Stay Young at Heart

Blog soundtrack:



I may have used this song before, but it’s one of my all-time favorites, so we will listen to it again, because I’m the Goddess of this blog, k?!

As most of you know, I’ve been using my free time wisely these last few months to dress up my animals, form my own cycling company, visit lipstick statues in frickin’ New Haven, document the antics of my cheerleader daughter, err, look for a job, and reconnect with old friends. Today, I met Amelia (a blog owner also, http://sixtwothreetries.blogspot.com/) at her Dad’s house for coffee; she was visiting from California for a week.

I believe I first met Amelia in the 4th grade. We were in the same class; our teacher was Mr. Jones. Wasn’t he the coolest, Amelia? He was way ahead of his time then, teaching kids the basics, but it was the basics on creativity steroids! He almost always had music playing in the classroom, usually James Taylor’s “Mud Slide Slim,” had a saying, which I though he coined, “bippies burp,” kept a small (3 feet maybe) doll of President James Buchanan (Why James Buchanan? Who knows!), and let us create a town called “Id” that ended up spanning over 2 or 3 tables in the classroom. I have to say that after 16 years of formal schooling, he was one of the best teachers I ever had; here’s to Lee Jones wherever you are!

Err, here’s the only picture I have of Amelia from 4th grade. Nice jumper, girl! :-)



Okay, not to make Amelia feel alone in the 70s-fashion time warp, here I am around that age, too.
Could I have pulled up those striped shorts any higher?



Well, at least, I’m not wearing knee socks with sneakers like my cousin is!

Amelia and I became close again in high school when we were on the Winter and Spring track teams together. Here we are at a meet at Acton-Boxborough High School.



How do I remember that we were at Acton-Boxborough High School when I, like Bill, don’t even remember what I had for lunch yesterday? I have no clue!

I think she and Perry, another friend and THE ONE WHO THREW UP IN THE HAMPER AT JIM’S HOUSE, tried to convince me to join the cross country team my sophomore year. I told them that if I didn’t make the volleyball team, I would join the cross country team. Thank God, I made the JV volleyball team; believe it or not, I wasn’t keen on running then.

I remember Amelia and I going to see the Boston Marathon together, because our assistant track coach was running it. We passed her something to drink at the Wellesley check point. And, I also remember us sharing a love of Earth, Wind, and Fire; in fact, I bought the “That’s the Way of the World” LP when I was with Amelia in Wellesley! We sat around her parent’s stereo listening to it; and, thanks to her brother, Teddy, that’s when I first heard of Elvis Costello, though it took me a few more years to start listening to him!

Anyway, even though we only got to chat for two hours, it would appear, that as with the Lovelies, the more things change, sometimes friendships, no matter how many years have gone by or how many miles are between them, are strong enough to always remain the same as they were in 1980; and that should always be the way of the world. <3

Simple Abundance Tangent Note:

I read today’s “Comfort & Joy” entry; it was about simplifying your life and mentioned Thoreau. Since I was an English major in college, I do know a tad about this Dude Who Lived in the Woods; actually, I read “Walden” in college and loved it. It even prompted my sister to give me this birthday card one year.



Okay, lame, but not lame enough, because I saved it for the last 25 years. (One friend told me I must be very “organized” to have kept letters from years ago. I told him that I wasn’t really organized when it came to correspondences; I was just sentimental when it came to matters of the heart.)

Anyway, my life seemed to be simplified when I got laid off in February; it’s amazing how not having a job simplifies life! So, once again, I reverted to Karen’s list.

Ask for what you need.
“I would like a peach iced tea with lemon and two packages of Splenda, please.”



Open yourself to new ways of doing things.
“Liam, please put away these shirts in the drawer. No, not you, the shirts!"
Nota bene if you didn't already nota bene it: Cats don't follow direction well.



But seriously, the scanner button on my printer was saying “No way, Jose!” whenever I’ve pressed it lately. It used to work.

So, I googled. Apparently, the HP4580 printer and Windows Vista hate each other’s guts; therefore, as with most “workarounds,” you must pat your head and rub your tummy to make it work.

No, not really, but you must scan via Paint. I know, this is most interesting, isn’t it? But there is a point to this, yeah, really!

If I hadn’t scanned in photos of Amelia, it probably would have taken me quite a while longer to find this workaround. So, I now have a new way to do this; so, thanks, Amelia!

Have a safe trip home, Amelia; and, it was lovely to see you again. <3

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Start blog soundtrack:



Originally, my blog soundtrack was going to be "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac. But then, I watched a “Don’t Stop” video on youtube, and I thought, "Whoa, I so loved that Lindsey Buckingham!"

I remember when “Rumors” came out. That Summer, I spent two weeks in Falmouth, MA babysitting for two families. Across the street, the Maines family had a house. During my two weeks there, I noticed an incredibly cute guy. Glances led to chatting and chatting led to a night when the two families were out and the kids were tucked into bed. Steve, a football player, at Waltham High School came over. Needless to say, he was my first kiss. Yeah, nothing more, just a kiss or two and three.

It’s funny the things you remember. It was all so innocent then, well, at least it was for me, and I cringed tonight when someone told me about middle school children who hold “rainbow” parties; this is where the girls put on different colored lipstick and the boys see how many different colors they can get on their, well, you sadly fill in that blank.

Today was a busy day. Okay, well, not busy in the "employed" sense! I rode for four hours with my friends, completing 51 miles. Then I had to take Rover to the vet’s (blood tests), get home, shower, and go to Nate’s (I owe him $5 for mentioning him here!) soccer game.

It’s funny, because I hate spending four hours on my bike, but I love it just the same. And I know in my heart of hearts, my time could be better spent at “home,” but I can never say “No” to Bill. Is there a Cyclists Anonymous?! :-)

But, if the truth be told, I love my time with them (as you know already), and I don’t want to miss a thing with Iz or Nate either. I love the fact that I can go to Nate’s soccer game without telling someone I have to leave early from work to do so or that I can get Iz off the bus at 3pm, again, without telling someone I have to leave early from work to do so.

I picked up Nate after the game, and I was going to drive him to his Dad’s but not before driving him to “Subway” to drop off his job application. He asked me if he could get food there, because he was "starving." He had eaten breakfast; however, he had eaten his lunch during his first class of the morning. I said, “Sure,” but then I realized I had only $6 in my wallet.

BUT, I had three chocolate butterscotch-chip brownies for him in the car that Iz and I made yesterday. He woofed those down, we dropped off his job application at Subway, but not before I gave him $3 to buy a drink at Subway. When he came out with a Sprite, and I said, “I need to go grocery shopping. Do you want to come and perhaps get some more food?” He said, “Yes!”

After I went to look for asparagus, I saw him in the pastry aisle. I walked over, and I saw him stuff two croissants in a paper bag. I said, “Jeez!’ And then he said, “Mom, I’m hungry.” After I saw the croissants in his bag, I thought, “Wow, a tuna fish sandwich might be great on that croissant tomorrow.” So, I grabbed one.

On the way back to his Dad’s, Nathan woofed the two croissants. And I asked, “Are you still going to eat the family dinner tonight?” He looked at me like I was crazy, and he said, “Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!”

By the way, I read “Simple Abundance” for today. It was about “Mediation as Meditation,” and it was about having a job. I promptly closed the book, and I tried to work on Karen’s list instead. :-)

I did X-cess baggage.



I got rid of this suitcase that needs to be taped shut in order to travel!
Wooooo-hoooo!

My Mom once told me that I did too much; she said, “It’s like you don’t want to miss a thing.” These days, I don’t. I love my cycling, and I love being there for my kids, even if I know I do need a job, but for now, WTF! <3

End blog soundtrack:

Life My Way

Blog soundtrack:


As I was eating my scrambled eggs in the greasy spoon restaurant yesterday, I happened to notice one of those free newspapers called “The Messenger.” I picked it up and began leafing through it.

After the article by the holistic dentist about mercury fillings but before the article titled “STRESS – It’s Time for a Change…” by a woman who had “NCTMB” after her name (BTW: What’s an NCTMB?!?!?!), I found and read an article called “Life Your Way – The ABCs of Living Life Consciously.”

It was by a Life Coach. I don’t disbelieve in life coaches, but then again, I don’t know if I believe in them either. Perhaps it was the “coach” part of “life coach” that threw me off after having been on so many sports teams in my lifetime.

When I thought "coach," I envisioned stout and sweet Bob Haworth, the coach of the Lincoln-Sudbury girl’s track team, sitting next to me on the bus back from a track meet critiquing my latest discus throw distance or the petite spitfire Mary Sullivan, coach of the Brandeis woman’s volleyball team, in her Fair Isle sweater yelling at me from the bench, “Nice block, Jean!”

A coach for your life? I dunno. Maybe I should try it before I don’t like it.

Anyway, as it advertised, “Life Your Way” was a list from A-Z about ways to live your life consciously (versus unconsciously?!).

It made me think of a book I had received a few years ago from a friend as a birthday gift.

http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Abundance-Daybook-Comfort-Joy/dp/0593041410/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254690909&sr=8-2

When I first got it, I was a single Mom with a full-time job, and I guess you could say I had my share of stress. So, I decided I would become committed to reading it and (paraphrasing here)…outline a path to sanity by nurturing my spirit, my relationships, and create serene spaces in my life. Yeah, and how long do you think that lasted?! :-)

When I first got the book, I read it daily for the first four days. On the fifth day, I forgot to read it (probably was exhausted and went right to bed instead!), on the sixth day I forgot again (probably watched back-to-back episodes of “Law & Order” instead!), and then when I missed the seventh day (probably bidding on some vintage clothing on eBay instead!), I felt I was only getting more stressed; because on my path to sanity, I took a left at the rock that looked like a bear instead of taking a right at the bear that looked like a rock!

So, like Jim’s “fix-it-yourself” home repair book, “Simple Abundance” ended up in the bookcase for the next few years…………………in Nantucket!

For the last few years, my affirmation has been taped to my dresser mirror, and it’s quite simple, see:



If truth be told, I did bring “Simple Abundance” home when I was in Nantucket in March, thinking that I might give it another shot. Have I read it since then? Err, no, but I am thinking about it and have been so for the last seven months! I left Jim’s “fix-it-yourself” home repair book there; at least, I was honest with myself, thinking I’d have a better chance of building a path to sanity than dry walling the bathroom or fixing the toilet myself!

So, here are the ABCs, which might be building blocks for your path to sanity; however, if you can’t make a path, perhaps yours, like mine, can just be a few small steps (like from the bedroom to the bathroom) to daily survival!

Ask for what you need.
Balance your life in all areas.
Choose who to be today.
Discover your passions.
Empower yourself.
Free yourself from guilt, shame or worry.
Gratitude for all your blessings.
Happiness is your only option.
Intend to be happy today.
Judging yourself and others will stop today.
KISS (keep it simple and sweet).
Law of attraction (like attracts like).
Mirror an amazing life for the children.
Negative self talk is no longer acceptable.
Open Yourself to new ways of doing things.
Please yourself first and then others.
Question your limiting beliefs and see if they are true.
Release past resentments.
Simplicity gives you inner peace.
Teach people how to treat you.
Use your imagination to be more creative. (Check!)
Visualize an amazing life.
Write down your thoughts, feelings, and self talk. (Check!)
X-cess baggage of any kind; emotional or physical (cluttered house, desk) should be eliminated from your life.
You are the only person who can decide what kind of person you want to be.
Zero tolerance for self-criticism. *

*Author: Karen Reagan, giving credit where credit is due, but I don't have her permission; however, I think she has a larger audience for her message on my blog than from "The Messenger."

All of these are truly wonderful points, but, I think, it’s all easier said than done most days of the week; however, I did try “B” and “K” today just to test it out.

Be someone else.
I decided to be Eleanor Roosevelt.

Does it work for you?
It works for me, and she did say, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
I never thought I could be Eleanor Roosevelt!

KISS.
Iz and I interpreted this literally. But, I think we kept it simple and sweet, because we kissed the animals/people we like; that is, Iz didn’t kiss her Nintendo DS nor did I kiss my Fisher and Paykel dishwasher!



Post-it Note to Melissa: Get the Fisher and Paykel two-drawer. I fell in love with it, because my friend, George, had one. Believe me, it's wonderful. AND besides, I know how you love it when I mention your name in my blog; however, unlike Nathan, at least, I don't have to pay you $5 every time I mention your name in my blog!

If a Life Coach were to approach me in the "Serene Spaces" aisle of Shaw's supermarket and offer a free sample, I would definitely accept one. And if I liked it, I might even circle around the store with my carriage, linger in the pet aisle for 10 minutes or so, and then come 'round again, and take another sample acting as if I'd never had one before. :-)

While I don’t feel like I have the time to think about all of the A-to-Zs each and every day, I still love life my way on the path to sanity; get a grip and Iz and Nate; oh, and last but certainly never least, my friends. Yes, that would be all the affirmation I need most days. <3

Is it Raining in Florida?

Blog soundtrack:
I couldn't decide! :-)

I loved the album "So." It's one of my all-time favorites; AND, Peter Gabriel always reminds me of Suze and Skip and the wonderful times we had together back then.



And this, no matter how, um, err, ah, TOTALLY corny was part of my youth!
:-)



When we drove back from Target today, after buying Iz new shoes, Halloween window clings (Brenda knows what these are!), and a very fuzzy black horse (err, Mom’s weak “souvenir” moment that Melissa can relate to!), it was raining cats, dogs, llamas, hedgehogs, water buffalos, and I think there may have been one or two extinct brontosaurus in there too!

Iz then asked me, “Mom, is it raining in Florida?”
I laughed, and then I said I didn’t know if it was, and then she said, “Oh.”
I love the questions she asks me, even when some of them are brain numbing and/or hard to answer, which is most of the time. :-)

We went out for breakfast this morning at the local greasy spoon. My brother-in-law paid the check. Iz took the bill and the money and went to the counter to pay; she loves doing this, and she mostly likes to do it, because she hits the basket on the counter filled with Brach’s hard candies afterwards. She helps herself, taking enough candy to feed a small army or at least enough to feed each stuffed animal she owns; and, the stuffed animal count was approximately 52 the last time I cleaned her room!

When she came back, she asked what she should do with the change, and then she said, "I know." The change was $21.36. She handed me the $20 bill and said, "Here, Mommy. This is because you don’t have a job. And here." She then put the 36 cents in my hand, reached over the table, and gave her Uncle the $1. We howled, and I said, "Well, at least, we know she's empathetic."

I love my girl, and when all is said and done, I’m glad and truly blessed that I created such a beautiful and compassionate being.



I just kissed her good night, and she said, “Mommy, my chaps are lipped.” Strawberry lip balm was applied. <3

Everyone Has a Story

Blog soundtrack:



I hadn't ridden my bike in three days, given all the party prep I felt I needed to do. Well, yesterday, I didn’t ride, because I was a tad, well, I felt like doing nothing and watching “Law & Order” instead after taking Rover to the vet’s.

Note to Party Attendee Readers: Please don’t feel guilty about my party prep or my post-party clean up. I’m walking on air, because I have a clean refrigerator and silverware drawer! And, it was most lovely being with you all again too.

Bill texted me this morning asking me if I wanted to ride when it got warm. I thought it would be warm by noon, but apparently, Bill’s idea of “warm” and mine are radically different. He asked for 10am, and then I texted back that I would be ready by 10:15am. I guess I could have been there by 10am, but it was freaking cold out there!

I filled my water bottles, put on all my gear (tights, an under armor top, and a jacket), got my cell, and then I went out and got my bike. I started down the street, and I said to myself, “SH*T, it’s f*cking cold!”

I met Bill at the rail trail parking lot; it appeared that he and I were the only ones interested in a ride today. I hadn’t seen him in three days, so he filled me in on all the rail trail cycling news. He and I had agreed last week that all the people we rode with and knew on the rail trail, including us, were “quirky.”

For example, every day we ride, we see Richard. He lives in New Hampshire in a trailer, and he drives to the trail in Pepperell every day to ride from Pepperell to Ayer and back again. When he gets to Ayer, he goes to the Dunkin Donuts, gets coffee, and then sits on the cement wall there for a tad and feeds the squirrels. Richard was in Vietnam, suffered a brain injury, and he lives on Social Security and what he gets for disability. As we bike by Richard, we say “Hi, Richard!”, he looks at us, and says “Hi” back. I always noticed his piercing blue eyes, and I always think that Richard really is the best cyclist out there even if he’s not.

As Bill and I cycled down the trail, we caught up. I told him about a job phone screen I had. I started to talk, and then he interrupted and said, “I didn’t ask if they liked you. I asked did JEAN like them?” Funny, but I had NEVER thought of it that way before. And despite the fact that I needed a job, Bill made me think differently than I had the last several months. Should I NEED the job or should the JOB need me?

At an intersection, Bill asked if I wanted to cycle the trail or go on the roads. I opted for the roads. At one point, Bill said, “Do you need Larter field?” This REALLY means “Do you have to pee?” I hadn’t timed my coffee right this morning, so I said, “Yes!”

I know I said previously that I hate port-a-potties, but the one at Larter Field is the best port-a-potty East of the Mississippi; seriously, it must have a triple A rating!

I used the port-a-potty, came back out, and I saw Bill perched on the fence. I sat down, grabbed a granola bar, checked my email (hoping for the job interview that was not there as usual), and then I just sighed.

For whatever reason or the phase of the moon, Bill and I began to talk about our lives, and we sat there for 30 minutes, each of us sharing about our life, but it was not in a way that it would be hard for either of us to roll over on Saturday morning, get on the bike, and face each other again. :-)

Whenever I ride with Bill, he always tells me these wonderful stories; the stories are about his life, his wife’s life, or about friends he knows. Sometimes I’m on my bike, and I think to myself, “God, I wish I had my notebook,” but I don’t carry it on my bike, though I am beginning to think it's a huge mistake!

As Bill and I sat there in the Larter Field parking lot, I felt this huge sense of friendship, especially when Bill said, "Everyone has a story." And, with Bill being almost 20 years older, I also felt a sense of, well, fatherhood that I had never experienced in my life.

As I have learned, life takes people away from you; sometimes they come back, but sometimes, you know there’s no freaking way in hell they’re coming back. In the last few months, I have had the Lovelies come back (Laura, Marcia, Cathy, Anne, and Melissa); and, I even got back the people I used to work with this week. But, the wonderful thing about life, or so I think lately, is when someone comes into your life unexpectedly and fills a HUGE void you’ve felt forever.

That would be Bill, and while life takes people away, you should feel that much more blessed if life gives you a new person to fill a void.
And, I feel that way every day when it comes to Bill.

After we talked, he imparted all of his wisdom on me, and then he said, “Just keep doing what you’re doing, Sunshine.”
Sunshine?!
Wow, what a story, huh?
Everyone has a story, and tonight, this one is mine. <3

Born to Party -- Forced to Work

Blog soundtrack:

Okay, so I am not forced to work anytime soon it would appear, BUT I love these cocktail napkins that I had out last night.

Iz was the perfect junior party hostess, making sure everyone had a name tag upon arrival and then putting the rooster hat on Thundie so everyone could take pictures! Yes, she was totally Julie on the Love Boat last night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Tewes

This is like the sneakers on the highway phenomenon; it's the there's-plenty-of-space-in-the-house-but-why-is-everyone-in-the-kitchen phenomenon! Actually, it really didn't bother me. I love to have parties. Really, I'd have a huge one every month, but it was so funny (no, heartwarming) when I realized that all 12 people were drinking, eating, and talking in the kitchen.

Note to Self: During next home renovation, bin the family room and the living room; make one MASSIVE kitchen, and then put a small sofa with a TV in the corner. :-)

Cats...I know...it always comes back to cats. At one point, TomB, who doesn't like cats, but I think he really does, had Thunderbolt in his arms. I grabbed my camera, but I was unable to get a picture of it. Damn! I missed confirmation that Tom's "I Hate Cats" calendar was a sham all along! And, I know he lives with a cat...okay, so he tolerates a cat. :-)

So, in addition to all 12 people crammed in the kitchen, there was also Liam and Thundie. Someone asked me if they were always around like that. I had to say, "No." In the thick of it, there were Liam and Thundie socializing with everyone. I knew it; Iz sublet her junior party hostess responsiblities out to them in exchange for extra cat crunchies and distemper shots!

Here's Thundie wedging himself between Gil and Jeff.

At one point, Gil told me that my talents were best in party planning or something like that; it's probably true. Before I arrived on the scene of the_company_from_which_we_all_got_laid_off_that_shall_remain_nameless_because_despite_what_happened_I_worked_with_some_of_THE_BEST_people_there_in_my_entire_career, they had NO parties. I started it all with the celebration of Marilyn Monroe's 80th in 2006. At that time, I lived in a small cramped cube, but they all showed up for cake, ice cream, and to peruse my Marilyn Monroe books.

The next year, we moved to a larger building, one where we had our own little area. I planned the Marilyn Monroe b'day party again, but, this time, I added champagne, because I knew the tech support guys on the second floor were enjoying a case of beer every Friday at 5pm! And, after our party, it appeared that no one minded that fact. :-)

Thus, everyone had so much fun at that party, that a few months later, people were asking, "So, when are we having our next party?" This gave way to the "Funsultants." We (me, Brenda, Sarah, and Nancy) did most of the planning, but we didn't mind. We assigned a party theme, asked for a food and/or monetary contribution, and aaaaaaaaway we go, and how sweet it is!!! :-))

Err, see "Jackie Gleason," who my Dad loved; I remember watching the June Taylor dancers. Those girls started synchromized swimming before it ever went aquatic!!! :-)

The wonderful thing about hosting a party is...getting flowers! I love getting flowers.

From Nancy...

From Jeff...

Thanks to both of you.

You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right.

~Maya Angelou

Everyone at the party could never go our work "home" again; however, last night, we just chose to go to a different "home" -- mine! And, it was true, because as the evening went on, it was like we had never left our cube offices on the first floor. No matter where we were, we couldn't leave that "home," because we loved it so much. <3



Note to a Frazzled Melissa Mom: I know how you feel a tad. This was Mess #1454 I had to pick up after she was only home for 10 minutes today! :-)



Note to a Very Creative and Funny Chuck: Thanks for my I-Mode picture. It was, as usual, brilliant!