February 22, 2019 YOU SHOULD BE HERE

Is it a woman thing? This need to make EVERY thing better? Fix things? Keep everybody happy? I'm not sure. What I'm sure of though is that I don't have SUPERPOWERS and I can't make everything OK. None of us can and that pisses me off.  Death seems to lurk behind every door these days.  And there's nothing we can do about it. If I could--I'd wish it all away and everything would be back to normal.  Instead-- loved ones are struggling--learning to live their NEW normal. What the hell is that anyways?? I don't know. None of us knows --until it happens to us. I think that's what I've been wrestling with this week. How quickly our lives CAN change AND it scares the HELL out of me. Our beautiful friend is gone. She was a mother, sister, wife, aunt, cousin.  One person who touched  many lives. Family and friends are grieving and there's not a DAMN thing any of us can do about it. Or can we? We can grieve together--be there for each other--keep her memory alive. That's what we'll do. I feel better already.
  I just finished Night of Miracles --the sequel to Elizabeth's Berg's novel The Story or Arthur Truluv and I really enjoyed it. Set in Mason, Missouri, five years after Arthur dies, Lucille is now operating a successful baking business. Because she's getting older, Lucille decides to hire part-time help--a new woman in town named Iris Winters. Lucille also has new neighbors--a family of three whose future is in jeopardy when the mother becomes ill.  There are several other quirky characters including the taxi driver Tiny, who is actually quite large, and Monica, the waitress who works at Henhouse, that he is in love with. This is the story of a small town, friendship, kindness and how a community comes together to help during a crisis. It's also about human connections--something I fear many of us are losing in our "modern world". This book is about 250 pages or an easy 3 mile jaunt through the park. This feel good book was just what the doctor ordered. Enjoy.

 

February 17, 2019 MORE THAN WORDS

I'm a GRAMMARIAN with a secret. Don't tell anyone --BUT--I've turned  into THE GRAMMAR POLICE. I can't help myself-- I'm constantly correcting  grammar. Okay--I only do it in my head right now. Give me a few years though --WHEN MY FILTER'S GONE--I'm gonna be in BIG trouble. I'll be in line at the grocery store explaining WHO and WHOM and get punched in the mouth. YUP. PPSSTT--I have another secret.  In addition to being a WICKED GRAMMARIAN--I've recently discovered that I'm also an EVIL ELOCUTIONIST. Don't laugh--this is a serious issue. Who'd have thunk--teaching the art of public speaking--would become so TWISTED.  I few weeks ago--I found myself listening to a presentation and getting hives because the woman kept--dropping her INGS. This might not seem like a big deal to a normal person--but to someone as warped as I am--EVERY DROP--was a stab in the heart. Seriously. I have MANY issues. I know there are MORE important THINGS in the world--but I'm all about SAVING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE--one ING at a time.

LookING for a good murder mystery?? Look no further than Stuart Turton's debut The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Here's the premise--Several distinguished guests are invited by Lord and Lady Hardcastle to Blackheath House for a Masquerade party. While at the party, Evelyn Hardcastle, daughter of the hosts, dies under mysterious circumstances. The odd thing is that Evelyn Hardcastle  dies every night at 11:00 p.m.--living the same day over and over and will continue to do so unless Aiden Bishop finds her killer. Here's the trick--He only has eight days to solve the murder and stop the cycle before it begins again. Another catch--Aiden wakes up each morning in the body of one of the eight witnesses to the murder. He keeps reliving the same day as one of the witnesses while he's searching for Evelyn's killer. Crazy. So far Aiden has been a socialite, professional gambler, banker, and butler. While inhabiting each body--he becomes that person on the outside and must deal with the good and bad of each witness too.  I'm half way through the book and can't put it down. It's like Agatha Christie meets Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day. This 400 pager just melts away-- an 4 mile easy run. Can't wait to find out what happens next!

February 9, 2019 I LET TIME GO LIGHTLY

We became friends by default. Seriously. We didn't have a choice. We had mutual friends. In all fairness-- They were HER friends LONG before they became mine. Lucky for me-- she didn't mind sharing. The more the merrier was her attitude--we could ALL go to the party. That was almost 40 years ago. Although our friendship ebbed and flowed over the years--the connection was solid--an invisible wire holding the four of us together no matter how far we strayed. Harry Chapin explained THIS connection  in his song I Let Time Go Lightly. He said,  "Old friends, they mean much more to me than the new ones......They can see where you are........And they know where you've been." That really sums it up well. Don't get me wrong-- I love all  my friends--but Old friends are different. They really know where you've been because they lived through it with you.  They've seen the GOOD--BAD--UGLY and--THANKFULLY-- decided to stick around. Although we physically have to say good bye to one of our dear old friends--she's still with us because the invisible wire is forever. It's been a privilege to be your friend.

I DO NOT want to end this post on a sad note because she wouldn't want me to. My friend was upbeat, selfless and determined. She NEVER complained but decided  to LIVE EVERY DAY in the NOW. Following her lead, we too shall soldier on. I can't think of a better way to do this than  to read Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment. In this best selling book, Tolle not only breaks down the teachings of Buddha in order to make them more accessible, but he also presents an easy guide to achieving spiritual awareness. In order to accomplish this, Tolle believes that we NEED to let go of the EGO and the control that the MIND has over all of our thoughts and actions.  Tolle wants us to learn to live in the NOW.  Tolle believes that we all need to live each day-- bask in its glory--appreciate it fully like my dear friend did. When we are able to do this, Tolles believes that we will be at peace and live a more healthy life. I haven't read the entire book yet, but sincerely believe that Tolle's book is inspirational and can be life changing if you are ready for change and make the commitment to change. This self-help book is about 220 pages long--3 mile run--that's worth the read.

February 2, 2019 SHAME. SHAME, SHAME

OMG. Our elected officials have once again SHAMED our Nation. Seriously--In a billion years-- Would you EVER think it was OKAY to dress in Blackface and THEN POSE  for a photograph next to someone dressed in a KKK outfit. It's disgusting and SO offensive on every level. It's a visual RACIST STATEMENT. He doesn't have to say a word. WE KNOW WHO HE IS. I ALWAYS tell me students-- People don't learn about you-- by what you SAY--its about how you ACT. ACTIONS ALWAYS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. It doesn't matter when the picture was taken. Racism is a LEARNED BEHAVIOR. It is NOT innate. We are not born knowing to judge someone by  the color or tone of their skin. The sad reality is that he learned it--probably from his family--and  the cycle of RACISM  continues on into 2019. When will it end--probably never--that's the SAD TRUTH. Racism is one kind of prejudice, but equally horrifying is the religious prejudice in Khushwant Singh's classic Train to Pakistan.  

Singh was definitely a Renaissance man. He was a lawyer, diplomat, journalist, politician and author of over forty books with Train to Pakistan his most famous. Set in 1947 in a small village in India called Mano Majra, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs had lived together as brothers for hundreds of years. Sadly, everything changed after the State of Pakistan was established. Because their village was so remote, the villagers managed to remain ignorant about what was happening in their country. Ten million Hindus-Muslims-Sikhs were being displaced, the new establishment pitted religion against religion and Northern India was in a state of terror.  One day, Mano Majra and its people were changed forever after the arrival of the ghost train. In it were thousands of dead refugees from the Civil War. In the blink of an eye--their peaceful town changed to one of paranoia and hate--brother against brother. Human nature and the instinct to survive  turned the most civilized men into beasts.  Find out about a very sad but true part of history when you read this 200 page-- 3 mile run--eye opening book for yourself.