Archive for May 2011
I Scream
Last night, I splurged on a treat of ice cream after dinner. I garnished it with my all-time favorite topping, Grape-Nuts cereal. I must have been in a contemplative mood, because the pouring of Grape-Nuts triggered a deep sense of appreciation for how much I love that cereal on my ice cream and how much I love ice cream.
A long time ago, maybe starting back when I suffered a kidney stone, I realized I needed to be prudent about my ice cream indulgences. If I dropped my guard and let my whimsy direct my actions, I believe I would choose to have ice cream for breakfast, lunch, dinner and several snacks in between. I love the coldness of ice cream more than anything, and the texture, or range of textures, is a close second. The flavor is almost trivial, except for the fact that it provides variety, and I am all over variety. It would be a tragedy to eat so much ice cream that I become bored with it. Although, come to think of it, coffee flavor in my ice cream is one thing than can render the treat intolerable and unpalatable.
When our children were young, one skill we intended to nurture was self-control over food treats. I remember one particular incident with Julian when he asked how many cookies he could have. Our answer was in the form of a question. “How many do you think you should have?” Whether he wanted to, or not, he thought about it and made a sensible choice. From that moment on, we were able to allow him to work on managing that kind of decision himself. You don’t have to stop at just one, but there is a sensible upper limit that falls short of being excessive. There is an art to mastering the discernment and control which allows for successful functioning within that range.
For myself, regarding ice cream, I practice a strict control. There was a time in my life when I had ice cream available by the gallon in my freezer. There have also been times when I asked that it not be purchased at all for our home freezer. We have been known to substitute a frozen fruit bar to sooth my cravings. I don’t mind them, but sometimes, instead of relishing their delicacies, all I can do is notice how NOT like ice cream they are.
One thing my strict rationing of ice cream does do for me lately is it helps me really, really appreciate everything I love about the treat. Last night I allowed myself to do just that with my favorite topping and a few simple scoops of vanilla flavor in a big bowl. From the first hard bites to the latter soft mix with crunchy cereal, I wallowed in a life-time of fondness for this favorite treat.
As satisfying as that was, it also triggered a craving to have it for breakfast this morning, for lunch today, and a snack between that and dinner. It’s back to strict control for me. I love ice cream that much.
Complex Dilemma
Imagine if you wanted to avoid a popular subject. Say, a really popular television show about a singing contest, or a show about a contest to vote people out of a competition? Consider the intention of steering clear of news broadcasts, especially the ones that include “news” features on the subject of the television programs afore-mentioned being broadcast by the related network. How about if you wanted nothing to do with the excessive attention being focused on the wedding of two people from another country? What if some guy was able to create public excitement over his opinion that the end of the world is just days away?
Actually, if what you are intending to do is keep from feeding the frenzy, it doesn’t matter what the hot item of the moment is. The trick is in the avoidance. To do nothing is hardly rewarding. It makes little difference against the maelstrom of the masses. The crucial truth is, if you want to stay out of the fray, you have no real, effective weapon to wield.
If you try to lobby a case for purposefully staying out of the brouhaha whipped up by the media and the citizen gossip/analysis, you still contribute to giving time to the subject which you are trying to avoid. The only real way to not play into the latest media attention getter is to refrain from speaking (or writing) on the subject altogether. Silence.
It drives me nuts. How do you know if what you are not doing is providing any value?
Listless Listing
empty yogurt container
throw pillows
hockey game on Versus
missed shot
unopened mail
clock with broken hands
Canadian accent
tired eyes
absent mind
home alone
soft blanket
quiet confidence
plaid short-sleeve shirt
number 3
worthless knick knacks
shelves of books
remote control
brick wall
Say What?
You never know, in the grand scheme of things, just how far we can go when all is said and done. There is no time like the present to reap what we sow, as opposed to rip what we sew. Far be it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth or fail to see the forest for the trees. We could all do with a bit more looking people straight in the eye and speaking from the heart. Since half a truth is often a great lie, and a bird in hand is worth two in the bush, all things being equal, we end up with the same difference, if you will. As far as I can tell, it’s just a stone’s throw from things coming up roses. I am not a lawyer, but in my humble opinion, um, yeah, it would be an uphill battle to go against the grain in an unbridled effort to champion a cause where far lesser men have failed, unless the jury is still out, in which case, the lesser of two evils may be the best case scenario. If push comes to shove, we could always bait and switch our objective in hopes of attracting more bees with honey than vinegar when we cash in all our chips and go for the gold. We are as young as we feel and older than we think if life has taught us anything about the true nature of nurturing emotional maturity from the apple a day to day diet of the stars. Underneath it all there lies a cast iron gut wrenching slam dunk possibility for a consolation prize worth ten times as much as the last time around the block knocked silly by a cast of thousands of teeming sports fanatics who made good on a promise to keep one step ahead of the grand scheme of things when all is said and done. The point that deserves the lion’s share of attention all too often lies steeped in its own juices of constipated thinking beyond all shadow of a doubt, without all the debt-laden burdens of proof looming large on the vast horizon of passion to hear ourselves think. We own our own words so the most logical thing to do is pour enough of them out on the table to assure ourselves we hold fair market value in a shrinking gift economy of hyper-inflated dances with fame and fortune. The least we could do is fail to cast aspersions toward the future of our meager ration of reality-based ideology hiding just around the corner from our last chance saloon of brilliant time-saving devices too oft wielded for ill gains while the gnat lies sleeping in the rain.
Good Neighbors
How do you thank someone for thanking you? Some things rise beyond words. You reach a level that is ethereal. Especially when it is between really special people. Even more so when those people are your next-door neighbors. Cyndie and I are lucky to enjoy the blessing of living next door to two really great families. On Easter Sunday, Elysa and Cyndie snuck next door and placed some baskets of goodies as a surprise treat for the Skattum kids. On Saturday, the kids delivered their response in the form of still-warm, fresh-baked banana bread (with chocolate chunks!), accompanied by their priceless artwork.
We cut into it immediately for a pre-dinner indulgence. Then I had some more for dessert. It was the first thing we ate the next morning for breakfast. What a treat!!
Yesterday, with all that sunshine raining down on us, we took on a number of outdoor chores. With the variety of usual tasks demanding attention, there was really no reason for us to invent a new one. But inspiration doesn’t really follow reason. Cyndie commented about a large rock that was lying mostly out of sight among some of our trees and bushes. Suddenly, I find that we have left all other projects behind to try to dig up this rock. This spontaneous endeavor was on the fringe of even being possible, but there we were, scheming away with improvised tools and methods.
About this time, in stepped our wonderful neighbor, John Lawton, to offer a hand, a plan, and a better prying tool. Without a moment’s hesitation, John joined our rudderless effort, offering his help, regardless our not knowing where we were going with this boulder. The extreme difficulty in moving it helped to determine where we would ultimately place it. As short a distance necessary to move from out of sight to a very decorative spot on the edge of the trees.
Our simple thanks seem entirely inadequate. Good neighbors are a true blessing and we have been richly blessed.
Another Day
Yes, this day has dawned with some blue sky visible, but it will take more than some cool sunshine to defeat the accumulated grief this hesitant spring has developed in our collective psyche. I hope to get out and capture some shots of sunshine today to offset the image that has represented the kind of chill we’ve been experiencing around here lately…
At Work
Today’s post is coming to you directly from my desk at work on a Saturday morning. This is not the place where I would like to be, yet I am grateful for the opportunity to be employed. We are busy, busy, busy with business and have been for quite some time. So much busy are we, that I must be getting to the tasks at hand and not writing blog posts. Consider this an abbreviated something today. Why, I didn’t even have time to scrounge up an image to post to at least make this visually appealing. Tomorrow looks to be my day of leisure for the week. Wonder what that will bring about for Relative Something. …?
It’s Mary’s Birthday!
I’ve often wished that this song had become the new universal birthday anthem. Just insert the proper name in place of Johnny’s. Today, insert Marebare, and sing along, loud and proud. My big sis is another year wiser today. Have a great day, Mary! Like having the wind at your back on a beautiful bike ride!
Relative Something 