Leap Day

I was going to write some fun information about February 29^th including a story on Sadie Hawkins Day, which I thought was today.  Apparently not although the premise of role-reversal (where the woman can ask the man) is the same. I ended up in a gopher hole reading all about the origins of Sadie Hawkins’ Day coming out of the Lil Abner comicstrip.  I used to read that strip faithfully and I loved that particular storyline because it was always so humorous.  Isn’t it amazing how comics can influence our culture?  After the original story appeared in November 1937 it became so popular around the colleges and high schools in the United States that they had  Sadie Hawkins’ Dances.

       A person born in a Leap Year may be called a leapling but only if you can run very fast.  In some areas by law the leapling must change his birthday to February 28^th or March 1^st (at least they have a choice).  In the Pirates of Penzance the poor apprentice pirate who was a leapling discovered that he was bound by his actual birthday for 21 years (tricky pirates)!

       But enough about leap year traditions.  As I was navigating through the web looking for leaping information I stumbled on what is supposed to occur in 2012, and from thence, I stumbled upon FLOPS.  Yes, you may well sit with your mouth open!  The world of computers has always been baffling, amusing and frustrating to me.  The books on computers are definitely sent to try a person of normal common sense, what with their ill-written instructions and acronyms.  But this one, well, I had to stop and read more. 

       What is a FLOPS, you may well ask?  It is a measure of FLoating point OPerations per Second for a super duper space computer (notice the selectiveness of picking up initials?).  I clicked on FLOPS and viola! there was a complete item on FLOPS.  I diligently began reading but after the third line “it did not compute”.  But I am practicing on bringing the acronym into normal conversation.  How is this for size,

“By next leap year I plan to run the Sadie Hawkins’ Day race so fast they will need to measure by FLOPS.”

Unions, What are they for?

Unions began to strengthen the power of a particular labour group when dealing with the employer.  They are used for collective bargaining over wages, benefits and work conditions.  They started in the 1870’s.

       When people say “I hate unions” they better wear a helmet around me because I am likely going to get incensed.  If I were an equal idiot I could respond “I hate corporations”.  What does “hate” mean anyway?  Better to say “I don’t understand” and zip up the lips.

       Unions have and do serve a purpose and I especially despite the people who are in a union who disrespect their union.  You would be surprised to learn how many teachers, nurses and civic workers have said the above to me.  Really, and do you hate your salary, your benefits and your working conditions?  Do you give any thought to the people who came before you who fought to get the union started and strengthened?  Are you aware that even in Canada, yes Canada, people who went on strike in the 20^th century were murdered by RCMP officers here in Alberta?  Do you know what the railroad and mine companies did to suppress their employees (let’s say slaves, it would be more accurate) into indentured poverty even into the 20^th century?

       Canadians need to be more aware of what happened in history and recognize that it can happen again.  If we are not vigilant we are going to be squished back into submission by the greedy few.  Once we are down it is not easy to get back up again so beware.  When one of the unions head out on strike don’t get angry because it is inconvenient for you but rather look into the circumstances of what has lead up to this moment. 

       Today’s rant courtesy of the B.C. government attempting to legislate the contract-less (for nearly a year) teachers back to work.  Have the politicians ever struck for wages – no, they just grant themselves and extra $58,000 3 months after they are elected in as premier of Alberta – and give the seniors $0.03 per annum increase.  Phaw.

Oscar, Oscar, Oscar and Billy Crystal

I sat through the 3 ½ hour show last night, due to the fact that Downton Abbey is over and the Masterpiece Contemporary “The Song of Lunch” was ghastly.  I love Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson, but I do not like that kind of inner narration going on and on.  So Billy Crystal and company got my attention.  First of all, let me say about Cirque du Soleil – wow, you wowed me!  Amazing, simply amazing!

       Second, Cameron Diaz’ dresses was IT for me.  Loved it, JLo, gorgeous.  And Meryl Streep, classic!

       The awards themselves, as predicted, predictable.  Meryl Streep won her third Best Actress, and I loved it when she took it in.  “What?” she couldn’t believe it herself.  Or IS she the best actress in the world?  I must say that I was torn by a 5 way split, but honestly Rooney Mara was intense as Lizbeth Salander and really deserved the win but it so rarely happens on a first nomination in this category.  I think she was the real surprise.  But the other 3 were predicted.  Octavia Spencer, Christopher Plummer and The Artist star Jean Dujardin were all pretty much a certainty.  Ditto the picture The Artist.  I kind of could guess when Hugo kept winning all the technical awards that Scorsese wouldn’t get the big prize.

       The In Memoriam was lovely, understated and appropriate, giving a nod to The Artist’s black and white film.  Loved the close with Elizabeth Taylor’s winking Cleopatra.

       It was a nice show, predictable from Billy’s endearing presence through the awards.  Nice. 

Oh and by the way, George Clooney just looks better every year, classic handsomeness!

A Gentler Mood

It’s Sunday and the snow is coming down softly but steadily and I have decided to be calm and gentle this morning.  Naturally when I make a statement like that something is bound to occur that will throw me off my stride and produce a significant rant tomorrow, but for now “sufficient unto the day”.

       I had a very busy day yesterday, taking out my frustration by breaking apart one of the bedrooms which took the better part of the morning.  I have been preparing to move my mother into my home and I seriously need to cull my wardrobe.  I hauled everything out of one closet and put it downstairs only to have the bar crash down.  I had it all repaired and bang! it crashed down again.  Now the clothes are piled like a mountain on the spare bed in the basement. Then I hauled out the bureau, pushed around side tables, chairs and what-nots and by 10 a.m. I was exhausted.  At that point my renovator arrived and just to keep up the image of not being a sloth instead of having my morning coffee break and vegging at the T.V.  I continued womanfully (is that a word?) on until 3 in the afternoon when I finally thought – now I need to rest.

       So I made coffee and watched “The Perfect Man” with Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear, just what a girl wants to see after such a hectic day.  I love mush TV movies like that, things that keep my mind off serious stuff.  Which brings me to Thoreau; his chapter on “Reading” is very priggish.  I was reading it this morning and thought I would enjoy it but instead I thought that here is a person pulled out of his normal venue and has become so enchanted with his own education that he looks down upon anyone who might laugh during a sermon.  I can picture him rather like one of the lawyers I’ve met who are so impressed by the fact that they are a lawyer that they simply can’t get over it.  I’m sure you know the type I mean.  I like to read (and watch) things with some meat to them but I also like to give my brain a rest once in a while so I will pull out an old Agatha Christie or Georgette Heyer to let my mind coast.

       I don’t think we need to be serious every minute of the day; in all things there should be balance.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“For everything there is an appointed time, even a time for every affair under the heavens . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to wail and a time to skip about . . .”

Pre-Seniors Unite!

It is time that we Canadians put our collective feet down and say “no more cutbacks to the old and poor and sick”.  What on earth do we pay taxes for?  To keep the rich in wealth?  To have penguins and pandas in our zoos?  To buy antiquated submarines and airplanes without motors?  To build bridges and roads that line vendor pockets?

       NO.  We are in the 21^st century and the Sheriff of Nottingham and his ilk should long ago have been outlawed from our civilization.  We pay taxes to ensure the General Population’s life is Civilized.  This means educating our young so that they can have meaningful, purposeful careers without a load of debt once their schooling is complete.  It means that those who have worked diligently all their adult lives (some 40 years) can retire at the Expected Age of 65 and have a pension that keeps them in the relative lifestyle they have been accustomed to over the past 40 years.  It means being able to rely on swift, efficient and affordable health care.

       The trouble we have is that the media does not provide us with full disclosure. In other words, they are not doing their job of informing us correctly.  The information is available and can be disseminated if journalists took the trouble to sift through the material (specifically the Federal cost report / budget).  Let’s just think about the “horrendous” cost of keeping a senior from the age of 65.  Oh my, 2.4% of the annual budget, and over the next 20 years it will increase by 1%.  Gosh, isn’t that huge?  Give me a break!  

       Yesterday I was having coffee with some colleagues and they said they heard now they are talking about 68, not 67.  I choked on my coffee.  Then I thought “they are leaking out different numbers to get reaction.  When the budget rolls out, we will be relieved that it is 67 instead of 68.  Once they have us, we will see it pushed back to 70 within 5 years.”  Oh yes, they have us by the you know what.

       Driving home last night I heard that 2 brilliant (read the irony in my voice) university professors from Calgary and Toronto (who have probably never been out of their ivory tower) tell Canadians that we should be paying taxes on food and medicine and we would have so much more money in the tax coffers.  Isn’t that brilliant.  Why don’t we lay more burden on the ones least able to afford it.  Are you kidding me?  Put tax on food when seniors are already struggling to buy groceries? 

- write a letter to your MP, your MLA, your Alderman

- do a petition and send it to the newspapers, and the above

- speak to your friends and colleagues about your concerns

 I say – People Unite.  Pre-Seniors, we need to take a stand.  Yes, that means YOU.

Snowsuits

Did you have a snowsuit when you were little?  We have some great pictures of us when we were little wearing matching snowsuits.  My sister’s and mine were matching light blue suits and John’s was a darker blue but the same style.  We’d zip those little puppies on and go out not afraid of the cold or snow.  We just had rubber boots for winter boots but we had 3 pairs of socks on to keep our feet warm.

       My father said they were the most expensive snowsuits to be had and for years we thought he just meant we had really nice suits.  However, the truth was that my dad had a brilliant idea of canning and marketing water back in 1958 but my mother insisted that the money should be spent on the children, not a crazy idea.  My father naturally listened to the wiser head of his wife.  So he never got the patent or the idea off the ground until 1980 when his children went into partnership with him.

       Fortunately my father was a sensible man and also one with a great sense of humour, hence the allusion to how expensive our suits were.  Meanwhile we thought we were rich to have such nice suits.  It was one of the few times I felt happy to have something different from the other kids in school.  Most of the time I just wanted to blend in and it would embarrass me to be wearing fashions 2 years ahead of my peers because my grandmother would send us things from Denmark.  When girls had tall boots, Jeanette and I had to wear white rubber ankle boots (and those never did come into fashion over here).  When other girls wore fuzzy knit winter caps, we had ones made of white fur (they were gorgeous, but we didn’t blend).  One year, and I really don’t know what Farmor was thinking, she sent over pinkish grey duffle coats that were 10 sizes too big.  I am not exaggerating.  Here we were, 10 and 11 years old, both of us together didn’t weigh 100 pounds, and these coats were made for women considerably taller and at least a 100 pounds heavier.  Those, thank God, my mother never made us wear.  They were even too big for her!

       Oh yes, and let’s not forget the white and blue satin bloomers – but that’s for another story!

Conservative Rollback for Seniors

The conservative government is “leaking” information in advance of the budget in the hopes that we won’t all throw down our shovels and call it quits.  In particular today we heard that there will be “drastic changes” to Old Age Security.  We are told that by 2030 seniors will be dipping to the tune of $180 Billion; currently they are dipping at a rate of $  Billion .

            One is entitled at this point to ask the question -  whose been monitoring the Old Age budget to date?  It shouldn’t be a big surprise that we would this many seniors in the next 20 years, particularly given that the old age security has been scrutinized every 5 years in the last 50 years at least. 

            One quote:

In 2011, there were about four working Canadians for every retired Canadian. By 2030, it will be a two to one ratio. At the same time, Canadians are living four years longer than they did in 1970.

I’m not a great believer in the statistics that politicians throw out, the numbers are generally so malleable and moving targets that they have no basis in fact.

            I also have a great aversion to altering the truly pathetic income of seniors (now and future recipients) by one iota.  I believe there are many other ways we can budget that would have more meaning, beginning first with getting rid of the Senate, double dip pensions, political pension sizes as they stand now, expense accounts of politicians and civil servants, and essentially all the pilfering that goes on shamelessly at every level of government.  Leave the seniors alone for God’s sake.

            I cannot write more without getting over heated. 

Sentimental Journey

I watched one of my favourite episodes of Little House on the Prairie last night.  It’s the one when Mr. Edwards meets and courts the widow Snider.  When I first saw this show I was 21 and thought they were kind of old for romance!  Both the actors were probably under 40 and look very young to me now.

       I love this episode because there are such cute little details to the story, like how Mr. Edwards listens to Laura and Mary tell about a Sunday School romance that starts with jealousy and you can see the wheels of his mind turning.  Then he gets Laura to write an envelope for himself and puts some drops of lemon verbena so Grace can be jealous (she’s the postmistress).  I love how Mr. Edwards sings “Old Dan Tucker” and kicks up his heels in a little jig.  I’ve sung that song many a time as I did my housework in imitation of Mr. Edwards.

       Nostalgia is a wonderful thing that helps keep us young.  We live in a wonderful era where not only can we watch T.V. but we can watch 30 year old vintage television.  Invention can be a wonderful thing. 

       What’s one of your favourite episodes from past series?

Ups and Downs

No surprise to be told that life is full of ups and downs, that life can throw us a curve ball just when things are going great or that life isn’t fair.  We can listen and understand clichés and platitudes but when it comes around to handling the situation, then it’s not always as easy as when we counsel others to “hang in there” and “this too shall pass”. 

       What I have noticed in the last few years that the first three months of a new year seem to be harder for me to handle.  I recognized it about three years ago and I am almost certain that it has to do with sun deprivation as well as lack of fresh air since I hide indoors pretty much from January until April.  Last night while I was tossing and turning in bed I thought “life isn’t a rehearsal” anymore, I can’t keep telling myself that I am going to get out more once I retire.  For heavens sake – that could be 10 years from now so if I want to start enjoying winter sports I am going to have to do it now.  I’m not getting any younger, life is too short, and what other clichés can I throw out there.

       Like everyone else, I am expert at coming up with excuses for not doing something I really don’t want to do.  But when I start finding myself worrying about depression and staying in the doldrums it’s time to ditch the excuses and come up with A Plan.  That frightful word “plan” causes me some concerns because when I create a plan, I get attached to The Plan, and when The Plan goes south, I get frazzled, frustrated and infuriated.I think I’ve told the story before, about how I came up with a financial plan that lasted about three months before everything that could possibly go wrong (and would cost money) went wrong, and cost money.  So much for That Plan.  After a few of those screwy plans I rather have given up on planning too much.

       Alright, not completely true.  Of course I have plans, but they are not the chiselled in stone kind of plans that I used to make.  Now they are a little more loose (especially when it has to do with exercise).  But it’s time to get harsh with myself and kick myself out of doors on a regular basis between January and April.  I must do it, like the American mailman, come rain or hail or dark of night.

       So here’s for another walk in the cold and wind.  I’m getting me some vitamin D.

A Life of Adventure

No one can say that I lead a boring life.  If they did I would be shocked.  Let’s take this week for instance.  I get a mysterious delivery on Valentine’s Day that has yet to be solved and now, this morning, I tried to open my back door and it was stuck.  After struggling, while Cherie was crossing his legs to keep from peeing on the floor, I managed to get a great big bag off the door handle. 

       Hmmm, well I did hear some tapping on my window last night just as I was getting out of my bath but by the time I had my robe on and puttered down to the other end of the house a great big vehicle was pulling out of the driveway, unrecognized by me.  So I pull out the stuff from the bag and I am even more puzzled.  There is something addressed to me that obviously came from my mailbox.  There is a book with a girlfriend’s name on it – how did she get my mail?  And then there is a celebrity bio (Meredith Baxter) with no name in it.  I think for a while as this last seems to indicate Charlotte.  But I had already picked up my parcel, did the post office give her a second, unknown parcel which she picked up a day late?  Then how did she get Carol’s book?  Oh yes, we had lunch last month and Carol must have lent it to her while I was in the washroom

       That’s my detective training coming in to play.  I had just done 2 “hard” Sudoku so my brain must have been peaking (stop laughing).  There is a reason why I was puzzled for longer than 30 seconds.  Normally my sister would hammer (not tap) at my window and she would be yelling “HEY, anyone home” at the top of her lungs!  Hence the puzzlement.  She was being genteel.  Remember The Nanny, when she was trying to be demure.  Yes, some things just do not fit the pattern.

       One thing my family is strong on – a sense of humour.  I will be chuckling all day at Char’s sense of demureness last night.  She threw me off balance.

I'm going to have to get a doorbell.

Celebrating a Friend

One of my girlfriends has retired.  I am thrilled for her.  She has taken the big leap into a whole new life and she is embracing it.  She’s found herself a wonderful friend to share her time with.  Her ex-company (don’t you love that word?) has given her a sendoff gift that is amazing.  A wonderful all expense paid trip to Tofino (her favourite place in the world).  Now that is style.

          Yesterday was her last day of work and she said she felt euphoric all day.  It wasn’t a shock to her system because she had done some planning, she had reduced her hours from 4 days to 3 and then 2 over about a year.  So I asked her on Tuesday,

          “But what about next week when you have nowhere to go?”   

          Well, she would find out when that time came.

          She is one of the wisest people I know.  She takes life as it comes.  That is part of her Buddhist philosophy but I also think it is part of her wonderful nature.  In the last few years she has taken up painting as a hobby.  Her education is librarian and she is a devoted reader.  She says she has done all her overseas travel now so she plans to stay closer to home in her expeditions.

          She has a plan, she has followed it and it is working great for her.

          So what do we have to fear to take the leap? 

          Good luck Brenda, and don’t forget us working stiffs!

Roundabout to here

Do you ever wonder how you arrived at the place you are now at in your life?  I’ve been feeling happy about where I am, feeling blessed, feeling secure.  I know I’ve talked and written about it quite a lot.  My cup runneth over.

          Now I am beginning to get anxious, will life throw me a curve ball this late in life?  Will I be shaken out of my contentedness?  Can anyone have so much happiness without having a jinx put on it?  Yes, I have been reading Peace & Plenty and I feel so sorry for Sarah getting whacked on the spirit just when things had turned around and were good for her.  Not fun, and now she doesn’t have Oprah’s show to boost her book sales so she may not get another million dollar royalty cheque.

          As much as I long for retirement I truly am nervous about giving up my pay cheque.  What if something should happen?  Would I ever get another good job again?  I am beginning to sympathize with all those men who die in harness.  There’s a reason for them working on, and it isn’t because they “have to”.  It’s fear.

          Speaking of Oprah, I wonder what she is thinking since she left her hugely successful show and her Network doesn’t seem to be taking off as they had expected it to.  I’ve taken a look at the show lineup and I must say that it does not appeal to me, and no, I have not signed on to that network.  She needs to take a page out of AMC and bring on some strong mini series and dump some of those hoarder shows.  She also needs to delegate and rely on other genius ideas and not have ultra control (I’m just speculating here but I sense she is trying to put her personal stamp on everything . . . no, not on a Network, that is a lot of air time lady).

          I bet Oprah is wondering about her decision and where she is going from here.

          It is not easy to reinvent oneself late in life and even though I have been looking forward to it and feeling thrilled by it, I am getting cold feet.  But . . . this too shall pass.  Right?

Being intrepid

Sometimes my ideas spring out of me with no explanation but then they continue to fly before I fully grasp the thought and poof! It is gone.  It occurs more frequently and then my panic sets in and I think “Still Alice” syndrome (aka early onset Alzheimer’s).  Although it wouldn’t be “early onset” anymore as I was saying to my girlfriends yesterday, I’m almost 59.

      My friend Brenda has past the 60 year milestone and she says she still can’t believe it (it’s been 2 years).  Thinking about that looming in close sight I also can’t believe it.  People can say it’s the new 50, that it isn’t old, that we are as young as we feel but seriously 60 is OLD.  60 has always sounded like an old number to me age or not.  I must say that I am feeling a little intimidated about saying “I’m 60”.

      You are asking “why say it”?  Well, I am not the kind to hide my age.  I don’t believe a person should be ashamed of their age and it isn’t anything to hide from.  Not saying it doesn’t make it untrue.  However, I am thinking “I really don’t like it”.

      How is a person supposed to feel at age 60?  Are we supposed to walk with a cane (figuratively speaking), embrace grey hair, nod wisely and say “yes dearie”?  I don’t want to be Miss Marple, even though I want to be Miss Marple!  I don’t want people to say “she looks good for her age”, I want them to say “she looks good”.  I don’t want to hover on the brink of “elderly”.

      I have many times said that I feel young inside, I am still 18 on the inside, but that very round number has me nervous.  Will I still feel young and gay when I roll over that figure?  Will something happen to me inside, deflate me, puncture my soul, cause me to start really feeling my age?

      Snap out of it, this is 18 months away, you are saying.  Remember, I am Scandinavian and we have “lang syn” (long sight) which means we can see far into the future.  It’s not a pretty sight this morning.

      “I’m gonna take a shower now.”  Shake these cobwebs off and start my sprightly walk.

Valentine's Day

This has never been a special day before for me since, as I told my girlfriends at lunch today, I have never had a valentines on Valentine’s Day.  So what happened to me at 3:30 this afternoon?  I got a call from reception saying there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me.  I couldn’t believe it but up I went and sure enough there was a bouquet with a note that said “guess who”.

       I am not kidding!

       Naturally I called my usual suspects but all have denied sending me this beautiful bouquet of flowers.

       It gets better, there is also a Teddy Monkey (not bear) that says “cheeky for you”.  Really!

       I feel like a school kid wondering who is playing a joke on me. 

       But it is fun anyway!

       So everyone out there, especially Guess Who, Happy Valentine’s Day!

Whitney Houston

Last night I had some weird dreams involving big black guys with drug problems.  It must have been because of all the news on Whitney Houston.  Every 10 minutes, on the ones, there would be an announcement that her body was being flown back to New Jersey, and I had a very long drive home last night.  Sunday night there were countless news stories about her life as well.

       It is a sad story, 48 years old and gone, all that beauty and talent quieted forever.

       I was not surprised to hear of her death, with her story of drug abuse plastered all over the newsstands these past 10 years, it seemed inevitable to me.  A little bit more of the story comes out with the passing of hours.  Prescription pill bottles, submerged in bathwater, “family member” or “body guard” removed her from the bath . . . ah, there were others in the hotel room?  If they found no drug paraphernalia maybe that’s the reason why.

       I have a young friend on Facebook who doesn’t wish to believe that it was drugs until it is proved.  I actually understand why she is feeling that way since I’ve felt that on occasions too.  But life experience tells us when things are inevitable.  I think a better plea to the public is not to judge but to have compassion for all the victims who end up going down the same sorry path to destruction.

       No, this is not a rant against drug dealers (that is for another time).  This is to ask the question “why”?  Why do people start with the drugs?  I honestly do not get it.  With all the information available about drugs, with the school campaigns, good grief, with the pictures of what crystal meth does to a person’s teeth alone . . . no, I do not understand why anyone would take the first puff of marijuana never mind taking the other stuff.  I do know that some young people begin because they are in pain about other things in their life, but I ask, why aren’t you going to a counsellor?  Why is taking a pill easier than talking when you have heard what “drugs” will do to you?

       No, I do not get it.  But most especially, I do not understand how celebrities become addicted.

       All right.  I do.  They are stupid.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

       Whitney Houston was a beautiful, beautiful woman with an absolutely amazing voice.  She had charisma and talent like few are given.  I do not know when she began on drugs, but she had many opportunities to break her habit and yet somehow she always slipped back.  If she had healthy, decent people surrounding her would that have happened?  Is this the same story as Elvis and Michael, a woman who has surrounded herself by sycophants who used her and abused her?

       Am I judging her after all?  No, I am just angry because just as everyone else who goes down that slippery path YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER.  I’m sorry, I’m sad, but I am also angry.

Empowering Others

Self worth is a powerful thing, when we have it.  It’s critical for people to evaluate themselves for themselves, rather than relying on other people’s ideas for their self image.  I was thinking about how we often empower other people by accepting their opinion of us.  This is really unfair to ourselves because frequently the person judging us has no idea of our background, experiences, and so forth. 

       What do I mean?  Well, this is the time of year when we do our infamous Review at work and so we lay ourselves open to a lot of evaluations.  Fair enough.  But beyond the work evaluation there is often a little, subtle something else.  It’s where we are in the pecking order of the corporate hierarchy that can be a sticking point.  It doesn’t matter how good a person’s work is, if you are at the bottom end of the totem pole your valuation is only so high.  There is something wrong about that; because we’ve always heard the motherhood statements where the company thanks Everyone for the hard work we are doing.  But it’s only words, the reality is quite different.

       And I can accept that.  Surprisingly, yes I can.  However, what I do not care for is how that pecking order spills over into other comments, however inadvertently made.  I was thinking about that this weekend and stopped myself short.  What my employers think of me at work is one thing, what they think, when I am outside of the workplace, is so much hooey.  You heard me, hooey.

       I will not allow whatever goes on in the workplace to affect my valuation of myself; nor should you allow it to do so.  I know what my worth is, my experiences, my education, my go-around-the-blocks and I value all of that very much.  I also think outside the workplace we are all equals.  We all have to pay the same price of groceries, we all have to go to the toilet, we all have to bath to stay clean.  Yep, I am very much a person who believes in equality. 

       I know I tend to reflect and chew over statements more than the regular person, but think about it sometime when you hear a comment that seems a bit of a zinger. What was that they said?  Hmmm.  No force or effect outside the office, go blow!

Six Word Memoir

The latest O magazine has a section on writing a Six Word Memoir on yourself.  Interesting.

       “I continue to learn, evolve, share”

       That’s the one I came up with and I hope it is fitting.  At least I can grow into it if it doesn’t totally fit me right now.

       It’s these little nuggets of gold in O that make me continue to buy it even though it is not the treasure chest of gold that it used to be.  Not only do I love discovering the secrets that makes others who they are, I love excavating my authentic self. 

       Is that last sentiment true, you wonder?  No, I hate it.  The trouble is that I publicly pretend I am Pollyanna when secretly I know I am Nellie Olsen.  At least, that is what I get every time I start looking at excavating my soul.  When I hear “long term goals, short term goals, your mission statement” I feel like turning to run screaming to the nearest ice cream vendor for comfort food.  Put a piece of paper in front of me with the word GOAL at the top is like sticking a needle in my eye.  It is painful and to be avoided at all costs.

       And yet.  And yet I love reading the exercises, and I think about them in my head.  I toy with thoughts.  I evolve stories about myself that I want to be true.  But as soon as I have to actually put anything down on paper I have a mental freeze up.  Do I really want to tell the world (or the assessor in the seminar) that I am obsessive compulsive, that I stole money from the cookie jar, that I am a lousy housekeeper or that I think I am the next Margaret Mitchell?  NO.  There is a word called ‘fantasy’ and it allows us to believe in fairy tales of our own making. 

       And yet here I am; I have created a Six-Word-Memoir – true or false yet to be decided!   

This Life's Leading Lady

Life isn’t fair. Life isn’t a rehearsal.  Clichés to live by.

       I was thinking about lives in general while I was soaking in the tub this morning.  People often think other people live charmed lives because they are just looking in at a shiny window but not seeing into the closets of the individual.  I’m not talking about dirty little secrets, I am talking about the everyday disappointment and despairs that all people live through.  In particular my generation, as those who came before us, were raised with a certain sense of discretion when it came to speaking about our personal affairs.  “It just isn’t done”.

       Before “Entertainment Tonight” and “National Enquirer” celebrities sought to display only the positive side of their lives.  One of the popular Hollywood magazines would be invited into Joan Crawford’s or Debbie Reynold’s home to take shots of their lovely living rooms and their darling little children.  They did not advertise their personal tragedies, drinking, drugs, abortions or whatever.  We thought they led charmed lives, just as we were led to believe that a certain amount of money would take us to a level where we would not have any problems.

       Life is not that simple.  Even the rich and famous have any amount of problems and disappointments.  The ones today who lead a life of grace are those who recognize that every day there are things that need to be overcome, whether it is a plumbing problem or simply getting across town without getting hit by road rage.  These people approach their day with a positive attitude and greet the world with a smile on their face.  These are every day people, not necessarily glamorous.  I don’t think we are given enough credit for how we approach living but when you think about it, every day you are sent out into the world to make a living and deal with whatever is thrown at you.  Somehow at the end of the day we come home with the bacon.

I was reflecting on a line from “The Holidays” that Eli Wallach said to Kate Winslet’s character, “You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are acting like the best friend.”

And she says “You are so right; you should be the leading lady in your own life, for God’s sake.”

So as you are living this day, ask yourself if you are living it to the fullest or if you are waiting in the wings for your cue to go on.  You may surprise yourself with this light bulb moment.

10,000 Hits

The blog has achieved over 10,000 hits so this is a day of celebration.  I know there are blogs taht come out of the chute gaining momentum by the day but one must be realistic about

·         How many people one knows

·         How well one writes

·         How widely one advertises

I am really quite pleased with my success.  I have been steady and persevering.

       Today I listened to an interesting talk out of Harvard Business school which discussed “the right mindset for success”.  Essentially it discussed the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.  A fixed mindset believes essential abilities mean everything whereas those with a growth mindset realize that their abilities are only tools on which to build their success.  Or in other words, abilities are only the starting blocks on which you develop the rest of your success, you are constantly learning throughout your life and career.  It’s very interesting to hear Carol Dweck talk about our abilities and talents as fixed traits and the error of praising those traits instead of praising the effort and work that went into a project (of whatever nature).  The growth mindset creates a love of learning and a resilience in life that the fixed mindset misses.  The fixed mindset assumes the natural talents and ability are enough to get one through life.

       It seems obvious and simple and yet this discussion is relatively new.  People have been used to praising their children’s IQ and natural abilities rather than praising them for the work and effort they put into something.  In the same vein, employers have been used to praising talent instead of performance.  One of the things I found interesting was that a growth mindset actually thrives on chaos and confusion as it encourages the learning process as one struggles through to get results.  If that is the case I think I must have a growth mindset as I seem to live in a constant state of confusion!

       I’m always fascinated by stories on the brain, on how people behave, and how one should grow and do better.  If you have a chance, check out the podcast of Carol Dweck, “The right mindset for success”.