Housewife

When I knew that I was retiring from my full-time outside the home job, I suddenly had this urge to become a "housewife."  I have never done that before so it sounded rather appealing....for some reason!  :)

Today is day two of retirement and I have already developed somewhat of routine...won't call it habit just yet.  I wake up around 8 and went for a mile walk around our community.  While I cooled off some, I read emails and facebook.  Then I showered and put on my Hawaiian muumuu (that I bought at local flea market) so that I could finish cooling down.  Made my breakfast and coffee, read the newspaper, and did the Sudoku puzzle.  Got dressed and made the bed.

Yes, I made the bed two days in a row!  I will not deny that the only time in years that our bed gets made is when fresh-cleaned sheets are put on the bed and when we are going out of town.  I have the philosophy that I need to make the bed before leaving town in case we're in an accident and someone has to break into our house to get things for us!  It's very similar to needing to wear clean underwear in case you're in an accident. 

To further my role as housewife, I am now doing some cooking and I'm even cleaning up the dishes and counter as I finish.  I even have a bottle of hand lotion by the kitchen sink so that when I'm done with dishes, I can put on some hand lotion.  You can call me "Harriet" (of Ozzie and Harriet fame).  I can't remember "Father Knows Best" wife name....Margaret?

LOL  Oh well, if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? 

There may be those of you out there reading this wondering why being retired for two days is soooo different from having a couple of days off work.  Well, first of all, any vacation days off in the past umpteenth years, I am going out of town somewhere.  I didn't take vacation days to stay HOME!  Weekends were a mixture of getting some things done around the house, but more time thinking of how many more hours before I have to go-back-to-work. 

Anyway, I don't think I can call myself a housewife or domestic goddess yet, but I  sure will be "working" at it.  Heck! I have to "work" at something, don't I?  No work, no play. 

Dreams

I am a dreamer, always have been.  Last night I had one of the most vivid and colorful dreams I can remember.  Having just returned from Hawaii and California where we drove on many curvy, narrow roads with lots of trees surrounding us, my dream was of similar nature.  I was traveling (like on a roller coaster) down this path of vines that were vibrant with every color in the rainbow. The colors were so bright!  I knew I was headed towards something or trying to find something. Yet, as I kept moving down the path, I was not sure what I was looking for and how I would know  I found "it."   With each curve, I saw my life passing me by, old bosses popped up on the side of the path and the number 37 was prominent.  I worked in the business end of the health care industry for 37 years. 

My husband, Paul, was by my side for part of the journey and then I was alone.  Even as I was dreaming, I knew I was searching for some answers on what my "retirement" years would involve. I don't think I found it, as then my dream changed to a scene with my siblings as we tried to out-wit the enemy and get over the border.  We were about 10 yards from the border when I woke up. (I think I watched too much football yesterday).

Yes, today is what I call my first official retirement day, as the past two weeks have been "vacation."  I stayed up late last night so that I would sleep-in this morning, which I did until 8:06 am.  Then I got up and fulfilled my promise to myself to get back into walking.  So I did my mile; showered; had coffee while reading the newspaper; and now I'm blogging.  Another promise I made to myself to start writing more. 

Lots of people I know are retired and say that I "will love it."  But I think that it will take time... time to find out what I want to do with my days; time to adjust to this 180 degree turn I have made in my life; time to figure out what and how I will feel fulfilled.

Care to join me in my journey?  Can't make any promises, but guess we'll just wake up each day and see where the path takes me!

Blue, blue, blue....I love you....sisters!

The other night I downloaded this photo to facebook.  What was I thinking or feeling?  I guess putting blue nail polish on that night reminded me of this photo taken a few years ago at my six sisters and my annual WWW.  WWW is Wild Women's Weekend and this photo shows to the extent we get "wild." 

We have skits and the photo is the result of one of those skits.  Somehow R3 wrangled me, R1, into putting on the wig, fake nails and false eyelashes that were, as you can see, hastily put on.  I don't recall if I was already wearing my blue shirt or if I changed tops quickly to really look blue! 

WWW has involved matching T-Shirts, I think the first time was WWW X when they all came down to my place in Texas to have fun! What a memory that was for all of us.  They flew down on Sun Country and somehow managed to get all six seats in one row.  They created new lyrics to old song while traveling.  They got mentioned by the pilot.  They had people around them wanting to become our "sister" as they could see a fun time to be had.  Both, Paul & I were waiting for them in the airport, as we needed two cars to get them and their luggage to our place.  It's a small enough airport that you knew what flight was landing, so I eagerly awaited their arrival.  People kept coming and coming down from the gates, where are they I wondered? 

When I was about to go the ticket counter to find out if they missed their flight, I saw a mass of lime-green shirted blonds enter the down escalator, singing at the top of their lungs!  "Where's our sister gone? Where's our sister gone?  Pharr, Pharr away!" They had other lyrics that escape me now, but I bet you R7 has them in her mind or computer. 

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that we sisters are not afraid to have fun; make our presence known; be silly with our skits; laugh outrageously at ourselves; and raise the rooftop with our yelling and screaming while playing games!   We quickly realized that we MUST have our Wild Women's Weekends in free-standing building - cabin or house.  A hotel wouldn't want us!

Don't get me wrong, we have our crying moments, our quiet sharing moments too.  We even have our I-can-still-bug-the-heck-out-of-you-and-get-you-frustrated moments.  It's all called sisterhood and I'm so glad my momma and daddy decided to give me lots of siblings! Looking forward to seeing them in five days!  

Showers of Blessings

For some reason....make that many reasons, I have the song, "Showers of Blessings" running through my head today.  As I wind down on one chapter of my life.... 36 work days left....and begin another chapter of my life....retirement; I can't help but think of all the blessings I have experienced in my life. 

I don't mean only the trips and places I have seen and experienced, but the little things that are really so BIG that it causes my heart to overflow with tears of joy!

A loving husband who supports me in my dreams and loves me unconditionally.   

A wonderful family that has stayed close in heart and soul; despite our differences in personality and lives. 

A whole bunch of friends from all phases of my life.... grade school, high school, work, church and our over-55 neighborhood.

A long career in the medical business field, that has changed so much and demands so much from those trying to get and provide medical services. 

A group of staff to work with that are committed to making the patient satisfied, even when they are exhausted and overwhelmed with all the demands their position requires of them.

A comfortable house that is mortgage-free! 

A car that runs safely and isn't prone to break down.

A bank account that allows me to buy the groceries that we need without wondering what I have to leave off the list.... and guess what I forgot to buy today...HEB Candy Bar Classic ice cream! 

I guess that's one of the reasons I am writing these gratitude thoughts is because if I can forget ice cream, I may just start forgetting all these blessings some day.  I hope not! 

New beginnings!

August 13, 1985

After a couple of days of working with the Business Office staff, the CFO wanted to treat me to a night exploring the town.  BUT his wife was nine-and-a-half months pregnant, so he asked a guy in the Purchasing department if it was OK if he took me out-and-about New Orleans.  I said sure!  I had met Paul when he came to California to take care of inventory of the clinic supplies and what was being shipped back to Louisiana for the clinics there.  Paul seemed nice enough and I had no interest in a guy from New Orleans.... remember I was going to find myself a good ol' farm boy in Wisconsin! 

Paul, being ever frugal, broke and single-again, asked the CFO if he could use petty cash to treat me to dinner.  So out exploring we went... Uptown; Garden district; dinner at Copelands; Downtown; French Quarter; Jackson Square; Pat O'Briens; and a walk and long talk on the banks of the Mississippi.  I found him so easy to talk with and very pleasant.  We had a very good time!

We started writing, being friends, visiting each other....he came to St. Paul (where I lived and worked) in December.  What a brave soul!  Not only to brave January weather, but to meet my family too.  Things moved fast....too fast.  In February, our relationship crashed and burned.  In late summer we made up again and in October I visited him in Atlanta (where he had moved during the break-up).  I spent Thanksgiving with my family and moved to Atlanta that weekend.  I have moved across country a few times, so it was no biggie for me.  A new adventure..... in another state and in a relationship too! 

So it was that three years later on August 13, 1988, we married in Ringgold, Georgia. Now you know the rest of the story! 

Thee End??

Twenty-eight years ago today, I thought that my life as I knew it was ending.  The previous week I had arrived at my parents home to stay there for awhile.  My job in California had ended with the shut-down of the 12 urgent care clinics I worked for.  It was my first time being laid-off and since I had spent three years in California; and I was not in a relationship; and I was almost 34 years old..... I decided to move back to Wisconsin. 

These may be all good reasons to think my life was ending, but not me!  I was looking forward to a new life and another change!  I was going to look for a good-ol' Wisconsin farm boy and get myself married! 

Well, before that occurred, I had one more obligation for my previous employer.  That obligation was to fly down to New Orleans and teach the business office staff down there how to follow up with California Medical (Medicaid) and get the companies last dollars for our services in California.  So Monday morning, August 12, 1985, I was on the plane to New Orleans.  Just a week or so earlier, a plane had crashed in Dallas due to wind shear or bad weather.  It always seems to happen that I have a flight booked shortly after some kind of airplane crash! 

So this day there was a nasty storm brewing in MSP (Minneapolis-St Paul) and we took off in it!  The plane was bucking and rolling and the lightning, thunder and rain were torrential as we climbed into the storm.  This is when I thought, "My life is going to end today!"  All I could do was pray, "God, if it's my time to go, it's my time.  I know where I'm going (heaven) and I'm OK!"  I don't recall praying anything other than that, because I truly believed there was no alternative than death. 

Uffda!  Somehow, sometime later, we broke through the storm clouds and continued southward.  Of course, I did make it to New Orleans.  Since then I have flown probably close to 100 or more flights and never once have I again experienced any severe storm like that.  Not even close! Go figure!  Or maybe, pilots are little more cautious now. 

Anyway, God had other plans for me other than "my life as I knew it was ending."  Or maybe, He did know "my life as I knew it was ending."   Stay tuned tomorrow for the rest of the story!  :)

I saw this on facebook yesterday and it hit home!  Haven't we all experienced this type of "chained" reaction?  We feel chained to a job, a spouse, a place, a body, etc etc. 

The truth be told, we can move and break those chains.  Moving and breaking are action words.  However, don't we often react to our chains by doing nothing?  Yes!  We just sit or stand and pretty soon, just like this horse, the shit will start piling up around us and we will be in a pile of shit!  Moaning, groaning, whimpering, whining...."Poor me!  I am chained..."

Wake up!  Become alert!  Do something!  Yes, take action.  The first step is awareness.  We must become aware of our chains and how those chains are affecting our lives.  Regretfully, like this horse, we only see the chain...we don't see "ball" (as in ball & chain) so that we can  become aware that the "ball" is really not the obstacle.  It's our thoughts about the ball and our thoughts about the chain.  Hmmm!