Girls Beach Weekend

Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? So, annual girls beach retreat this weekend. Eight quite fabulous and eclectic women gathered for two days of girl talk and relaxation away from the boys and families. I'm looking forward to this no worry, very little responsibility weekend. That said, over the past couple years my closeness with these women has loosened, for good and for sad I suppose. I know in my heart we can’t always be as close to everyone as we’d like. There just isn’t enough time in the day/week/year to do all the things and activities that present themselves. Life has a way of taking us each on our own path and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Most of us, as adolescents, leave home and hearth to go and find our way on this planet. These ones we leave are generally those who will love us the most unconditionally, and yet we leave to cleave, as it were. It makes sense that the relationships, for the most part, we form along the way will wax and wane accordingly. It’s for good: New and exciting things, people and events come into our lives every day. Change is inevitable and personal growth happens at individual rates, rarely if ever at the same rate as someone else. Embracing that and moving in a positive direction does not mean we have to lose completely all our ties, but it can mean parallel paths start curving away from each other. It doesn’t, however, mean our paths aren’t always within sight of each other. It’s for sad: The bond and memories are so wonderful and we’d like to keep creating new memories daily. Certain days are gone and won’t be returning soon. I’m grateful for the memories. I’ll always (barring Alzheimer’s and my just plain poor memory) have those. I’ll do my best and hope for reciprocation. On a positive note, just when we think some relationships are all but distant memories, they come back full force. Those we may not have contacted regularly over the years can be picked up as if practically no time has passed. Those are the best relationships.

Profundity: I think it might be the word for the day

Life has a way of biting you on the behind just to remind us of all we have and take for granted. Let’s face it, we all do it. Even those who overtly intend to be ritualistically aware of the most ordinary do it, we take the little things for granted. I met someone a couple years ago that I am happy to call friend. She came into my life completely by chance and made me laugh. We laughed about some really strange, bizarre, and downright freaky things that I can’t go into. She was supposed to fill a gap then disappear. Somehow during her gap tenure, we talked (and did I mention laugh) and ate Indian food and became friends. She walked out of my little world and we made plans, with the best of intentions, to keep laughing over lunch. I haven’t seen my friend since she walked out the door. Shortly after she walked, tragedy struck her young, smiling person and now, for the most part, she does not walk. We’ve kept in touch via the wonders of the internet and telephone and for that I am truly grateful. My last post was me, self-aware and enjoying the little things like my cushy life. I realized only later that even at that, I am still taking most things for granted. Today, I will walk. I don’t know where exactly, but I will think of my friend and be grateful for each step. She doesn’t know it, but she’s had a positive effect on my life. Even though we don’t get to have lunch each week, I am grateful to have met her. I will endeavor to be aware. How long will this last, knowing me probably about two days. My hope is that each day, or at best case each few days, I will remember to be grateful for one little thing or another.

Reality Doesn't Bite

Actually glad to be home. Missed my little, orange, hairy, peg-legged, blind in one eye, older than dirt, cranky as all get-out (whatever that means), beautiful, sweet, loving, can't get enough of me, monster named One. So, the trip. Obvious thing I learned ~ Having something to look forward to makes the daily grind (which really isn't that much of a grind when I think about my cushy life) bearable. How fortunate I am to be able to do the things I do. That said, I'm contemplating our next warm weather trip. That is the one after the semi-planned Australia in April 2007. Possibilities include Uepi Island, Cozumel and The Red Sea. The theme is sunshine, 360 degree views of saltwater and SCUBA. I want to see a whale shark, a hammerhead shark, dolphins in the wild and other pelagics. I have the travel bug. Maybe I should start playing the lottery so I can afford all this worldliness.

BooBoo-Palooza

Napping. Assume the position.

What's that... something to attack?

I'm outta here. (What a cute little orange booty!)

I just can't get away from the Paparazzi.

Hmm, soy latte for me?

The many faces of One (aka BooBoo, orange hairball, etc). Little Mr. One will be lonely while we're away. The little monster will be alone to nap 22 hours each day without interruption. How marvelous that sounds. So, if you are inclined to check in on him, this is likely what you'll find, oh, and when he's not sleeping, you'll find him at the water dish because the spoiled love of my life sleeps under a heat lamp. Poor old kitty.

Sunshine and Happiness

Breaking News ~ Winter Storm 2006!!! Story at 5:00, 5:15, 6:00, 6:30 and 10:00

Unfortunately, this isn't a picture from the snow that fell last night. I didn't think about the camera until my drive to work through the winter wonderland that overtook us in the middle of the night. Beautiful, heavy, wet, soggy, damp, clingy mounds of white wonder clinging to every branch of every tree. Did I say I love the snow?

Homage

It occurs to me I haven't properly acknowledged the fabulous woman who started me on this path, this blog path that is. Path... those four letters interest me. So many words include these four letters (pathos, pyschopath, pathology). Ok, so that really wasn't so many when you think of other things that are 'so many', like ants at a picnic; "Wow, there are so many ants at this picnic" or, well you fill in your own analogy here. In any case, to me they each conjure up the image of someone who has set themselves, for good or bad, on a mission of sorts. Quite possibly an obsession that will need to run its course to an unforeseeable end. I feel that way about this blogging thing. It’s strangely interesting to read about others’ lives and thoughts and feelings and daily happenings. It somehow makes me feel more real. Like I’m not the only one with certain life struggles and I’m not the only one living a life which, on the surface, may seem mundane, but in fact is just real life. Real life that we pretty much all live. We have Hollywood to make us believe we should have car chases to and/or from the grocery and that there might just be something wrong if we and all our friends aren’t runway models with hot hunky men(s) standing in line to show us off. (Sidebar: All my friends do happen to be the most beautiful people I’ve ever met for reasons Hollywood just can’t fathom.) I’m feeling more real these days and it’s in large part due to the blogging, which takes me back to the original thought on this day of Homage. Thank you CA for giving me the gift of blog, which is really a gift larger than just my words written down for me to ponder. (And anyone else, although, I’ve really not told many people about this blog.) Life is lived every day through the small wonders we plod through and don't acknowlege: standing in line at the grocery (I must be hungry, that's the second reference to grocery), waiting in traffic, a bowl of soup at my desk for lunch, snuggling with the kitty when I get home from work. There's no reason not do dance while in line at the bank. Well, ok, social anxiety precludes most of us from that type of spectacle, but in our minds, we can be dancing and it will show up on the outside as joy. I'm going to go do my best to live it now. I hope we will do our best to remember what it is we are doing while we are doing it ~ Living Life. xo

Moses

My brother will be here this weekend. Yeah! Very excited. He is probably my favorite person on the planet. At the very least he ties with only a select few others. It will be so much fun. We'll hang out with friends ~ two of my other favorite people. Petra a whirl-a-gig of energy and life; Aaron whom I consider the other brother; and Nick, my sweetheart and a fabulous man to-boot. Casual plan with many possibilities: hiking, snacking, photography, good food, movie and unlimited others. It will come to an end far too soon. I always miss him fiercely the minute he drives away. Live every moment. The time we live in is now. The past is always gone and the future never gets here. 'Nough said.