2017 June FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

                                                   2017 June FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

The last of April, central Illinois has so much rain there was a lot of flooding along the Illinois River and some of the creeks.  Personally, I was ready to start building an ark.  Brenduhh came over all excited that week end.  “Trudy, I’m going on vacation and it will be so much fun.”  I asked her where she was going.  “Well, I thought it would be a lot of fun to go surfing.”  I asked her when she was going to California or Florida to do that.  She gushed, “Oh you silly girl.  I don’t need to go that far to surf and ride the waves.  The Illinois River is really deep now and some of the creeks are running real fast.  Those are gonna be perfect places.”  I told her it was too cold and the waters were very muddy.  “You know all your blond hair will turn brown, don’t you?” I questioned.  She thought a bit and agreed she’d have brown hair and not light blond if she went.  Sometimes it doesn’t take much to change her mind; but then again, there’s not much there to change.

I was swimming recently and accidentally splashed a lady who was next to me.  She hollered, “You splashed me; I don’t want to get wet!”  She was standing shoulder deep in the pool.  My gosh, it was Brenduhh’s mom.

All through life this question pops up---we wonder who we are, what role we really play in certain situations or other’s lives.  I’ve applied this to “Should I buy this or that”, “Should I address the issue or let it go”, and “Is it (object) to be here or there?  I definitely apply it when I’m cleaning out closets and drawers.  Life is full of questions. Sometimes there are more questions than there are answers.  It, also, seems that just when I’ve found the answer, someone throws in another question!  Ever question if you did a good job raising your child(ren) only to see/hear them quote you to their own child(ren) that which they so vehemently objected to coming from you?  When my children were growing up, I was pretty strict with them.  Daddy and Mother had been strict with me, their wild child, but, they informed me, not to the degree I was with my children.  I told them I’d had two good teachers, and I turned out pretty good.  They didn’t question my strictness anymore.

If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.  Well, I see it’s time to get a good book and carry it with me as I drive.  No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple, or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, either.  On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.  Our influence extends further than we know!  Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite, and nitro comes in jelly form.  LUNCH!!!!  “Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with only the left hand; “lollipop” with the quotes is the longest with your right hand.  “I” is the shortest with the right and “A” is the shortest with the left.  Some people have a lot of time on their hands, don’t they?  TIME is evenly divided between both hands.

Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky, are best relieved by the letting of a little water. -Christopher Morley, writer (5 May 1890-1957) Which brings me to a saying I heard a long time ago:  “Tears are the safety valve of the heart,” and “It’s all right to cry; crying lets the sad out of you.”  All of this is so true.  Studies have been done about the chemical composition of tears brought on by various situations.  They are all different in composition.

I have accepted a position with a famous crayon company.   I am a consultant now.   I was so surprised when they called and told me my resume was exactly what they were looking for.   Some of the colors, although I loved them, were delicious, but I didn't eat a single one.   I made suggestions of:   "8 in a box is about as thrilling as dried lox;"   "If you must give delicious names to the colors, have them smell that way too, provide the caloric and fat content, and provide more than one serving in a box."   Macaroni and Cheese was my favorite with a close second of Mashed Potatoes.   Of course, double chocolate cake was so tempting.   I suggested ADULT crayons: "Jose Cuervo gold; Sex on the Beach ooh lala tan; Screwdriver yellow; Manhattan with 5 cherries bronze; Dom Perignon clear like diamonds; Rum and Coke liquid browned bronze."   I asked that rutabaga, Brussels sprouts, and other disgusting veggies have no place in the box---throw them out; don't even think of it. Puce (French for flea) sounds too much like another sickening word--P U * E, so hurl that color, too."   They were most accepting of my suggestions.   I'm now waiting for a paper I submitted.   It was difficult to outline and stay in the lines as excited as I was, but I did it.   I, also, suggested a warning sign be put on the box:   KEEP OUT OF REACH OF A HUNGRY DOG.   TECHNICOLOR POOP IS DIFFICULT TO REMOVE FROM LIGHT COLORED CARPETING.   They liked that one, too.
P.S.   If you believe this position for me, I have a box of used, very-loved, made-into-missile-bullets, broken crayons for ya.   ‘Had to have some fun.

A long time ago I read a book titled A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME by Polly Adler.  Its subject was about a house of ill repute and the ones who “lived” there, their lives, and the lives of others who went to that house.  The title has stuck with me all these years.  I’ve lived in many houses and with each one I tried to make it a home.  The people, my family, are what made the building, a house, a home.  When you have those you love being together in a house, you have a home, and…..you have everything.

Written By: Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer.  "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

1.  Life isn't fair, but it's still good.  2.  When in doubt, just take the next small step.  3.  Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.  4.  Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will.  Stay in touch.   5.  Pay off your credit cards every month.  6.  You don't have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree.  7.  Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.  8. It's OK to get angry with God;  He can take it.  9.  Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.  10.  When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.  11.  Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.  12.  It's OK to let your children see you cry.  13.  Don't compare your life to others.  You have no idea what their journey is all about.  14.  If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.  15.  Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.  16.  Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.  17.  Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.  18.  Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.  19.  It's never too late to have a happy childhood.  But the second one is up to you and no one else.  20.  When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take “No” for an answer.  21.  Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie.  Don't save it for a special occasion.  Today is special.  22.  Over prepare, and then go with the flow.  23.  Be eccentric now.  Don't wait for old age to wear purple.  24.  The most important sex organ is the brain.  25.  No one is in charge of your happiness but you.  26.  Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'  27.  Always choose life.  28.  Forgive everyone everything.  29.  What other people think of you is none of your business.  30.  Time heals almost everything.  Give time time.  31.  However good or bad a situation is, it will change.  32.  Don't take yourself so seriously.  No one else does.  33.  Believe in miracles.  34.  God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.  35.  Don't audit life.  Show up and make the most of it now.  36.  Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.  37.  Your children get only one childhood.  38.  All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.  39.  Get outside every day.  Miracles are waiting everywhere.  40.  If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.  41.  Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.  42.  The best is yet to come.  43.  No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.  44.  Yield.  45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift." 

Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

Have you ever thought how scary DO NOT TOUCH is in Braille?  Do fish ever get tire of swimming?  Why do cats jump and are scared of a moving leaf, but don't snarl and hiss when you go to get them off your favorite chair?  When buttermilk goes sour, how will you know?  What’s the difference between “Eggs over easy” and “Eggs over easily”?  Have you ever notice that hieroglyphics could be the original emojis? 

“When you repeat a mistake, it is not a mistake anymore:  it is a decision.”  Paulo Coelho   “Mistakes have been known to be called “experience”, IF you learned from them.”  Trudy Jean

See you in July.  Blessings and smiles to you.  Trudy