The Lessons We DON'T Choose Teach Volumes

Why does it always seem to be that the lessons we don’t choose to undertake teach us the most about ourselves and those around us?  Currently overtaxed at work, discovered a coworker is restarting the sobriety journey.  Against advice, better judgment and with the unconditional support of my immediate family – we have adopted her temporarily into our home and family to navigate the path.  It is fitting to be happening during the Lenten season – 40 days to the hope and joy of Easter.  If we can just get 3 days of sobriety at a stretch, we may build to further successes. Keep us all in prayer every step of the way.

Never-ending PMS... not what you think

Just 28 days in, and this regime feels like the worst case of PMS ever - Presidential Mistake Syndrome.  With every tweet, press conference and bit of exposure there is more face palm.  Thinking a media fast would alleviate the feelings of dread and frustration?  News sound bites permeate impervious fortress of vehicle, phone and morning radio station.  Key people who have no business, say ruining the education department are ushered into office; others resign amid scrutiny of impropriety.  While SNL is running at highest levels of popularity, the POTUS is at an all-time low of 40%.  What’s next?

What in the World?

What is wrong with the world today?  Everyone wants to protect their own entitlements while taking other's to get ahead.  We have approved known white supremacists to NSA, cabinet members who are part of a 'mutual admiration society' who have no prior experience, knowledge or intent to improve the nation for others, only preserving privilege for the few.  My hope is that before we completely destroy what little credibility we have remaining, we will show our children that activism is a good and useful hobby.  It would be so ironic if the power of unsecured Twitter usage brought down the Giant.

101 Words seems to be the magic #

A light at the end of the tunnel, or a bus run me down?  January has been a month of great stress, strain, change and has required me to pull strength to just keep going and see where things end up on this path.  Sleep is affected and elusive.  Worry needs constant managing.  Every time I think I have it figured out; a new twist occurs and throws my sense of control askew.  Trusting in prayer and finding unknown strength.  There is GREAT satisfaction in smashing a medicine ball to the floor at full velocity at 7am three times a week.  

Cocooning through Change

A vast amount of change affected my life in all facets this week and will continue to do so into the future.  It has not escaped my attention that when caterpillars evolve into butterflies they cannot imagine the loft of flight and they weather that momentous change in the security of a cocoon or chrysalis that protects them from the elements during the process.  Change in government, change in church leadership, multiple changes in my workplace are causing me to desire a cocoon to weather the evolution in a safe and secure environment.  Embracing change is a challenge, but I’m trying.

M;-P

Intrepid Adventure

Around Christmas time, Mr. M found a car that he had been eyeing on a dealer website and monitored price reductions until it entered the realm of what he deemed to be reasonable.  The price hit that magic number on Thursday, ironically coinciding with a crippling snowstorm that hit the city where the car was located.  A city in the Pacific Northwest region with 12” of snow and ice. This city and region usually declares a state of emergency at 1-2” of white precipitation due to hilly terrain and the news stations deem any snowfall SNOMAGEDDON of the year.  Even when nary a flake falls.

We decided that this was too good of an opportunity to pass up and began plans to go retrieve the vehicle.  We took our 30 year old trusty rusty 4WD pickup and a set of chains purchased in Seattle for the new car as – hmm, in the greater Portland area, no chains of this size were to be found.  Embarking just before rush hour, the first few hours of our trip were breathtakingly beautiful.  Evergreens dusted with a light powdered coating of snow. Rural towns resembled alpine villages. Small lakes and creeks frozen over, brilliant blue sky and a vibrant sunset; temperatures hovered in the teens. The freeway had been plowed and groomed, so the few lingering ice spots were avoidable.   

Until we hit our exit to the car dealership… to say it was compact snow and ice would be an understatement.  More like driving on jello.  Then we had to navigate the unplowed dealer lot, amid spanking new Mini Coopers covered with snow.  I was sure we were going to look like a demo derby and cost us dearly in insurance deductibles, but Mr. M has mad skills.  The indoor negotiations were brief and we decided to return and pick the car  up in the AM, due to weather and not being familiar with the area OR the location of the cars safety driving features and such.  Wise decision in retrospect…

A hotel reservation had been made close to where Dan attended high school so he was sure he knew where he was going.  Apparently, a few more roads have been created since his graduation three decades ago, and it all looks vastly different under 6” of snow.  We made a wrong turn and ended up in a residential area that had not been plowed and GPS directed us to a steep downhill grade in our path, with cars parked on either side of the street as well as several at the bottom of the steep hill. A shift into low 4WD gear began our descent, and also began a slow horizontal SPIN, which resulted in a very dramatic but graceful egress ending with our back wheels against the curb – and MISSING every single parked car.  I would like to make special note that there was no screaming nor soiling of undergarments.  Breathing resumed soon after that.

Finding the hotel was fairly easy.  We just needed to look for the tall red XXX Strip Club sign right across the parking lot.  Wise decision to leave car at dealer was again confirmed.  Found a pizza place still open and shared the sumptuous warm repast in our room while watching random cable TV shows and then CRASHED for the night.  THE BED WAS EXCELLENT and the HEAT was ON!  Breakfast was negligible – weak coffee and plastic wrapped Danish, but the heat and warm shower and comfortable bed were well worth the bargain price booked by thrifty Mr. M.  Hole in the ceiling of the bathroom during my shower made me keep checking for rodent voyeurs.

We arrived in the early AM where the dealer wanted to show us how the top retracted into the trunk.  I happened to mention that since it had been outside overnight, the mechanism MIGHT be frozen and that might not be a wise maneuver. We embarked slowly over the frozen tundra heading north to get home. After a few missed connections and dicey icy bridges we were into smooth clear roads. Around WA milepost 47 the temperature rose to a balmy 36 and the snow and ice flew off the car to the chagrin of drivers near us.  I parked in a Shari's lot and cleared the rest before proceeding.

Did I mention we were purchasing a Lexus hard-top convertible?  A recommended snow car, it isn’t, although we did discover later – after getting it home, that there is a SNOW setting as a feature.  We figured it automatically calls and signs up for AAA membership. We’ll have to research what it really does as we peruse the 300 page PDF owner’s manual. It's these intrepid adventures after being together 30+ years that reignite the anecdotal evidence to keep the cooperative level of mutual amusement alive. A partner you can laugh with about sliding down a snowy hill backwards and living to tell the tale is a keeper.  

The Low-Maintenance Test for Partners

With the new year, some folks are venturing into new relationship waters.  One thing that must be determined early and decisively is if you are dealing with a high or low maintenance individual.  There are several litmus tests for this. The best determination for success or failure is a road trip with an overnight stay.  Book a budget room in the $50-$75 range in a dicey part of town and see how it goes.  If the potential partner brings more luggage than adventuresome spirit, you have your answer.  If the result is an amusing anecdote you share for decades, win!

New Year; New Gig

My new challenge in 2017 is minimalism.  Getting rid of the excess, as far as the blog is concerned – being concise, brief and having a point.  Sometimes I tend to ramble off subject, to a whole nother story.

But not anymore, if I can’t say what I mean and mean what I say in 100 words… then it just feeds into the next post.  My hope is that not letting my internal editor say, 'that’s not enough', and being content with content and contextual brevity, I will write more often… so there may be an up side to this change.