Feeling Alive

Sometimes negativity reigns. I know people who feel alive only when they are complaining. Traffic is either too fast or too slow, the food is either too hot or too cold, work is either too busy or too boring, friends are either in-their-face or ignoring them. Nothing is ever just right. It's a hard way to live.

Speaking of a hard way to live, in one day downtown, besides the homeless, the busy, the pert, the fast, the ambling, and all the Starbuck's customers, I saw a woman with a walker, a blind person, and a lady in a breath activated wheel chair . There are several paths to a hard-way-to-live. Some chosen, some not.

"In the middle of the journey of life, I was in a dark wood because I had lost the true path, and so we came forth and once again beheld stars." Quote from the Irish movie Parked.

Being alive: Wandering into old age is a little like lost-in-the-dark-wood. At breakfast the other morning Claire said she heard a Linda Ronstadt interview and Linda mentioned belonging to the "senior class," yep that's us. And Mary had read about children with disabilities whose parents called them diff-abilities. Different not disconnected.

Jane and Amber just had surgery, Julia had a MRI to try to determine the root of her hip pain. Jean, Art and Jerry have already had joint replacement, and Tal and Janice have had their medical woes. Holy Moly my turn is coming. I can hear the drum beat getting louder. Any news on Josephine? How are you feeling Jeff? We seem to be collecting diff-abilities.

Hey Jeff what are you bringing to Greenleaf? Suitcase, chairs, the goodie box, hot dog skewers, Vienna Sausages, booze, the cast iron Dutch oven, an axe and the charcoal fire starter. What about t-shirts, are you going to bring those?

Nora has offered me a ride to Greenleaf and I suppose she will take me back also. Do I have a bed? Instead of alms for the poor. Bed anyone bed?

Do you know how many people don't believe a opossum can total a car?

Roger had prepared Connor for my new and different car so he was unaffected by the change, with one exception. He spied the crank windows and said, "What's this?" Then proceeded to crank about seventeen times. Oh, two exceptions, he cried when he couldn't push a key fob to open the doors. Yes, I let him use the key. He might have bent the key, but, oh well.

I got a big fat DUH from Connor when I didn't know about the Bigfeet characters and the dinosaur catching truck.
"Where did you get this?"
"DUH! Santa." Oh grannies.
I earned his respect back when I built a Lego-fireman-exercising-Santa with flames and an axe.

Feeling alive.

I get to go to a new TV show watch party on Wednesday Sept 25th @ 8:30, Back in the Game. My friend Sandy's, of Dragon Boat rowing fame, brother is the producer, and the director of the first episode. This should be fun. And I think I will have enough home grown ripe tomatoes to make a salad to go with the pizza and soda provided by our hostess.

"A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while -- he knows something."

Feeling alive feels good.