Laugh lines...

Today I laughed...and laughed...and laughed.  First it was with the table of troublemakers in my EMAP class (I am out at the National Emergency Training Center this week accomplishing a number of things - including learning more about the Emergency Management Accreditation Program).  The folks at my table were fun and funny - who knew the topic of accreditation could be so fun?? 

From there I had the privilege to visit with my dear friend Barbara and my newer pal Shannon - and OMG did we laugh.  We laughed until I snorted and it was divine.  There really is nothing better for the soul than time laughing with friends.

I could blog for three weeks about the topics that came up in that conversation (indeed, perhaps I will), but tonight I just want to share one little snippet from our conversation that evidences how darn quick Barbara's humor is.

Barbara and I were commiserating about how many different face lotions we have and I was commenting on how sad it was that my fountain of youth facial lotion is called, "When Hope Is Not Enough."   Barbara pointed out that at least my "When Hope Is Not Enough" isn't a body wash - that would be really bad!  We laughed a good while about that.  Discussions of aging with Barbara are an opportunity to laugh about the funny things that happen as we age.  There is nothing to complain about - just observations about the humor in life. 

I have to tell you, with all the laughter I shared with Barbara and Shannon today, I felt a lot younger when I left Barbara's office than when I went in.  Perhaps the fountain of youth doesn't come in a bottle marked, "When Hope Is Not Enough" at all...perhaps it lies in those moments we share laughter about the absurdities and inevitabilities of life.  I like that.  It is so very wabi sabi.

Day two hundred and fifty-four of the new forty - obla di obla da

CC

Posted by: madamgovnr on 3/16/2010 at 4:47 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Tags: aging, friends, laughter, wabi sabi

Wabi sabi...

I am "done" with "to do" lists...well, at least for a few days.  In reality, I am taking a break from them while I am away from home.  Let's face it anyway - "to do" lists never really are "done".  No sooner do I cross something off than another thing gets added.  I was trying to remember the other day back to a time when I had no "to do" list.  How did I ever survive and accomplish things without one?

I read an article in Woman's Day this past week about Wabi Sabi.  Wabi sabi (according to the article) originated in 16th century Japan and basically embraces the notion that there is beauty in imperfection and wisdom in being satisfied with what you have (as opposed to wishing for or always striving for more).  Simplicity is valued as is age.  Oh yes...I am feeling the wabi sabi groove.

The article had a chart that showed how a wabi sabi perspective would deal with certain things, such as: instead of a McMansion, those in tune with wabi sabi would appreciate a cozy cottage; instead of a new car, wabi sabi gurus would appreciate the old car that is paid off; instead of an iPod, wabi sabi would have us humming; and by far my favorite - instead of plastic surgery, the wabi sabi approach is candlelight (to hide those wrinkles). Did I mention I was feeling the wabi sabi groove?

I am thinking that the wabi sabi approach to "to do" lists is to do the things you enjoy doing all in good time...and to never put them on a list that requires checking off.  What's not to love about that?!

I am feeling a little wabi sabi today and I think I'll linger in my wabi sabi mode for awhile - humming in the candlelight without a list in sight. ;-)

 Day two hundred and fifty-three of the new forty - obla di obla da

CC

Posted by: madamgovnr on 3/15/2010 at 2:14 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: good enough, to do lists, wabi sabi

SEATBELTS - CHILDREN - WINDOW - OUT

Please allow me this opportunity to deliver a quick public safety message.  Before I get to my primary message,  allow me to reiterate the often stated message in regard to flood waters - "Turn around, don't drown."  Do not attempt to walk or drive through flood waters - the power of the current can be deceiving.

Moving on - the information below reflects what is known from the research about your best chance for survival if you are in a vehicle that goes into a body of water.  Three college students from Dickinson lost their lives in November when their vehicle went into a pond because they didn't know what to do.   Their deaths remind us how important it is to know what to do in the few crucial minutes you will have in such an incident (and minutes - in the plural - may be more than you get - plan for a minute to be safe).  The Dickinson students frantically called for help on cell phones.  If they would have known the below information they might have survived that tragic accident.

Remember four steps to survive such an incident: SEATBELTS - CHILDREN - WINDOW - OUT

First, take off your seatbelt.

Second, attend to children's seatbelts.

Third, get your window rolled down.

Fourth, get out.

As I stated, research has been done on this and other commonly utilized approaches to escape vehicles in the water.  This approach offers the highest success rate - about 50%.  Give yourself and your family a chance to survive in such an event - memorize these four steps - SEATBELTS - CHILDREN - WINDOW - OUT.  They say a person needs to hear something multiple times to retain it, so keep repeating this to yourself - SEATBELTS - CHILDREN - WINDOW - OUT.  You may not need it today, tomorrow or next year, but in the event you do I want you to remember it.  Say it with me...SEATBELTS - CHILDREN - WINDOW - OUT.

Stay safe.

Day two hundred and fifty-two of the new forty - obla di obla da

CC  

Posted by: madamgovnr on 3/14/2010 at 4:34 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: car submerged in water, safety

Mother Nature did not consult with me...

They say, "A watched pot never boils."  If such were truly the case then perhaps a watched river never floods.  Alas, we know better.  Both the pot boils and the river floods in its own time as opposed to what we would prefer.

Things can change rapidly this time of year based on precipitation and melt.  The flood predictions change with the new information.  We went from an expected surge of five feet to more than ten feet in the seeming blink of an eye.  An article in The Forum today is titled, "The Fight is Here"; indeed, it is. 

I just got done saying to students on Thursday that it looked like we would be able to get back into the classroom after spring break for a couple of weeks before worrying about any interruptions.  Today I am not quite so optimistic about that. 

So much for my ability to control or predict Mother Nature's activities.  In truth, Mother Nature doesn't even consult with me at all - she just does her own thing and completely ignores any synergy she might be able to glean from tapping into the girl power network. If she had bothered to consult with me or any of the local girl power this would be a much different situation I assure you.  Flooding really puts a cramp in springtime activities, sensible minds could have perhaps convinced Mother Nature to be sensitive to the social calendars of others.

Let's face it...Mother Nature is a diva (perhaps you were thinking of another label?).  She doesn't really care about what anyone else thinks or wants.  She just does her own thing and who's to stop her?  She is, after all, the mother of all mothers...and she has spoken. So, all we can do is prepare ourselves for the inevitable fight that will arrive at the time and place of her choosing. 

I can tell you one thing...she isn't getting a Mother's Day card from anyone around here this year.

Day two hundred and fifty-one of the new forty - obla di obla da

CC

Posted by: madamgovnr on 3/13/2010 at 7:05 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: flood, flooding, mother nature

How old would you be?

Cheyenne and I had to run into Barnes and Noble today for a book and while waiting in line a magnet caught my eye.  The magnet asked, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"

I love this question! I have been thinking about it ever since.  At first I thought that I would surely be 21, but then I realized no...I know too much and have acquired too much self-confidence...no, I couldn't be 21. 

Perhaps I would be closer to 29.  At 29 you are older and wiser, but still young.  Hmmm...still a bit too young I think..not old enough to understand the triumph of living through raising teenagers. 

35 sounds good - beginning to hit the mid-life stride plus it is a woman's sexual primetime.  Almost...but not quite right.  I think I am a little beyond the romps of the mid-thirties. 

But what about 40?  I like 40...I can do 40 - in a "I know where I've been and I like where I am going" kind of way.   It does seem like 40 is an age of revelation though and I think I have reveled all I need to - I've got this "me" thing down now. 

I think I would have to ultimately say I am the new forty - I feel it and it fits me.  Still young, but not too young.  Older, but not too old.  Confident in who I am and able to laugh at and appreciate who I have been during the journey.  Even if I didn't know my age tomorrow, in my heart of hearts I would know that I am comfortably sitting in the beginning of a great decade...a decade where none of the moments should be wasted.

So...how old would you be?

Day two hundred and fifty of the new forty - obla di obla da

CC

Posted by: madamgovnr on 3/12/2010 at 7:25 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: aging, internal age