HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! My!
What a year 2024 was. There were so many
interesting things which happened in my life---so many to be thankful for, some
things which brought a tear, and many which brought a smile or laugh. I’m headed for birthday #80 this year. I’m grateful for that, too, as I didn’t think
I’d be here that long, and I know some who never saw that year. I hope your new
year brings you a lot of smiles, a few tears so you can appreciate the smiles,
some feelings of awe, and many grateful experiences. FYI: 1
billion people watch, on television, the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times
Square each year.
I was recently looking at a picture drawn by a young person
displayed on a wall. It was a big circle
with a lot of scribbling line inside the circle. In a small area was a heart. The title of the picture was CHAOS of THE
WORLD. I had a blank sticky note in my
purse. I took it out and wrote on it,
“The title of this picture should be CHAOS OF THE WORLD, BUT THERE IS LOVE, due
to the tiny heart.” I put the note on the wall beside the picture. I went back later and saw on the sticky note,
“Yes, there is always room for love.” I
smiled.
Have you ever noticed that your attitude to another is
usually based on the way you’ve been treated?
It is for me. It’s like
approaching a growling dog; you remember the warning, you’re nice, but very
cautious.
Teacher’s meetings after a long day in the classroom can be
daunting. Usually the administrator(s)
haven’t had to deal with what we do for 6+ hours. This particular meeting was every bit boring
and unnecessary and the information could have been put in a note in our
mailboxes or sent as a departmental e-mail.
As the administrator droned on and on, I noticed one of our male
teachers had fallen asleep. I understood
his plight because he worked as a security guard from 5 to 12 after he’d taught
all day. The administrator asked, “Does
anyone have anything to say about what I’ve just presented?” Within three seconds the sleeping teacher
awakened with a loud snore. One of our
most candid teachers said, “Well, that seems to be the majority’s
opinion.” The group erupted in laughter. The meeting was dismissed. In another meeting, my husband was to receive
the 35 year ring of appreciation. The
administrator who presented it to him was a legend in their own mind. My husband was in his 36th year of
teaching. So, the presentation was
actually a year late---the fault of this administrator. The administrator said, “Guy, I’m presenting
to you this ring for 35 years of service.”
Guy smiled, held up his finger and said, “And I’m presenting to you the
finger.” Not a soul could stop laughing.
As I’ve aged, (matured sounds so much better, though), I’ve
found that simplicity is a lot more comfortable than complexity. My simplicity is: a reasonable amount of night’s sleep, simple
meals, laughing in a conversation, listening to the sounds of silence, watching
a sunrise or sunset, closing my eyes and enveloping myself in memories which are
smile producers, a purring cat on my lap, the feel of fresh and clean sheets, a
smile from someone, hearing a child’s laughter, “I love you, Mom”, “Thank you”,
remembering the memories, and many more, but I can’t think of them, now.
Men have a language.
Up nod is “What’s up?” Down nod is “You have my respect.” Right nod is
“I need to talk to you about something.” Left nod is “Yo, check this out.” Well, women have a language, too. Eye roll means “Here he goes again.” Sideways
smile means “Oh yeah, riigghhtt.” Half
closed eyes means “I’m not looking, but I’m looking.” Slowly moving head from
side to side, “Unbelievable” Slowly
moving head up and down with a side smile, “I told you so.” Both hands on side
hips means “Get ready for not winning, AGAIN.”
Sometimes my mind wanders into names of towns which would be
suggestions describing an occupations or businesses. Bend, Oregon for a yoga instructor;
Sweetwater, TX for a brewery; Big Battle, WV for an ammunition plant; Blue
Balls, PA for a ball making company; Bald Head, Maine for a wig making company;
Pray, Montana for a church kneeling rail company; Mexican Hat, Utah for a
sombrero making company; Recluse, WY for independent living.
Here are some actual product labels. “Wash when dirty.”; “Clothing tested on
animals, but didn’t fit.”; “Use this ONLY to curl your hair.”; “Product tested only on party animals”; “If
you don’t know how to use this, we suggest you find someone you really like and
invite them to shower with you to demonstrate.”; “Can be washed by both men and
women”; “Do not fry this product while naked”; “Remove child from shirt before
washing”; “Laundry wash pods are not for
eating!”; “Use in the shower while you sing an 80s song. Do your best”; “Do not engage middle finger
when you can’t understand these directions.
Call your friend.”
I saw a sign the other day.
“I IDENTIFY AS DANGER. MY
PRONOUNS ARE: TRY ME”
Butterflies rest during storms because the storm activity
and elements damage their wings. It’s
all right for you to rest during the storms in your life. You’ll regain flight when it’s over and your
wings will be strong. If you think of
how a butterfly evolves. I believe it is
proof that you can go through a great deal of darkness and still become
something beautiful.
We were in the throes of “intense fellowship” one day. My beloved, Guy, growled, “If you EVER get
lock jaw, I’m going to throw a party!” I
told him I’d invest in a paper company so I could continue to communicate with
him. Then I tried to show him some sign
language. Still angry, he surprised me
and showed me what he already knew.
Brenduhh and her sister were on
opposite sides of a river. Her sister calls
to her, “Yoo Hoo, how do I get to the other side?” Brenduhh looks up and down the river. Then she calls out, “You ARE on the other
side;” which leads me to tell you, there always is a flip side to the flip
side.
Ohnosecond: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize
that you’ve just made a BIG mistake;
or you pressed SEND instead of DELETE or visa versa.
I’ve mentioned stupid. I’ve mentioned ignorance. Here are some definitions which enlightened me.
“A fact is information minus emotion.
An opinion is information
plus experience. Ignorance is an opinion lacking information. And, stupidity
is an opinion that ignores a fact. My
opinion, based on fact, but not ignorant is----all this is tried, tested, and
found to be true.” Now you know.
“Take sides. Neutrality
helps the oppressor, never the victim.” Eli Wiesel
Just know, everyone isn’t
replaceable. That’s true. There is the physical vacancy, but when filled with memories, there they are!!
I was talking to others about
their Christmas. Some had a joyous one,
others were lonesome missing certain family members who had passed away or
moved away too far to visit. A few were
sad or had sickness to deal with. I
understood and empathized how they all were feeling, as I had experienced each
of their feelings at one time or another.
I said to them, “Among all the unusual happenings are the memories of
the fun Christmases of the past when the kids were little and filled with awww
at all the festivities. Then there are
the memories of my Christmases with Mother, Daddy, and my siblings as I grew
up. It just takes an odor, a sound, or a
taste to bring it all back. And, there I
am, once again, in the middle of the now with the memories of then.”
I was wrestling with some issues; one was a success I’d had
and the other my fear of failure. I went
to Aint Daisy and told her about them.
She said, “Nev-uh let success go to yer head, and nev-uh let failure go
to yer heart. There has t’ be a balance,
chile. Success can be a double-edged
sword---where much is given, there’s much expected. Failure can be a steppin’ stone to better
things for ye. Remember: when a windah closes, a door opens. With a small failure, the windah, may lead to
a big success, the door. More wisdom
from The Lady of the Holler.
Peace and smiles to you until next month. Trudy
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