The morning had begun badly.
We stayed up too late.
Got up too early.
Were rude and nasty to each other.

In anger I took 2 dogs and headed to North Lake.
It was 27 degrees and windy,
believe it or not this morning, April 16th, at North Lake at 7 AM.
There was a dusting of snow that had turned to ice on the road.

Crap, probably shouldn’t have worn sneakers.
Definitely should have worn warmer pants
Not these ridiculous lounge-wear things that I slept in.
No matter.
Not going back.
He had a work call and I was pissed.
No where to go, but here. …

October 14, 1964 — Tokyo Olympics

Thirty-eight men approached the starting line in the Olympic Stadium for the 10,000-meter race. The runners steadied themselves, leaned forward. The air was heavy with anticipation. Time seemed to stand still as the starter called for attention and raised the gun. Then they were off, jostling for position, running three and four deep around the curve.

A 10,000-meter race is 25 laps around the standard-size track. It is the longest track and field event that happens exclusively on the track. While popular in Europe, Americans rarely watch a 10,000-meter track race outside of Olympic years. …

SELF

Happiness Versus Satisfaction — How I See It

And why I like satisfaction better

First, dear reader, what I’m about to say is how things work for me. You might feel differently, and that’s okay.

There’s a scene in a movie where a husband tells his wife that he is filing for divorce. She’s shocked, and he asks, “Honestly, have you been happy in our marriage?”

She pauses, then replies, “I’ve been happy enough.”

I love that line because I am ‘happy enough’ with my life. Not loving every moment, not without heartaches or worry, but I’m satisfied.

Being satisfied doesn’t mean that I’m not pursuing happiness and joy. It just means I don’t expect to bask in happiness, joy, and sunshine all day, every day. …

I feel it most painfully when I say goodbye to my elderly mother. She comes to visit me, leaving her senior community with its no-visitation-Coronavirus policy and comes to sit outside. We talk for an hour, six feet apart, sharing a laugh, and then she leaves — before she will need a bathroom and while she feels strong enough for the short drive home.

The part that hurts the most is saying goodbye without hugging her. I can feel my chest ache. I would risk the germs. She might risk the germs — but there are others to consider — my husband, my sister, society and its battle with Covid-19. We just pause and wave. My chest tightens, and something deep inside of me hurts. And then she is gone. The car is out of the driveway. No hug has happened. …

I’m a messy person. Always have been, probably always will be.

Living with others, as I usually do, forces me to occasionally clean up after myself or face their wrath.

However, for the last week, John and I have been apart, as he is self-isolating following business travel. My only companions, two Labrador Retrievers, never say a word about the mess. They’re known for being agreeable dogs.

The one Labrador is on a special diet that requires me to cook chicken breasts and rice a lot, and I was justifying my messy kitchen as evidence of how much work this is. …

I used to get my haircut about every 3 months. Probably longer than ideal for looking well-groomed. I sometimes had to resort to trimming my bangs between trips to the stylist to keep them out of my eyes.

Enter COVID-19

When hair stylists reopened in the summer, I called the salon. Turns out my stylist had moved to another state six months ago, but they had openings with “other talented staff.” Hmm….

My husband pointed out the health risks.

• The stylist has to be within 6 feet for an extended time.
• The stylist is someone who is in close contact with lots of other people. …

Inspiration

Shine some light
Bring your bright
Twinkle and glow
A light show

Every night
From strangers
From neighbors
From God and from me
Come and see

Grab your phone
Make a face
Send to me.
I need to see.

I gazed upon her beautiful floors,
Five bedrooms, four baths.
A jumbo-size garage that would save me from shoveling snow off my car
And make my husband happy.

I wandered through each stunning room,
Pausing in the kitchen.
She beckoned me to come and see her three-season room.
The views were breathtaking.

She whispered she was ‘walk-in ready’ —
Just waiting for me, for us.
I wouldn’t have to work at all,
Just bask in home-owner’s heaven.

The yard was a little small.
The price a little steep. …