“By designating Indigenous Peoples’ Day a federal holiday, we take a small but important step toward recognizing the injustices in our nation’s history and uplifting the vibrant traditions, history, and culture of all Indigenous communities – an integral part of the cultural fabric of the United States.”
Filed under News
Oh, what the hell! It’s Tuesday afternoon, I have less than an hour on my work clock, and I went to bed before 7 p.m. yesterday. Why not have some red wine! My daily commute is about 20 feet (6.1 meters); that is, from the bed to my work laptop in a neighboring room. That includes a necessary detour to the bathroom. I try not to look at myself in the bathroom mirror – or any other mirror in the house. I no longer look like a Greek/Italian/Mexican studburger who rode in on a black stallion. I kind of look like the dirty old man parents warn their kids about. Oh well. I’ve had my fun.
Ever think deeply, while standing alone, and wonder if your body has suddenly decided it wants to lead a life of its own? Well…I’ve come to the cold, brutal realization that mine has. And I’m like, ‘Bye bitch!’ Don’t let me hold you back!
‘It’s hell getting old!’ my parents always said. I’m starting to feel the anxiety. I watched them struggle with the various pains of aging and could barely see myself in those same situations years from then. I began to realize that I won’t be so fortunate to have good health as I do now. Watching my Uncle Wes* deal with his constant physical struggles cemented that reality into my brain. I’m about to make some modifications to both bathrooms, especially the shower stall, to help him navigate those spaces. A few weeks ago he expressed concern for my future welfare.
“You might need this, too,” he said, referring to grab bars in the shower. He’ll be 86 in a few months.
I have no one to care for me, if I ever get to be his age. I never got married and had children, or just had children. I never wanted to be a “Baby Daddy”. I had wanted to be a husband and father. But just tell the Great Creator your plans for the future and wait for the laughter.
I’ll be 62 in less than a month and hope to retire at age 65. My mother retired at 70, but I’m certain I can’t make it that long. I love my job, but I love time and solitude even more. My ultimate goal was always to be a true writer, with no other necessary career just to help me get by.
A few years ago a close friend posted a picture on Facebook his daughter took of him after a visit to a vintage car show for his birthday. He was kneeling beside a vehicle. I congratulated him on making it to another year and then asked, “BTW how long did it take you to get back up from that squatting position?” with an accompanying laugh emoji.
He never answered, but that always comes to mind, whenever I try to get up from the floor after doing some basic calisthenics or squat down for some ungodly reason. Yes, getting old his hell, but the alternative isn’t too pleasant.
Then again, I’m not “old”! I’m vintage! Damnit!
*Name changed
Filed under Essays
Good Morning
Oh God, help us
To be generous in our opinions of others,
To be considerate of all we meet,
To be patient with those with whom we work,
To be faithful to every trust,
To be courageous in the face of danger,
To be humble in all our living,
To be prayerful every hour of the day,
To be joyous in all life’s experiences,
And to be dependent upon me,
For strength in facing life’s uncertainties.
Filed under News
“If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come.”
Native American Proverb (Arapaho)
Filed under News
This is a simple, yet extraordinary post from fellow blogger Catnip of Life. Indeed, the heart never gets wrinkled! Thank you, Sharla!
“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
It is inevitable for the wrinkles of life to show their ‘ugly’ signs throughout the aging process. For some, the signs of aging appear much earlier than others. How soon they appear and the deepness of their appearance depends upon life itself…its ups & downs, as well as detours along the way.
“Wave the magic wand!” we might say at some point. Ah-h-h-h, if only that would work but then we could find ourselves in the midst of a global storm! Yet, if we were without those wrinkles, what would that say about our lives? Would we have truly lived? Would we have smiled and laughed, as well as frowned and cried? Or, would our faces look pasty without any indications of former emotion?
Reflect back on times in your life perhaps when a wrinkle might have first appeared. What was your reaction? Did signs of any wrinkling change the love and compassion you feel in your heart? To love and to be loved never ages regardless if wrinkles appear!
Filed under News
“We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own.”
Filed under News
“If we are to hope to understand the often violent world in which we live, we cannot confine our attention to the great impersonal forces, natural and man-made, which act upon us. The goals and motives that guide human action must be looked at in the light of all that we know and understand; their roots and growth, their essence, and above all their validity, must be critically examined with every intellectual resource that we have.”
– Isaiah Berlin, The Crooked Timber of Humanity, 1991
Filed under History
“Freedom is not an individual effort. Yours comes only when you grant others theirs.”
Filed under History
“If the you of five years ago doesn’t consider the you of today a heretic, you are not growing spiritually.”
Filed under History
