - in the trash, the bag sealer - has yet to seal a bag, those stupid floppy pans - EVERYTHING sticks in them!, and those lifetime guarantee containers - I wish I had the address - I want my money back. The wine bottle opener I love.
Funny thing - I've heard no ads or any promises about one of my favorite finds - my coffee maker. I stayed with friends who had one. By the time I left - I knew I had to have one - no matter how much more those stupid little cups that fit in it for individual servings cost. I managed to get a great deal with a sale + coupon + gift certificate....but am still paying the exorbitant coffee prices. I did manage to find a re-usable cup that regular coffee can be put into - so am able to cut cost now. (but the yummy flavors of the pre-packed cups .... mmmmmmm)
My favorite creature comforts..... my coffee maker for sure, my salt/pepper mill combo (love that thing), my e-reader (back to reading on a regular basis again - it's like having a library in my home!), and my DVR - I LOVE movies!
I pitty the day I die and my poor children have to dig through my stuff and figure out how to get rid of it. My suggestion - an ad on craigslist that reads something like this:
Mom Died: She collected a lot of cool crap - and we don't want it. Do you craft? She has something you need! Love Halloween? - Get your butt over here! Need foo-foo Christmas stuff? (She had two trees - does that tell you anything?) - Collectibles? Well her inner child was nurtured with her Crayola tins (with crayons) and Kaleidescopes. Clothing...she was a big lady - but had good taste in clothes AND shoes! And household goods...OMG - her kitchen has so many neat toys - you'd think she was a gourmet chef!! The list goes on and on. Come shop....until you drop. We've got Walmart beat hands down here!!
What they don't inherit in money - they'll get in creature comforts.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Hip-n-nee Disorder
So here I am. 60 very full years behind me - working on my 61st. About 5 years ago - I would have never believed this many of my body parts would bother me, this many mobility issues would rear up their ugly heads and this many medicines would be in my medicine cabinet.
Youth is sooooo wasted on the young! I want THIS brain in my 23 year old body!! How fast is this stem cell research moving? Could I grow some new parts? Quick? I still have a lot to do and a lot to see and am finally at a financially comfortable place in my life!!
At 47 - I bought glasses to read for the first time in my life. At 57 - my weight gain was out of control.
At 59 I had lap band surgery - and I've been rolling down hill ever since. Thyroid issues, Hysterectomy for cancer, Shingles for the first time in my life, Swelling in my lower extremities so bad it pits a 1/2 inch deep (or so it seems). Before the lap band I'd increased my activity - joined a gym - went every day after work, afterward when I moved to a safer neighborhood I walked on the beach by my home when I didn't go to the gym. I started to train to run a marathon - and stopped midway - something was wrong. My left hip always hurt when I walked or ran long distances - but now it was becoming unbearable! And both my knees began hurting so badly, I could hardly tolerate the stairs back up to my front door, and they would keep me awake at night. The Doctor said no more running.
The edema (swelling) continues to worsen even after a round of dieuretics (water pills) - When I get up in the morning - everything is back down to normal. But less than an hour up and Poof - back to being fluffy. So now the hunt for cause begins. Labs - again. Rule out kidney failure. So far sounds like labs look decent. So now what? Something invasive and ugly?
I just want to be mobile again - be able to get on the bike at the gym - be able to do the leg lifts on the exercise circuit machines - keep working on my weight loss. (the lap band isnt) - but - alas - my body is fighting back with this damn Hipn'nee disorder (Hip AND knee) keeping me down. Cut the old gal a break! She just wants to have fun dammit!
Youth is sooooo wasted on the young! I want THIS brain in my 23 year old body!! How fast is this stem cell research moving? Could I grow some new parts? Quick? I still have a lot to do and a lot to see and am finally at a financially comfortable place in my life!!
At 47 - I bought glasses to read for the first time in my life. At 57 - my weight gain was out of control.
At 59 I had lap band surgery - and I've been rolling down hill ever since. Thyroid issues, Hysterectomy for cancer, Shingles for the first time in my life, Swelling in my lower extremities so bad it pits a 1/2 inch deep (or so it seems). Before the lap band I'd increased my activity - joined a gym - went every day after work, afterward when I moved to a safer neighborhood I walked on the beach by my home when I didn't go to the gym. I started to train to run a marathon - and stopped midway - something was wrong. My left hip always hurt when I walked or ran long distances - but now it was becoming unbearable! And both my knees began hurting so badly, I could hardly tolerate the stairs back up to my front door, and they would keep me awake at night. The Doctor said no more running.
The edema (swelling) continues to worsen even after a round of dieuretics (water pills) - When I get up in the morning - everything is back down to normal. But less than an hour up and Poof - back to being fluffy. So now the hunt for cause begins. Labs - again. Rule out kidney failure. So far sounds like labs look decent. So now what? Something invasive and ugly?
I just want to be mobile again - be able to get on the bike at the gym - be able to do the leg lifts on the exercise circuit machines - keep working on my weight loss. (the lap band isnt) - but - alas - my body is fighting back with this damn Hipn'nee disorder (Hip AND knee) keeping me down. Cut the old gal a break! She just wants to have fun dammit!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Family Visit in Paradise
So July - it brings hot miserable weather to some areas of the Country - like the Midwest (Missouri is where I am specifically thinking) - in averages of over 100 degrees. Then add the humidity - now step outdoors from the air conditioning. Have you ever opened a hot oven and had the heat blast you in the face? There you have it - one and the same. So options....go back into the air conditioning.....go play by some water (creek, lake, pool...) tough it out and suffer in the heat and do whatever it is you set out to do.... OR..... do what my Nephew did..... GO TO SAN DIEGO!!
So Nephew, Wife, 3 kids (ages 8, 14, 15) - arrived on a Monday evening before the 4th of July and stayed until the following Tuesday morning. They paid no hotel fees - and stayed with me. And they had no car rental as my friend with a mini-van traded vehicles with me for a week. A family this large has to be frugal in order to take such a trip - and I had to help them all I could. Isn't that what family does?
It was quite the adventure. 6 people in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment. Interestingly though, I never felt crowded or imposed on. They were so comfortable to be around and never imposing. Once settled - we developed a plan of attack. Chris (nephew) - studied the Sea World map for the following day. It was the first thing they visited in San Diego the next morning after breakfast. Having been many times - I was excited for them - however - I have to say, the shows have changed a lot - and I was very disappointed in them - a lot more about people and less about the creatures they were supposed to be showing. The family didn't know what they were missing though - and had a great time.
The rest of their adventures included Universal Studios, seeing the Hollywood sign on the hill, walking on the star walk and seeing Graumans Chinese theatre in Hollywood - then beaches beaches beaches. None of them had ever seen the ocean before so it was so fun seeing them so into it. I dropped them off on a couple of occasions to enjoy the beach and picked them up when they were ready to leave. They also visited the embarcadero, toured the Midway Aircraft carrier and did a Harbor cruise, as well as shopped at seaport village. The beaches they got to visit were: Coronado beach, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Ocean Beach. A lot of ground was covered and a lot of fun was had by all.
I missed them when they left. Even while still attempting to get all the beach sand out of the house days later. A wonderful group that I'm proud to call family! I'm hoping I helped to instill some wonderful childhood memories into the kids' lives. They are all such great kids.! OH - Chris got to meet his two cousins (my sons) - Rob and Justin while he was here as well. They all hit it off really well. Justin came over several times in the evenings. Rob only visited once. But Chris was thrilled to have connected more with family he'd never met - and was happy that they all got along so well.
Times like this make our lives so rich and full. Can't wait for the next family adventure!
So Nephew, Wife, 3 kids (ages 8, 14, 15) - arrived on a Monday evening before the 4th of July and stayed until the following Tuesday morning. They paid no hotel fees - and stayed with me. And they had no car rental as my friend with a mini-van traded vehicles with me for a week. A family this large has to be frugal in order to take such a trip - and I had to help them all I could. Isn't that what family does?
It was quite the adventure. 6 people in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment. Interestingly though, I never felt crowded or imposed on. They were so comfortable to be around and never imposing. Once settled - we developed a plan of attack. Chris (nephew) - studied the Sea World map for the following day. It was the first thing they visited in San Diego the next morning after breakfast. Having been many times - I was excited for them - however - I have to say, the shows have changed a lot - and I was very disappointed in them - a lot more about people and less about the creatures they were supposed to be showing. The family didn't know what they were missing though - and had a great time.
The rest of their adventures included Universal Studios, seeing the Hollywood sign on the hill, walking on the star walk and seeing Graumans Chinese theatre in Hollywood - then beaches beaches beaches. None of them had ever seen the ocean before so it was so fun seeing them so into it. I dropped them off on a couple of occasions to enjoy the beach and picked them up when they were ready to leave. They also visited the embarcadero, toured the Midway Aircraft carrier and did a Harbor cruise, as well as shopped at seaport village. The beaches they got to visit were: Coronado beach, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Ocean Beach. A lot of ground was covered and a lot of fun was had by all.
I missed them when they left. Even while still attempting to get all the beach sand out of the house days later. A wonderful group that I'm proud to call family! I'm hoping I helped to instill some wonderful childhood memories into the kids' lives. They are all such great kids.! OH - Chris got to meet his two cousins (my sons) - Rob and Justin while he was here as well. They all hit it off really well. Justin came over several times in the evenings. Rob only visited once. But Chris was thrilled to have connected more with family he'd never met - and was happy that they all got along so well.
Times like this make our lives so rich and full. Can't wait for the next family adventure!
Monday, July 16, 2012
What used to be a chore - is now a joy
I remember - back in the day - (really not so long ago) - when I would so look forward to 'down time' - with no obligations or commitments - no plans - and absolutely nothing on my agenda. Those 'down time' days would end up being days filled with laundry, housework, shopping, and errands.....and no friends, fun, and real joy.
As time went on. I learned that the laundry, housework, shopping, and errands would all still be there - but the friends, fun, and joy - may not. Through the years, having lost friends and family, having had lonely days when I wish I had something to do and someone to do it with - I have learned to cherish not having 'down time' but instead having busy busy busy days, weeks, months.
I now look forward to having to cram a load of laundry in between trips to the grocery store and the gym, and running the mop around quickly before heading out the door to the beach. Life is all about priorities - and oh how they change through the years. They actually go full circle - from play - to work - to play again. Getting older really is about having a second childhood - but it's not like all the jokes about diapers and mobility - its about getting the best out of each and every minute of each and every day.
Recently I had a visit from a nephew. My brother Bob's son - whom he never had the chance to meet before he died. What a tragedy. He is wonderful and has a wonderful family. I will share this marvelous experience with you in my next blog. I am so glad I had this opportunity to add this joy to my life - and yet so sad that my brother missed the opportunity before he left us.
As time went on. I learned that the laundry, housework, shopping, and errands would all still be there - but the friends, fun, and joy - may not. Through the years, having lost friends and family, having had lonely days when I wish I had something to do and someone to do it with - I have learned to cherish not having 'down time' but instead having busy busy busy days, weeks, months.
I now look forward to having to cram a load of laundry in between trips to the grocery store and the gym, and running the mop around quickly before heading out the door to the beach. Life is all about priorities - and oh how they change through the years. They actually go full circle - from play - to work - to play again. Getting older really is about having a second childhood - but it's not like all the jokes about diapers and mobility - its about getting the best out of each and every minute of each and every day.
Recently I had a visit from a nephew. My brother Bob's son - whom he never had the chance to meet before he died. What a tragedy. He is wonderful and has a wonderful family. I will share this marvelous experience with you in my next blog. I am so glad I had this opportunity to add this joy to my life - and yet so sad that my brother missed the opportunity before he left us.
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