I don’t do competitive sports so there is nothing I watch or play. I used to do fast walking in competitions but that was years ago. Now, it is just walking for exercise to keep fit and to get out in nature.
Men are into competitive sports I think. Tennis, football and golf just to name a few. When I was married, I used to watch football not because I was interested in it but because I kept him company and went through the motions of liking what I saw especially when the ball made a goal. Those days are done with.
When I was a kid, I used to play in the boy’s football team. Dad was the coach so he let me even though I was the only girl in an all boy’s team. I don’t think he liked it that much but dad being dad decided, “this too shall pass” and bit the bullet and said nothing much to it. It did pass. I’m a quieter version of who I used to be and if you’re looking down on me, mom and dad, go ahead and smile, I’m the “lady” you wanted me to be!
I would go quiet because first of all, it would be a shock to the system and second, I would stay there for a while!
Winning the lottery is a dream that many have but it never comes to fruition. In my case, I would fix the roof. It is alright for now but if I had the money to throw around, I would invest in putting a Tudor-style roof on the house. It costs an arm and a leg to fix a roof here so that would be one luxury I would look into. Of course, family, friends, and my son would benefit from all that excess and what else?
Travel comes to mind but since I’ve traveled to many parts of the world already, it is not high on my list of things to do. Sri Lanka is still on my list of places to visit because it is breathtaking and simply beautiful but first I need to get out of my “recluse” mode! Oh, I would try to run a homeless shelter in honor of someone I knew.
Universe if you’re listening, let’s make it happen!
Leoni came in out of nowhere and left a ton of snow in her wake! I’m talking about the cold front “Leoni” who showed up two days ago and left Germany in chaos and in the grip of winter. A sweet name but she came packing a punch!
We had lots of snow yesterday and by the time she (Leonie) was finished, she had dumped almost 15 to 20 inches of snow. A winter wonderland? Yes, but she left destruction in her wake as well. The roads were slippery causing accidents and trains did not run according to schedule. Schools were closed and a lot of people stayed home doing home office, my son was one of them.
She kept me busy as well. I cleared the sidewalk twice yesterday and used up a lot of salt making sure that no one would slip and fall. It worked. Last night, we had more snow but of the lighter variety. She was running out of steam I guess. I had my fingers crossed!
This morning the big thaw began. She was on her way to parts unknown having done what she came to do. The trees still had lots of snow on them, the rooftops were covered in white and the streets were starting to show signs of life again. Gobs of snow were starting to fall from the trees and it was a pretty sight to behold.
I took my walk to the fields picking my way carefully through the sleet. The fields were looking gorgeous covered in 20 or more inches of snow. It was a pristine world out there and the “whiteness” was blinding. The trees looked like they were right out of a picture postcard still clad in white. I felt like I could breathe again. The air was fresh and clean and it held a promise of better things to come. Weather prediction is that it will start thawing out and soon the snow will be a distant memory BUT there is more snow predicted for Thursday. A distant cousin of Leoni’s making its way here?!!!
All I can tell you is that I’ve had enough of snow for now and winter can stay but snow and ice, well, let’s wave it goodbye! Next year is another story altogether. I’ll be careful as to what I ask for!
In his February 2025 State of the State address, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker gave an eye-opening and powerful speech that still resonates today. Only problem is that what he predicted back then is happening today and in the most horrible and disgusting fashion. The terror unleashed on the streets of Minneapolis and the killing of two innocent civilians, Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and ICU Nurse Alex Pretti, who was 37 at the time, by ICE agents under the guise of the Trump administration makes for a sickening realization that something else is at work here and it is the rise of what Gov. Pritzker was talking about. It should send tremors down our spines because once that “evil” is awakened again, it is going to take tremendous force and loss of lives to put it back where it came from as history has taught us.
I wrote this piece after Governor Pritzker’s address and it speaks to the sign of the times.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker delivered his ‘State of the State’ address in Springfield Wednesday and although he spoke of many things, it was the last part that made many of us sit up and take notice. He was speaking to the heart of the matter.
Here is an excerpt:
“if you just give Donald Trump everything he wants, he’ll make an exception and spare you some of the harm….I once swallowed my pride to offer him what he values most… public praise on the Sunday news shows…..it turns out his promises were as broken as the BIPAP machines he sent us instead of ventilators.”
He went on to deliver what can only be called a punch to the gut without lifting one finger. It was eloquent, it was persuasive and it was more than powerful.
“The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame….I’m watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country here…..The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here. They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems.”
He further added:
“I just have one question. What comes next? After we’ve discriminated against, deported or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorites – once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends – After that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face – what comes next.
All the atrocities of human history lurk in that answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.”
Nothing really, I don’t read much anymore. I don’t know why because I used to be a bookworm in my younger days. Some days I had my nose so deep in books that I forgot time and place! It was my way of escaping the ordinary and going out into the extraordinary where fantasy and make-believe reigned supreme. It was a beautiful place to be in and I didn’t have to leave my bedroom to do it. I could kiss princes, find true love, visit exotic locations and learn so much from the written word. Those days are gone.
Then I started writing and books took a back seat. Sad, really, because I would love to get back there again, put on my adventurer’s cloak and let imagination take hold and lead me to a fantastic world where everything is possible.
I am not into history and neither am I into things that make me think too much. I love romance and I dabble in politics, well, more than dabble but if I could get back to reading, I would love a love story where the girl gets the guy and they walk off into the sunset forever!
Last year, we didn’t have much snow and it left us with wanting for more. This year, it decided to make up for all the years that gave us little or no snow! The weather forecast has been fluctuating, sometimes with snow only up south and then predictions of snow for days on end. Well, they changed it yesterday and it DUMPED on us today!
A winter wonderland of sorts greeted my eyes this morning as I looked out the kitchen window and Chachi, the cat, couldn’t believe his eyes either. He looked back at me as if to say, “What is that mommy? It is pretty.” Yes, pretty it is. The rooftops were covered in white, the trees look gorgeous dressed in white and the streets hardly visible through the cover of snow. It also meant time to get out there after breakfast and get working to clear the snow and salt the sidewalk! Not something I look forward to but it’s a must around here or rather it is expected that you do your part.
Just as I was getting dressed after breakfast, I took a glance at the computer and it said, 7 cm of snow expected in 4 hours! This is going to be a nightmare situation. Then I heard the sound of the shovel working hard and glancing out the window, I noticed my neighbor clearing the snow away in front of my house as well. What a nice guy! Now, I just have to clear the snow towards the side of the house which will be a heavy duty job as well.
I tried using the leaf blower to clear the snow away but no chance, it wasn’t going to budge. It had worked so well with light snow but it doesn’t work with a massive amount of snow it seems. So, I did the best I could. Came back in and got the salt and went back out and started sprinkling it on the snow hoping it will melt away. The guy across the street had a big snow shovel and he was having a hard time with it. Our eyes met and I said, “This is hard work!” He nodded, smiled, and said, “I no speak German.” Too bad, he could have helped me with my sidewalk as well!
Walking back into the house I heard the phone ringing. It was my girlfriend who wanted to know if I needed help with clearing the snow. My eyes lit up. Here was the help I was waiting for. I told her about the snow fiasco and she laughed. So, she offered to come by later and help me with it.
It is going to be needed as I am glancing out the window writing this and more snow is coming down. Folks, it looks beautiful out there but along with the beauty comes the unsavory stuff but then so is life, you take the good with the bad.
Oh, before I forget, the weather forecast is predicting that this snow storm is planning to stay for a few days!
I don’t have many now but there are a few I remember from times past. One of my best memories or traditions that the family enjoyed was Christmas Eve. We usually had a huge tree all lit up and for a young child it was magical. I remember the house was bright with lights and to bolster the mood further, the table was brimming with food. Right before the clock struck midnight, the carollers arrived and they stood in front of the tree and sang Christmas carols. It was one of the best family tradition that I remember.
When I was married, my German in-laws used to come to our place on the 24th and we had a huge meal, sometimes roast rabbit and sometimes goose or duck and all the trimmings that went with it. I cooked the meal and we sat around with my son’s eyes all lit up in anticipation and sometimes we sang Christmas carols but most of the time it was just cosy because the fireplace was on and the place felt warm and full of love.
Those days are gone but the memories remain and to my surprise, my ex mother-in-law remembered it too. Not too long ago she said, “I remember how beautiful the house looked at Christmastime.” I guess sometimes beautiful memories remain even though time has come and gone and changed the circumstances.
Daily writing prompt
Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.
It’s going to cost you your comfort zone and your sense of direction.
It’s going to cost you relationships and friends. It’s going to cost you being liked, and understood. But it doesn’t matter. Because the people who are meant for you are going to meet you on the other side. And you’re going to build a new comfort zone around the things that actually move you forward.
And instead of liked, you’re going to be loved. Instead of understood, you’re going to be seen. All you’re going to lose is what was built for a person you no longer are. Let it go.” Brianna West
Change is never-ending. It is scary but it brings you one step closer to who or what you want to be. It moves you out of your comfort zone and at times it will feel like you are being thrown into the deep end of the pool, sink or swim is your choice. I hope you swim.
Looking back at my life and the things that have held me back, I realize much of it was tied in with stupidity and emotions I could have done without. I could have learned the lessons in a shorter period of time instead of dragging it on but I didn’t.
This thing called love could have been easier on me. I could have made it easier but I wasn’t strong enough. I was in a vulnerable state and it seemed to attract the wrong types because vulnerability is often an invitation which says, “Here I am, come break me!” I should have walked when I saw that it was a foregone conclusion and my holding on would not change the outcome. It never did. I will do better I promise myself. I will let go when I see the truth staring me in the face and walk away with my dignity intact and with my heart back in my chest. I will let go before it drags me down to where I often find myself, right down at ground zero but the changes took a long time coming.
I am stronger today than I was yesterday. My heart still speaks the language of love but it no longer speaks stupid. This journey I am on has changed me. The weak or vulnerable one has been replaced with one who is confident, capable and someone who knows who she is and what she wants out of life. Something inside me screams, “I am woman, hear me roar!” Scary? Well, if you’re the type of man I am accustomed to, then you should be. I am looking to be loved but with eyes open this time. Working on myself is a mindful and daily affair and when I finally step out of my comfort zone, the journey will be complete but change is a lifelong journey and it will be a never-ending one. I can handle it I tell myself because I am no longer who I used to be.
“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” James Keller
Some days it is doing nothing but it never turns out that way. I always find something to keep me occupied.
I’m working on two books, one is a children’s book and it is in the process of being published. One got published last year and I am working on the sequel now. The other project which is taking time is a novel and it is a huge undertaking. Writing is sometimes strange. Some days the flow is good and at other times it is a stop and go process or it comes to a complete standstill for some time. Whatever it is, writing is one of my leisure time activities to free the mind and to get my thoughts down on paper instead of keeping it stored in this thing I call my mind.
Walking is the other. Being out in nature especially by myself is something I cherish. Winter doesn’t make it easy because most days it is dark, windy or cold and even though I don’t get out in nature everyday, I still make an effort to stay in touch with it. It is one of the nicest ways to relax the mind, to embrace lessons if I open my mind to it and to let go of what I hold inside. I call it, my “zen” time and I usually come back with a smile on my face so what’s not to like?
Daily writing prompt
What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?
“Time and tide waits for no man.” Geoffrey Chaucer
I was discussing time with a friend and told him jokingly that this year I am going to hold on tight and make time go as slowly as possible. He laughed because he knew as well as I did that holding onto time is an impossible task and the truth is it flies and trying to keep up is the only thing to do.
Zig Ziglar said, “Lack of direction not lack of time is the problem. We all have 24-hour days.”
True but sometimes it seems that the days fly by and just when you think it is the beginning of the week, lo and behold, it’s the weekend again. When we look back, it is clear that we waste a lot of time on things that don’t matter, on people we shouldn’t be wasting our time on and perhaps just sitting around and wishing and hoping that things were different. I’ve started a routine to make the days count because lost time is just that. You are not getting it back ever again. I’ve started writing down everything I do during the course of the day. There are no hard and fast rules so I give myself permission to write down my thoughts and feelings as well as improvement ideas. Surprisingly, I’ve been keeping up and getting a lot accomplished and some days I pat myself on the back and say, “Great job, you’re giving time a run for the money! Keep it up.” It really has slowed time down for me. Try this approach, you might just like it.
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” Michael Altshuler
This year I want to take the time to smell the roses which means taking more time for myself mentally and physically. I want to do things that will bring an improvement to and will enrich my life. I am not going to let a day go by without doing something productive. That said, I am going to find the time to relax, not going to sweat the small stuff and let time keep up with me instead of the other way around! Doable? Anything is doable if you put your mind to it.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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