What would you do?

Almost a decade ago, our lives were upset by the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01.  A week ago, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that bin Laden had been killed.  In some ways, my life had moved on after the terrorist attacks to the point of seldom thinking of bin Laden or the al-Qaeda network of terrorists.  The thoughts mainly popped up while traveling by air, with all the security regulations, scanning, etc.  I would find myself surveying the fellow passengers waiting to board the plane.   Are they a threat to my safety?  I reasoned my "paranoia" to the better-be-safe-than-sorry philosophy.

Easter Sunday, a week before the news of bin Laden's killing, we were boarding a plane to return home after a week's vacation in Arizona.  Standing in line to board, I heard shouting and I turned to see four men running towards the gate.  My heart leaped into my throat and my first thought was, "I don't want to fly on this plane!"  The men were of mid-Eastern descent with full black beards and turbans on their heads.  They were shouting, "We need to get on the plane." 

All the fears, warnings, racial profiling... whatever came to my mind.  Luckily, the gate agent quickly intervened as the crowd parted for them and we all were silent.  I am sure others had similar thoughts and we are all dumb-struck.  At this time, I noticed that they were all wearing blue hockey jerseys and laughing at their predicament... being late for the plane.  It seemed like a oxymoron... "terrorists" wearing hockey jerseys and laughing???  The gate agent told them that there had been a gate change and their plane was leaving from another gate and directed them across the gateway.  RELIEF is what I felt.  I can't deny it! 

Yes, I'm glad that bin Laden is out of the picture.  I think I speak for many of us when I say that our lives were affected by the 9/11/01 attacks.  We will never be the same and maybe there's a lesson to be learned.  Maybe we don't take things quite as much for granted.  Hopefully, we don't take our freedoms for granted. 

If those four men would have been flying on my plane, would I have gotten on the plane? 

Yes, and I would have probably called my parents and as many siblings as I could, to say "I love you" before they told us to shut off our phones.  Then I would have prayed that if it was my last flight, I was ready to fly to heaven.  I have had a good life!

Shaken to the core!

Last week some activities of our sub-division neighbors was brought to our attention.  It shook us (hubby & me) up to the point of where we are still shaking our heads.  A woman and a man from two couples decided to inter-tangle with one another in an affair.  Now that happens everywhere and at anytime, but why is this shaking us to the core?


I have known people, even family members, that have had affairs with others and it's caused the break-up of marriages.  These didn't bother me as much, but this is the first time that I have known all four people involved. 


I have know people that have had affairs with others when they were younger and not married very long.  These didn't bother me as much, but this situation involves people over sixty years old and one couple has been married 42 years. 


I have know people that have hot and heavy sex lives when they were younger, but the libido wanes as a person ages.   This situation involves people over sixty years old having sex.  Does this give me hope or despair?  Despair in the fact that being over sixty does not guarantee that your spouse will stay faithful. 


Yes, I'm shaking my head in disbelief and despair.  It's tough "pill" to swallow seeing two couples lives change so dramatically.... divorce, selling homes, moving across the country, and most importantly, never having the kind of relationship and friendship that there was in the past.  Those changes are happening to the four and yet being a bystander to all this is not easy either.  What do I say?  What do I do?  Who do I believe? 

I do know that this situation has given a lot of us an opportunity to talk with our spouse and truly share our thoughts, feelings and fears.  As hubby says, "We're stuck with each other."  I'm glad and thankful!

Days, days and daze!

Apparently today was Start! Walking day.  I guess the "national organization of choosing what to celebrate today" decided that it's been three months since the New Year and all of our start-walking resolutions, so they made up a "day" to remind us.  This week is Patient Access week, where we honor and celebrate the registration and admissions staff at hospitals, of which I'm proud to be a "member."  Next week is Volunteer week, next month we have Hospital week and Nurse's day, etc, etc.  Those are the "days" that some may not have heard of unless they work in the healthcare setting.  But we've all heard of Bosses Day, Sweetest Day, Secretary's (now Administrative Professional) day which is the day before Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work day. I have a nickname for these type of days.... Hallmark holidays.... a way to sell more greeting cards.


Speaking of days, we look forward to certain days, whether they are national holidays or personal holidays.  Personal holidays like anniversaries, birthdays, start of vacation day and other events we consider major.   My "niece" likes to do a count-down of days until the events in her life.  She counts down to weekend camping trips, annual family cookie bake, and other fun things.  There are even count-down clock/calendars on the internet so a person does not have to manually count up the number of days.  I have been counting down the days until vacation and more importantly the number of days to retirement. 


Sometimes, I feel that I'm wishing the days would go by so fast that I miss out on the journey and adventure of each day.  As in starting to walk, I focus so much on being done with the walk or completing a mile, that I miss the beauty of the area I'm walking through or I miss the cool breezes on my face.   I seem to be so focused on dates and  times of the future, that I'm afraid that I will suddenly find myself old, with no recollection of how I got this old!  It's like my life is in a daze. 

Hugs!

"Consider Yourself Hugged!" That's what my calendar says this month. Some people are really a hugger. They hug everyone or they hug tight and long. There is the frontal hug, where the front of both persons is touching. There is the side hug, where the hips are touching and arms are looped around the backs. I've never been much of a hugger. Maybe it's embarrassment over my large boobs or my large body. It's sometimes uncomfortable. For some reasons, one of the most uncomfortable hugs is from my mother. The reason I say "from" is because seldom will I initiate the hug. I think I'm angry with her. I think I'm afraid of her. If you were to see my mother, you would question my being afraid. She petite, frail and humped over with osteoarthritis. For some reason, I emotionally feel that when her arms are wrapped around my back that she's going to stab me in the back. I don't trust her. And since I don't trust her, I'm angry. Holy Crapola! Little did I know that when I sat down here this morning, I'd be pouring out this stuff. That's what writing does for me.... empties my soul on paper.

Weight, or did you say wait?!?

The other night we went to seafood restaurant and pigged out on decadent shrimp stuffed with crab and covered in melted Parmesan cheese. Plus we had a frozen drink that gave me an ice-cream-headache. Felt stuffed to gills after that. Then today we went to another restaurant for their champagne brunch. Did not get quite as stuffed, but certainly ate a lot. How am I ever going to lose weight doing this kind of eating? Yesterday morning I had a thought, "I'm not going to get my hair cut until I lose 30 pounds." Then this image of myself came to mind.... an eighty year old lady with long gray hair trailing behind her. Not a pretty sight, but realistic! I know that most of the weight-loss articles tell a person to think positive as in, "Upon losing 10 pounds, I'm going to treat myself to a pedicure." Heck! I treated myself to a pedicure yesterday for making it through a work week without hurting myself or someone else! Now, I've got a trip planned in December to the Caribbean and a sailing boat cruise. So what do I think about, "I wonder if I can lose 30 pounds by then?" I know! It has to be a lifestyle change. But I've got almost 60 years of life style to change! I know! It's just one day/step at a time. But I don't make it through one day and I don't take that first step. I know. It only takes 30 days to develop a habit. But I can easily break a good habit even after 30 days. I walked every day for over 3 months, missed one week and have rarely walked a mile since. I know how to lose weight and exercise. But do I want to lose weight and exercise? Apparently not. I think I'll just wait until after vacation to think about this again!

Travel

Anyone that knows me well, knows that my theme song is Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again." I love to travel & explore new roads and re-visit old roads. Next month, Paul & I will be in Arizona for a week. We're going to the Grand Canyon for a couple of days. It was ironic that today at work, I spoke with two other people going to the Grand Canyon within a few months. Neither Paul or I have been to the Grand Canyon for 30+ years, so we're looking forward to it. What's comforting, yet amazing is that the canyon itself will be just the same. It's the rim area around it that will have become overgrown with hotels and businesses, right? Time will tell.

Our neighbor has been bringing over their RV magazines as they finish reading them. They lived full-time in an RV and then sold it all. Then they built a house here in our subdivision and within a week, they bought another RV. :) They realized it was in their blood and couldn't resist buying another. I know that RV'ing has been in my blood for years, just don't have the RV to fulfill that dream/desire. My dream wish was for a little gypsy wagon to pull behind my car. I do want to go a little faster than horses. I'd park it in canyon by a slow-moving river and watch the sunset (probably have to take a few photos) and then watch the moon and stars put on their nightly show. No mosquitos, just coyotes howling in the distance. Oh my!

We are fortunate that we have options for the life we have ahead. We can go down any road we want and stop when we want. The open road awaits us, I wonder what's around the corner??

It's About Time

It's been over a year since I posted any comments on my blog. It's about time I get back in the writing mode. Facebook doesn't allow me to go to any length on my comments and I can "sermonize" like the best of them. :)

What's been happening in my life since last March? Alot of travel and fun, working, and still trying to have peace in my life. I've been reading lately that people who have peace and serenity in their lives often achieve it by giving to others. Giving of their time, talents and treasures. Umm! Sounds like "stewardship." Sounds like "volunteering." Sounds like giving is the key to serenity. Yet we want serenity and peace, we want more. How does that work? In order to get or gather into ourselves, we need to give to others? In order to wrap our arms around ourselves with peace and serenity, we need to open our arms to others. Seems like opposites attract, right?