Cup of Tea

For me, tea is more than a simple beverage. It's a state of mind. It's a place of being. It's comfort, calm and sometimes family.

Letting Go

Letting go is a process. Some days it's a forward process and some days it's a slippery emotional slope. An article on marriage break-down where I think, "He's a one. I'm a three!" At the vet with the Herd, when the vet tech asks if my handsome husband will be joining me.  A trip to Home Depot to finish off one of the many half-done projects. Any of those trigger the "could have been" about my ex-husband, "Peter" and a crying jag.

Chaos, Panic, Disorder

Source: http://www.paper-source.com

"Chaos, panic, disorder - my work here is done." It's more than a statement about my disheveled dining room table. It's a catch phrase I like to invoke - occasionally while leaving the emotional room and throwing the metaphorical match over my shoulder.

Thank You

My favorite thing to do the day after Thanksgiving  - which is my favorite holiday EVER - is to clean the house, decorate with lights, break out the holiday music and write out holiday cards. (Yes, "holiday" cards - Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah - whatever people choose to celebrate this time of year, I honor.) Somehow, this little post-Thanksgiving ritual sets the whole winter holiday mood for me and has for the last 20 years.

Truth

As we've finalized the details of separation and sorted through who did what to whom, one thing has become crystal clear to me. The truth of what happened is actually not black and white when made up of feelings. It is much more than a simple "this happened, then this happened".

Food and Memory Lane

My Kentucky-bred step-mother had a thing for White Castle. When we visited family in Southern Indiana, on the way home, she'd stop at the last White Castle outpost (Kokomo) and get 50 sliders. They went in a cooler, and then the freezer when we got home. They were future Saturday night treats.

Gone Baby Gone

The Herd is missing "Molly, no!". She went to live with the ex. He needed comfort, and I knew she'd do fine as an only cat. 

Love Landscape

At the moment, life seems a little unreal. It's certainly not what I planned and not what I wanted. But my choices were not the only ones that created this life. What I did choose is who I brought into my life; unfortunately those choices limited who else was in my life. It changed my love landscape.

Fall changes

Spring may be the season of renewal, but fall is a season of change with its own unique beauty.

I got married in the fall and now I'm divorced in the fall. There is a symmetry to that. Balance as found in nature.

The Sound of Music

Just once I'd like to walk into a room and have the theme for BatGirl play...

Lately I think a lot about different life phases and the music that may accompany them. In TV and movies, music helps set the mood and cues us into the scene expectation. I can think of a lot of situations where that might come in handy.

October Blue

Spring is always my favorite time of year - so fresh, new and full of promise. Fall always seems like the end somehow. But sometimes endings are needed so you can start new.

The Past Bites

Mary Chapin Carpenter - Some times you are the windshield and some times you are the bug.
So I got to be the bug today.

What We Leave Behind

Earlier this week I ran into someone I had not seen in a while. In seeing him I realized how many people and activities I'd let go in my struggle to keep a dying relationship alive. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy spending time with certain people.

The Day the Music Woke Up

I have always loved music. One of the things that attracted me to my ex was his passion for music. When he left all the music stopped. And the color bled out of my world.

How Do You Define You?

At work recently we did a promotion to make our sales folks more "accessible" by having them answer some questions. And I realized I couldn't give ONE answer to most of them.

Circle Patterns

Have you ever noticed that life moves in a pattern?

A few weeks ago, I stopped by my grandmother's house for a visit. Her bathroom looked like a pharmacy. I was unaware she currently needed that much medication and was concerned. She said it was from last year when she was sick. (She was super sick last winter; we thought we were going to lose her. Should have known better. She's going to be 89 this year - tough as ever.) She knew not to flush the medication but found the Triad pill drop option too far away as she no longer drives much. I offered to drop them at the next Triad for her. So, the unneeded medication came home with me and was placed in a brown bag labelled "5/16 - TRAID"  - that way I wouldn't forget. The very next day I got an e-mail from my church - that Sunday we were collecting unexpired prescription medication to be given away on a medical mercy mission to Cuba. Problem solved!

The Mystery of Who

Action flicks are addicting. I love them. Basically because I hate working out,  and they motivate me. Occasionally they also make me think about life.

Real Life

If this were a romance novel, right now a handsome stranger who is handy with tools would be moving in to the house across the street.

Irreverent Observation

As noted in Funniest Commercial Ever, I adore commercials. I think of them as snippets of Americana.

Unexpected Gifts

Sometimes life hands you lemons; and sometimes you are surprised by lemonade.

Funniest Commercial Ever

I love commercials. I have a slew of favorites. A new one just joined the ranks. "Cat Boots" from Temptations. Mostly because - they are cats being fake boots, people!!!

Ordinary Extraordinary People

Do you ever think about the people who populate your world and how amazingly talented they are?

This weekend I worked on the house. Small stuff. Cleaning up Molly fur in the room she likes to think of as "hers" so it is people friendly again. Putting up window clings for privacy. The busy work gave me lots of time to think. And I realized I know some extraordinary people. In particular I know several authors who've written amazing works.

Orange Love

Long before Tangerine Tango was the 2012 color of the year, I loved orange. In all reality what I really love is orange FOOD. It can be natural or it can be fake. All good in my world. In fact, I suspect some element of the orange food coloring to be addictive.

Orange food sounds weird, but it is good. There are so many options orange food options...

Luck Dragon

Some days you need a little luck. Today is one for me. But I'm good - long ago and far away, I rode the Luck Dragon from Neverending Story.

A fresh beginning

Life is about change. Today another happened in my life. My marriage ended.