MY HEART TRAVELS

Of all my travels and of all the people I have ever met the people of Chile are the most genuinely friendly and kind. The land is diverse and beautiful. When we were in Santiago we did not spend our time in the touristy areas but went to meet and see the people. My heart breaks this day as I hear about the devastation in Chile. Travel is wonderful but it also makes me feel connected to those who are hurting when natural disaster strikes.

My heart desires to be young again and so I can go to help the suffering of the world, especially the wonderful people in Chile. But I can’t change the passage of time. I will have to find other ways to help those who are suffering.

LIVING

We live in a world where avoidance of work is a way of life. We go to school because we need a degree. We work because we need money. We clean up because we can’t stand the mess. With the avoidance we loose sight of living.

What does it mean to live? I invite all to love and savor work and education. This is the start. Never think about retirement. Think about changing jobs. After years of employment why not move to a job that allows you to serve. Do the work that would not get done without you. I guess that is a way of saying continue to work but don’t look forward to a paycheck.


Continue with your education. Universities exist ready to help you learn. There are continuing education programs at junior colleges that are for learning. Go there to learn or teach what you have learned over the years. There are so many good books that teach and well as entertain. Plan a vacation and then begin reading all you can about where you will visit.


Living begins with excitement not avoidance.
St. Louis Art Museum

CHOICES

I need to renew the license on my car in March. I am given the choice of one year or two. I always choose 2 years. I hate the whole process of inspections, paperwork, waiting in lines, and the ever looming deadlines. I look at my car. It’s dirty and has its share of pings (dent marks caused neighbor car doors opening and hitting my car). My car is now 13 years old and has 150,000 miles logged on. It is a color called champagne. I don’t think there are any cars within a 200 mile radius with that color. Anyone who rides with me complains about the sounds my car makes. My mechanic stopped trying to fix the sounds 6 year ago.

So back to the original question, do I get a 2 year or one year renewal? Getting a 1 year renewal implies that I will be getting a new car within the next year. Will I? I guess I could but that would mean giving up a vacation I want. Maybe I will just go for the 2 year renewal and get the interior cleaned on my car.

DOWNWARD COMPARISONS

If I look around and see people who are worse off than me I will actually feel better. The drizzly rain on Sunday or my stiff arthritis today is hard to complain about when I think about the mudslides in Portugal or the homeless in Haiti. In our own country there are those who are unemployed and have no hope of finding work or in poor health and there are no immediate solutions.


In the same light if I focus on those who appear to better off than me I will feel worse. I can always find some 60+ year old woman running a marathon or publishing her seventh best seller. Visiting display home to get ideas for decorating, pouring over vacation brochures, or dreaming about the perfect car will only make me feel bad if I can’t have what I want. 


For today I think I will see if there is someone worse off than me I can help or offer encouragement too.

WHAT ENRICHES OUR LIVES?

Family and friends are so important. When we're teenagers there's a lot of drama. We want someone to be our best friend (BFF). Our family should be cool so we aren’t embarrassed by them. Parents shouldn’t have expectations of us. Jealousy and envy are real both in friends and family. As we mature we recognize it is time to stop being so needy. Putting aside the drama and just enjoying the time together is a true measure of a fulfilled life.  Happy Birthday Sis!

SENSIBLE SHOES

As a child my family lived in poverty. I was called “the poor little Rich girl.” (My last name was Rich.) For weeks at a time we ate rice cooked in canned tomatoes. Meat was a rarity. I had one nice dress to wear. Girls in the 50’s were not allowed to wear anything but dresses so Saturday my mother washed my dress. She used an old wringer washing machine and the clothes had to be hung outside. Next was the ironing. Permanent press did not exist then. Now I was ready for the next school week.

As a child I saw a picture of Prince Charles and Princess Anne walking across a lawn. I said I would love to be a princess. My mother said it was terrible. “Look at the picture. They have to wear sensible shoes.” She was right, but I still wanted to be a princess even if it meant wearing sensible shoes.


You see the prince and princess were warm and well fed. Later I realized they had been taught from the day of their birth they were to be serving the people of Great Britain. What a wonderful heritage to give a child: food, warmth, love and a desire to serve (even if they have to wear sensible shoes).

A Shepard

Weekly my oldest granddaughter comes to our home and visits. We have a wonderful time doing everything she wants to do. Grandparents will give her undivided attention and lots of love. As we talked this week I told her what it was like to visit my grandmother. She lived on a farm without running water, plumbing, or electricity. I have fond memories of falling asleep in front of the pot belly stove as everyone talked.

My favorite thing to do at the farm was take care of the lambs. Sheep are funny in how they care for their young. If twins are born the ewe will only care for one of the lambs and push the other lamb away. If it rains and newborn lamb gets wet the ewe will not feed the lamb because she doesn’t recognize it as her own. When these things occurred my grandmother would rescue the lambs. They were kept in a safe enclosure and she would feed them twice a day. That was my favorite job, feeding the lambs.

We fed them with large glass bottles with extra large nipples on them. My grandmother would mix the formula and pour it into the bottles. Then we would hold the bottles as the hungry lambs ate. We were given strict instructions to not cuddle the lambs or they would think we were their mother. When that happened the lambs would cry for us and would follow us anywhere we went. We would be their shepherd.

I notice my granddaughters following me. I walk with a limp because of my arthritis. When my granddaughters follow me they walk with a limp too. They love to put on my reading glasses when they work with me. Unlike the doggy lambs I do cuddle with these special little lambs. I want them to follow me in good ways.

BARKING AT THE BOWL

There are times when our grandpuppy comes to visit. She is very sweet, cuddly, playful, entertaining but most important well trained. At our house she is treated much like the grandchildren. She has her own cupboard where her dish, toys, food, and treats are kept. A new habit she has developed is barking at her bowl. If it’s empty and she wants something to be in there she barks. Amazingly water or food appears.

I have wondered if we humans bark at our bowls. If we want something do we bark? Maybe bark isn’t the proper term. Complain or yell might fit here. Unless we are a child or pet no one is going to give us what we want just because we are complaining. Maybe it's time to stop barking at our bowls.

WHERE WERE YOU?

There are so many events in our life that make us cohorts. We have shared thoughts, experiences, and feelings. As I taught a group of 12 and 13 year-olds I talked about 9-11. The students didn’t understand what I was talking about. You see they hadn’t studied it in history yet. As I get older my cohorts are getting fewer. It is enjoyable to be with a cohort and ask “where were you…?” Unfortunately current events are shaping the world our children will inherit. Gone are the protest songs of Bob Dylan, Joan Biaz, Peter, Paul and Mary and others. We are willing to give up our freedom every time someone does something stupid. Where were you when a man tried to ignite an explosive in his shoes on an international flight? And was that one incident really worthy of millions of people removing their shoes to go through security? Our children will never truly understand the past freedoms we enjoyed in this country.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP!

There are so many good things in my life. Last evening my children, granddaughter and grandpuppy dropped by. This is always so enjoyable. What could be better than good communication including expressions of love? Today it's snowing again. It is easy to look out and see the cold, bleak landscape, but if I sit quietly I can hear someone’s family laughing as they play in the snow. Yes, life is good.

AN OLD DOG AND NEW TRICKS

I have wondered once we reach a certain age we are what we are and there is no room for change. The adage “you can’t teach an old dog new trick” applies here. Though I don’t like to think of myself as an old dog, am I capable of permanent change that I choose? I know I am capable of change that is forced upon me then the only thing I can change is my attitude. I can cheerfully accept the change or I can walk around saying “I miss my old life.” Today I started reading a book about the Panama Canal. I worked on a web page. I read about how to use Miso in my cooking. I guess I like my old life but the changes mean I will enjoy my new life even better.