Searching for Cuckoo’s
I’m off again to foreign lands. This time a jaunt through Germany and Austria. What prompted this trip, you ask? Well, the story goes like this: My Granddaddy loved clocks. His favorite was the cuckoo clock his sister-in-law bought him on her trip to Germany. As a kid I waited on the hour for that cuckoo to pop out. This is one of my fondest memories of being at my grandparents house. My Granddaddy died over 10 years ago, and when I asked what happened to the cuckoo clock, I was informed that it was thrown away. See, my family believes that once something stops working it has no purpose, no more life to give. My rational side says, it’s just stuff and to get over it, but my emotional side misses that damn clock and the childhood memories it conjures....
Read MoreSpring Cleansing
Spring cleaning is an annual rite of passage for many, however, I tend to clean out every three months or so due to my small living quarters. I’m a regular at the local Salvation Army and the Arlington Haz Mat recycling facility. But for Spring 2012, I’m not only cleaning out, I’m cleansing. While it feels good to rid myself of old t-shirts, shorts and mountains of black shoes, I’m digging deeper. Cleansing out, unlike cleaning out, is ridding myself of the emotional stuff. It’s the stuff that not only takes up space in our closets, but unloads every fiber and piece of matter onto our hearts. These aren’t those things that you hold on to because you might need them later or are treasured family heirlooms. Nope, it’s the...
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Shedding the Cocoon
I’ve been a slack-ass the past two months about posting and though I’ve thought on many days, I’m going to say this or that, but frankly, I just didn’t feel like it. The mere act of opening up my WordPress files, typing and well, thinking and reflecting on life just wasn’t in me. The cold, the dreariness, the gloom of January and February over took me, and the most exciting thing was discovering that Friday Night Lights is a really good show (thanks Netflix). And with my remote control firmly planted in my right hand and my Netflix queue loaded, I hibernated in my one-bedroom cocoon waiting for spring. And today it looks as if spring seems to have finally made it’s 2012 debut. The windows are open and once again the roar...
Read MoreForty Things I’ve Learned in 40 Years
Today, another Gen-X’er turns 40. Instead of crawling under my sheets and over-dosing on Geritol and Ben & Jerry’s, I went out to get my semi-annual 20 units of Botox, then channeled my inner-Zhivago as I sipped vodka at the Russia House and reflected on the life lessons of this Breakfast Club, Gen-X’er. 1. Quality friends are more rewarding than quantity. Especially in the age of social networking, I’m thankful that I have high standards for “friending” folks, the reward is immense in support, commaradiere, laughs and well simply, “they get me and I get them.” 2. Sunscreen is the best anti-aging product. 3. International travel is essential to appreciate the wisdom of our founding fathers, and despite our...
Read More2011 Skills, Lessons, and Theme Song
Before I begin the journey of 2012, I find it’s important to reflect the past year and recollect on both the skills I’ve acquired and the lessons I’ve learned. Both are equally important to me. Skills provide me with the sense that I can do things I thought I couldn’t and lessons provide me with a better understanding of who I am what I value and the direction I want to take for myself. New Skills Acquired 1. How to install a ceiling fan by myself. It’s no easy task and yes, it takes longer than the average 30-60 minutes recommended by the instructions, but it can be done. Now, every time as I’m lounging on the sofa and look up to the ceiling and see the fan rotating without shaking or fear of falling down, I have a sense...
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