Today of course is, "What are you grateful for?" The list for most folks is typical: my family, my health, my job. If it's not too far beyond the pale, nevertheless, my list, in no particular order:
1. I'm grateful any day I wake up and the world doesn't spin. Sufferers of vertigo know exactly what I mean. For a control freak like me, nothing is worse for making a person feel miserable and out-of-control. Take it from me. If you don't suffer from vertigo, be grateful.
2. I'm grateful for people at my job -- co-workers, customers -- who care, offer their friendship, their companionship, and allow me to care for them. I'm lucky to have them and even though, like most of us, I complain about my job, and sometimes, my customers and co-workers, not a day goes by that I don't feel warmed by at least one moment, one exchange sometime during the day. And I know a lot of people can't say that; I'm grateful that I honestly can.
3. My cat, the ever-handsome, ever-sweet, ever-mischievous Simba. During a very black, but mercifully brief time a year ago, it seemed for awhile that Simba was the only one who loved me. (And, boy, am I grateful that that time was brief; I can't imagine feeling that misunderstood, disrespected, unappreciated and abused all the time). But I am fortunate to have an affectionate kitty who licks my face and literally hugs me. Yes, I'm lucky!
4. Even though she frequently annoys the crap out of me, I'm grateful to have my mother still alive and kickin' at age 75. She's my role model for growing old, if not gracefully, at least with spunk, spirit, and defiance. My mother follows the (Eight Is Enough TV family) Bradford formula of living: shoot from the hip, (often with highly amusing results) and then (maybe) say you're sorry later. She's lost 166 lbs. since 2008, gotten totally off diabetes and blood pressure meds; she walks, to date, 25 minutes a day on the treadmill (and adding every week), and she reads voraciously, works very hard at nurturing connections with her friends. Dreading the iron of her mind rusting into dementia, Mother deliberately watches crime shows and reads subject matter specifically designed to keep that mind active. She frequently opines that even though a person may be old in years, "they don't have to act old," and believe me, she saves much of her choicest disdain for those who "act old". But, Mother, we can't all wear Old Navy Rock Star skinny jeans in colors like purple and red -- especially when we're 75!
5. I'm grateful to live in America. The average citizen has a lot of opportunities he may not have elsewhere, the standard of living is high, and we have lots of choices. A safety net to catch us should we become the victim of bad luck or choices. Are we the best country in the world? That's in the eye of the beholder. Do some abuse the safety net? Absolutely. Are we guilty of laxness, softness, taking some benefits for granted? IMHO, damn skippy. But I've talked about that in other posts. My very vocal regard for personal responsibility stands. As does my gratitude.
6. I'm grateful for the opportunity to air my thoughts on this venue, and to know that you are reading those thoughts. Whether you agree or disagree, I'm fortunate to be able to communicate with you and know that I have been heard, by someone somewhere out there. And maybe that I've touched you or made you think. And this blog is my record, a way of saying, "Claudia was here." Having not had children, it's very important for me to leave something that will hang around awhile. Once it's on the Internet, it's forever, right?
That's my list. I hope we all, in our secret hearts, take a second or two, and really think about our list sometime today. And maybe every day. I believe what we feed, grows. I hope the good stuff in your lives continues to grow.
Good vibes to all of you,
Claudia
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Passing The Torch
Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F Kennedy.
As is the case every year, but most especially this anniversary, the inevitable: pictures, films, stories, memories. Every city, every person, it seems, citing an individual connection to the awful theme.
And this, as in every year, come the inevitable questions: Was there more than one shooter? Was Kennedy the victim of a conspiracy? And if so, who were the conspirators? What if Kennedy had lived? Is there a Kennedy curse?
It is not my intention to participate in the above. Instead, I'd like to share a memory, (not of the assassination or of JFK, but his brother, Ted) and issue a challenge.
In my life I have met no one as taken by the Kennedy Mystique than my friend, Scott. So, picture it: the fall of 1983, both of us fresh out of high school. Scott hears that Massachusetts Senator Edward M Kennedy will be appearing at the Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse on November 21, for a hearing on world hunger. This event will be open to the public. Would I, his ever-so-frequent partner-in-crime, like to attend and, perhaps, snag an autograph?
Would I!
I remember very little of the event itself, only that it took place in the early afternoon on a rather raw and chilly Pittsburgh day and was, therefore, not widely attended. I do remember Kennedy's startled reaction to a dropped briefcase, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet room -- you can't tell me the impending 20th anniversary wasn't on his mind. But he wasn't wallowing, he was out doing good.
Scott and I did get to meet Ted Kennedy, who seemed to me very tall with humongous hands. It may be very hard for those who know me now to believe this, but I was at that time pretty shy (my Plaza persona is often, by turns, mischievous, boisterous, and shall we just say, assertive) and could not manage a word to this Famous Person (even though he was humanized somewhat by a spot of Wite-Out-type correction fluid on his face), while Scott effected the most adroit of discourses.
Eventually, everybody left the room but Scott and me, and we began to scavenge, uh, collect, yes, that's the word. Scott got Ted Kennedy's coffee cup, and I got his pointer. (Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking office equipment here). Thirty years later and I still have it, along with his autograph. A great memory and the closest we ever got to Camelot.
Ah, Camelot! 1000 days of a presidency that still haunts us. It appears to me that America was cruising along, high on dominance in two World Wars, in a postwar boom. It seemed like there was nothing that American ingenuity and muscle couldn't accomplish. Then two Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated, the complications and consequences of Vietnam and Watergate came to our awareness and suddenly, the world as we knew it ground to a screeching halt. And to me, it just feels like it all started with the assassination of JFK.
We can debate the rest, but John Kennedy could make a speech, couldn't he? In his Inaugural Address on January 20, 1961, Kennedy talked of a torch being passed. We in my age group are almost at that place now, with children that are or almost are adults. Are we happy with the world we are leaving them? What would we like to change about it? Do our children know they can affect change? Do they know how to? These, and many more, are questions we must ask ourselves as we prepare to pass the torch. Aren't these much more important than the other questions we usually ask anew this day every year? I submit that answering them, and following up with real actions that resonate with our value structures, and teaching our children to do the same, will do more to honor our 35th president than the way we customarily spend this day each year. If you agree with me, I hope to see you in the trenches.
Good vibes to all of you,
Claudia
As is the case every year, but most especially this anniversary, the inevitable: pictures, films, stories, memories. Every city, every person, it seems, citing an individual connection to the awful theme.
And this, as in every year, come the inevitable questions: Was there more than one shooter? Was Kennedy the victim of a conspiracy? And if so, who were the conspirators? What if Kennedy had lived? Is there a Kennedy curse?
It is not my intention to participate in the above. Instead, I'd like to share a memory, (not of the assassination or of JFK, but his brother, Ted) and issue a challenge.
In my life I have met no one as taken by the Kennedy Mystique than my friend, Scott. So, picture it: the fall of 1983, both of us fresh out of high school. Scott hears that Massachusetts Senator Edward M Kennedy will be appearing at the Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse on November 21, for a hearing on world hunger. This event will be open to the public. Would I, his ever-so-frequent partner-in-crime, like to attend and, perhaps, snag an autograph?
Would I!
I remember very little of the event itself, only that it took place in the early afternoon on a rather raw and chilly Pittsburgh day and was, therefore, not widely attended. I do remember Kennedy's startled reaction to a dropped briefcase, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet room -- you can't tell me the impending 20th anniversary wasn't on his mind. But he wasn't wallowing, he was out doing good.
Scott and I did get to meet Ted Kennedy, who seemed to me very tall with humongous hands. It may be very hard for those who know me now to believe this, but I was at that time pretty shy (my Plaza persona is often, by turns, mischievous, boisterous, and shall we just say, assertive) and could not manage a word to this Famous Person (even though he was humanized somewhat by a spot of Wite-Out-type correction fluid on his face), while Scott effected the most adroit of discourses.
Eventually, everybody left the room but Scott and me, and we began to scavenge, uh, collect, yes, that's the word. Scott got Ted Kennedy's coffee cup, and I got his pointer. (Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking office equipment here). Thirty years later and I still have it, along with his autograph. A great memory and the closest we ever got to Camelot.
Ah, Camelot! 1000 days of a presidency that still haunts us. It appears to me that America was cruising along, high on dominance in two World Wars, in a postwar boom. It seemed like there was nothing that American ingenuity and muscle couldn't accomplish. Then two Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated, the complications and consequences of Vietnam and Watergate came to our awareness and suddenly, the world as we knew it ground to a screeching halt. And to me, it just feels like it all started with the assassination of JFK.
We can debate the rest, but John Kennedy could make a speech, couldn't he? In his Inaugural Address on January 20, 1961, Kennedy talked of a torch being passed. We in my age group are almost at that place now, with children that are or almost are adults. Are we happy with the world we are leaving them? What would we like to change about it? Do our children know they can affect change? Do they know how to? These, and many more, are questions we must ask ourselves as we prepare to pass the torch. Aren't these much more important than the other questions we usually ask anew this day every year? I submit that answering them, and following up with real actions that resonate with our value structures, and teaching our children to do the same, will do more to honor our 35th president than the way we customarily spend this day each year. If you agree with me, I hope to see you in the trenches.
Good vibes to all of you,
Claudia
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
A Little Holiday Cheer...
Just for the hell of it, I thought it might be fun to step out from behind the hidey-hole of where I work just this much:
Coffee Paradise has a yummy drink called the Caramel Apple Spice. It's a hot non-caffeinated beverage consisting of Cinnamon Dolce Syrup, steamed apple juice, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle. Very popular in the autumn. When the components for the new holiday drinks came in, I fell to theorizing, and experimenting, and came up with a variation I call the Holiday Apple Spice. I tried it out on many of my co-workers, and, convinced of my success, submitted it to The Secret Menu. I hope you'll look it up on http://starbuckssecretmenu.net/starbucks-secret-menu-holiday-applespice/
and go to your local Coffee Paradise and give it a try. I can't guarantee you (non-alcoholic) Christmas spirit in a cup, but I wouldn't bet against it, either. Happy Holidays, and stay tuned -- I think I have a special holiday frappuccino in me, too. I'll keep you posted!
Good vibes to all of you,
Claudia
Coffee Paradise has a yummy drink called the Caramel Apple Spice. It's a hot non-caffeinated beverage consisting of Cinnamon Dolce Syrup, steamed apple juice, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle. Very popular in the autumn. When the components for the new holiday drinks came in, I fell to theorizing, and experimenting, and came up with a variation I call the Holiday Apple Spice. I tried it out on many of my co-workers, and, convinced of my success, submitted it to The Secret Menu. I hope you'll look it up on http://starbuckssecretmenu.net/starbucks-secret-menu-holiday-applespice/
and go to your local Coffee Paradise and give it a try. I can't guarantee you (non-alcoholic) Christmas spirit in a cup, but I wouldn't bet against it, either. Happy Holidays, and stay tuned -- I think I have a special holiday frappuccino in me, too. I'll keep you posted!
Good vibes to all of you,
Claudia
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