Waiting...AGAIN.

It seems like I'm always waiting for something.  Most recently, I was waiting to dismantle the Christmas decorations and get them all put away. What was I waiting for? Well, my husband who was aka Santa to many little people, and bigger people, for over 25 years, happens to love to stretch the season for as long as he can get away with it. So, patiently I waited, sneaking down here a wreath, there a nativity, hoping he would tire of the tree in the corner. And then....I got sick for  a week. 

So, currently, there is still the huge tree in the living room, and a smaller one which was in the sunporch, to unclothe.  I did undecorate the kitchen one and pack those things up, but the sunporch is full of odds and ends of garland, lights, and boxes in which to pack the Santa collection, the snow men, and all the ornaments. Waiting.

Some time ago, I wrote that there was a lovely group of ten women who had responded to my invitation to create a circle letter. The first complete round went quite well. I received the envelope full of their letters within a fairly short time. I wrote my second letter and mailed the envelope of mail out to the woman who followed me on the list. That was in May. It is now January 12, and I'm still waiting to read the other women's second letters. I'm quite a patient woman....really, I am.... and I understand how some things can get in the way of life. But I also think that when you know there are people waiting for you, for any reason, if you can't do what is expected, that you should be considerate enough to communicate the problem to your friend(s).  At this point, I'm very disappointed in this letter business, and am considering bowing out of the group. 

I really hate to wait for long periods of time. When you make an appointment, is it unreasonable to expect to have the other party (ie doctor, hair stylist, etc) service you within fifteen minutes? When you place an order with a wait person, is it beyond reason to get your meal in a timely fashion?  I don't think so.

Sometimes a wait provides you with a pleasant diversion from something else, but rarely.  Most of us have schedules that demand us to be on time somewhere else. Children need to be picked up from school on time, employees need to be at their jobs when the boss deems it, others expect us to be where we are supposed to be.

This, of course, may be my own quirk, but I don't like causing other people annoyance or inconvenience, and I don't enjoy waiting....at all.

I'd Like to Move It, Move It...

This morning, I was engaged in a conversation with a friend about today's kids and their technical abilities. It just overwhelms me.

With all the talk from medical people and others in the know about our over-weight children, one would think that eyes would be opened wider as to why.  Our kids spend the majority of their time in front of one screen or another all day and evening.  Their 'recreational' time is spent playing video games, their conversational time is interrupted by texts from other friends, their family time is spent in a room full of others on computers, phones, kindles, nooks, ipods, etc. I have no qualms in saying how annoying this can be to those who desire to talk with them. 

In no way does this apply just to children. We are all guilty of spending too much time on keyboards, staring blankly at screens. (I wonder what it's doing to our eye sight?)  It does seem, however, that kids are more interested in the technical stuff than in spending time outside, enjoying some physical activity, or even in playing with toys of any kind. Technology IS their toy of choice.

I know there is some educational value in the "plugging in" to computer games and other electronics. SOME is the key word, I think, and as in all things, it depends on how you use an item as to how much real value that item will be to you.   WII Fit was a good idea, having been the brainstorm to get 'dormant' people up and moving again. Still, for those who are able, I don't think there's anything as beneficial as going outside in the sunshine, running around, and being a real kid! 

Where is the room for imagination? Everything is thought out for today's kids. Perhaps that is the reason that movies today are mostly (poor) remakes of great old ones. No one has the ability to think up new things. How sad.  I wonder what kind of books (to never be put on paper, but rather published to some electronic thingamabob) will be put out in our future?

I know that I'm also 'dormant'...not so much by choice, but because of a hip/back situation. I long to be more active, to dance and be able to walk longer. I love to see kids doing what I can no longer do.  I'm also a 'fossil' and I believe in the provision of toys that inspire some creative thinking. Paper and paints, and clay for art projects and crafts, dolls, tea sets, dress up clothes for role playing, interactive board games for sociability. These are all 'sit down' types of activity, for quieter indoor play, but there are bikes, hula hoops, soccer balls, and the like for outdoor activities. I love to encourage hop scotch and team games and races. One of the older grandchildren is a first year cheerleader, so I asked to see all of her  routines...it got her away from her cell phone/computer and up and moving!

All that being said, it's time for me to get up and moving. I think I'll see if I can stretch and wiggle a little. After three days of being sick, I can use it....even if it's just a little.

Another Thing To Do...

Uhoh...I've just discovered another way to spend time by myself....aka another excuse for not getting something accomplished.  It's called "Words With Friends". It's a game, similar to Scrabble, which I love. Words and I have always had a 'thing' for each other, and I can play this quite well. 

I'm not sure that there is any valid excuse for playing games instead of getting something done, but if you believe psycologists and the like-minded, older minds should be active, doing crossword puzzles, etc. in order to slow the aging process. So, let's chalk up this game...and Text Twist 2 to that endeavor, shall we?

Seriously, I do get things done. Perhaps not as much as I'd like, because I need some more muscle than I am capable of using, and sometimes that isn't available to me without pleading, begging or nagging. I figure it's going to get done, in due time, so unless it's a immediate emergency, why turn myself into a whip-weilding wench, demanding that a job get done 'right NOW!'  My husband keeps himself busy, and is a very giving and caring soul  who does a lot for me and my Mom,  who worked all of his life and is now retired. He doesn't need to spend his retirement years dealing with a  wretched wife. So, as I say, unless it has immediate need, I mention the job, and we get to it 'eventually'.

So...in the time I spend NOT being that wretched wife, we spend time together enjoying ourselves. Sometimes we spend time alone...he reads voraciously... educating himself, or just enjoying his books. I spend time on my crafts, my computer, and now with some of these games.  We are each happily ensconced in our pleasures of Senior Living.

Unless we take up swimming at the 'Y' or begin Yoga classes, we may not be in the best of physical shape when we leave this earth, but we'll both be happy...and hopefully with brains kept in tact by the exercising of them with reading and word games!

A Book?

His blog said, "I'm just an average Joe"....and I thought when I read that, "what a wonderful opening line" for the book he was speaking about writing...or not writing. I could totally understand the 'yes, I might...no, I can't' thinking about composing such a work.

For years, probably since I was a teenager who wrote sloppy love poems with some truth and some fiction involved, people who have read my words have suggested that I put them  together in a book form. It appears that many can relate, in some way, to the feelings evoked by the words I put into prose or poetic form. Someone once told me that my words touch places in the heart that everyone feels. I suppose that's why some authors and poets make a great living at their craft, but there are also many out there that people just 'don't get'. That's why there's a popular term for them....'starving artists.'

Perhaps the reason I've never laid it all out there and put those feelings into the hands of the public is that I don't believe in myself enough. Or, maybe it is that I'd rather keep some of those feelings in some private place, allowing only those I trust with my emotions to read them. Then, of course, there is the fiction that has been injected into much of my writing. That needs to be considered, because if it is taken as fact, there could be judgement cast upon my character....or my sanity....depending upon what is being read and who is reading it.  There's also the issue that was brought up by my blogger friend...whether I have anything interesting to write about. That may be the most crippling of all excuses for not writing a book for public consumption.

After all...."I'm just an average Joe...."

A New Year...A New Day...A New Beginning

As the New Year approached, I began to think of things I might want to change during the coming days.I focused on my home...ideas I'd like to accomplish in the rooms, one by one. But as I attempted to create these visions in my mind, other things kept pouring into my head...fast and furiously.

I realized that I'm really quite content with my home, and my life. That doesn't mean that changes won't come.  Things constantly change in our lives, sometimes by our choice and sometimes without a choice.
It occured to me that we all  need changes, in order to grow in various ways.

Sometimes we see things in ourselves that we don't care much for. Those things need to be examined and altered to be more what we'd envision ourselves to be. It's not always easy to do that, but in reality, our lives most often bring a series of things that would inspire us to grow to be better people. I realized in all this time of reflection, that we have opportunities each minute to make changes for the better.

Whenever we find ourselves faced with decisions, we make a choice. Whenever there is a fork in the road, we find we must choose one over the other. Sometimes we make the right choice, sometimes we don't. We always have a chance after making the first choice, to decide that it might not have been the best one, and we can change our minds and choose another option. However, we must realize that every choice brings it's consequences and/or its rewards. Even if we realize a mistake was made, and turn to a different decision, the effects of the first choice may follow us for a time.  When given the chance, it's a good idea to put a lot of thought into things before we make a decision. I've learned from experience that it doesn't hurt a bit to try to see into the future, to predict what result any decision might bring with it. Of course, there's no telling what tomorrow will bring, but a little forethought is never a bad idea.

So here we are, folks...faced with a New Year....a New Day....a New Beginning. This year will bring many, many choices and decision-making options. May we all dip deep into our wells of past experiences and those of others who've walked the paths before us, and draw up buckets of smart thinking. May we find ourselves a little wiser in the days ahead than we were in the days past. 

Happy New Year, my friends!

Another "Character"....

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to one of our neighborhood 'characters'. This time, you'll meet one of the family ones.

Trevor is my deceased brother's youngest son. He's 39 years old now. As a child, he was a non-stop mover, full of mischief and fun. As he grew up, he tended to be drawn to the most dangerous things. I don't have any idea why he took such risks, even after being warned, but as a result of his actions, he  often would find himself  physically hurt or with a broken bone here or there. Fortunately, none of his antics killed him...but they might have.

Throughout his life, he's been a 'cut-up'. He hasn't changed much in that regard. "Trevor enters the room, and he's immediately 'on' ", in the words of my daughter. From the minute he arrived, he had us rolling with laughter as he shared his stories. Being raised in SC, he's got a heavy accent, and it's not the southern gentleman type...it's more along the lines of 'redneck country.' I'll do what I can in relating the tale, in my written version of that accent. It will lose something in the translation, and all I can say is, I wish you could hear him yourself.

"Y'all....ah waz alweez gittin' in trubble in school. They'd say, "Trevor, yore goin' home early today." Ah'd say, "wha, whad ah dew?" I wanned t'know so ah cud dew it agin....only earlier in the dye! Hey...meet me in the mornin'...meet me at the front doora the school...jist put me back on th'bus 'n sind me home. He knows where ah lee-ive, he jist picked me up there."

At one point he was talking about his exwife. He told my girls that she is 'slow'.  I said, "Trev, she is NOT!" His answer was, "She shore ee-is....'took her seventeen years to divorce me, didn't it?"

Trev had more stories than I can remember...and we were rolling on the floor as he told them. One thing I can say about him is this...he wears me out!  He's so full of energy, that I can't even understand him sometimes, he'll talk so fast. I can take about an hour, and then I'm ready for a nap! That being said, he's a sweet guy....a goof ball, and he could give Jeff Foxworthy or Jeff Dunham's comedy acts a real run for the money.  I wouldn't trade anything for him....or the laughs he gives us all.

Stockings...

In my attempts to catch up on the reading of my friends blogs, I noticed that two of them had written recent entries about 'stockings'. One was a guy who spoke of his childhood stocking and what was placed, traditionally, in his stocking each year. The other entry was written about her family tradition of the stockings, and the story went from her childhood when her mother filled her childhood stocking, through to the time when the roles were reversed. Those stories took me back across the years to my childhood.

Growing up, we didn't have a fireplace. We hung our stockings, as kids,  against the console TV. Of course, when they were filled by the jolly old elf, they were too heavy to hang, and were placed on the floor in front of the TV set. What was inside of that faded red, cotton knee sock with the cable design? Inexpensive toys, a favorite candy, an orange or tangerine, or an apple, mixed nuts. Someone else always got the Brazil nuts because I didn't like them back then. We kids might have been given those, rather than Dad, because Dad was allergic to them!  When I say 'inexpensive toys', I mean those wooden paddles with the elastic string with a rubber ball on it (remember those?)  or one of those  clowns that were attached to a 'frame' with string. When you squeezed the little sticks at the bottom of the frame, the strings would relax and tighten, and the clown would dance.  Then there was the small cup on the stick, with a ball at the end of the string...to try to catch with the cup.  There were coloring books, paint boxes, crayons, yoyos, magnets, and oh...one of my favorites....a face on a card, encased in clear plastic. Within the plastic, there were metal shavings which you were to drag around with a magnetized pencil, leaving hair or eyebrows or beards on the face. (Did others of you have those things?) 

I don't know what happened to my stocking, but I guess it was left behind when I left home.  When my kids were little, I made all of us quilted stockings that were larger than what I'd had. It was easier to place gifts into the larger ones, but it also presented the challenge of finding enough inexpensive things to put into them!  Somehow we managed to fill them each year! 

As I grew to an adult, I became a part of the tradition of the elder family members. Each adult woman draws a name, and fills the stocking of the one whose name she drew. We still carry on that tradition today, Mom, my daughters and I do.  We try very hard to fill the 'Christmas sock' with unique items, as well as new things that might have been used up from last years offerings....ie samples of toothpaste or emory boards.  We tend to think about the hobbies of the one we have, and look for things that would interest them. Readers might get a small paperback, those who sew might see sewing supplies. Photographers might find a little picture frame. I think it is a true challenge to fill those stockings. I always add some little thing to the young ones' stockings, and fill one for my husband. I look forward to the fun of seeing what's inside those small wrapped gifts.

I still have those stockings that I made for my kids, because they all have their own for their families. None of us use them anymore, but they are there, if they have want their childhood stocking. As for Mike and me, we currently use the counted cross-stitched  ones that my daughter made for us some years ago.  I guess it doesn't  really matter what the container is.... it's the content that matters, and that's not the wrapped gifts, or the fruit or sweets. It's the sweet fruit of love that is offered with the filling of those stockings at Christmastime...and all year long.