Ageing

Ageing is not something you think about.


 It just happens.






Wrinkles also just happen. Some of us think of our aging as something to brag about. Or at least to talk about.




When you are young you don't think of getting older as ageing. You think of it as getting to do...
walk to school by yourself, staying up till ten, getting to drive.




Then when you are older still, you  go to college, have your first alcoholic drink, and move out on your own.


After a time, you pass all the important ages like 16, 21 and 30.
 Thirty is a big one, because lots of younger ones think you have gone over the hill.




Suddenly, it is forty, fifty, sixty, and seventy.




Where did the time go?




A better question is what did we do with it?




We played ball.



We studied for tests.
 And passed them.




We went out with boys to find the right one to marry.




We married the right one. Some of us only thought he was the right one, and went on to others until we found the right one, or decided that we didn't need the right one to be happy.




We had children.




Some of us lost them.




We were happy, and we were sad.




 We celebrated and enjoyed.




So, here we sit at whatever age are and decide that it was worth it and let's get to the next birthday.

I have the hardest time saying "no".


 It's simple.


It is only two letters.


Nothing really groundbreaking about it.




I just can't say it.




It isn't that I could never say it to my kids. That was no problem. You are concerned with their well-being and safety. You have to say no. No other way.




I don't say it outright to my husband, but he gets the idea that there are some things I am not gonna do. Skydiving. Deep sea fishing. Anything that means I have to go into deep water. Well, some boating, maybe.


But, when it comes to organizations to whom I belong: church, writing groups, grandkids.


If I do say no, I have to do so with excuses. You know, the I don't know if I will be in town, I have two other things scheduled. That kind of thing.




When I see something offered for free. Yes is the only answer.
 Now, what in the world am I going to do with fifty- five flamingoes? Probably not much. Can't sell them, that's how I got them. The other guy couldn't sell them either.




I write. In case you haven't noticed. And by so doing I get all kinds of offers and encouragements to do things.



A 500 word a day challenge, which I accepted and have done pretty well in honoring.



A Poem A Day challenge, which I accepted and did not do so well on.




One that is coming up and I am thinking about is a blog a day for 26 days.




What I am trying to say here is that just because something is offered to you it is okay to say no.


Just no.
 No explanations, no excuses, nothing. Just no.




No one will give you lashes, or not talk to you, well maybe your boss if you tell him no.




In the realm of daily life you need to decide what you can do and what you cannot do.
 Inspect where the offer is coming from and how it will affect your life and decide yes or no.


I accepted the Blog A Day A to Z challenge. Stay tuned and see how I do.


 And enjoy your life.

Challenge

I have accepted the challenge to blog every day in April except Sundays for the A to Z Challenge. I am to pick a subject with a letter of the alphabet. Since we don't do Sundays, it works out great for the challenge.


I have decided to do random subjects for each letter.


I will start with Ageing.


Come back on Tuesday to see what I have to say.

My Writing Success

The prompt for today was to tell what your writing success looks like. Show don't tell.


Would you believe that I have NEVER thought of the success part of it? Oh, I have thought about the clamoring fans, the book signings, and the dashing from t v interview to t v interview. But to think of the actual success and how it would feel? No.


To make me feel successful would be to have the people who love me love what I do and not just because I did it, but because it was good. Very good.


That has been the one thing that has made me hang back from writing more. I can't seem to get anyone to convince me that what they think is good is really good.


Does that mean that I have to earn a million dollars in a month to impress and be impressed?


Probably not.


My success would look like pleasure. The gentle smile on my husband's face as he reads the article in the magazine when he says, " That's good."


The giggle of my grown daughter who says "Momma, that's really good."


Feedback from other writers is something I crave for the things I write. Not just my comments on Facebook or the messages we exchange, but for the blog I struggle over.
                                                                                                                                                             


But, success really looks like me continuing to write and say, " I have something to share."

Breakfast Cookies

The other day on a post, one of my 500 wordgang put out a recipe called Breakfast Cookies.
I took the recipe to my husband, who is the baker and cooker in our household, and he said they sounded good.


That was two days ago.


Yesterday when he went out to run the garbage can down to the street and a few other little errands, he stopped by the freezer, which we keep in the garage, and it was dead.


I heard thumps and bumps and wondered what he was doing. I went out to the garage and he was loading up sacks with food. I asked what was going on. He said the freezer isn't working. What are we going to do with the food? Do you want me to take that to church when I go to bell practice?
He thought he would call a neighbor first and see if he had any room. He didn't.


Hubby said he would take me to practice and  we would leave the food at church in their freezers.


Off we go to church and he to find a freezer.
 He picked me up and we went to check out one of the freezers he had found.
We went to the big box store and found a freezer we could live with, actually, we like it, and they can deliver it today. Which is great.


And now, to the cookies.


This morning I was greeted by my best man with, " Well, they are what they are."


To which I brilliantly replied, " Whaaaaaaa?"


" The cookies."
" Oh."
The recipe calls for bananas, oatmeal, raisins, coconut, chocolate chips, egg, sugar, cinnamon and oil.


What we have is bananas, oatmeal, raisins, egg, sugar, cinnamon and oil.


The coconut and chocolate chips were in the church freezer, two miles away, which left us with bananas, oatmeal. And may I add, about a handful of raisins.


They are wonderful. Think how they would be if we had it all. Or may be this is how they will be at my house.

Finding Time

We have all heard the expression. We have all used it.



When I find enough time, I will call my friend.




When I find the time, I will make that present for a birthday gift.




When I find the time, I will read that book everyone is talking about.




If we have to find the time, where did we loose it? When did we loose it?




We even say we will make time. Man, I want to learn that. How would you go about making time? Maybe you could turn your clock back an hour. Or maybe there is an hour bush out in the back yard that you could go pluck some time from.




Why do we do this?




We know you can't make time. We also know you can't find time.


Where would it hide, under the bed? In the rose garden? Perhaps, in the closet?




What I do know is that each day is 24 hours long. 1440 minutes. 86400 seconds. Now how are you going to stretch that? Or find more of it? You can't.




You can however, manage it better.
 You could spend less time watching re-runs of Gilligan's Island. You could spend that time writing.


  You could spend less time wondering where the time went and just use it to call that friend.
 You could spend less time berating yourself for wasting time.
 Just spend it with joy.
 If your joy is fifteen minutes of doing nothing, then do it.




What we should all do is try to do things with our time that makes us pleased with how we spend our
time, because, spend it we shall. We have no choice. It comes and it goes. What we do with it is our choice.


Did you know that God made time? At the time of creation, he made the sun and moon to tell the difference between night and day. The first day was decided by the passing of the evening and morning. So, if God made it and ordained it, we should use it to the fullest extent we can.


We should praise and thank God with our time by using wisely.


Wisely means doing something that you enjoy or that will accomplish what you want. If you want to get a degree, study and do it. It won't be a waste of time. You may not be able to go and play as much as you want, but you will have the degree. You will have done what you want. In all that studying, reading and writing, take time out, maybe on your way to the next class to notice what you pass. It won't take that much time, and you may see something interesting. Make a note of it when you get to class.


Wisely also means to do with intention.


Do what makes your life lighter. Laugh. Love. Live.




Until next time.

Thank You God for Poop

When my kids were younger, grade school, I was the superintendent for our church's VBS. For those of you who may not know it is Vacation Bible School.


We were new to the area and the church, so we didn't know all the kids and their backgrounds.


Everyone knew Paul. He was ornery and cute as a button. He lived to shock. He was in  first grade and the teachers for that class were high school girls. One was the teacher and the other was her assistant.


 Vacation Bible School is chaotic with children meeting friends they hadn't seen in a month since the end of school. Making new friends from children outside the church and community, invited by friends and relatives to take part.


It was the third day of a five day course.


The schedule was that the children met en masse to do music, then divided into groups that went to crafts, treats, games or to story time. The teachers were to do crafts and story time. There were others in charge of treats and out side time.


His teachers had all ready had his group for  crafts and had a break while they were in treats. They came together to do the story time and finished the story time with prayers.


Each child was asked what they were grateful for, and most of the ten children had said moms, dads, dogs, Jesus, and the teachers. Paul, however, said he was grateful for poop.


It brought the room down to hysterics. The boys thought it funny. The girls thought it was gross. Paul grinned.


The teacher said amen.




When the kids were gone and we were all discussing the day, Paul's teacher said we had something interesting happen. And then they told the story.


It brought the room down. The Pastor was not happy. The superintendent thought it was funny.


They didn't ask me to reprise my job.


As I grow older, I fully appreciate Paul's thankfulness for poop.