Relax!

Years ago when I was a stage manager, I had a lot of these and would give them to my crews on opening night with words of appreciation on the back. We had this show and all would be well no matter what happened.

Once I retired, I kept one ~ and carried it with me as you can tell.

Today I wish I had them again. I would hand them to people wearing masks to say Thank You! And I would hand them to people without masks with the written message ~ "As long as you wear your mask and keep your face covered!"

Hang in there, folks. Wash you hands, stay over there, and Wear Your Masks! We've got this show if we all work together. All will be well. 

A Woman, A Dog, A Man, and A ?????

It was shortly after three and I had been to the bathroom and was almost back asleep when I heard a noise. I rose up and as everything was quiet, I lay back down and Oso woofed. Oh. Maybe all was not well. He continued to woof and be restless. I got up and went to the back door where although dark, I could tell there was nothing there. We both headed back to bed and he barked, tail up, looking out the front window. I go into the living room planning on looking out the front windows when the bark became more frantic and he headed to the living room. In the light coming from the condo parking lot and the little night lights we have around, I saw nothing  About to return to bed, I looked down the stairs toward the front door just in time to see it swing open on its own.

Without even thinking I was jumping up and down, banging me hands on the rail and yelling. “NO, NO. GO AWAY!! DEAN!! GO AWAY, WHOEVER YOU ARE, GO AWAY!!! DEAN!!” As I continued to bang and yell, he who can sleep through anything came out of the bedroom. What’s going on? Something opened the front door. Somewhere in all of that, I had turned on lights enough to see that although the door was open, there was nothing there. Dean heads down the stairs with Oso right behind him. He turns on another light by which we could see that the door to the office level below was also open. Down he goes with Oso standing at the top of the stairs watching him. Nothing on that level. He comes back up and searches the lower house level. Nothing there. As he comes back up, I ask him to lock 

the front door which he does. 

Our best guess? A raccoon. The noise? The raccoon jumping against the door to reach the door handle to open it.

Once the excitement died down, I did realize that had it been a bear or a human, once the door opened I would have seen a larger darkness against the already dark doorway. Oso’s bark was not his bear bark. He did not chase whatever it was ~ another clue to its being other than a bear. Give me a big ole, lumbering, scared of loud noises bear any day (or night).

I realized I was scared. It was watching the door open on its own that scared me. Got back in bed, cried a little while Dean held me, and as I turned on my side, I noticed that Oso was on the floor on my side of the bed in protective posture. I guess I slept again at some point because I was dreaming when I woke again at 5:45 and got up. That was enough adventure for one night and I needed an ordinary day to begin. I’ll nap later.

You Decide

I have thought about the following quote over and over since I read it. I have tried to write about it and what it means to me. So far I am unable to do that even though I know how I feel and how it relates to my life. Therefore, my friends, I offer it to you with no commentary to let you decide for yourselves. Whatever you feel, it will be worth them time it takes to read and absorb the message.

In an article entitled "The Role of Cognitive Dissonance in the Pandemic" (The Atlantic, 7/12/2020), authors Elliot Aronson and Carol Tavris tell this wonderful story. 

Shimon Peres, Israel’s former prime minister, was angered by his friend Ronald Reagan’s disastrous official visit to a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany, where members of the Waffen SS were buried. When asked how he felt about Reagan’s decision to go there, Peres could have reduced dissonance in one of the two most common ways: thrown out the friendship or minimized the seriousness of the friend’s action. He did neither. “When a friend makes a mistake,” he said, “the friend remains a friend, and the mistake remains a mistake."

Words of Wisdom for Today

The word change normally refers to new beginnings. But the mystery of transformation more often happens not when something new begins, but when something old falls apart.

(Richard Rohr)

So many of us mention that our world seems to be falling apart. Some say it is their personal world with lost jobs, too long in isolation, illness and even death of ones we love and can no longer see or hold and hug. For others it is the wider world as politicians no longer listen to the people they are supposed to be representing, our comfortable way of thinking is being challenged and we realize how blind we have been to our own privilege. 

Father Richard Rohr says this is when and where the mystery of transformation happens. I like that he uses the word mystery. It certainly is a mystery to me. I have no idea what is going to happen. There is so much disagreement on the practical end of things: open the schools? how large a group is too large? continue to work from home? what can I as one ordinary person do to stem the systemic racism that is rampant in our country? what does "defund the police" really mean? The questions go on and on, the answers are illusive and the mystery of transformation is still a mystery. What we do know is that things are falling apart and we can claim that in hope, love,  and action or we can despair. I will choose hope, love and action. Blessings as you make this journey through the chaos.  

Conversation

Dean and I were sitting on the deck yesterday afternoon when our neighbor wandered over ~ literally. He was quietly on the deck before I saw him or Oso barked. We said Hi and gestured to a chair placed 6 to 8 ft from us and he sat down. He didn't want any thing, any advice. He just came to be there and talk.

And talk we did for almost two hours. Of course we started with COVID-19 but the conversation quickly moved on. He was reading for the first time an author we love and we enjoyed telling him more about the man's writings while listening to his excitement over discovering him. We talked ideas, some history, what the new normal is going to look like. We found out some things about our friend we didn't know.

It was delightful.

Part of what I realized again is the value of the conversation of ideas. These days when the pandemic and racism are so much with us, we can get caught up in them and our focus becomes narrow. Or else we talk about ordinary stuff like what we had for dinner. Please, do not misunderstand me. It is very important we have the conversations about the virus and especially about racism and facing white privilege and our distorted history. Very Important.

And once in a while it is nice to discuss other ideas, other histories, books we are reading, our hopes for the future. And it is nice to do face to face without a screen in front of us. Dean and I continue to wear our masks, wash our hands, and social distance and mainly stay at home. Yesterday's conversation felt so ordinary and so good. I'm grateful for our wandering neighbor.

Rather Ironic

The adventure continues, I guess. The kayak flip in the previous blog was the first time ever for me and if Dean has ever done it, it was more than 20 years ago. It was also a fluke, the paddle leash stuck under his knees. Ergo ~ a one time event probably.

So what did we do this morning? We bought wet suits and water shoes so if it should happen again, we are prepared! Prepared for something that may happen again in another 20 years!

It was fun though. I keep shopping - looking at new clothes - and not buying anything because I really don't need anything and after all, where am I going except to my deck and back. Now I have new clothes even though they are for one particular event only. Hey, maybe I will swim in the cold lake water. I have never done that because I grew up swimming in Texas lakes that were bath water warm.

I realize these two blogs are not about the serious things that are happening in our world. They are a bit silly and fun and I evidently provided laughter for those of you who commented on FaceBook. Unfortunately I haven't been able to respond to comments here. I'm still working on it. Please, know I read your comments and appreciate them.

I'm glad you are reading and enjoying whether serious or silly. Be blessed and filled with grace.

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh ~

~ and laugh we did in spite of it all. Dean had bought some new equipment for the old kayak and we went to the lake to try it out. New seats - really nice, comfortable seats. New paddles. And a leash for each paddle so that if you should drop your paddle, you wouldn’t lose it. 

Get to the lake and there are people. At a distance, some with masks, and we are going to set up, paddle for a while to test it all and leave so no problem. It takes some time to get set up but we are finally ready to go. 

Getting into the kayak has never been easy for me even when I’m wasn't old and achy. I made it though, settled in and was even aware of how nice the seat felt. Then Dean got in and the kayak wobbled but that was ok, it always does. And then it kept wobbling . . . and wobbling more . . . and over we went! Pretty amazing how soaked you can get in knee deep water when you are thrown in. Thank goodness we both came up laughing. We learned, you do Not have the leash for the paddle under your knees!! That’s what did it. Dean was trying to get the leash out from under his knees and it was just too much. 

I am grateful that 1) my hat didn’t float away, 2) my prescription sun glasses were on a string, 3) the man “next door” came over, in his mask, and asked if he could help - which he could because I was on my knees on the stony bottom and these days when I am on my knees, it is not good. With Dean pulling and the man lifting under my arms, I came up easily. We were profuse in our thanks. 

I had on my mask and had to pull it off very fast because suddenly I wasn’t breathing air through it but water. Phew. 

The worst part of the whole thing was as I began to walk back to the car the lake grit got on my tender toe under my Teva strap. Ouch. We came home and got in the hot tub and then showered ~ again for me. I’d already done that once this morning!! The knee I hurt when I took my living room face plant a month ago is hurt again from landing on the lake stones. Oh well. We should have had a movie. Plus my getting out of my clothes at home. They were clinging to me ~ especially the arm brace that I had pulled on this morning to help the pain in my arm. Sigh. No, you really don’t need a movie of that!!! 

Hey, we hadn’t had an adventure in a long time. I’m sure we have given the family settled on the beach a good laugh for their day and we now have at least one SiP story to tell!!