Life Lesson

The Process

The Process I think of myself as diamond,perhaps pure gold.Maybe my life is an antique vase,unique, precious, and rare.Consider the point it which they all began.Think of the process each went through.Each test of life has shaped me.

Scavenger Hunts and Surprise Parties

Scavenger Hunts and Surprise Parties During my down time, you can find me vegging out in front of the USA Network. I love all their shows (except for late night WWE wrestling). White...

It's All About Me

It's All About Me Confession time ladies. I stand before you all today (metaphorically, of course), and I admit it. I am self-centered. Horribly, terribly, embarrassingly self-centered. I am capable of caring about others' lives. I am also decent at putting things into perspective, at recognizing—at least cognitively—that most things are not about me and that others generally do not suffer a wild need to know what I had for lunch and how I felt...

Jammed Sliding Doors

Jammed Sliding Doors When I followed Quantum Leap assiduously, my favorite expression was, “Oh, Boy!” Samuel Beckett’s catchphrase just before he felt that he was leaping into the body of his next "host." Throughout the series, we were given piecemeal information about how this partial amnesia happened; the...

Tracking You

Tracking You There's a lesson in here somewhere.It's in everything I do,but camouflaged as it may be,I hunt for clues along the way.

Whole

Whole Though I stomp and whine and moanfor my own idea of completion,I see that You have already made me whole.And so I praise youfor the body that sustains meand the spirit that fills me,for the friends that support meand the family that guides me,for the work that challenges meand the play that thrills me,

Following My Own Path

Following My Own Path... After My Mom As Thanksgiving approaches, like many of you, I’ve been giving thought to what I’m thankful for.  I love that I get to work from home.  I’m incredibly grateful that we are able to make ends meets.  I’m also thankful to be able to host my friends and my son’s friends at mealtime. 

From Rags to Riches

From Rags to Riches Seated on a lofty perchshe held her Persian head high.Thank You for allowing meto perceive the subtle dignitythat elevated a homeless felineto the stature of royaltydespite her humble surroundings. There is kindness presentwhere animals...

Word Perfect

Word Perfect My sister's university thesis had been about language – specifically, the way it is used as lyrics in pop songs. 'Pop' was used explicitly in its original meaning of popular, rather than what it signifies today – an endless repetition of the same phrase, or syllables that have neither rhyme nor meaning. I'd typed it out for her on our manual typewriter, because lupus made her joints ache. I was so pro...

Glass Works

Glass Works At the corner of our dining room stood a Murano glass lamp-stand. Its intricate glass flowers and leaves were dull and opaque with dust, and its brass base had long lost its lustre. My excuse was that the smell of metal polish gets up my nose and gives me a migraine.  It had been a wedding gift to my parents in the early 1950's; one of those intricate, fragile jigsaw...

Now What?

Now What? You know, it's funny how unaware you are of your surroundings until you have to look beyond yourself for help. While I sort of pride myself on being aware, of others' needs and community involvement, it was this little thing that happened to me that made me more aware of my own neighborhood.

Thread Carefully

Thread Carefully When I was a kid, I caught the occasional spider and let it loose in my room without telling my sister. But, it wasn't a practical joke. I was being eco-conscious, way before the word was a twinkle in any environmentalist's eye.

Snow White

Snow White Conscience My two year old daughter and I are both major Disney movie junkies. Anything with a tiara and poofy ball gown, and we're spell bound. The more cheesy music, the better. It's mother-daughter bonding at its most obnoxious, and I am more than willing to admit it.

Truth in Advertising

Truth in Advertising Politicians and preachers have something in common - besides occasional sex scandals and corruption - and that is, the uncanny ability to always stay "on message." The same holds true in the world of advertising.  I've written some copy for ad campaigns, and one of my favorites this year was for a charitable entity here in New Jersey,

Thankfulness

Thankfulness I attended an interfaith women's group meeting on Saturday. The topic was loss – of all types – and how we can move beyond it. As the morning went on, more of the older members of the group discussed the loss they felt about their childhood.

Showing Up

Showing Up Just when I thoughtYou'd forgotten all about me,You show up out of the blue. A message, a flower, a guide.Something speaks to meand it says You. I bet You've been there all along,and since I wasn't expecting You,I missed Your appearance. Open up my sensesso that I may let You in.

Everybody's a Star

Everybody's a Star Celebrity gossip sites may call them the "Biggest Scandals of 2010," but I read these stories from a different perspective.  This was a tough year for me, and it taught me to view challenges through a "future filter."  That is, what did I learn from this experience that I can use going forward?  When the...

Tribal Rhythm

Tribal Rhythm I have learned that belly dance is all about isolation. My teacher taught me this several weeks ago, explaining that the hypnotizing nature of the dance comes from the way the hips and the torso move independently. I have also learned that the act of learning belly dance is a sort of isolation.

Going Against Traffic: Culture Clash and a Two Way Street

Going Against Traffic: Culture Clash and a Two Way Street As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there's...