In early March, I found myself at Tractor Supply, a chain of stores that sells things to people who have tractors or secretly want to. There is everything there from fencing to feed. In the spring, they have flowers and vegetables for sale. Charles had a coupon for a percentage off a purchase of $50, and he was short a[…]
On Birthdays…
I turned 59 yesterday. My birthdays, especially those 9th ones (29, 39, 49…), tend gnaw at me more than the others because the next year “I will be old.” Let me preface this by stating without hesitation that I am happier now than I have been at any of my prior 9th birthdays. I would not go back to 29,[…]
On What Makes a Good Day…
What qualifies as a good day? For me, what makes a good day at 58, is much different than it was at 48 or 38. It is actually closer to what it was when I was 8. Last Saturday was a good day. I received my final grade for the biology class I had struggled through – a low A,[…]
On Anticipation…
“If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death.[…]
On What We Need…
I’ve been wondering about what I deserve versus what I need. Are they the same? I have a good life. It hasn’t always been that way; there have been mornings I was disappointed to wake up. But, overall, life has been good. Now, it is wonderful. How do I receive the good, without taking too much? How do I take[…]
On Altruism…
Altruism /ˈalˌtro͞oˌizəm/: the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others. I belong to a very small community of yoga practitioners. We meet via Zoom every weekday morning at 6:00 a.m. While our goal is to get all bendy and strong, sometimes we have some deep conversations that make their way into this blog.[…]
On Mitosis, Meiosis, Neurosis and What Matters Mostest…
I had double carpal tunnel surgery a few weeks ago. I had let it go so long, that I had lost sensation in my fingers. I was constantly dropping things. I couldn’t decide if mealtimes, for my spouse, was more like dining with a toddler or a senior parent with Parkinson’s Disease; none of us, him, me, the toddler or[…]
On Memes (what are they good for)?
An friend texted me a meme the other day accompanied by an exasperated, “Augh.” I was pretty busy, but I always try to respond to texts from people I like, so I sent a question mark and that little emoji guy that looks like he’s wondering about something. She replied very quickly “Oh great! NOW we have to defend ourselves[…]
On Wishes, Dreams, Goals, Whatever (just don’t call them resolutions).
Happy New Year 2023! Having given up “resolutions” (which I see as just an excuse to find something wrong with me, as a person and I don’t need an excuse to do that), a few years ago I started to write 10 New Year’s goals with emphasis on a Top 3. When I started, they were just open ended with[…]
On Being Charlie Brown and Linus…
I met Nancy in high school. We were in Mr. Tweed’s Stage Crafts class with a bunch of other losers – I mean a bunch of other drama enthusiasts. In Stage Crafts, we learned to build sets and the ins and outs of lighting, costumes, and were basically the gophers for the more talented, more beautiful performers. She and I hit[…]