(Amanda Greene, from Wilmington FAVS, asked that we write something re our reaction to, and feelings about, the devastating tragedy in CT yesterday...this is my response)

My initial reaction to this tragedy was just pure grief and immediately my heart went out to the parents and families of these precious little children.  That it happened during the holiday season, on the 7th day of Hanukkah and so close to Christmas, just seems to make it all the sadder.  Once the grief was absorbed deeply into my bones, I felt a sense of anger at the unjustness of it all and my anger was directed squarely on the NRA and our congressional leaders for not doing something about the abuse and misuse of guns in our country.

When I told my husband the sad news, he said, "I just hope their deaths weren't in vain."  After thinking about his comment for some time, I came to believe that it's up to us, all of us, not to allow these deaths to be in vain.  Our nation needs to grieve together for a time and then we need to hold each of the victims in our hearts as we come together to figure out how we can do better in our country.  If we allow this tragedy to stir up all the political animosity and we make it an issue of the conservatives vs the progressives, no one gains and these deaths will become just another part of the gun statistics in America. And then, before we know, it will happen again and then again and each time the victims will have died in vain. As I made my way through this process of trying to sort it all out, I realized my anger was gone, it simply served no purpose.

Today, I am still feeling a deep sense of grief for everyone involved and a very real concern about the process it will take for these children who lived through the trauma to ever feel safe again.  I feel for the families and the pain they will endure for the rest of their lives.  I feel for the teachers who will need to go back into that school and overcome their own fears enough to help the children get past theirs.  I feel for the law enforcers who had the horrendous job of piecing it all together and identifying the tiny bodies and the counselors who had to tell the parents that their child had beed identified.  I feel for the clean up crew who will have to go into this gruesome mess and make it all go away so that it will look 'normal' again. I feel for the whole town and especially the children who, at the very least, have lost a bit of their innocence.  And, I feel for the grandmothers, not only because they lost a grandchild, but now they must live with the knowledge that there was nothing they could do to prevent the indescribable pain their own child is suffering.

 

When a tragedy of this magnitude occurs, I believe it's a wakeup call for all of us who are paying attention.  It's time to put aside the anger, the hatred, the mistrust and look at each other simply as fellow human beings who are sharing a tremendously overpowering grief. Our primary concern should be how we can best help heal our collective pain.  We can accomplish that only with kindness, love and peace. This is the least we can do and if nothing else, it could be a beginning. These 20 innocent children deserve that we honor their lives lovingly and peacefully.  I hope we can do that.

Meandering into hope and miracles...

Meandering........

My  best friend in high school just sent an e-mail updating us on the latest health crisis her husband is experiencing  in his ongoing battle with cancer. They are away from home and although the medical facilities are excellent, they are far away from their regular medical team, family and support system.  This crisis was cruel enough to occur while they were in the NC mountains, thinking they could have just a tiny little respite, a bit of a break from the chemo and radiation and all the other horrific abuses this sweet man’s body has endured.

My friend is a true Christian in the sense that she and her husband walk the walk as they talk the talk.  Politically, they are conservative, but not obnoxiously so.  They were both teachers up until retirement just a few years ago...she, in a 3rd grade classroom, and he as a football coach.

These past few years, since his cancer diagnosis,  I read her posts and my mind goes back to the days of high school when my friend lived right next door.  Her mother was a nutcase, but had a sweet heart, and her dad worked for  Coca Cola and brought us cokes by the case, which, even though I was primarily a Pepsi kinda’ girl, my allegiance was easily swayed by free cokes.  Her dad coached me in plane geometry and was the first person to recognize my dyslexia...unfortunately,  this diagnosis came after he recommended I take the class.  But, that’s a whole different meandering story.

My thinking is,  and I guess this is why I felt the need to meander here....life, itself, speaks so much more loudly, and profoundly, than politics or religion.  If we were put in the position of my friend, what would we do?  Would we reach out to only those who believe the same?  Would we cull through all our friends and  delete those who were of a different religion or political party?  Do we,  Democrats,  automatically disengage from the Republicans we know?  Do you Republicans, leave the Democrats out of your prayer requests?

My  guess is.. no.  If someone we love is in need, we  reach out to anyone who we think might send a prayer, chant, healing light or whatever form of support they can offer. 

So, I guess what I’m doing here is asking you to go deep and find your compassion.  Hold my friend, Kay, and her husband Kirk, in the light.  Maybe too, I am hoping that we can come together, as mere human beings occupying Planet Earth, and somehow, find a way to coexist in a peaceful, caring manner.  I’m not so naive to think this will be easy  or even acceptable to everyone.  I have a cousin who is as nasty as anyone I know in terms of sheer hatred and avoidance of facts, but that’s his journey, not mine, and I choose to believe that most of us are more than ready to find the light  and go about creating peace wherever we can.  I even have hopes that he will, someday,  move beyond the constraints of his ideology.  Stranger things have happened, right?  But, he represents what I don't want to be and that's another good reason to reach out and simply try.....meandering into hope, miracles and, always...peace.

Yogi Teapartiers

Did you ever wonder what might happen if the Teapartiers put Yogi tea bags on their hats?  Don't you think it might lighten them up a little? Here are a few Yogi quotes I really think might be appropriate:

"Strength does not lie in what you have. It lies in what you can give". One would think this would require some deep introspection, wouldn't one?

 "Uplift everybody and uplift yourself" and "Live for each other".  Those might stir up a little soul nagging, right?  I mean, correct???  We don't want to use the "right" word here, it gets way too confusing.

Lastly, "Old age needs wisdom and grace."  Now, surely they don't consider their shenanigans either graceful or wise…ugly, irrational anger is never accompanied by grace or wisdom.  Actually, quite the opposite, don't you think?

Maybe we should take up a collection of Yogi tea bags and send them to the Teapartier's head bagger. We can add a sweet, little note offering our best wishes for true enlightenment along their chosen path. And, on the front of the envelop, we could add one more quote…."peace begins with me." 

Deciding where to go with this is a major struggle.  I like the concept, but am fearful of offending because I am trying so hard to eliminate anger and understand it all in a peaceful and meditave mode.  My soul belief is that if we don’t find a way to interact with each other, we’re, essentially, doomed as the human species occupying Planet Earth.  We can blame Republicans all day long, and they, in turn can blame us.  The reality is, we’re both at fault.  There is a middle ground, and as painful as it may be, it is imperative that the majority of us find a way to meet.  There is no hope for the leftest of the left or the rightest of the right, these people have lost touch with reality.  But, for the rest of us...can we not find a way?  I so hope we can.

So, I’m just gonna put this out there and hope that it may create just one or two ripples...and who knows where the ripples may lead?  Hopefully, somewhere peaceful....

Just Not White Enough

I am just sickened to read the background of the man who walked into a holy place yesterday and killed 6 innocent people.  He killed them because they weren't white enough, Christian enough, and they miserably failed the gun-toting good ol' boy test. 

These people were in their temple preparing for the Sunday service and in comes Mr. America and destroys their very existence. Mind you, these people were not radical, babbling, hate-the-world kind of religious fanatics.  They were of a kinder and gentler origin. The Sikh believe that there is one God and that all beings are equal.  People of all religions and races are welcome and women have equal status in their religious services and ceremonies.  They also believe that human life is precious above other life and that living by God's commands they can attain oneness with his mercy. They are peace loving people and stand for truth and justice.  All these beautiful beliefs they try to practice, all character traits we claim to strive for ourselves, but they weren't white Christians.

You may question my reference to "Mr. America", well, it seems to me that this sick human being represents more and more of Americans.  We've become less and less tolerant of each other.  More and more of us want our country to go back to the 50's when it was all about whites, and though blacks weren't slaves, well, at least they knew their place, didn't they?   They want a white, Christian America and they'll destroy our country before they open their minds and hearts to anything different.

When we ever learn?  Prejudice, hatred and violence have been the result of white America's refusal to stand up for what we could and should be.  I think we need to mandate all schools, public and private, who get tax breaks, to teach our children about other religions and cultures. Despite the tough economic times, we have an obligation to teach our children about the beautiful, diverse world that we live in. 

  White America needs to wake up to what’s happening and join hands with every human being in this country,  no matter their color, religion, politics....whatever.   Until we can do that....until we can learn from the Sikh’s that indeed, We Are One, this tragedy will continue to repeat itself time and time again.  How can that not break your heart?

Yes, Mr. and Mz. America, I’m talking to you.  Ignorance is not bliss.  Ignorance kills.

Surrender...

OK.....I surrender.  What are you surrendering to, you might, understandably, ask. And, probably, you would expect a fairly simple reply, right? Ah, sorry to say, it ain't that easy.

My brother shared a wonderful quote, and I'm not even sure where it came from, but does it really matter?  "The creative process is a process of surrender...not control."

Now, isn't that just so powerful?  As a bit of a control freak, and I need to take a quick minute to explain that it's not like I want to control anyone...I just refuse to let anyone control me.  Now, can it, occasionally, become more overtly controlling? Yeah,probably so, but the intent never waivers.  OK?  : )

So, I'm totally good with surrendering to the arteest in me, but in the past 2 days, I'm realizing that I must also surrender to the sheer angst I feel about our country.  I woke up Friday morning and saw the horrific slaughter in Aurora, CO. My first reaction was to feel the pain of the parents and other loved ones who lost their special somebody.  My second reaction was to strike out at the fucked up gun laws in this country. And, thirdly, I just felt an intense sadness for all of us who are caught up in this horror.

I haven't spent a whole lot of time watching TV because they go way beyond the pale in their competition to come up with the most eye witnesses or who can best invade the privacy of the families and friends...or just plain speculate. I do so despise their constant, irrelevant speculations. But, I have also been reading posts and comments to the postings and this is what brings me to just surrender to it all.

Yes, I believe we need to pull together and rewrite our gun laws.  I'm pretty sure our forefathers didn't consider the possibility of automatic weapons and I'm pretty sure no one needs them to protect their home, children, livestock, whatever. As much as I dislike guns, I get that some people like to hunt and some feel the need of having a gun to protect whatever they feel needs protecting.  I don't like it, but I surrender to it. 

One may argue the point that had this been a Muslim or a black man, there would have been a totally different reaction, this is true...no point in arguing it. Others say that we, as a nation, wouldn't have reacted as strongly if those killed or injured were of a different color.  Personally, I think that's race baiting.  The victims were black, white and all shades in between.  There are those who attack the film and the violence it contains and yes, there is that, but how many violent films have been out there for a very long time?  At least, Batman, is about good winning over bad.

What happened is so simple that it's really difficult for us to comprehend.  A very sick young man decided that his life sucked, so he dreamed up this scheme to make it count for something.  And, he did just that.

This is why I surrender.  There will always be sick men, and women, in our world and we are totally at their mercy.  Could we change it?  Yes, we can make stricter gun laws, but always, where there's a will, there's a way. It can happen at anytime and any place.  I surrender to the uncertainties of life.  I surrender to the vast differences of who we are as a nation, world citizens and, more basically, human beings. I surrender my belief that I, or my peeps, are always right...and I hate to say "right", maybe correct is a better work, but WTF...I surrender to that.  There is right and there is wrong, and I even surrender to that.

We are ONE country and we can choose to pull together or we can allow ourselves to be torn apart.  You may hate what I believe and I may hate what you believe, but given the latest tragedy in our country, can we not ignore the media and just surrender to the concept that we are Americans?  Can we not surrender our hatred and our bias and just work it out? If we can find a way to do this, maybe it would bring something good from this tragedy.  It's worth a try.

Surrender

OK.....I surrender. What are you surrendering to, you might, understandably, ask. And, probably, you would expect a fairly simple reply, right? Ah, sorry to say, it ain't that easy. My brother shared a wonderful quote, and I'm not even sure where it came from, but does it really matter? "The creative process is a process of surrender...not control." Now, isn't that just so powerful? As a bit of a control freak, and I need to take a quick minute to explain that it's not like I want to control anyone...I just refuse to let anyone control me. Now, can it, occasionally, become more overtly controlling? Yeah,probably so, but the intent never waivers. OK? : ) So, I'm totally good with surrendering to the arteest in me, but in the past 2 days, I'm realizing that I must also surrender to the sheer angst I feel about our country. I woke up Friday morning and saw the horrific slaughter in Aurora, CO. My first reaction was to feel the pain of the parents and other loved ones who lost their special somebody. My second reaction was to strike out at the fucked up gun laws in this country. And, thirdly, I just felt an intense sadness for all of us who are caught up in this horror. I haven't spent a whole lot of time watching TV because they go way beyond the pale in their competition to come up with the most eye witnesses or who can best invade the privacy of the families and friends...or just plain speculate. I do so despise their constant, irrelevant speculations. But, I have also been reading posts and comments to the postings and this is what brings me to just surrender to it all. Yes, I believe we need to pull together and rewrite our gun laws. I'm pretty sure our forefathers didn't consider the possibility of automatic weapons and I'm pretty sure no one needs them to protect their home, children, livestock, whatever. As much as I dislike guns, I get that some people like to hunt and some feel the need of having a gun to protect whatever they feel needs protecting. I don't like it, but I surrender to it. One may argue the point that had this been a Muslim or a black man, there would have been a totally different reaction, this is true...no point in arguing it. Others say that we, as a nation, wouldn't have reacted as strongly if those killed or injured were of a different color. Personally, I think that's race baiting. The victims were black, white and all shades in between. There are those who attack the film and the violence it contains and yes, there is that, but how many violent films have been out there for a very long time? At least, Batman, is about good winning over bad. What happened is so simple that it's really difficult for us to comprehend. A very sick young man decided that his life sucked, so he dreamed up this scheme to make it count for something. And, he did just that. This is why I surrender. There will always be sick men, and women, in our world and we are totally at their mercy. Could we change it? Yes, we can make stricter gun laws, but always, where there's a will, there's a way. It can happen at anytime and any place. I surrender to the uncertainties of life. I surrender to the vast differences of who we are as a nation, world citizens and, more basically, human beings. I surrender my belief that I, or my peeps, are always right...and I hate to say "right", maybe correct is a better work, but WTF...I surrender to that. There is right and there is wrong, and I even surrender to that. We are ONE country and we can choose to pull together or we can allow ourselves to be torn apart. You may hate what I believe and I may hate what you believe, but given the latest tragedy in our country, can we not ignore the media and just surrender to the concept that we are Americans? Can we not surrender our hatred and our bias and just work it out? If we can find a way to do this, maybe it would bring something good from this tragedy. It's worth a try. Don't you think?

NYC....2

“All in all...just another brick in the wall”... This line resonates with me so much more strongly that it did back when I first saw “The Wall”, on video tape, in my son’s apartment in Savannah. We watched it with his roommates, all students at SCAD, and did all we could to insure that we were “comfortably numb” as we allowed our minds to be totally spent on the magical imagery. Flash forward, 20-some years, and here we are at Yankee Stadium with The WALL, in real life, just slam-bam right in front of us. Oh, not to forget, we’re at Yankee Stadium. Now, just breathe all that in for a quick minute, but don’t breathe too quickly if you prefer unenhanced breathing. We come in and find our seats, just behind 3rd base, look out at the stage right in the middle of outfield and just try to take in the whole scene. There’s "The Wall" and speakers and other big boxes which I have no idea about their purpose, nor do I care because, really,what does it matter? By the time the concert started, the stadium was pretty much filled, and that’s a whole bunch of peeps, y’all. From the second the concert began until the second it ended, I was in the world of Roger Waters and it was like being on an emotional roller coaster from some weird planet that resembled earth, but it was so painful, you just hoped maybe it wasn’t earth after all. The imagery was beyond amazing and it totally pulled me right into the vortex and I’m still not sure it's set me free. It begins with war and a war plane comes flying from the 3rd base bleecher seats right into the stage. You know it’s not real, where you are, but you know it’s real somewhere and you feel like one of the people who were there where it was real. And you go to the story of the bricks in the wall and you get it, you really get it, and now in 2012, quite a distance from 1987, it all makes so much more sense...and how sad is that? Throughout the show, there are images of war and photos and videos of people who are so harmed by the wars....on both sides. Do you know the video with the little girl, who is in her classroom, and her dad, who has been in Iraq, comes into the room and her face goes through so many emotions when she finally sees him? And, the little boy, who accepts the American flag at his father’s military funeral? How does this not break your heart?And, the faces of innocent Muslims who are dead simply because they are Muslims. It shows the many faces of evil, but it also shows the many faces of love. I left there so full of conflicting thoughts and emotions. Not conflicted about war being wrong...I will always believe that. But, with an internal struggle of what can we do, what can we not do, and is it really worth all the effort because, essentially, we’re doomed anyway. So, having, finally, somewhat separating myself from “The Wall”, I feel I can finally share it because.....I refuse to believe there’s no hope for us. This concert shows us the evil side of who we are and, I think, Roger Waters does this in hope that we see it, believe it, and vow to make a change. Call me Pollyanna... naieve...dumb...whatever...I do believe we can do better. I will have to say that this event was an experience of a lifetime and I will never forget it and will always be grateful to my son for giving me the opportunity to be there. Just to let you know, the magic of the night didn’t end there. We took a cab back to our part of town and stopped by the corner pizza place to grab a bite to take back to the apartment. We decided to just stay there and have a little pizza and wine. While we were there, a terrific thunderstorm rolled in, and we saw the most incredible lightening dancing in between the tall buildings of NYC. I had seen this many time in movies and on TV, and here I was experiencing it in real life. All I can say is....Amen.

NYC Meanderings

(Friday, July 13) A week ago, I was in NYC with my sister and we were on a train coming back to the city after an afternoon in Yonkers visiting the set where my son is working on a film. It was being shot in an old mansion, quite spooky, as befitting the mood of the film, which is of the horror genre and based on the novel, “Innocence,” a beautifully written story by Jane Mendelsohn. It was such a joy to see him at work and have the opportunity to meet his crew. The only photos I took on the set were the director chairs with his name on one and the film director’s on the other. That was a very proud moment for this mom. After a few hours, the heat was really getting to me and we needed to find transportation back to the city. A crew member was taking the train to get to her second job, as a tailor in the wardrobe department of one of the plays on Broadway, and thanks to one of the guys on the production crew, we were able to catch a ride to the Yonkers station with her. She, very graciously, helped us maneuver the process. I had always wanted to ride a train from Grand Central Station, and this opportunity just fell into our laps, only we were going into Grand Central. Ah, sweet serendipity. We rode along the Hudson River and it was just so beautifully peaceful, I could just imagine what it would be like in the fall with all the leaves in full color and the winter, with everything covered in white snow. As we pulled into the city and saw the majestic buildings, I felt the thrill of the sheer energy of all the millions of people who live and work there. I was really excited about pulling into GCS and had all kinds of images in my mind of just how it would look. Well, imagine my surprise when we suddenly went to dark...no trees, no buildings, no people...just dark...like an underground tunnel, which, of course, is just what it was. Please pardon my lack of sophistication, but I had no idea that the trains would go underground...like where the subways are. It really took me a while to come to terms with the reality. Underground! I though we would come into the station on ground level...not under! WTF!!! It was like a parody of life...what you think is not what it is...so you turn it around in your mind until it makes some kind of sense,sort of. Once we reached our destination and we got above ground and saw the inside of Grand Central Station, I looked up at the ceiling and forgot all about the dark entry...all was well...all was beautifully and wondrously well. The ceiling!!! The windows!!!! The majesty!!! The people!!!!! The energy!!!! My heart sang with the sheer joy and amazement of being, finally, in Grand Central Station. It only took me 69 years to get there, but maybe I needed to be this old to totally appreciate it, as is should be appreciated. We saw so many things that were just mind-boggling...the crowd at Times Square was both exhilarating and terrifying for this claustrophobic ol’ Carolina Beach gal. I loved, loved, loved, the multicultural presence and wished that somehow we could send every single schoolchild to NYC for a month so they could experience and come to understand the vastness of our country. Then, maybe the fear and the prejudices would finally be put to rest. We’re just people...every single one of us. The kindness of the people who helped us get our bearings and sent us in the direction we needed to be going was unfailingly consistent. And, trust me, we needed them more times than I can even remember. Most days we just started walking and were open to whatever came our way. I had my mind set on going to a Goodwill store, so we set out for the closest one which was 30 blocks away...not a really big deal in NYC. The temp was supposed to reach 100 that day, so we figured we’d need to make several stops in the air conditioned shops along the way. No problem! It was so horribly hot, I decided to just wear my pajama bottoms because they’re the most lightweight pants I had and figured in NYC, who would notice? I topped them of with a tank top and we hit the streets. I won’t take you through the whole 30 blocks, but here’s a bit of what we saw along the way..... Gayle King!!! She’s a beautiful woman! Surely, you all know Gayle, right? Oprah's best friend! I didn’t follow her or approach her, but had Oprah been with her...well, that would have been a different story all together. Lincoln Center!!! OMG!!!! We sat on the very stairs that Anne Bancroft and Shirley McClain sat in “The Turning Point” and we went into the Metropolitan Opera Shop and there I was in my pj’s and it just felt ok...ya know? We listened to Riggelotto as we shopped. Need I say anything more? We meandered for 32 blocks and no Goodwill. But, no worries, we were just filled with the awesomeness of being in NYC. Took the subway back to our bar, had a little wine, and all was good. That night we went to see Roger Waters and “The WALL” at Yankee Stadium. I need a little more time to process that, so please hang with me for part 2 of our NYC meandering.

Now what?

How does one, who loves to write, go from January to the end of June without writing? How does one who went deep into her being to find the courage to create a blog suddenly just quit? How does one who feels so passionately about so many issues just simply quit writing...I mean, all together, quit writing...not just a blog but everything...every single thing...email responses...facebook comments...journals....daily updates, etc.? Friends ask me, are you not doing your blog anymore? I say...not now, I'm just taking a break. I ask myself...why are you not writing something...anything??? I don't know how to answer...even myself. Yes, I'm a procrastinator and yes, I get occupied with way too many things which, essentially, makes it very difficult for me to focus on any one particular issue. But, what kind of excuse is that? That's been the story of my life for, well...my whole life. I'm in the middle of clearing out stuff and some of the stuff is really, really difficult to let go. Like my books. I could fill a medium sized library with books and parting with them is like parting with an essential part of me. But, I realize that, if I am to go forward and connect with the me that seems to need a break from stuff...the me who needs to create a space which allows me to simply breathe, I need to let go. So, I'm in the process of letting go and this is, essentially, a grieving process. The key seems to be that as I grieve, I also feel an opening, a light, so to speak, which bring promise of a clearer tomorrow...maybe, if I'm lucky, many clearer tomorrows. In a little over a week, I turn 69, an interesting age, to be sure, but as I approach 70, the one thing I know, for sure, is that I want to be less encumbered with stuff. Maybe it's the George Carlin in me, but mostly, I think it's just my need to be free and that's a little hard to do when I'm buried in stuff. So, back to my slackness in writing my blog, etc., I have this deep feeling that I need to simply admit that I'm going through a depressive period of my life. It's been ongoing for quite a while and I thought if I just ignored it and kept on keeping on it would magically go away. Silly me! Anyway, as I go though this process of letting go I feel a strong need to let go of my pretenses and my claims that all is well. All is NOT well! Life is a struggle for me right now and as much as it shames me, it's just the simple truth. And, I wonder why I feel shame, how ridiculous is that? I guess it's my fear of letting people down..people who seem to think I have it all together. I'm so sorry to tell you...I don't. It seems right to share this because there are so many of us in the same place. So, in clearing out my stuff, I'm hoping it's part of the process of clearing out me. I'm so ready to get beyond where I am and rekindle the energy to do what I want to do. Getting back to my blog is a crucial part of the process. I need to get back in touch with my meandering spirit. Thank you for listening. I wish you peace, love, and a bit of chocolate to soothe your soul.

Happy New Year!

I'm thinking that sending a "Happy New Year" greeting is good through the whole month of January and maybe even into the first week of February, but no longer, because then you have Valentine's Day, right? And, once you reach a certain age, say...65ish, you seem to go right from Valentine's Day to the July 4th celebration and shortly thereafter here comes Thanksgiving and Christmas, which lasts for maybe 3 hours.... and then it's another year. So, very quickly, before it turns into mid-May (30 minutes away), I want to wish you a very Happy New Year and hope that 2012 will be better than we ever thought it might be. Also, I hope it doesn't go by so quickly that we lose sight of our todays.

When I was a young girl, my grandmother, Munna, we called her, used to tell us that the older you got, the quicker time goes by. I never argued the point and, pretty much, chalked it up to the delusions of old people. After all, time was time, right? Be it 24 hours or 7 months or 25 years, it was still time and it was the same for everyone. I loved and revered this woman, but on this particular subject, I thought I needed to give her a little lead way...because of her age, don'cha know?

Well, now I get. Oh boy, do I ever get it. I wake up and get on Google to make sure the world is still functioning and in full motion and then onto my mailbox to be sure the President didn't need anything from me, in particular, other than $$$, of course. Then onto facebook, the true pulse of the world, just to see if anyone had posted anything that required my comments...after all, it's all our facebook tittering and dithering that keeps us alive, right?

So, then I do a few, and let me emphasize...few...chores to justify my existence on this planet. I fix a little breakfast and clean up the kitchen which may take anywhere from 3 to 25 minutes, depending on the crumbs my Dave has left behind and if there's any possibility that someone may come into our home for some strange reason. Guess that's sort of like the clean underwear mentality, right?

Then, maybe I take a shower and maybe I don't, but whatever, I find my way back to the computer, for an hour or so, to follow through with the activities that seem more important than anything else. Well, then I'm feeling a little sleepy so I take a little nap and when I wake up, the house seems darker than it should be and I look at my clock and it's 5:00...so, how the hell did that happen? And so it goes...wine time and then dinner time and back to the computer and maybe TV, depending on what's on, and, finally... closing out the night with reading a book until my sleeping pill takes effect.

Oh yes...yes..yes...I get what my Munna was talking about and she was so very wise. I feel better knowing that she experienced this phenomenon and shared it with me. Now, the really big question...do I share this insight with my grandchildren? I'm thinking yeah..probably should...maybe they'll think I'm a bit looney for a few decades, but someday they'll get it and remember that I prepared them. Score one for Grandma, right?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

.