What did I learn this summer?

The dog days of summer are upon us! I couldn’t help but notice today whilst suffocating in the hot, sultry sun. Yep, I’m back at work (today it was teleprompting in an arena at Clinton Anderson’s DownUnder ranch) after a long month of cool days up North. Cooler than I would have ordered but I don’t think I’m in charge of the world’s thermostat, in fact I feel less and less in charge of quite frankly: anything. Life is a funny thing, just when we think we have it figured out it throws us a curve ball.

I attended my husband’s friend and co-worker’s funeral this summer. It was a sudden death, very untimely, and unexpected. It was a sad affair. A curve ball indeed, one of those sneaky pitches that have you wondering after the strike. Why him? A soul with so much more to give.

My friend’s mother passed away. It was expected but how can you ever really prepare for emptiness, for the curve balls that you think will never come across the plate?

I attended a friend’s second wedding this summer. It was quite a fairytale affair! The wedding took place on the quaint island of Mackinac where cars are not allowed only bicycles and carriages. The princess had tried on the glass slipper before and thought it fit, yet to her dismay the glass shattered and left her barefoot and forlorn … HOWEVER her REAL prince charming arrived in stately fashion and swept her off her bare feet. What did she get out of the deal? New Jimmy Choo’s, and a great husband! Yep, my friend was at a full count when she hit a homerun!

So what did I learn this summer? In this game of life, sometimes there’s scoring runs and sometimes there’s strikes. But I think we would all agree that we want to step up to the plate.

Bay View Breezes At Last

Ahhh… it’s June and time for the summer cottage experience. Soon my family will pack half of what we own, gear up for a two-day drive and take off for northern Michigan and the Great Lakes. If you’ve never been you should go, if you’ve been you KNOW about the breathtaking sunsets, the icy water, the cold nights, Mackinac Island fudge, the northern lights, and the absolutely incredible summer days… but camping at Perch Lake has to be the best, it is so awe-inspiring – I penned a poem entitled:

Up North
Stolen Moments In The North Woods

The still of the night comes near.
The robber waits, his plan unknown...
The moon provides an easy entrance.

Darkness in the North Country…

Water -- still like glass.
Moon -- a glean of silver
Nature’s curtain is drawn… all is still
And silent… those who belong wait.

The early morning – at first the silence...
Twinkling stars threaten,
their brilliance will bring a call
to the silent dawn.
The stillness falls...
and beckons as a welcome sign to the NORTH WOODS
and all its inhabitants….

A whippoorwill’s cry; an a cappela choir;
They greet the warmth of sun on still calm waters.
The robber scampers down a tree hungrily in search of nearby loot.
Waves rhythmically slap the shore

And, then...
a faint announcement of morning
comes close, dips, and lands as momma and ducklings
enjoy the first moments of dawn.

The sun explodes as all nature expects…
And a new day is born.


AHHH… The delicious delights of summer... here we come!

--------

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

A scary thing happened to me yesterday! I had been grocery shopping, and when I headed to my car, I noticed my van door was open. At quick glance, I thought perhaps it wasn’t my van, and then when I saw the baseball dings from way too many baseball games… I knew I had the right van. My driver’s door and side door were flung open and a man was sitting in the driver’s seat.

Now here is where I must caution you… DO NOT approach your car, the car you think you have locked, and proceed to tell the perpetrator to “Get out of YOUR car!” I worked in television news and covered way too many horror stories… for way too many years NOT to know that this isn’t the brightest of ideas! He could have a gun, he could have a taser, he could just be big and mean… DO NOT approach – just call 9-1-1. Of course, that is NOT what I did. I pushed my little buggy right up to my car and said, “GET OUT OF MY CAR!” The guy seemed disoriented; he seemed confused and began to argue with me about the van being his. After several more loud orders for him to get out of my car, he stood up and began to back off. That is when I found the wine bottles in the front of my van… case in point… if you find a drunk, stoned or whatever person in YOUR CAR… call 9-1-1, but me… NO… I started handing him his wine that he left on my front seat and continued to yell for him to get away! He then asked if he could help me with my groceries… CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I still wasn’t frightened (I don’t know why), and began to put my groceries in my van. NEXT WRONG MOVE??? I turned away from him, and that is when he shoved me toward my seat and said, “GET IN!”

Okay, at that point… the point of the shove, I became scared and ran into the parking lot (remember it was broad daylight) screaming for someone to help me. As the perpetrator sauntered through the complex, a Good Samaritan kept an eye on where the perp was going, and I rushed into the grocery store for help. That was when 9-1-1 was called… REMEMBER, IF THIS EVER HAPPENS TO YOU… DO IT EARLIER… DON’T TAKE ANY CHANCES… The cops caught the guy but not before he robbed a restaurant nearby. The perpetrator I was told is an habitual criminal and has served time in prison.

MORAL OF THE STORY (besides my stupidity)… Be aware of your surroundings and don’t hesitate to call for help. I was very lucky, not even a bruise … but I’m pretty upset that the idiot trashed my car, helped himself to my granola bars and wasabi almonds… and what was I thinking handing him the wine… I should have kept it!

--------

Tiny Mom With Big Heart

Mother’s Day has been extra special for me this year. I have been blessed to peek in on a fiercely protective mother give birth to three little ones, feed them, nurture them and protect them from harm’s way. She probably won’t get Mom-Of-The-Year, but she has incredible stamina, energy, and love… and I got to watch all of it transpire underneath the eves of my front porch.

Here’s to the Mom’s out there – truly inspiring, always caring, and full of nurturing love.

Friends

I have a fridge full of friends.

Friends are such a great thing! I love my friends. There’s the friend that would help me zip up my jeans in college… I know that sounds a bit absurd… but some may remember when the tighter the jeans the better – and I personally can attest that obviously some folks still wear them that way … and any who have worn tight, tight jeans know that the only way a girl can zip those darn things is to lie on the bed… take a deep breath and have a good friend help you zip them… that’s a friend.

And, there’s the friend that loaned me her shoes and Bobbi Brown makeup because the airlines sent my luggage elsewhere on a recent trip. How ‘bout the friend that offered big bucks to help me when I started a new business years ago. I didn’t take her up on it, but what a friend!

There’s the friend that listens to my complaints, my fears, my joys, and reads all of my writing and tells me how wonderful it is – you have to admit that’s a true friend. When I want honesty – I read it to my husband.

I have a friend who paints with me and we pretend that we’re good. I have a friend that gets silly with me and laughs with me. I have a friend that listens, critiques and brings me a jolt of reality when I need it. I have a friend that shares life’s ups and downs and she would do anything for me. What a friend!

Friends are such a blessing. They send me funny cards, words of inspiration and hugs… when I need them most.

One of my favorite friend reminders is my fridge. It’s full of Christmas photo cards and pictures of our friends and family. Do you have a fridge full of friends? Oh, to be so blessed…

Mom's TAXI

Letting go is hard to do. My son turned 16 this week. He received his driver’s license and he drove himself to school. I almost cried. I didn’t, but I almost did: an era is over. And so it goes.

I turn to the cute, decorative ornaments hanging on my wall that once depicted my family: my husband with a camera, my son with a cowboy hat and six-shooter, my daughter in ice-skates, and me… in a car with the kids in the back seat. The car’s license plate reads, “Mom’s Taxi”.

Mom’s taxi has made its last run. The ornaments were purchased many years ago when our family was much smaller and more dependant on Mom’s ability to taxi, heal the boo-boos, feed the hungry and answer any questions that came out of a four-year-old’s mouth during our car ride. “Why can’t we see the wind?” “If Papaw dies, will I die when I go to sleep?” “How does Santa get down the chimney, and how do we know that we are safe if he’s in our house while we are asleep?” In addition, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank our 42^nd President for this question, “Mom, what is oral sex?” There was a question influenced by a friend’s older siblings… “Didn’t the Nazi’s have sex with their children?” I was also asked the standard, “Where do babies come from?” And “How does the moon hang in the sky and not fall?”

Now both our children have their own wheels, my son isn’t a cowboy, my daughter has long since abandoned the skates, and for a brief moment, I feel as if I’ve lost my identity… I ask, “How do my tears remain in my eyes and not fall?”

One of my favorite things

Okay, this may sound crazy but I have determined since our whole economic world as we know it seems to be going to the dogs, and quickly I may add... I need to concentrate on a few of my favorite things.

One of my favorite things is ice cream; however, as I grew older I discovered there was a reason that ice cream didn't like me: I'm lactose intolerant. I've since discovered some absolutely incredible soy-based ice cream, and I'm okay with that.

One of my favorite things is sunshine. That is why I live in Texas in the winter, and Michigan in the summer. I'm very okay with that.

One of my favorite things is my grandmother's fried chicken. She passed away in 2007, and I haven't had fried chicken since. I'm okay with that - she lived to be 100 and I was able to enjoy her fried chicken many times over.

One of my favorite things is the great outdoors. There is nothing like camping in a tent, overlooking the water, no cars, no people - just the crickets, the moon and the stars. I am soooo okay with that.

One of my favorite things is the violin (it's a new favorite thing). I've discovered I love the violin, and the fiddle. I play the piano, not the violin but I'm okay with that.

One of my favorite things is dark chocolate. I LOVE CHOCOLATE with peanut butter, by itself, drenched on a dessert, frozen from the fridge - I'm okay with CHOCOLATE.

If I had a top ten list, this would be at the top: A hot shower. I love hot showers, even when the Texas heat has beat me down, a hot shower revives me. The steam, the drizzle of warmth, the prickly sensation; they overcome me and I dance the water dance as it engulfs me. I love hot showers.

So when the economy brings me down, my stock report looks like a penny poker game, headlines are depressing, and life itself seems overwhelming... I'm okay... because I have my favorite things and I'm okay with that...