Challenges – Just My Luck

I love to read.

I have been a bookworm all my life. My parents read to me when I was little. I was reading the newspaper to them by the age of 5. I read the backs of cereal boxes at breakfast when my mom insisted on taking my books away from me because I walked through the house getting ready to go to school reading, walking up and down the stairs with “my nose in a book”. My favorite summer, hands down, was the one where I got up early to go to swim practice, stayed an extra hour to work with handicapped children in the pool, biked to the library to return yesterday’s books, and spent the day reading today’s selection while sunbathing. Every day that summer was like that. It was HEAVEN.

When children entered my life, I had to give up that wonderful sense of diving into another world just by splitting open a book at the place where my bookmark rested from the day before. I couldn’t keep my concentration, I couldn’t STAY in the World That Words Created. I could almost hear the sucking sound as my awareness disengaged from the book world to re-enter the real world. It took me several seconds each time, and then even longer to re-enter the book world (if I was lucky).

My children are grown now, and raising their own families, and I have the time to sit and read. I have a pile of books sitting at my right in a bookshelf that I purchased specifically for this purpose. I am, for better or worse, currently reading five books. This is not optimal, but as I go through the day I move through several states, from “thoughtful” to “suspenseful” to “funny” to “educational”…and so my reading choices change in concert.

Logically, I would pick one book and feverishly read it from cover to cover. Apparently I am not a logical woman.

I am, however, an organized woman, so my plan is to read “thoughtfully” for 15 minutes (or one chapter) first thing in the morning. Mid-morning I will pick up “educational”. And since what I love most is reading “funny” and “suspenseful” I will read those when I need a break from whatever tasks I have assigned myself. I have no doubt that I will read the “F” or “S” books – I need a little help to finish the “E” and “T” books, as I have to digest those, I WANT to digest those.

It’s 2025. Time to expand the mind.

What the FEST am I reading?

Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
Twice as Hard, by Jasmine Brown
Pappyland, by Wright Thompson
The Armor of Light, by Ken Follett
Now or Never, by Janet Evanovich

Guess which one I will finish first???

Card Quest 2022-2023!

The other day I was thrilled to read an article about the resurgence of vinyl records, postcards and print books in the Millenial generation. After all the “OK Boomer” memes, it was nice to think that we had some territory in common… an appreciation of the technologies available to us now, but also a conscious decision to spend less time in the technological world in order to find a way to remain a bit more…well, human. Investing in experiences, enjoying meals together that last more than 15 minutes, spending some time together without an agenda…and writing.

I love perusing the letters my great-grandmother wrote to my mother, and sifting through my grandmother’s memorabilia – Hospital Auxiliary programs, used ration books from WW2, clipped articles and recipes from the newspaper. Holding cards that my relatives wrote creates a tangibility I don’t find anywhere else, a connection to the person I loved but probably barely knew due to the differences in our ages.

I have fretted that with our mobile society, with email and text messages, we are losing that ability to connect on a personal level as well as losing that permanent record of a life well lived. How many of us have thousands and thousands of digital photographs “somewhere”, but very few that are in print or in an album or book. Who is going to be able to locate and identify these digital records and put dates to them? Who does the new baby look like? AI can only do so much – and if the records aren’t available on the internet and the names aren’t provided, the AI can’t find them. And although I am sure people enjoy getting happy birthday greetings via Facebook, I remember people telling me they turned off their Facebook page around their birthdays. Too many birthday greetings were ‘blowing up’ their phone…but how many of them are from REAL friends?

I enjoyed the anticipation when I went to check the mailbox, especially around my birthday. My grandfather was a great correspondent and I had a few pen pals. Was the stamp an unusual one I should save? Were there questions in there that I needed to answer? It was 5 minutes of hope and excitement that someone had taken the time to write to me, that I was special to them – and especially nice as we were a military family, and often in a new locale with new neighbors and classmates.

This year I have been on a quest to send birthday and anniversary cards to everyone I have stored in my calendar. The cards themselves are not unique; I have around 300 events to honor so I decided I would find some bulk cards, but write an actual letter in the card as my grandfather had done. It’s been a lot of fun for me, and I have been very surprised to get numerous thank you notes for the cards…something I did not anticipate. It IS fun to go to the mailbox and find something other than a political flyer, bill or catalog. Brighten someone’s day and send them a card, and share a little about your day. Honestly, I literally write about nothing. I saw a robin pulling a worm out of the ground. Did you know today was National Pig Day. My garden is covered with cicadas. It’s not WHAT you write. It’s that you DO write that counts, that you are sharing a little time with them.

I started the quest in November, so I have four more months to go to complete the year’s quest. I suspect I will keep doing it. Cards have very little space to fill in so the letter is of necessity short (although I do tend to fill in all blank spaces)…and its a very inexpensive way to brighten someone else’s day. Pick the cards up at the Dollar Store, or the thrift store or look for bulk cards like corporations use online. Granted, postage is not free…but still, if you work at it, you can do it for about $1 a person. It’s totally worth it.

Pandemic Holiday Blues (And Reds)

—Kathleen Finnegan, November 2020

In this year of the Pandemic
With so many out of work
We are fighting over face masks
But our leaders only shirk
While the Christmas music started
Right around November first
We are hopeful and yet fearful
That we haven’t seen the worst
So we’ll gather up our closest
And remember those afar
As we lift a cup of cheer to those
Who aren’t here any more
And with thanks we’ll eat whatever
Food is put upon our plate
As we say a quiet prayer for those
Whom we consider “late”
We will not let this pandemic
Kill the joy and love we feel
As we gather oh so virtually
This year’s Christmas is surreal.
I wrote this in November 2020, as we approached the holidays and had decided that it was not prudent to travel in order to gather as a family. With the computer in the kitchen and everyone online doing the usual holiday tasks, it was much more enjoyable than anticipated, and we were able to include other families across the globe, a true bonus. I am posting it now as a belated thanks to ZOOM for extending the session times for the holidays in the free versions. They didn’t have to do that, but it was much appreciated.
It certainly made a difference for us.

The Only Limitation is Within Us

We have all heard that little voice that says “what if it doesn’t work”? “What if they don’t Ike it?” “What if they make fun of me?”

Don’t listen to that voice. What does it matter if it works, or they like it, or they tease you? What is important is the trying. What is important is do YOU like it? What is important is that you don’t limit yourself before you even make an attempt, because that is the surest path to failure.

Pick a few of your own possibilities and make them real. At the very least, you will shut up that negative little voice for a few minutes – and perhaps forever!

A Hopeful Sign…

The Sunday comics were up to their usual shenanigans today. Life must be getting back to normal, at least a little bit at a time. Thank you, cartoonists, comic strip creators and other illustrators of the quandaries of daily life, for helping me navigate this past year . A little smile goes a long way…even if its only a smirk.

The B.A.N.J.O. Party

Watercolor of Capitol Building with Heart and Flag

A political party with these stated principles...

Benificence – the quality or state of doing or producing good
Autonomy – the property of having one’s decisions respected, honored, and heeded within a political context
Nonmaleficence – an obligation and dedication not to inflict harm on others; closely associated with primum non nocere (first do no harm)
Justice – moral obligation to act on the basis of fairness, entitlement, equality and in accordance with law
Openness – openhearted, openminded, open actions (transparency)

You don’t need to leave your current party. Just bring these qualities and principles in with you, and we will all benefit, regardless of what party we affiliate with.

I began this painting on January 6, 2021 and finished it on January 20, 2021. If we look for the good in each other, we find common ground. Look for the bad in each other, and we find poisoned soil. Plant the seeds of the future where they can grow, on common ground.

Good Energy Translations

Many years ago, my husband was stationed in Europe. When you are living far from your birth family, the other Americans around you become your second family. My European second family has stepped forward to help with the translations of Why(r)us the Virus and I can now provide the book in German (Why(r)us das Virus), French (Why(r)us le Virus) and Spanish (Why(r)us El Virus). The women who did the translations (Angie, Sophie and Andrea) were military spouses like myself, and we worked together in Europe to look after the American families stationed with us. Angie is a German national, Sophie is a French National, and Andrea is the daughter of a Mexican national, and all of them donated their time and energy to provide excellent translations so that the book can be of use world-wide. I am so grateful to them for their continuing contributions to increase the Good Energy in the world. Hopefully we can visit again soon, once the vaccine has made a difference in the pandemic’s spread. Just so lucky to have their friendship and support…

Amanda Gorman

It wasn’t just that her reading of her poem at the inauguration was sincere and polished, or that she was beautiful, or that she was well dressed and well spoken and composed. It was the Spirit that glowed through her, that incredible optimism and belief in humanity – to see that in a woman that young, from a segment of the population that has every reason to not feel optimistic on any given day made me feel for a moment just as optimistic and positive about my country’s future as she did. Just My Luck to be so blessed.