Happy New Year - 2016!

On New Year's Eve in 1998, I was 30 and remember thinking, 'Wow! In 2016, our toddler boys will be out of high school and I'll be 48.  Wonder what my life will be like then?' Of course, at that time I was VERY pregnant with our second son, potty training the first one and majorly sleep-deprived.  So my perspective was somewhat skewed.

Since that time two houses, three churches, and several work opportunities later, along with the opportunity to learn much about parenting through trial and error has provided great perspective.  Most importantly, I found some greatly supportive women throughout the age spectrum who impart wisdom, advice, reprimands and life lessons with equal measure.  Many events occurred in that time frame that I could never have predicted, but have affected my life for the better in retrospect - even the things that were difficult to accept in the moment.

This blog is named whirligig because movement and art is achieved when environmental elements are disturbed by wind, for example.  What things have formed art, movement and changes in my life since 1997?  Some have been passed on by wise women and men, some have developed on their own and some have evolved as a result of an event or encounter.  Today provided the opportunity to reflect on ten adages or guidelines to keeping my rudder true and my compass aligned.

1.  Too much effort and energy is involved to carry a grudge.  Far more freeing to cast it off. If the other person chooses to remember, let it be their burden.

2.  Death is inevitable, no matter how often it is experienced, it never gets easier.

3.  Age requires a sense of humor, a sense of style and common sense to rock it at any age.

4.  Occupy your time with activities aligned to your core values, then time is never wasted and efforts nurture the soul.

5.  Even making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can be a prayer if done in the right frame of mind.

6. Every parent thinks they are failing miserably on a daily basis.  As long as your kids still require a bedtime hug, all will be well.  With our boys, I called it 'securing a therapist's future income'.

7.  Someone will always be more ____ than you.  They are also guaranteed to have their own challenges of which you may not even be aware.

8.  No matter what your relationship is with your parents, you will miss them when they die.

9.  A truly beautiful woman is one who is entirely comfortable in her own skin.

10. Live your life the way you want people to talk about you when you are gone.  If they can gossip with you, they will gossip about you.  Leave a legacy of integrity.

My plan is to publish this blog each Thursday night to share what has crossed my path during the week.  To reflect on past amusing anecdotes or share my slightly warped view of the world.  My hope is that like a kinetic sculpture, these elements in our environment will affect you positively and provide a quirky amusement to set the tone of your Friday.  Thanks for choosing to join me for this endeavor.  May 2016 be filled with all good things life has in store.

- M

Welcome to Weekly Whirligig!

This blog will be officially open for perusal on 1/1/2016 and will feature a weekly post every Thursday evening of a unique take on events in the work week, the world or past anecdotal writing on subjects such as:

 Being 86'd from a yoga class... 

Working at a funeral home... 

Raising two sons - successfully to near adulthood... 

Doing 25-life, or I mean being married for over 25 years... 

How humans are inadequately interacting with each  other in my current habitat...

And other quips, observations and ovations to the human spirit with a twist of humor and a touch of sarcasm.

Hope to have the opportunity to entertain you soon.

:-P