Tag: expression

perspective

Congress

2chicksandapen

Recently I made an appointment to speak to my congressman. A first for me. I met in person in a great old office in a historic building, not too far from home on his office day. The floors squeaked when you walked on them. The doors were big and bold yet from another time period. Stairs were aged. So much history in just the architecture. My mind went crazy thinking about all that went on over the years in the building. So much fun to think about what once was there. Who might have stepped foot on those floors.

I didn’t really have an expectation with my meeting other than to be heard and see if there was anything his office could do for me given his advocacy reach. I was pleasantly surprised with his approachable demeanor and willingness to review my inquiries. That being said, I have no idea if my issues will go beyond the conference table I sat at but I did my part. I raise my concerns. I used my voice. 

As citizens of this glorious country, we have a right to access our leadership. Some routes may not lead one directly to the president but you have to start somewhere. Maybe you need a local school representative or the mayor. No matter who you need to visit, don’t hesitate. Take the chance. Make a stand. Your voice can count. For those who read our blog outside of the United States, you might not have the luxuries we do. Yet another reason we in the U. S. need to exercise our voice.

Glad to have made a step into voicing my concerns at this age / stage in my life. This may not be my last visit, but it was an interesting process to undertake. This blog is normally not a place to share or comment on political views of any kind, but I felt the vagueness of the post just reminded folks to get involved in their political scene, when the need arises.

Just a ponder post to put out there.

challenges, perspective

A Life Cut Short

2chicksandapen

Recently, someone in my daughter’s close friend group experienced a great loss. A tragic accident. A death, completely unexpected. Not his fault. A shock out of the blue.

I had met this young man a couple of times. I have photos of him, since he was in the group for my daughter’s high school dances. I had been introduced to him once. Still, such a sudden loss makes every parent in the community shudder.

My kids laugh at them when I tell them to be safe. Don’t drink (and if you do, don’t drive). Don’t do drugs. Stay alert. Make good choices. Check in when you get there. Leave early. Slow down. Assume everyone else is drunk or not paying attention. This young man probably followed every single one of these rules and still, he is gone.

In most cases, you may not know the last words you’ll say to a person. A loved one. A friend. Every time they leave you, every time you hang up, every time you text it could be the last time. Stop and think of the people who mean the most to you. How have you left it with them? Yes, right now. Today. Sure, saying “I love you” to a friend all the time may seem foolish. Maybe you just aren’t that way. But how can you leave things so that you’d be content with those being your last words with them? Think about it. Do they know how you feel? Do they know what they mean to you?

Memento Mori. One of the tenets of stoicism. Remember your death. To some this might seem morbid. Too heavy. Honestly, it is useful for me. It means pay attention to what matters. Keep your shit in order. Don’t drown in the trifling details. Don’t waste time on petty arguments or people who are just not meant for you. Invest in what is meaningful. All you have is now. Don’t waste it.

I watched the beautiful slide show for this 20 year old young man. I saw his smiles. His family vacations. Trips to the university his family loved. The dinners with friends. The light in his eyes when he looked at my daughter’s friend. I wept for him and what everyone who loved him lost. All the dreams that would go unfulfilled. The awful anniversaries that would come over and over and over again. I wept for the life cut short.

Do the important things now. Make a list. Start checking it off. Do them with the people who matter to you. Time is ticking and we don’t get it back. Not fun to think about. But let that motivate you to embrace life NOW. Not next year. Not when you have more time. NOW. Live big. Love well. Embrace life.

Now.

author moments

Maybe Swearing Will Help?

2chicksandapen

When life throws you lemons people say make lemonade. When somebody throws horse shit your way, what should you say? I say swearing may help.

Actually I flipped my comical calendar today and the saying said maybe swearing will help. I thought about and said why yes it does.

When going down a hill fast on a roller coaster, oh shit! comes to mind.

When you cut your finger with a knife unexpectedly you might hear a quick fuck word.

When your boss hands you a deadline that wipes out your weekend plans you might say asshole.

When you procrastinate and it’s now month end and you are behind you might hear damn it.

Swearing helps in my books. Maybe not daily swearing but to offset the ugly parts of life whether self-inflicted or not.

I am curious about the swearing concept. If I asked ten people if they swear daily what would the stats be?

Are there people who just don’t swear, ever?

Are there people who only swear in their mind vs. outward where people can hear it?

I think I’m going to count my swear words on the weekend, on a workday, during a tennis match and a few other scenarios to see my high and lows. I know I swear. Now it’s time to see how much I swear and if I can trim down my swear words.

One can hope for a positive outcome but then again swearing may be therapeutic.