Some Things Friday for September 12, 2008

Very sad news from my sister yesterday. Her best friend and life partner, Bob, passed away after a long, painful struggle with cancer.

She said she thought she was prepared. I don't think you can ever be truly "prepared." During those last days with dying loved ones, we try hard to be realistic and accept what is to come and we attempt to prepare ourselves for the worst, but we always reserve that one little place inside that still hopes and/or prays for miracle, maybe divine intervention. We know it happens. We hear of it through the media, through friends and relatives. So we hope and pray. But, when it finally happens; when the miracle doesn't come and our loved one passes, our pain is greater than we thought. Beside the devastating loss of a loved one, we also feel the loss of that glimmer of hope.

My love, thoughts and prayers are with my sister. Rest in peace, Bob.

Some Things I Love:

1. Grandma. There is something so special about a child calling out, "Grandma!" and running towards me to give me a hug or hold my hand or show me something they think is special. They don't belong to me, but they are still gifts my children have given me.

2. Kissing Tom on the head. He's pretty bald, but I love him that way. I like to come up behind him when he sitting in a chair, put my hands on either side of his head and just softly kiss the top of his head.

3. I have a new cookbook...

written as only Maya Angelou could.

4. Long walks, preferably on the beach or on wooded hiking trails, but a walking or bike trail at a park will do.

5. Our realtor showed our flip-house last night and the people actually were interested and had questions! Maybe someday we will actually get an offer and sell it!

Some Things I Hate:

1. A really lousy movie. Even when I don't watch it all the way through, I feel like I've wasted precious time that could have been better spent doing something I love.

2. I love technology and I love the internet. I love sharing ideas and opinions on forums and blogs with people all over the world. What I hate is that some people use the anonymity to wage inappropriate, cruel attacks on other people with whom they disagree.

3. Sometimes I just get so tired of being a responsible grown up. There are just times when I would like to do what other people do... just not give a $hit about anyone but me.

4. Arrogant snobs.

5. I have worn my hair pretty much the same way for almost 20 years. I am sick of it, but I don't have the patience to let it grow out to change it.

Some Things I Just Don't Get:

1. Why some people just can't be bothered to be kind or nice or even civil.

2. Why both sides a political campaign must demonize the other, including demonizing their supporters.

3. Fashion week. Housing market is in the tubes, hundreds of thousands of people are out of work, banks are collapsing left and right, oil prices are sky high, but we are supposed to care about Fashion Week. Com'on

4. N.A.S.A. received a $16.3 billion budget allowance for 2007. The National Cancer Institute's research expenditures for 2007 was $4.75 billion. Hmmm. Space exploration vs. the lives of millions of people. The budgets seem a little weighted for the wrong priorities.

5. Limited vision. R.D. Laing says it best:

"The range of what we see and do
Is limited by what we fail to notice.
And because we fail to notice
That we fail to notice,
There is little we can do
To change
Until we notice
How failing to notice
Shapes our thoughts and deeds."