Favorite Month -- February

After a lot of thought, I have decided that February is at least my second favorite month and possibly the first.  July has always been tops as my favorite time of year because it has lots of warm weather and sunshine.  Beach weather.  Now that I am old, beach weather is not so important.  In fact, it gets harder and harder to sunbathe; it feels much too warm, especially when a hot flash hits.

So February has at least moved into a tie for first place as my favorite month.  The days are getting longer, the sun is out a lot, and there is usually still snow on the ground.  This means that I can go cross country skiing a few times during February.  I was not able to ski two years ago when I broke my wrist, and last year didn't work out well.  But this year, February has been so gorgeous that I've had to go to the south side of the Girdled Road metroparks to ski.  There is usually a track set, even though people and dogs walk through it.  There are not very many people in the woods on these cold, snowy days and it is absolutely beautiful with the sun shining.

It's true that the older I get, the less fast I am able to go (and less steady, too), but that doesn't seem to matter.  I do believe the hills get bigger and steeper the older I get; but I still love the feeling, however slow, of effortlessly (almost) gliding through the woods.  Thank you, Ginny.

Evolution

Ever notice how young people rarely talk on the phone anymore?  They almost always text, or at least the ones I am around, do.  Cell phones seem to be less for talking to one another than for sending text messages, taking and sending photos, surfing the web, and playing games.  Do young people ever write letters, or even send emails?  Not the ones I know.  They tweet, or comment on their friends' Facebook pages, or text using their cells.

Is this a giant leap forward in the evolution of humankind?  Are humans adapting to keep up with technology?  Is the attention span of a young person shortened so he or she doesn't get left behind as technology moves ahead by leaps and bounds?  Which came first -- technology or the evolving brain?

Also, people don't seem to be as social as they once were.  If we have jobs, we are usually on call 24/7.  Not many have an actual 9 to 5 job anymore.  Technology never lets us turn off.  Even if we are on a beach in the Caribbean, we can still be involved in decisions at the job.  This naturally gives us less time get to know one another; so here, too, decisions must be made quickly.

Today's young people have to be able to keep up with what can be lightening fast changes, not only in the world of work, but also socially.  I think they are missing out on some of the best parts of being human -- the slow development of a relationship; the time it takes to really get to know another person.

Arrogant Americans

What gives Americans the right to feel so superior to people in other parts of the world?  Why are we better than anyone else?  Because we had the good sense to be born in the USA?  Not a reason.

I am reading a book called Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner.  It was recommended by a friend, and is pretty scary. It exposes how inept the CIA has been since the day it was founded, and highlights how ignorant we have been of conditions and traditions in other countries.  A few men have been allowed to virtually ignore all the rules of civilization because only they knew what was best for this country, and by extrapolation, the world.  In reality, they have done so much harm, ranging from sending agents to certain death, to assassinations of heads of state, to overthrowing governments and installing puppet regimes, no matter how brutal the consequences.  All of this has been done without the knowledge of the people who are elected to run this country.  Elected officials, right on up to and including Presidents, have been kept in the dark about what the CIA actually does.

Granted, the USA is probably not the only country doing all these horrible things, but I had always believed that we, as a country, held to the highest moral standards; that we were truly the country that the rest of the world should look up to, to provide the ultimate example of morality.  This book makes me realize just how naive I am.  The people who are making these high level decisions, or at least those who have in the past, are so arrogant and ignorant, heartless and immoral, that it makes me afraid.  I am only halfway through this book, up to the point of JFK's assassination, and maybe what follows will not be as horrifying as what went on from the end of WWII into the early 1960s; but I really don't expect it to get much better.

One of the main conclusions I am taking away from this book is that we, as Americans, think we are so superior to others that we have the right to actually tell everyone how to live and to use other countries to further our so-called best interests; and that the other countries must agree with us.  What gives us this right?  Isn't it time we start to recognize that we are no more important than anyone else?  And how much longer will the rest of the world put up with our arrogance?

Stupid Computer

Don't talk to me.  Don't ask me anything.  Don't even say hi to me.  I cannot tell you what is wrong with me, except that I feel absolutely, totally stupid.  I cannot get my computer to do what I want it to do.  My husband and son are telling me how to do it, but they might as well be speaking Chinese, for all I can understand them.  I don't want to know how the computer works, I just want it to do what I need it to do!  Guess it is time to put the doggone thing to sleep and come back tomorrow.  Maybe I'll be in a better mood then.  Me, moody?  Never.  I just feel dumb, and that makes me frustrated and mad.  I think I'll go read a book.

A New Year

It's the time of year when we traditionally make a list of resolutions, vowing to be better, do more and be more understanding in the coming year.  These resolutions, although always made with good intentions, seem to last all of about 10 minutes into the new year.  I'm not sure why they disappear so fast, maybe due to short term memory loss.

Today, instead of listing all my new and well-meaning resolutions, I decided to take a page from one of my former partners' books and give thanks for a wonderful 2009.  In no particular order, I am grateful for the following:

A husband who loves me unconditionally after 46 years, a comfortable home, a priceless view out the front windows, a son and daughter-in-law who always make me proud, wonderful and healthy grandkids, a great new great-grandson, my beautiful and caring sisters, a cancer-free checkup for one of them, a nephew almost completely recovered from the stroke he suffered, a new job for another nephew, an all-around wonderful family (to whom I wish many happy, healthy and wealthy years to come), amazing friends, good books, good health, and a perfect companion dog.

I also vow to remember that all I have is all I need.

A Happy and Healthy New Year to all of you.  Remember to make the best choices you can, then move forward.  Don't spend time regretting the past choices; they can't be changed.  And if you do make some new resolutions this year, remember that you are the only person who can change your life.

(The picture above was taken by my friend, Deb S. on Christmas day)

Merry Christmas

It is time to take a moment out of this busiest time of year to wish everyone Merry Christmas,   Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, or simply Happy Holidays.  May every good wish come true, and may you prosper is the New Year.  I refuse to mention that you should be careful what you wish for because you might get it.  If you want it, go for it!

Take a few moments to take a deep breath and recoup your sense of wonder.  Go for a run or a walk, or even a swim.  Let your mind wander and see where it ends up.  Your body may want to follow.

Tomorrow, the daylight will start to last longer, and the darkness will slowly be rolled back to where it is manageable again.  It is a time for renewal of both body and mind.  So I will say, have a Very Merry Christmas and and Happy, Healthy New Year.

President Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize

Have you read President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech?  I hope you have.  His speech left me feeling glad to be an American, glad that we were smart enough to elect Barack Obama as President.  He understands that, even though he is labeled a liberal and a leftist, he knows the value of being able to defend our country.