Category Archives: enjoying life

Stepping out of real into reality

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Admittedly, I have been spending an inordinate amount of time on my laptop.  Between writing for my blog and trying to formulate meaningful sentences for my novel, I have been consumed by the glow emanating from my screen and watching the sentences come together as my fingers feverishly type the words spilling from my brain.  I have also been sucked into the vortex that is called Twitter and I have been sharpening my skills in the #Hashtag games as well as feeling like I am watching a tennis match with all the comments flying back and forth.  It’s good exercise for the brain, but it’s exhausting trying to keep up!

I have met many new friends through this vast blogosphere.  I admire all of you for your talent and humor and I do consider you friends even though we are separated by geographic boundaries.  I value your comments and love getting to know you through your words.  But today I took time from my world wide web and ventured into a light that is not created by my laptop.  Today I shut down the computer and did something I really have not done in a while.  I went out.  I socialized with my three-dimensional friends.  They sat a mere few feet away from me and we had a great time.  Wine was poured, the cheese and crackers were arranged on a platter and the stories and laughter ensued.  Thank you Lyn and Shades for a very amusing afternoon.  I will never think of the Downward Dog the same way again. (Don’t ask!)

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I am amazed at how quickly writing has become a staple in my life.  When I leave my job at the end of a work day, I long to get home and fuel the fire of creativity.  I have been so absorbed with words and phrases that I have been ignoring the flesh and blood of the friends and family that surround me on a daily basis.  Today was a reminder that the relationships I have with these people are as important, in fact more so than my relationship with words.  Although sentences and paragraphs can be created to describe the kinship, nothing can replace the moments spent in the company of good friends and family and the memories created within those moments.  Words will only last as long as people will read them, memories last forever.

Life is waiting to be lived and the words may have to wait.  If I ignore my laptop for a few brief hours, it will always be in the same place I abandoned it and we will just pick up where we left off – no hard feelings.  If I ignore my friends and family, they may not be as forgiving.

Smile and the world smiles with you

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Nobody remembers the specifics of my entrance into the world, much like they don’t recall how I got my nickname, but they do remember that I was abundantly happy at an age when babies do nothing more than cry and sleep.  I was not the baby who would play strange and scream if a stranger picked me up, there was no colic, no fuss, just smiles.  My mother used to wake me up at 11:00 at night just so she could play with me because I was such a happy toddler.   Her friends thought she was certifiable until she invited them over to prove a point.  I became a real hit at parties!

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(not actually me, but the resemblance is uncanny)

I am fortunate to have carried that disposition with me throughout my life.  I am rarely in a bad mood.  And although my mother doesn’t come over at 11:00 pm to play with me anymore, I wake up in the morning, smiling and just, happy.

I am the person in the room that will make a ridiculous statement so I can make even one person smile.  On the curling ice, I’m the comedian who invented full-contact curling. I don’t use it very often, but the thought of me turning into a Defensive Tackle on the ice amuses people and makes the game more fun.  One of my teammates told me he didn’t think I have an angry bone in my body.  (He hasn’t seen me dealing with an aggressive hotel guest hell-bent on proving they are right, when, against the premise of the rules of customer service, I vehemently disagree.)

I am lucky that I am able to find the joy in the small things in my life.  Music lifts my spirit – when I am alone, I sing like I’m on stage, I dance in my kitchen just because it’s fun and I am content to just feel light and joyous.  Even writing this post, I am smiling because I am still able to not dwell on the negative and appreciate the precious things in my life.

Smile and the world really does smile with you.

Courage of conviction

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The Daily Prompt has inspired me once again.  Today’s prompt asks – tell us your favorite thing about yourself.

If you had asked me this question ten years ago I may not have been able respond.  Sure, there were things about myself that I liked.  I can sing pretty well, although I am too self-conscious to sing in front of anyone other than my dog.  I was pretty talented when it came to making and decorating wedding cakes.  But those things are just hobbies, things I seem to be able do with some sort of talent and things I enjoy.

During the past decade of my life, I seem to have gone through a metamorphosis, mentally and spiritually.  I found my inner compass and steadily began to acclimate to the new direction I was headed.  I found the courage of conviction to have a voice of my own.   I found the inner strength to truly believe that the talents I possess are worthy of comments, and I found the determination to follow my dream of being a writer.

Good things happen when you finally believe in yourself and my first published magazine article will be out in May.  That courage of conviction fueled the vehicle that led me here.  I trusted my talent, and more than that, I trusted myself.

I let my true colors finally shine through.

Romantic Monday with a quiet passion

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A poem for Romantic Monday.  Thank you again Edward Hotspur for encouraging us to channel the romantic in all of us.

Under a Blue Moon

I fit my frail hand into his as we gazed upon the moon,

the beauty of its reflection, comforting like a warm wind in June.

As the pale moon light enveloped us, we stood as one, unmoving,

engaging in a silent vow of love that would never need proving.

The stars returned our glances, embracing a life of their own,

smiling upon us as a distant loon lent music of eloquent tone.

A blend of harmonious voices, echoed the cry of the loon,

as we stood fixed, ever enchanted by the intensity of the moon.

The night air swirled around us, laughing as it tickled the leaves.

The song of the frogs was found in the night and carried upon the breeze.

The rippling of the playful waves as their longing to touch the shore,

gave voices to the rhythm of sounds, sharing a tranquil rapport.

The magical songs in the blue moon light quieted ever so slightly,

as the glow of the moon and the array of stars ceased to shine so brightly.

His grip on my hand remained tender and sweet as he turned to look in my eyes.

A night of feelings shared by lovers under a blue moon and starry skies.

Projectile vomiting and football

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I am a huge NFL fan….I have been since I was old enough to know what I was watching on television.  Maybe that was my initiation  into becoming a tomboy, who knows?  Regardless of which came first, the pigskin or the scars, I am who I am.

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I was fortunate to meet some good friends in 1999 who ran a fantastic restaurant and an equally great football pool.  Back then it was on a piece of legal paper, hand-written, with a relatively legible set of football picks.  I had explained to these two dear gentlemen how much more impressive it would be to have an Excel spreadsheet that could total wins automatically and the gauntlet of running the pool was immediately thrust into my hands.  Since 2003, I have grown the pool from twenty participants to sixty-five.  I am affectionately known as “The Commish” during my favorite season of the year – football season.

During those many years, I have only been close to the big prize once – and after a horrific showing in week 17 of the regular season, I dropped from first place to fourth place in a matter of hours and right out of the money.  For years, it was known as the ‘crash and burn’.  This year, I find myself going into week 17 tied for first place and the memories of that fatal crash are bubbling to the surface.  My heart is racing (thankfully I took my blood pressure meds this morning) and I needed to find a distraction to quell the feeling of sickness in the pit of my stomach.  Hence, this blog post.  I apologize for what could be seen as needless drivel, but writing not only distracts me, it calms my nerves.

I will be truly happy for the winners, whatever the outcome, but it would extremely uplifting to overcome that stigma of being the sorriest pilot in the NFL pool flight academy.

The large screen beckons, the green turf is inviting and the voices in my head are telling me to trust my gut.  That may be difficult since my gut may be sent hurtling across my living room soon, but I’ll give it the old college try!!  Go Chargers!!

Time to digest the past and ingest the future

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The tryptophan is still fresh in my blood stream and thankfully the swelling in my stomach is slowly abating.  With another Christmas celebration successfully under my loosened belt, it’s time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the imminent beginning of a new year.

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This past calendar year was filled with many hurdles.  Within running that footrace and jumping those hurdles, I discovered a well of strength I didn’t know I possessed.  That yet untapped reserve was a shimmering pool of hope and that cleansing water, along with the support of family and friends, helped me find a long-awaited feeling of inner peace.  I was given a promotion at work, enjoyed the many changes in my physical appearance, gained a new self-confidence and found a true sense of freedom after closing the door on an unhealthy marriage.

Within those defining moments, I found myself again.  I rediscovered the happiness that had been suppressed and I delighted in its giddiness as it bubbled back to the surface.  The smile on my face became genuine and no longer felt like a mask.  I began writing this blog and my inner voice had finally found the tool in which to extricate itself from my brain.  I began truly living and not just going through the motions.

Adversity is a learning tool, and I chose to attend every class to absorb each lesson that was taught.  I learned a great deal last year in the school of life and I look forward to carrying that knowledge into the beginning of a new year and another fresh start.

I tend not to make New Year’s resolutions.  I don’t want to limit myself to focusing on a few things, but would rather deal with each day as it presents itself and deal with those days in the most positive way I can.  With the impending arrival of that new calendar year, I am eagerly anticipating a fresh start.  I look forward to caring for old friendships and strengthening new relationships that were developed.  I look forward to continuing to do a job I love and I look forward to listening to the persistent writer’s voice that wakes me from my sleep.

Come on 2013 – I’m ready for you!!

Happy holidays!!

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My Christmas holidays are a mere sixty minutes shy of becoming reality.  My body and my mind are both looking forward to an abundance of cheesy holiday movies, quality time with my dog and making more holiday memories with my family.  My bloggers brain will be on hiatus for a few days – although I’m sure I won’t be able to quiet those voices for long.

It’s time to Freshly Press myself into some fleece jammies and watch my world turn into a snow globe from the comfort of my living room.

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you who amuse me, inspire me and affect me in a positive way!!

Apocalypse now?

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Ah, those prophetic Mayans and the havoc they can wreak.   The world has been abuzz with rumors of the end of the world on December 21, 2012.  I’m sure there are zealots out there madly packing the rest of their doomsday supplies into their bunkers and preparing for the implosion of our glorious Earth.

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Let me first say I am NOT among the people who believe our world is coming to a complete and tragic end, but there is always that part of my brain, the part that I access when I am writing fiction, that leads me to ponder the calamity of that potentiality.  Within those firing neurons of my creative mind, the mottled dark clouds of possibility hover and the water that saturates those clouds nourishes the seeds of the garden of my imagination.  If the world does end in a cataclysmic event of epic proportions, there are a few truths I would like to state for the ethereal record.

I can admit that I have had impure thoughts, but that can only prove that I am human.  I can also say that I have loved deeply.  I can say that I have tried to suck as much marrow out of my life as possible, and I have learned a great deal about myself in the process.   I can say that I made mistakes, learned about the person I truly am and I gained self-confidence along the way.  I gave myself the freedom to express myself through this blog, the courage to believe that people would want to read it and find meaning within those words that I so carefully crafted.

I can say that I have seen the breathtaking beauty of the constellations unencumbered by the glare of the city, and I have watched the Northern Lights undulating like a green blanket across an otherwise blackened sky.  I have enjoyed the rich elegance of the four seasons and found a deep beauty within each of them.  I have made a snow angel, cried after watching a television commercial and known the overwhelming sense of bereavement after losing a loved one.  I can say that I have showered in the rain, and I have I can say I left this world comfortable to be the person I have become.  I can say that, while on this orb we call home, I truly lived.

If the Mayans merely ran out of time, material and energy to continue their calendar beyond December 21st, 2012, I will be back to pontificate on many more polysyllabic profundities.  But if the Mayans were right and there really is no tomorrow – what would you want the world to know before you departed this life?

Laugh from your toes

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Life has the capacity to throw us a lot of curve balls and present us with a multitude of precipitous obstacles.  Sadly, many of our emotions are born of frustration, angst and anger. But there are rare glimpses into something wonderful. A moment that begins with a smile, turns into a giggle and takes over our body, doubling us over with infectious laughter.  Our cheeks burn with crimson, our eyes well and tears stream down our face, but we can’t seem to stop that ‘roll in the aisles’ guffaw.

Minutes go by that we are hunched over, clutching our ribs.  We give every effort to try to catch our breath, but our uncontrollable laughter makes us laugh even more, sometimes forgetting what we were in stitches about in the first place.  Now we are laughing at ourselves for laughing so hard.  Our ribs now burn, our muscles contract, our face is saturated with saline and we can hardly catch our breath.  Those around us who have not been privy to the initial joke find themselves laughing along with us because the sense of joy is all-consuming.

These are moments to be cherished.  They don’t come along as often as they should for most people, but if we have the chance to lose ourselves in laughter, we shouldn’t let that moment pass us by.  We need to learn to let ourselves go and enjoy that feeling of utter helplessness as we laugh ourselves silly.  A laugh, not just a giggle, but a good belly laugh that comes from our toes is some of the best and most affordable medicine!!

We may not remember what we were laughing at, but we will remember the feeling of escape and utter happiness and ultimately crave that feeling again.

When was the last time you had a full breakdown of side-splitting laughter?