I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Whitney Houston. The apparent loneliness of being found dead in a hotel room, is just so damned depressing for me to think about for too long. We should all have a hand to hold, and we should all be willing to reach out a hand to those around us. I know everyone is on their own path, but paths are forever crossing. I try to smile at the whiners and scowlers I see. And if I'm one of them, I dare you to smile at me.
In Whitney's absence, it's good to think of her music playing.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Wake up or be trampled.
When you child kneels on your armpit and steps on your face and you're beginning to wonder whether she is inclined to consider your feelings, just ask. If she replies by saying "Bah!", while sticking a finger deep into your nostril, the answer is not really. Don't take offense, though, because her apparent physical assault while you're half asleep is really a demonstration of affection. She only climbs on the people she loves most in all the world. So I believe congratulations are in order. Meanwhile, be sure to cover up your crotch and eyeballs in preparation for her arrival in your bed, uninvited in the early morning hours. Sweet dreams :-)
Friday, February 10, 2012
Dirty Work
You really need to be willing to jump right in to the messiness of life. It's the only way to truly experience what it feels like to be human. If you let other people do your dirty work for you, you'll find yourself unable to communicate very honestly with anyone.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Baby Genius
Frankly, most of us spend our time more concerned with what just happened, or what's about to happen, than with what is happening right now.
My youngest child is the best teacher of this phenomenon. She will get very excited or very upset about something that seems so small. But once I absorb the fact that she is only concerned with this moment and NOT this moment relative to anything past or future, it makes complete sense. As an adult, I can't imagine eating one of my favorite foods with a mindset completely void of any concept of the future. But I can see the exhilaration on my daughter's face, while eating ice cream that this is positively the best thing you could have in your mouth. Her eyes are wide open, as well as her ice cream-filled mouth. He enthusiasm inspires you to want to have some too, RIGHT NOW!
Or if she spots a blue heron landing right outside our patio, she feverishly signs and says "bird", while fixating on the long-legged visitor. It's as if it were the coolest thing ever. But the thing is, she's not comparing it to "ever." It's the coolest thing right now, over which there can be no debate. It IS the coolest thing now, but we jaded adults can't clear our minds enough to think only about right now. We have to cloud our attention along with our potential enthusiasm with visions and concerns of near and far, past and future - until the present shrinks and dulls almost to the point of being a mere caption. It's so confounding that with age and "wisdom" comes this sad, semi-blinding phenomenon of caring less and less about what is happening in this PRECISE moment.
Do yourself a favor and try to focus on the present at least once a day. Really suck it all in. If you need help or inspiration in doing this. Find a child, the younger the better. They are natural experts in seeing and feeling the true energy and beauty of life. It's just the best :-)
My youngest child is the best teacher of this phenomenon. She will get very excited or very upset about something that seems so small. But once I absorb the fact that she is only concerned with this moment and NOT this moment relative to anything past or future, it makes complete sense. As an adult, I can't imagine eating one of my favorite foods with a mindset completely void of any concept of the future. But I can see the exhilaration on my daughter's face, while eating ice cream that this is positively the best thing you could have in your mouth. Her eyes are wide open, as well as her ice cream-filled mouth. He enthusiasm inspires you to want to have some too, RIGHT NOW!
Or if she spots a blue heron landing right outside our patio, she feverishly signs and says "bird", while fixating on the long-legged visitor. It's as if it were the coolest thing ever. But the thing is, she's not comparing it to "ever." It's the coolest thing right now, over which there can be no debate. It IS the coolest thing now, but we jaded adults can't clear our minds enough to think only about right now. We have to cloud our attention along with our potential enthusiasm with visions and concerns of near and far, past and future - until the present shrinks and dulls almost to the point of being a mere caption. It's so confounding that with age and "wisdom" comes this sad, semi-blinding phenomenon of caring less and less about what is happening in this PRECISE moment.
Do yourself a favor and try to focus on the present at least once a day. Really suck it all in. If you need help or inspiration in doing this. Find a child, the younger the better. They are natural experts in seeing and feeling the true energy and beauty of life. It's just the best :-)
Smile, Idiot.
When you're going about your day - doing your thing, and someone tells you to smile, - What is your first thought? I'm guessing it's not one of gratitude. Odds are it's an angry thought. "Don't tell me to smile! If I'm not smiling, there's a reason for it. I can handle the decision making process for my own facial expressions, thank you very much. And whenever I DO smile, I guarantee it won't be because some idiot told me to!" Have a nice day :-)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Shaving Cream On The Lawn
We were outside and the girls were dragging out toys to play with and I said "Make sure you get cleaned up before you go in. Do not go in with dirty feet." They were bare-footed, the ground was wet, and they immediately went inside without cleaning up. Naturally, I yelled at them and told them to come back outside and not to go in until I or their mother told them they could. I walked around to the front, opened the garage door, went inside. They were already all the way upstairs. I asked them if they had wiped their feet, the older one said "no," and I yelled at them again.
I'm beginning to think that parenting isn't a learning experience. It's more of an ultimate challenge to maintain your sanity, while spending every day and night with crazy people for a minimum of 5 years.
I'm beginning to think that parenting isn't a learning experience. It's more of an ultimate challenge to maintain your sanity, while spending every day and night with crazy people for a minimum of 5 years.
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