Archive for July, 2010

Happiness is a Journey, Not a Destination

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

 

Well, Marian is on her trip to Vancouver and I hope she is having a great time.  In the meantime, you’re stuck with me — Colleen.  I received a chain email today and it is one of the very few actually worth passing along.  It extols a message worth noting and one that I am going to try to embrace much more in my own life.  Too often we feel the need to put our happiness on hold — until some future event happens.  Why do we do this when we can choose to be happy here and now — with what we have and where we are at this moment?

 

            We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another.  Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are.  After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.  We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, or when we retire.

            The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now.  If not now, when?  Your life will always be filled with challenges.  It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

            One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, ” For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - - real life.  But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to serve, a debt to be paid.  Then life would begin.  At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”

            This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.  So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with … and remember that time waits for no one…..

            So stop waiting, until you finish school, go back to school, lose ten pounds, gain ten pounds, have kids…Until your kids leave the house, until you start work, retire, get married, get divorced….Until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off……Until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until the first or fifteenth…Until you’ve had a drink, until you’ve sobered up, until you die, until you are born again.  So decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.  Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Thought for the day: Work like you don’t need money, Love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching.

 

Posted in Community of Sisters, Health, Life, Relationships | 2 Comments »

The Blessings of Old Friends

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

I’ve always believed “old” friends are a blessing.  They hold a bit of our past history, knew us back when and liked us anyway!  Got together with one this past Friday night.  She and her husband came north for a family wedding to good old “Jersey”,  as the foreigners say.  I moved half way through High School (still recovering from the trauma) and Grover was the first person who actually spoke to me in the new school.  Good grief, that meant a lot!

 

She was Grover to my Mahoney because neither one of us thought our first names were “cool” I guess.  We hung out together and did some stuff I still wouldn’t want to explain to my parents — or kids for that matter.  But here we are, both married parents of two grown kids, and Grandmothers too.  She’s got a grandson and daughter, and we’ve got our Arielle.  Our husbands kindly sat and listened over dinner to our trip down memory lane, and we realized we’ve been friends for 38 years.  No easy task, since we are only around 35.

 

Anyway, it’s always wonderful to spend time with someone who remembers what one looked like at age 17…

 

Good Night, and be well to all!

 

Posted in Community of Sisters, Family & Friends, Life, Relationships | 2 Comments »

Temporary Insanity

Monday, July 19th, 2010

 

In the not too distant future, you’re going to be hearing a different voice on this blog.  My BFF and 41 year partner in crime, Colleen,  will be posting for a time.  She’s had some very different life experiences;  as I’ve told her more than once, she’s had an interesting life.  As for me, I’m going to be going to Vancouver.  In a 1930 Model A bus.  We’re going with two other couples, and my husband will be the bus driver.  Apparently menopause causes a type of temporary insanity.  That’s the only reason I can come up with for agreeing to ride cross country in July without air conditioning.  I’ll be back eventually, if I don’t melt…

Posted in Community of Sisters, Family & Friends, Hobbies, Life, Relationships, Travel | No Comments »

Ranting About Random Celebrities

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

 

I’m usually not mean, and do understand that celebrities have problems like everyone else.  Guess the heat is just putting me in a bitchy mood, but seeing Lindsay Lohan’s tears does not move me to much sympathy.  Neither does her sentence for 90 days for probation violations.  Sort of like Charlie Sheen’s argument he can’t do community service where he can’t smoke.  What is this?  He or she who has the biggest hissy fit gets  accommodated by the courts?  Come on, does anyone believe that the “average” person would have gotten even half the consideration?  It makes me a little crazy, that sort of thing.  Hmmmmnnnn.  Maybe I should go on a bit of a rampage.  Of course, being me, that would involve water pistols and a visit to some friends who appreciate (or at least tolerate) my sense of humor.  Better than sitting around ranting about random celebrities…………

Posted in Community of Sisters, Life, Relationships | No Comments »

Battle of the Wallet

Monday, July 12th, 2010

 

Well, the battle of the wallet between my husband and myself is over.  I’m still not sure who won this round, ladies.  It was literally about a wallet — not money.  Three Father’s Days ago, I gave him a new wallet.  His old one was worn out, falling apart.  The leather had lost much of it’s color, and there were strings hanging from it.  No “recycler” of any type would have rescued it from a garbage can.  I mean, I thought it was a nice gift. Certainly no evil intent.  There it sat for two years, right next to where he puts his wallet at the end of the day.  Looking pristine, and very lonely.

 

I tried pointing out how nice the new one was.  For heaven’s sake, I even wore it for weeks in my own back pocket to “break it in” for him when he told me why he “hates new wallets”.  (Is he spoiled or what?)  Then I tried pouting and being hurt.  Neither work well in long term relationships.  For the last couple of months I told him repeatedly that I was getting the feeling something “awful” was going to happen to the old wallet.  No reaction from the man.  Time to pull out the big guns.

 

When we came back from visiting our Grand daughter for the first time, I told him that she confided in me that she’s very embarrassed by the wallet her Grandpa carries.  Hey, what can I say?  She was very advanced at two weeks old.  That got a smirking smile from him, but that was it.  So one night I got out the scissors, markers and stickers.  In the morning he found it colorfully drawn upon, slashed and decorated with Disney’s Little Mermaid and friends.  I kid you not, he carried it for another week and a half before FINALLY relenting.  But in thinking back, I believe what got through to him ultimately was my threat to throw out the new wallet.  I told him what I’d paid for it, you see.

 

So in the marital score keeping department, I’d have to call that one pretty close to a draw.  Time to think about what to get him for next Father’s Day…

 

Posted in Family & Friends, Holidays, Life, Relationships | 3 Comments »

Uncomfortable, To Say The Least!

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

 

It’s disgusting and unbearable.  We’re in the midst of a heat wave, and one can do nothing without feeling sticky and cranky.  Yechhh….  I know it’s July, but if I wanted this, I’d move to Florida.  This type of weather tends to make women our age more uncomfortable than most.  Oh, the joys of menopause.  The pause that does NOT refresh!

Posted in Community of Sisters, Menopause | 2 Comments »