Journey Through the Senses (Day 1)

Assignment:  For our first day, we are going to go dark -- literally. We’ll take a break from our sense of sight so we can pay attention to everything our other senses are telling us.

As I sit and think about this assignment, what comes to mind is my morning walk with Sadie.  Because it's so early, the sun hasn't come up to lighten the sky.  Lamp posts leave a pool of light on each corner, but it's dark in between.  I can see stars for miles, and every now and then I catch a shooting star!  

With every step I'm aware of things around me because the neighborhood is still quiet and sleepy.  The occasional sound of traffic on the distant streets reaches me from time to time.  Sadie's dog tags jangle with each step, which sometimes awaken a few of the neighborhood dogs who bark once or twice.  Friday mornings bring the clang of dumpsters being emptied.  Some days there's rustling under a bush, or up in the tree.  I imagine it's a critter or a bird, telling it's young that it's time to start the day. 

Now that summer is over, there's a slight chill in the air.  The air near the park is a few degrees cooler than the asphalt and sidewalks, which hold the heat from the day before.  Sprinklers that kick on bring the scent of wet grass, or wet desert.  Creosote when it gets damp has a very unique smell, very pleasant to me.  Sometimes the scent of houses wafts its way out:  one neighbor must smoke indoors; Julie does laundry early and I can smell her dryer sheets drifting along in a breeze; a really good morning might bring the scent of bacon frying .... makes my mouth water every time! 

Since it's dark, I don't use my sense of touch for much - perhaps to pat Sadie if there's another dog nearby just to let her know that she doesn't need to bark.  In the desert, many of our creatures are nocturnal, so reaching out and touching something ... well, this old Gal doesn't do it!

We are very dependent on visual cues as we navigate our way through our days.   We've all heard the saying "Stop and smell the roses."  I think that's just another euphemism to remind you to use your other senses more often.  Tune in and listen to sounds, or smell what's in the air.  Challenge yourself to take notice of these things.  You'll be happy you did.  :)

The Joy of Writing

hahahah

I like to write. 

It could be a work of fiction, relating details of things going on in life, sharing a joke or story I heard ... it doesn't seem to matter what it is, but I enjoy it.  I've called it many things over the years:  keeping a diary, writing a journal, then with social media all the rage, blogging. 

Every now and then, I look back at some of the things I've written, and I guess when it comes to a "style" of my writing, what I write comes from the heart.  Sometimes with humor, sometimes satire, and other times, good old fashioned ranting!! 

I don't want to try to be a specific somebody.  And maybe that's well and good for professionals who earn their living at writing; me, I'm just plain ol' me.  Take it as it comes.

But I find it quite therapeutic.

I don't write because I am all about the followers or any kind of "like" or comment.  I have a few friends on FaceBook who can be that way,
but that's never been my thing at all.

I write for me, for the joy it brings me,
and sometimes, when I've ranted a good piece,
it's almost as good as punching something.
Or someone.

Bright Blessings, my friend.

Coping

Many people are affected when someone chooses death by suicide.  Family members are left with what feels like a million unanswerable questions.  There will never be answers that leave us feeling like we understand.  For my own self, I have these same unanswered questions.  But I'm also the one who found my son.  As if that wasn't shock enough, I'm also the one the suicide note was addressed to.  And no one -- not one single person -- has the right to tell me what I should feel, or what I can talk about.  You don't have to listen.  You don't have to read this.  This is for *me* and my own coping.

If you're reading this and feeling as if a finger is being pointed, then maybe you should look into some mental health help of your own.  Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages. (CDC). Every day, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide. (CDC)

Sorry, but I'm just a bit mad right now.  Someone decided that I shouldn't be writing about suicide, or maybe they meant I shouldn't be writing about the one that happened in my life.  "So sorry for your loss ..." is a trite statement.  I get it -- it's not easy finding words when something tragic has happened, but don't tell me what I should and shouldn't write.  You may disagree with my opinion, you may correct me if I'm inaccurate in quoting facts.  You may even submit your own opinion.  But this is my blog, this is my outlet, and this is my life.  I'm sorry someone feels that some descriptives were too much to handle.   Too bad.

My son was my number one priority in every decision; because of his vision impairment, he had many more challenges than others.  If he needed something, I was there with a helping hand -- or whatever else was needed.  This house was chosen because of it's size and location with him in mind, along with so many other decisions, in order for him to have a successful, independent life.

We all need a way to cope when there's a loss, when there's grief.
I have always been a writer; I've been doing this blog for 10+ years.
It has been a tremendous help in so many ways,
and will continue to be my outlet.

If you're offended .... lose my bookmark please!

Friendships (2008)

Sorry if these old posts are a bit boring to some, but I wanted them posted *somewhere* because it was a time in my life full of many changes, and with that, many observations about life.  I was prolific in my writing a few years back - it was something easily done because there were so many different things going on in my life.  Now, 10+ years later? I'm not sure I live with the same zest, or zsa zsa zsu that I had back then.  But that's ok, I'm getting older!

First Real Day - Feb 25, 2008

Current mood:cheerful
Today feels like my first REAL day in Arizona.... I started at my new store today, and it was ... typical.   The people are nice, the managers seem to be good ones.  It's difficult to be the new kid on the block, when everyone else has a niche.  But, that's OK, there's plenty of work that needs to be done.  Seems with all the resets that are needing to be done, we're also going to be flipping counters and such ... oh BOY!!!!   A week of overnights ahead!

I clocked out at 4pm, I was home at 4:23.  That was terrific!!!  It was a balmy 75 degrees, I slipped out of work clothes and into capris, a Tshirt, and walked past one pool, then the next, to get my mailbox.  *grin* yeah, it's the good life. For the moment.  We'll see what happens when its 105 or so. lol.   Although, I hit more traffic lights going one direction to work, than I did in a whole week of commuting in Ohio!!

Last night, I relaxed with a couple of cosmopolitans (something my daughter left here) and they were pretty yummy!  I felt so --- gosh! like you see on TV !  -- sitting on the balcony, sipping from a champagne flute.   Now if only I'd been wearing a ball gown, petite slippers on my feet, my hair all done up ....... Only thing missing from that *fantasy* is Mr.Just.Right standing at the base of the balcony, crooning tunes. hahahahahhaha  Yeah, I know, get REAL!

OK, I'd best be getting some of these boxes unpacked, or dealt with; I can barely move from room to room.  Who knew I had collected all this *stuff* over time?? I sure didn't !!!  Amazing how it seems to "disappear" when it's out of sight, out of mind.  Pack a box, shove it in the closet.  And forget you even have it.   A word to the wise:   If you're gonna move, do a Goodwill donation FIRST!  hahaha

Good Friends - Feb 26, 2008

Current mood:loved

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse

Today, I got some quality time on the phone with Emily back "home" (odd, I didn't live in Ohio long, but for the moment, it still feels like "home"). It's always so good to hear a familiar voice, be able to share things with people who know you. I mean, sure, I have family; I could call any number of them who would be willing to lend an ear. But there's something special about being able to "talk shop" with someone who does what you do; someone you can laugh with when you jokingly say something about one of the bosses. (we didn't say anything bad... HONEST!) Funny how within any kind of job, there's a certain lingo -- it's nice that I don't have to explain every little detail of what I'm talking about ... Emily knows *exactly* what I mean! And her and I have traveled to other stores for special projects together - enough so that I can say "it looks like the back room at Evandale" and she knows what that means!! Another odd fact: Her and I have the same anniversary date with Walmart ! We have some of the same ways of doing things (could that be said another way? that we are both a little bit OCD?? I know I am, in a few certain ways! hahahaha) We're ages apart, and yet, there has never seemed to be a difference between us. (hey Em... are you eatin bananas? or donuts? hmm ? lol)

I looked up some quotes on friendship, and the one posted above seemed to fit very well. Although, there are some other great ones, as well. These all came from www.quote-garden.com :

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.

~Author Unknown

A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good,

and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad.

~Arnold H. Glasgow

Treasure your friends; make an effort to keep in contact! We all tend to get busy with our lives, and think "later.... I'll do that later .... "; Sometimes, later never comes. So if there's a friend you're thinking about, then drop them a note, give them a call - even if its just to say Hello !!! It might be just what they need !!!

Weird Things

Have you ever been cleaning out a closet or a drawer, only to realize that you collect weird things?? I was cleaning out a cupboard today - and realized that I have a penchant for collecting notebooks.  Pretty notebooks for writing in.  I have quite the pile of them, and yes, I do love to write.  However.  With the digital age, I do most of my writing on the computer -- so what's with the pretty little notebooks???? 

Maybe its like when I was a kid -- there was nothing more fun than a fresh box of crayons and a new coloring book!  or maybe its the whole brand new, starting over feel reminiscent of September mornings at the start of a new school year. 

Sitting down with an empty notebook, I feel obliged to fill it with thoughts, words, quotes, or even doodles and shopping lists.  I sometimes wonder if years from now, my kids or grandkids will find a notebook of mine and sit down to read some sliver of time in my life and think about who I was as a person, and not just a mom or grandmother.  Maybe they'll read about my dreams, or my wishes for the future, or regrets about my past.  

Either way, I'm a huge fan of these things --
I really should start using them :)
Happy Writing!

Write it, you'll like it !!

“Use your blog to connect. Use it as you.
Don't ‘network’ or ‘promote.’ Just talk.”
Neil Gaiman

I've recently begun following a few folks on Twitter. Quotes4Writers is one. Neil Gaiman is another. He's a favorite author of mine. I admire his writing, have read his wonderful books, and enjoy the whimsy of many of them. But above is a good piece of advice when it comes to blogging. It isn't about trying to *do* as much as it is to practice your craft.

So many folks are hesitant to sit down and blog. With the folks I've spoken to, I am continually amazed how many say they "have nothing to say". Everyone has something to speak about! It's learning to focus on something, to have something to share.

As most of you know, photography is a huge hobby of mine. And every day, there's a daily challenge with instructions on what to look for when taking the daily picture. Take the other day: "Make a photograph from a high point of view. Get on top of a building, use a ladder, or just look down at a small object." OK, that's specific instructions. But in fact, what do you see when you get on a building or a ladder? My backyard or front yard isn't interesting enough to take a photo of to share. Or is it? Its about learning to think outside the normal way we see things and use a different 'eye' when taking a photo. And I think it's the same with writing.

It takes time to re-learn something we had to do in school. Remember those "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" papers we had to write? It was an exercise in getting our thoughts, our memories, committed to paper in a logical, well written, perhaps even a funny manner.

So if you're thinking you can't write, or have nothing to say, I challenge you to take a moment to think of something to write about. And maybe you'll give it a try!!

HUGS to everyone!