Another year has passed, and I’ve reached a new milestone in age. It’s strange how quickly the years have piled up but I’m grateful to have lived each one. The good moments and bad, along with all the ups and downs have helped to make me who I am. I’m hopeful that I’ve changed for the better but only those who know me well know for sure.
I got a kick out of a conversation I had with a few friends the other evening and it had me smiling for a few days and thinking about how much my conversations have changed with age. At some point in life, I went from talking about the fun things I was planning to do, to important subjects like traffic, weather, and aches and pains. Gone are the wild antics of yesterday replaced with often random thoughts pulled from who knows where and inserted at the oddest moments into the middle of another conversation entirely that leave me wondering about myself.
I love it when someone asks me what are my plans are for the weekend? A question which is often followed by a lengthy pause by me as if I might be planning a bit of mountain climbing, bungy jumping, or clubbing with friends when in truth I know I’ll be doing something less intense like reading or writing perhaps. But here’s the deal, even though I’m getting older, my face may look like a road map to the casual observer, and I sport a few bumps and scars seen and unseen, I’m still alive.
I try to stay active. I ride my bike around 10 miles three days a week and do aerobics on a rebounder the other two. Yeah, I know the bike is stationary, but I can’t hurt myself too badly if I fall off and I don’t have to wear a helmet or fight traffic. You see that word has made its way into the conversation again
I have often rushed through life like it’s a race. But life is not a sprint, it’s a journey not always understood, but something to be savored. Yesterday is history and already a part of my story. Tomorrow is a mystery, yet to be written. It is today, at this very moment that I hold in my hand. It unfolds minute by minute and hour by hour, no matter what my plans.
I’m thrilled to have reached my age. Not everyone gets to. I’ve enjoyed watching my sons grow and build lives for themselves. It’s wonderful to watch their children too. The days fly by, the months roll on, and before I can blink my eyes another year will be gone. I want to enjoy as much as I can and be grateful for the few lovely surprises that life dished out along the way.
At times the words thank you seem inadequate for what is in your heart to say to others. The last several months have been filled with many ups and downs for us. But so many of you have supported us with your good thoughts, prayers, and acts kindness that it made a difficult time more tolerable. Thank you.
In a time when it seems like everything is bent on dividing us, it is amazing to watch someone doing all they can to save another’s life. The past several months I have watched my husband go through a lot to continue to live. Those who worked to save his life are true heroes to me. The experience put life into perspective. While the urgent may push the important aside daily, I was once again reminded of the fragility of this life and treasuring those I love.
I’ve often said life is a rollercoaster ride filled with highs and lows sometimes both in the same day. The events of the past few weeks are a perfect example.
After a routine echocardiogram, my husband ended up back in the ICU when one of his stents failed after only a few months and a main artery was 98% closed. (This happens to only about 3% of the recipients of their newest and best stent. (Lucky Rob.)
His cardiologist told him that he needed a double bypass, and the surgeon scheduled it for the next Thursday. But while he waited, he remained in Cardiac Intensive Care as all the blood thinners he was on left his system.
To make a long story short. On the Sunday evening before the scheduled surgery Rob crashed and the dreaded code blue came over the hospital intercom with his room number just as I had arrived back at the hospital. A truly intense moment for me as I waited. Thankfully, the skills of an amazing nursing team were able to restore a pulse within 30 seconds with CPR.
Then he was off to the OR to open blood flow through the heart. Bypass is on hold for now, he has few stories to tell from his wild ride, and I aged a few years, I think. But mostly, I am grateful to still be sharing life with him one day at a time.
When I needed others’ to be there you were and I plan on doing the same. What unites us as people is stronger than what divides us. I hope someday we will understand how closely all of us in the human race are related to one another and we will not believe the lies that would try to divide us.
Research has shown that daydreaming can help creativity. (I smile) I knew it! All the daydreaming I did over the years was really good for me. My mother used to get exasperated with me, my teachers tried their best to call me be back to earth, and in general people didn’t get it, but I did. I never tired of getting lost in the thoughts and pictures in my mind.
As far back as I can remember, I’ve made up stories in my head. I’ve re-imaged the ending to books I was reading, and in general lived with my head in the cloud, or at least my mom told me I did. I seemed to find a voice for all of this when I made my first attempt at writing those stories down.
My daydreaming has taken the form of writing novels. Fifteen over the past ten years, to be exact. There are stories all around us, stories of love, greed, and many that inspire us. Some reveal how ruthless a human can be, while others show someone’s goodness that can bring us to tears. When penned to paper and read, stories can make us desire to be a better human, fill us with courage and resolve, educate and inspire us and often make us laugh. Thank you to all the authors who wrote the books I’ve lived through, and to the readers who gave this budding author a chance. I have to say I love writing and letting my imagination loose to play. For those of you who’ve read any of my books you know, my mind walks down some odd and strange pathways.
Some days my mind is filled with inspired thoughts but on other days it’s ridiculous questions that take center stage like: How many roads does a man need to drive down before he realizes he’s lost and asks for directions? Can tomfoolery be done only by Tom? Or as a friend says you know you’ve drank too much coffee when you can thread a running sewing machine. I’m procrastinating! But I love those days that work in harmony. A day when daydreams and the incubation of ideas came together and make for a great day of writing.
I especially enjoy when a reader tells me how they feel about one of my books. I’m happy to share them when they do. It keeps me motivated and encouraged to keep writing as long as I can.
5 Stars “A Common Thread” is a thrilling mystery that draws readers into a web of crimes and personal entanglements. Jessie Reynolds, the determined protagonist, is a compelling character who guides us through a complex investigation that links a missing girl, a murder, and a potential serial killer.
The collaboration between Jessie and Matt Parker adds depth to the story, and their dynamic is both engaging and relatable. The incorporation of elements like ghosts, an improbable journey, and old enemies from the past adds a touch of intrigue and mystique to the narrative…In summary, “A Common Thread” is a captivating mystery that keeps readers engaged with its intriguing characters and complex storyline.
“Life is motion, change, stagnation, bloom: nothing ever seems to happen, or awful stuff happens, or beautiful stuff happens, and we say “Amen.” Anne Lamont
With all its challenges life still manages to fill me with wonder. People get broken in real life, bad things happen to good people, and some days make no sense at all, but often in those low moments help rides in with love like the superglue of life to repair the cracks and fissures using others. The past several days I’ve seen the broken and those who held the superglue. Love in action is beautiful to watch but to be a recipient of it is overwhelming.
In a time when it seems like everything is bent on dividing us, it is amazing to watch someone doing all they can to save another’s life. Life gently or at times not so gently reminds us we are all flawed and need help to repair the cracks and fissures in our lives.
The past month I have watched my husband go through a lot to continue to live. Those who worked to save his life are true heroes to me. The experience put life into perspective. While the urgent may push the important aside daily, I was once again reminded of the fragility of this life and treasuring those I love.
In Japan, broken objects are often repaired with gold. The flaw is seen as a unique piece of the object’s history and its beauty. Every day that my husband’s heart beats stronger I will remember those who used the superglue and gold to repair what was broken into a unique piece with a special story to tell.
In an often mean world I find it hard to believe that there are any nice people left out there. The news on most days is distressing and often shows the worst sides of humanity. Revenge seems to be the optimum word of the day. But call me naive, I still think there is good to be found in humanity and some folks are a pleasant revelation. No, they aren’t the ones screaming at us from our TV’s, or those demonizing someone different from them, but they are the ones who work quietly behind the scenes to make our world a better place.
Their stories inspire us, bring us hope, and make us want to be better ourselves. Their actions are like candles lit n the cosmic way. They seem to understand the value of every person, no matter their faith, political beliefs, or the state of their birth. These folks are able to see beyond the facade erected, to the good seed planted deep in another’s life. Their stories of courage, sacrifice, and love break through where nothing else can.
The last few months have been full of activities for us. I found it hard to keep up with all my marketing and my blog. From middle school and high school graduations to a few medical emergencies for someone I love, I had to take a little time off because my mind wouldn’t let me go there. I plugged along at a few hundred words here and there, but not my usual fast pace. It’s been a while, but finally I can feel the desire to get back to writing and blogging. The past few months were both good and rough mingled together with moments of great joy and of reflection. I found I couldn’t rush through all the emotions I was feeling but had to move forward at my own pace.
On the plus side, my granddaughter graduated from high school with nine chords of honor. I didn’t even know that was possible. She lettered in academics all four years and was accepted into the Neurology and Pre-Med program with the University’s Presidential Scholarship. She learned Chinese for heaven’s sake. Wow! Can I brag for a moment about what an amazing and sweet girl that she is. Of course, all my grandkids are. Enjoying their accomplishments is a big deal. I have another granddaughter who just sent me a text today that she passed her driver’s knowledge test and can get her permit on the seventeenth. It seems like yesterday both of these young ladies were little girls. I can’t neglect to mention I have three wonderful grandsons too. The one thing I’m sure of is that life is constantly changing and I’m afraid to blink for fear I’ll miss something special or important.
Maya Angelous said, “Each one of us has lived through some devastation, some loneliness, some weather super-storm, or a spiritual super-storm. When we look at each other we must say, “I understand”. I understand how you feel because I have been there myself.” Wise words as far as I’m concerned. We all have highs and lows. Compassion and understanding would go a long way in our overly mean world right now.
I’ve learned that at some point in life if we allow it, something in our life switches on and we become aware of it all; the good, the bad, the happy and the sad. It’s like tasting a really good chocolate or sipping a wonderful wine for the very first time; we begin to appreciate and to savor our life with all its ups and downs. Our memories become our special friends that can bring a random smile to our faces or maybe tears; A certain song can remind us of a moment sealed in our hearts, and family and friends become more cherished than ever. Life is interesting, filled with hope, and sometimes broken promises but it is what it is. Sip from today with joy life is not a sprint but a journey.