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Back to the Future Posted: 01/04/09 Tomorrow marks the true return to reality, even though I’ve alluded to it these past couple weeks. I noted when Christmas was over and when all became calm. I acknowledged my friends and noted my foray into holiday sales. But tomorrow is different. Tomorrow the world really returns to its regular regime. The stock market opens on an up note, but whether it remains in positive territory is a well-guarded secret. Weather forecasters decline serious commitment, while newscasters attempt to charm us. And in sixteen days our country will see the passing of power from a Republican to a Democrat. It’s quite an omen for the New Year. There was once a movie called “Back to the Future,” starring Michael J. Fox. It was about time travel to the past and how Michael’s character could or did impact the future by having landed unwittingly in the past. It made me think that in some way we are all unwitting participants in events beyond our control. We try our best, but it might not be adequate. So tomorrow, as I return to my usual schedule, I think I’ll contemplate the vagaries of life. I’ll buckle into a routine, since I’m a pretty routine person; but I’ll try to recognize that some things are simply beyond our control. Regardless, I need to get back to the present.
I Shopped till I Dropped Posted: 01/03/09 Today Earl’s daughter Adaire and I shopped . . . and shopped . . . and shopped. If ever there was a marathon clothing event, this was it. We left at ten in the morning to hunt for bargains, track down a couple jackets, and generally spruce up my winter wardrobe, which hadn’t been spruced in maybe three, four years. In the meantime, I’d lost a few pounds, toned up, and looked lost in my current out-of-style wardrobe. Adaire is a pro at shopping, while I’m only a novice. In fact, I don’t even like to shop for clothes, so she was the perfect person to help me. In the first store we encountered, we devised a system where she would roam the racks grabbing jeans here or tops there, while I headed to camp out in the dressing room. Then she would bring her items to me, and I would try them on as fast as I could. It was power shopping at its best. In the end, we walked out of the Gap with an incredible array of clothing, most of which was on sale. Seven hours -- with time out for lunch -- and five stores later, I was the owner of an entirely new winter wardrobe without having gone into too much debt. I had also tried on more clothes in one day than I probably wear in a month. And I’d learned a thing or two about today’s fashions as well. But the best thing I learned was that having someone along who really likes clothes and knows what goes well together makes all the difference. So thanks, Adaire. You’re the best!
Into the New Year Posted: 01/02/09 The New Year has come and gone, and I’m trying to settle into my usual routine as the world around me settles into its. This means finding time for piano practice and blogging and exercising and working and cooking and crocheting and sleeping. It’s what I do the fifty weeks of the year that lead to the December holiday season, when routine goes out the window. Oh, and I forgot counting calories. But since my New Year’s houseguests left today, it’s time to slowly return to normalcy. {See above paragraph.) Yet, as I accept the reality of separating laundry and putting away the good China, my mind recalls things I learned in 2008. First, friends are a constant source of information and education. Being an only child, I’ve learned to depend on special friends for those insights I imagine sisters could impart. So, my friend Carol, thank you to passing on the wisdom to cook in advance. I recall a recent conversation where I said I did all the cooking for a dinner or party on the day of the event. You said you did it all in advance and froze it and that this approach made life easier on party day. Just know that I followed your advice for Christmas and New Year’s and you are absolutely right. Noreen, a year or so ago you gave me a wonderfully simple sauce (Is this the right word?) to spread over fruit. I had hoped to use it while you and George were here for New Year’s but we never got around to it. Even so, I made the sauce this afternoon, spread it on the fresh fruit I’d purchased, and waited until Earl discovered it. He isn’t particularly a fruit lover, but your ‘sauce’ changes everything. Judi, you are always so genuine in your excitement when one of your friends does well, has a financial windfall, gets to take a fantastic trip, or has a grandchild. It doesn’t matter that you still work, don’t travel that much, and frequently are enlisted to care for your grandchildren even when you’re not feeling well. You are so selfless that you’re my role model. Not just in 2008, but since I’ve known you. And Peg. We’ve only been friends for a decade, but I have had some much fun with you that I look forward to the next decade and the next. What I like most isn’t our political affiliations; it’s our ability to dissect them and have wonderful, intellectual discussions. Even when we don’t agree, which isn’t too often. What else have I learned in 2008? Well, cash is king. The company I work for is more than solvent, so I still have a job when many don’t. It’s important to waken each day with a positive attitude, even when the sky is grey. Working out at my age is important. We can dial down our thermostat, wear sweaters, and save on our heating bill which was $433 for December. Basically, what I’ve learned is that we -- and by that I mean both Earl’s and my extended families -- are truly blessed. It’s a wonderful way to approach 2009.
Taking Stock Posted: 12/30/08 It’s the eve of New Year’s Eve and I’m mulling over the past year’s highlights and low points. On balance, the highlights win, although last week’s scare with Earl’s son and his dog certainly stands front and center right now. It wasn’t a highlight, believe me. So what were some of the memorable occasions in our year? Well, we didn’t sell our house as much as we tried; but then it isn’t a bad place to live, so I’m not unhappy about it. We took a wonderful fishing vacation in northern Canada, our third time back to Wollaston Lake Lodge; and every time we visit we love the wilderness more and more. We took our annual trek to visit my family in Denver, CO, at Thanksgiving and found everyone there passing fair. Even more than that. We weathered the stock market although, like most, our portfolios were in diet mode instead of full fighting weight. No matter; we still had more money than month. All my close friends survived and stayed in contact. Our health held, what with flu shots and pneumonia shots and vitamins and whatnot. The graying hairs on our heads were more than compensated for by the pleasure of watching grandchildren and great-grandchildren learn and grow. Both Earl and I lost weight. When all is tallied, I honestly can’t think of a personal low point that didn’t have an upside. Call me a glass-half-full sort of person, I don’t mind. Which brings me to another level. My own world is doing well, even though the world at large isn’t. We’ve had terrorist attacks, economic upheavals, industries on the verge of ruin. Certainly these are highlights only in the nightly news sense. In the world of day-to-day occurrences, they are at the other end of the spectrum. Still, I’ve decided the glass-half-full approach is the sort of mind-set it takes to look at 2008 on the macro-cosmic level and survive the economic, cultural, and international clashes that have roiled our world these past twelve months. The fact is that my world has been impacted by such events mostly on the nightly news and not in real life. They have touched others far more than they have touched me. They have caused me dismay, but not physical pain. If that isn’t a glass-half-full gift, I don’t know what is.
Previous entries Due to the volume of entries, Anne's Ten Minutes A Day are now categorized by date and by topics. Some essays are found under more than one topic. Otherwise, select from the categories below.
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