Events

The weather is a real trip. First there might be a rain event. Or a snow event. These should be renamed. First should be, OBOY it might rain here. Then SNOW. If the weather people are correct it will snow all around us and we won't see any. But the grocery will make a killing on milk, bread, coffee, beer and cigarettes. Oh, and salt.

And, now the weather people have started talking about our days, as in, there is a 40 % chance of rain on our Thursday. Does he think that if Thursday belonged to someone else we would have sun instead?

And of course, there is always repitition. I assume that a certain amount of time must be filled so we have to see the forecast at least 3 times. Each time is from further out in space. Yup, that is definitely where I am going to check the weather. Space!

There is always a way

When I was younger (much, much younger) I often felt like the whole world was against me. I couldn't seem to do anything right. I never seemed to know the proper thing to do. I saw myself as being locked into one behavior pattern that was acceptable.

I am older now (much, much older), and thank goodness I have learned from experience that there are always options. Now sometimes the options are not what I would prefer. And sometimes they won't yield the result I would like. Take, for instance, this cookie in my hand. There are several options. I can eat the cookie. And maybe gain weight. And maybe feel guilty. And maybe not feel guilty. There are other options. I can put the cookie away. And maybe want a cookie. And maybe feel virtuous. And maybe go get a glass of milk. I can leave the cookie on the counter and walk away and forget about it till later. Yeah, right. Well, it is no longer a matter to worry about because I just ate the cookie and I am even now convincing myself that I am not going to feel guilty. It was a good cookie.

Seriously, I think the worst emotional times for me are those times when I don't think I have choices. I am frustrated, feeling caught in a trap of my own making. Because, I am only making the choice not to look for other options, and causing my own problems to escalate. There are always options. No one can take them away from me without my consent. And I don't consent!

Trying to change a rock.

Why would anyone in their right mind try to change a rock into something different? It seems that the events occurring in the Middle East are the same events that have occurred almost constantly since there has been a Middle East. There have been wars, male-dominated religions, fanaticism, refugees, and general unrest. It is clear that the different nations in the area can't even agree among themselves or with each other about much of anything. So why are we over there trying to insert a new (relatively) idea into their arsenal of things to argue about.

In the United States, we profess to value human life. And we march to save babies. Why are we not marching to save soldiers' lives? For some reason, a life which has had time to form doesn't seem to be as valuable as that of a fetus. So we send some of our best to be cannon fodder for people who did not attack us and who really don't want us there. In our rush to force those in the Middle East to conform to our value systems, we sometimes resemble them and their value systems. So much for our credibility.

Green

My body needs green things in large quantities. I am at the store buying them.

Rain

There is a new day here. It is really raining. In this part of the country, that means a lot. I never really knew what to think about the weather except how to dress for the day. Now I am finding that I am more aware of the ozone layer, global warming, acid rain, rainforest depletion, land fills, greenhouse gasses, and rain. I cannot make any changes in the well-being of mother Earth. I can't make rain or tell it to stop. I can't make the day hotter or colder. I can't make it sunny or cloudy. But I can change the setting on the air conditioner, use real bags instead of plastic, drive as little as possible, plant a tree where possible, use recycled items, recycle, and look for ways to leave less of a footprint on the Earth.

I used to want to leave a lot of things for my children to remember me by. Now I want to leave as little as possible of those things and to have my children remember me by how hard I worked to make the world better.

I'm worried!

There are so many things that worry me now. But here is the biggest one.... No one has come up with a weight loss product that works with no side effects. As I listed to the many drug advertisements on television and and see the ads in magazines, I wonder why anyone would take the products advertised. I have seen side effects listed as if they were to be watched out for but how does one watch out for heart attacks, strokes, death? Did you know that there are drugs which cause worse things than smoking and drinking put together? And these things are supposed to help us feel better. Ok! I feel better today. Tomorrow I might die but today I am definitely better.

Also I am told that the only real way to feel better and look better and live longer is to work hard at it. But what fun is that? I want to have the body of Giselle, the face of Helen of Troy, the money of Donald and the intelligence of just about anyone with a brain. I want that now and I don't want to work at it.

Ok! Now that is out of the way, New Year's resolutions rear their ugly heads. Lose weight. Pay bills on time. Clean and redo the house. Update my wardrobe. Do facials and other beauty enhancing activities daily. Keep my chin up and don't give up. That is pretty much what this blog spot is going to be about. I want to open my mind to anyone who cares to look, especially my children and grandchildren. I want them to know that above all, I believe in keepin' on keepin'on.