You Can Go Home Again, It Just Takes Some Preparation

Current Status... I had a really great trip to Tulsa. Of course, it's still the mecca of sprawl, but they have great skies, cloud formations, interesting weather. And a super restaurant where I had my first, but not last, surely, Bonefish Martini (Vodka, Champagne & Cranberry Juice Cocktail! mmmm!). But mostly, a relaxed and fun time with two sisters and a brother-in-law -- all of whom are sharp of mind and wit.

Lately I'm thinking... I'm a little bit easier with the Sandwich Generation thing: Mom is doing all right where she is, even if it is a nursing home. She needs nursing! And my sister Lynn stays on top of any changes or special needs. If I let it get to me, her life is sad, sad, sad; but I fight that feeling, because Mom doesn't think it's so sad. She does spend a lot of time sleeping, from both boredom and weakness. She doesn't have the get-up-and-go, never has, of the 101-year-old woman who daily shoves her walker around the entire concourse, speaking to everyone. Though Mom was really, really cheered up to see all 3 daughters at once, to keep her in that revved-up state would require nothing less than our continual presence -- our continual, sleep-in presence. 

This is really interesting... In a few days, the whole airline scam is going to get my full attention here. I've been flying for 40 years, and it's like knowing what a REAL tomato tastes like. I remember when you weren't forced into such close and uncomfortable physical contact with your neighbors to either side, front and rear. And a transportation employee would never have dared to "pat down" a respectable matron. R-E-S-P-E-C-T: give-a-little, give-a-little!

Currently reading... I brought home a couple of thick books on the intersection of science and religion. Should be very interesting, but may take me a long, long time to get through.

The Soapbox: Choose hope, not fear.

Going Home

Current Status... I do my annual visit home to Tulsa the same way I do Trish Daily, which is quite a bit less than daily--semi-weekly if I'm on a roll. That is to say, not quite every year. That is my resistance to parents who taught their three girls to devote their lives to pleasing folks who could not even be pleased. I thought moving far away would break the cycle, but no. The umbilical is stretched taut but not quite snapped. This weekend I plan to sever the cord and just have a great time with my sisters.

Lately I'm thinking... My dad passed in 2001, and my mom is senile and virtually bedridden. So this time, though Tulsa holds no charm for me, the only thing that could be unpleasant is seeing mom in that condition.

This is really interesting... I guess it's just that I always trudge back there thinking I have some great and burdensome responsibility I must fulfill. It's a little surprising to grasp that there are no longer any expectations. Except ones I have for myself. Hereby declared to be: having fun and doing whatever I want.

Currently reading... All the New Yorkers I'm behind on. I'll have four plane rides and some airport wait time, so I should be able to read some good stories and laugh at some great cartoons.

The Soapbox: I choose hope, not fear.

Fogged in and Seeing the Light

Current Status... Clouds and rain for days on end...last few and next few to come. It gets a little dreary. I think of curling up in bed with a stack of books. But I don't go there. I'm finally beginning to get my new technologies synced: iPod, MacBookPro, MobileMe, iTunes, Google blog & Google Docs (really great for Apple users!), iChat & PhotoBooth & video-chatting, & podcasts, and now I need to know more about RSS feeds. There may be a way that my readers can get an electronic notice whenever I post. That would be cool.

Lately I'm thinking... I'm feeling safe, but even I am wondering if it's really safe to feel safe. My prevailing theory is: Yes, it's safe. 

Currently reading... The Hidden Messages in Water (Beyond Words Publishing), Masaru Emoto, a Japanese doctor who studied water crystals around the world and in doing so couldn't help discovering that The Spirit of Words is the strongest Force in the Universe (no accident it goes "In the Beginning was the Word...," and the most powerful words, in any language, are "love and gratitude." How is this all connected? You'll have to read it for yourself; it's too subtle and complex to go into here.

This is really interesting... Now that we have plucked up our courage and voted for real change, some cold footed souls are shivering in their boots: Stock market down, down, down; headlines aplenty about how Obama will really have to "come through" and how hard that might be; shouts and murmurs from Russia and Iran reverberating in the newscasts. Take a deep breath, everyone. The Bush Disaster is over.

The Soapbox: Feel proud of choosing hope, not fear! 

And this just in... Here's a great tip. What's cheaper than therapy, faster than therapy and just the thing if you don't really need therapy? Women in Transition Coaching. I've had it myself, and so has my sister and Stewart, who is not even a woman in transition (but he IS in transition). My life has opened up in amazing ways! I highly recommend that if you are a Woman in Transition, and want to get your life moving in a new direction, and you know what's good for you, see this Web site:

womenintransitioncoach.com

Current Status... More than half the country's polls have closed. Obama has PA and Ohio; McCain took GA and No. Dak. Ooh, New Mexico just went for Obama. 2/3 of Latinos going for Obama. Rural folks in PA and OH going for Obama. And Hilary swore it couldn't be done.

Lately I'm thinking... how good I'm going to feel tomorrow. This racist nation put it aside and just voted in the Democrat and the best man for this time. McCain has his good points, but he feels he deserves the presidency, and that's just wrong, and he's wrong for this time.

Currently reading... The Hidden Messages in Water (Beyond Words Publishing), Masaru Emoto, a Japanese doctor who studied water crystals around the world and in doing so couldn't help discovering that The Word is the greatest Power, and the most powerful words, in any language, are "love and gratitude." How is this all connected? You'll have to read it for yourself; it's too subtle and complex to go into here.

This is really interesting... We would not be experiencing this much calm energy if Hilary was the candidate.

The Soapbox: Thanks, everyone, we're choosing hope, not fear!

Current Status... Sunday night. Preparations complete or under way for a new week. Trash is going out. iPod is being synced. Cats are in for the night. Daylight Savings Time went off in the wee hours this morning, and I enjoyed getting to sleep late without it being very late (9:00 a.m. I think). The day seemed very, very long...in a good way. Until 5:00 p.m., when life "went dark," as if the outdoor lighting had been turned off at a big switch. So now, at 11:00 p.m., it feels like it's been dark for weeks. It always takes me several weeks to get used to this. I'm happy for the extra hour, but the darkness driving home is disorienting, to say the least. Tonight we watched the last two chapters of Band of Brothers. Wow. Incredibly moving. Really loved that Demian Lewis. 

Lately I'm thinking... I wonder how Cathy and Demian are coming with the cabin. Did they finish painting and nailing up the clapboard? Do they have any plumbing -- kitchen sink, bathtub, toilet? Do they have a generator, some wiring and some lights? Can they pump water inside the house?

Currently reading...The Message of Water. I'll have to look up the author's name later: it's a Japanese doctor who studied water crystals around the world and in doing so couldn't help discovering that The Word is the greatest Power, and the most powerful words in any language are "love and gratitude." How is this all connected? You'll have to read it for yourself; it's too subtle and complicated to go into here. 

This is really interesting... A distant relative called tonight out of the blue, asking about my mother. ...And the election is in TWO DAYS! And all the urban liberals are scared to death that, though victory seems eminent, it could be snatched away through chicanery or malfunction or pure evil or all three.

The Soapbox: Choose hope, not fear!