Irony and Contrast

I was with a group of my closest friends, relaxing at The Huntington Library, sitting in the shade under a Chinese tree in the new Chinese garden. We were chatting and meditating, listening to the gentle breeze rustle through the wispy trees. So calming. Then, courtesy of some teenagers at the next table, BUM . . .BA DA DUM . . . BA DA DEE. Nothing calming about that!!!! Hip-hop music is entirely unwelcome in a Chinese garden. In a personal protest against this affront, a spunky little Mexican girl went where everyone could see her, and began to do the "running man." We were all delighted and pleasantly, well, I would say surprised, but no one of our group was surprised because this specific spunky little Mexican girl was one of our own, and my best friend.

Happy Memorial Day. I'm going out of town. If you throw an estate sale at my house, be forewarned that the cops will come down on you hard.

A Party Quadroped

I've talked a lot about throwing parties, and doing it for no apparent reason or occasion, and I think I now know why I have a penchant for doing that. It is because I am celebrating the fact that I feel up to throwing a party. Essentially, all the parties I throw are for myself. My way of celebrating my health, the way I show my appreciation for it, is by doing my favorite thing, gathering my friends together to eat and laugh and be friendly.

Misadventures

The estate sale at my mom's house was on Mothers' Day weekend. It went poorly. On Friday, there was a small (about 50 people) riot of customers hastily going through the sale items. Some were sold. Not many. Saturday was slower, and we got a call from the professionals handling the estate sale, saying that the sale was going so poorly that we were going to have to go into overtime, pay some more, and try to sell more on Sunday. OK, that was fine; we just needed to get the stuff gone. We went to church Sunday morning as usual, confident that the estate sale was in good hands. It was a beautiful day, a great sermon, and we enjoyed sitting with some friends. After church, we checked the messages, and the estate sale guy had left a frantic message saying to get over there ASAP. So we drove to the house ASAP. Apparently, one of the neighbors had thought the house was being robbed (I'll assume they didn't see all the big signs that said, ESTATE SALE), so they called the police. 8 squad cars swarmed the house, and a customer-some guy walking out with a box of knick-knacks and old magazines-was frisked and patted down. Like I said, it went poorly.
I suppose the reason the police reacted with such force and promptness may be because of a story that was on the news recently where some yahoo was house sitting for a neighbor who was out of town, and held an "estate sale" at the neighbor's house, selling his things! That sure is a shame, but I suppose it is a good way of getting quick cash with no investment. I can't wait for the next time some one asks ME to house sit!

Business Woman

Shortly after we got Rufus, I quit my job at the library. I was tired of "working for the man." I wanted to venture out, build a company of my own from the ground up. I wanted to explore my full potential, spread my wings, and be an entrepreneur. I would be my own boss, set my own hours. So I bought some sandwich bags and started my own dog-walking business. For two years, I had a small but steady income with no overhead costs.

Seeing the Future

How do I see the future? I am caught between thinking that my best years are behind me, and thinking that the best is yet to come. The future may hold new, unknown adventures. Proverbs 31 describes a noble and wise woman. How does she view the future? She smiles at it; laughs at it, even. She is wise and prepared, so she opens her arms to the future and says, "Bring it on!" This noble, wise, God-fearing woman is one I want to emulate, so I embrace the unknown future with hope, and say like Emperor Cuzco in The Emperor's New Groove, when he sees an unknown and possibly dangerous future ahead, "Bring it on." Like Pat Benatar, I can look confidently at the future and say, "Hit me with your best shot." What is there to fear?

My One-Woman Cleaning Crusade

Today I watched a show called “How Clean is Your House?” I got all inspired to clean. Remembering the words of my friend, I looked at the clock and determined to clean for 15 minutes. I’ve been told you can do anything for 15 minutes. So I hauled out the vacuum cleaner and a piano stool, determined to eradicate the dangling spider webs that hang down from the ceiling and lurk in the corners and taunt me every time I lay on the floor to stretch or play with Rufus. I was fired up and ready to go!! I had officially declared war on the dangling webs. So I worked and worked . . . for AT LEAST 5 minutes. Then the long vacuum wand fell behind the piano, and after rescuing it with the broom handle, lost my momentum, and sat down at the computer to write about it. I’ll continue my great cleaning endeavors when I’m done. Either that, or I’ll take a nap.

This is not to say that I have anything against spiders. In fact, we have designated a significant area of our house as the spider area. Here, they can live and go about their daily activities in peace. It is only when they cross the established border that it is every man (and insect) for himself.

A Tranquil Life

Paul's first letter to Timothy urges the believers to "Pray on behalf of all men so that we can lead tranquil and Godly lives." Who is this? Who allows me to lead a tranquil and Godly life? The Legislature, law-makers who make it illegal for someone to break into my house. The police force, who enforce those laws, so I can go to bed at night and not be worried about someone breaking into my house. Correctional officers keep people who have broken into peoples houses from doing it again. Hundreds, probably thousands, of people allow me to lead a tranquil and Godly life. There are construction workers that build roads that allow me to go from one place to another and get my errands done. Health care professionals help me to stay safe and healthy. The pharmacist gives me the medicine I need to be healthy. The lady at the fabric store who helped me when I didn't know how much fabric to buy. Even Billy Blanks (the founder of Tae-Bo), and his cameramen, help me to live a tranquil, disciplined life,by exercising with his video in the morning. There are countless others-web designers who make it possible for me to write on my blog, restaurant workers who make me good food . . . the list could go on and on. And how do I help my loved ones to lead a tranquil and Godly life? By encouraging healthy activities, and helping them use time productively. By listening to their problems and stresses so that they feel tranquility. By encouraging them in Godly living.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Life is always changing on us and surprising us. Sometimes pleasantly, with new friendships, sometimes unpleasantly, with a cancer diagnosis. We thank God for both, because He can turn the unpleasant surprises into pleasant blessings.

La vida siempre nos está sorprendiendo. A veces es agradable con cosas buenas como amistades nuevas, a veces es inagradable con una enfermedad. Dimos gracias a Dios para ambos cosas, porque El puede cambiar las sorprendas inagradables a bendiciones agradables.

It's about time!

I don't have kids. I don't have a job. What I do have is time. That time came in very handy today as I accompanied a dear friend of mine to different doctors for various tests and scans. I had been thinking this week that I'd like to do more with my life, but I am where I am by God's choosing, and it is a good place to be . . . wherever God puts you. If I did have kids, or if I had a job, I wouldn't be able to be with my friend at this time.
I previously said I admired a woman who can be tough AND tender, strong AND sensitive. Now, I need to BE that woman. I need to be tough for my friend, making sure she understands all the medical jargon and gets the answers to her questions, and I also need to be tender with her, able to cry with her and feel her pain and disappointment.