“Happy Birthday, Mr. Virgo!”
He loved to celebrate my birthday but hated to celebrate his. He said it was just another day. His family didn’t make a big deal out of birthdays. He only had 62 of them. I got to celebrate seven with him. I was his last. His last love. His last best friend. His last partner in crime. His last birthday buddy. I am not sad. I smile when I feel the rich sweetness of his memory wash over me. But…I miss him like crazy.
“Cough. Sniffle. Wheeze.”
I had so much fun camping last weekend with the Sisters on the Fly. One of our participants had a “little cold”. I got home late Sunday night. By Monday evening, I had a tickle in my throat and a polite little cough. And now? Now I can’t breathe through my nose, I ache all over, my nose is running like a sugar tree, I’m coughing my head off, and I have a fever. AND I’m feeling pretty darned sorry for myself, to boot because it’s Mr. Virgo’s birthday and I don’t have anyone to sing to or to have bring me chicken soup. But, as they say, misery loves company. There are now five of us from the trip that are sick with the same thing. Total bummer. However, it is forcing me to stop and get some rest. So, I suppose that’s the upside.
“Scales Lie”
Well, they tell you the truth about gravitational pull, plus or minus a bit unless you have an expensive scale. But your typical bathroom model is going to eat you for lunch and spit you out if you go near it. We have long, long ago been indoctrinated that the number you see on this magic box is directly and irrevocably tied to your worth in the world. We’ve been told that less is more. That thin is in. That boys don’t go out with fat girls. That fat girls are somehow “less than” their thin, willowy counterparts. I’ve got news for you…just in case you are reading this and you are under oh, say…55 years old. Other than for health reasons, you are perfect with your curves and your comfy tummy. The other day, a dear friend of mine made a comment how good I looked. In his well meaning way, he said, “You’ve lost a ton of weight.” which to full figured women translates to “You were looking really bad…I’m SO glad you got a grip on that tire you were carrying around!” Why do we DO that to ourselves? Why do we let others do it to us? I will tell you what he was noticing though. I went to Victoria’s Secret and got fitted for the absolutely PERFECT bra and now the girls get the attention and not my beautiful hips!
Condensing my kitchen into two dishpack boxes today. Three sets of dishes that were gifts from Mr. Virgo have to come with me. My Kitchenaid mixer and my uber fancy coffee grinder made the cut. My knives and specialty tools must be included. Holy pressure cooker, Batman…this isn’t easy! :-/
I love this!
Comparison is the thief of joy. Best, then, to fall in love with yourself as you are here and now. Your life, your path, your challenges, your particular beauty.
Being with a group of like-minded gals for a weekend of trailers and food and fun activities like iron skillet tossing does wonders for me. I always come back feeling rested and empowered…ready to face anything. These women are loving and supportive yet they challenge me to be my best. Maurrie Sussman and her sister, Becky, have done women a great service in creating Sisters on the Fly. I have met lifelong friends and I’m looking forward to hooking up with more Sisters when I get moved and settled.
“Sunflowers on Storm King”
Byron Katie does a self-investigative dialogue called “The Work”. The directions are simple. “Judge your neighbor, write it down ask the questions then turn it around.” The questions are:
This is a really powerful tool that I have used many times to work through things. Let’s use a hypothetical situation.
“Tractor Pull at Thresher Days”
Ok, I’m at my first tractor pull! Who knew how fun this could be???
I was awake till the wee hours writing this morning’s post. I kept drifting off then wake and read what I’d written. Ha! One should not sleep and post at the same time. I would swear I posted it to appear at 4am like always but it is nowhere to be found. I was writing about The Work by Byron Katie. If you are unfamiliar with her, Google her. She has a pragmatic system of self-discovery that I have found useful in my journey. Check her out!
“No WiFi”
What did we do without it? How on earth did we raise our kids when they didn’t have a cell phone permanently glued to their heads? And selfies? Are you kidding me? Ok, I’m 61 and I’m all about the technology. I’ve been a techie since 1984 when I saw my first “home computer”…a funny box with a glowing green screen that wasn’t much more than a glorified typewriter. We got our first computer with the 5" floppy disks in 1986. OMGosh! You could play Pong on it!!! lol