Life Lessons in Clothing Heaps

I looked in my closet a couple of days ago for something dashing, unique, highly professional, and edgie to wear. Of course it had to make me look 10 pounds thinner and 10 years younger. The deeper I went the more dismayed I became. I looked around my clothing heaps and came to some philosophical conclusions about myself. I did find something to wear – but by 9:00 AM I was wondering how I could escape and buy a new outfit before anyone else sees me….

Lesson #1 – Don’t wear your depression. It’s too depressing.
I have a large heap of too-big clothing, mostly dark and drab. It helps me hide when I feel guilty, unworthy, like a failure or I let someone down that I highly respect…such as the boss, or the daughter, or the hubby or the….well all of them. So I wear my frumpiness because it helps me maintain my attitude. You see, I am generally a cheerful person and holding on to depression or a grudge takes a LOT of effort for me. Clothes do help – but eventually my logical side wins and off they go to the back of the closet.

Lesson #2 – Discipline takes more than a little black dress waiting for me to fit into it.
My favorite heap is all the clothes I’m gonna wear! They are colorful and perfect fitting (on somebody about one size smaller than I). They all have their tags. My brain knows better than to be derailed from its eating interests for a cheap trick like a little black dress – but my emotional buying side keeps trying. I have been disciplining myself a little better these days….but it take a lot of work and definitely prayer. (You know – better body beat up my booty campy-d-camp)

Lesson #3 – Planning is important in all aspects of life
My second favorite heap is my unplanned buying pile. It is a bunch of good buys and nice fits that don’t match each other. Somehow none of them go together and they were all such a good buy I hate to spend money on something that matches because then the good buy part is lost! I pick one out now and then and try it with this or that. I can always tell when I fail. I walk into work and everyone gives me the once over but politely says nothing…except Jen – she is as honest as they come. God bless that one!

Lesson # 4- There is value in the same-old.
My last heap (worth mentioning) is the same-old stuff I wear every week. I have no fancy jewelry or matching shoes! Oh my goodness! Shoes…that is another disaster for me. My daughter has tons of shoes…she probably wouldn’t have picked many of them but they have all lied to me in the store – saying, “Pick me! I am easy to wear; I match everything and I am comfortable too!” I don’t keep liars in my closet! Back to the clothes heap….. once in a while in a shopping moment you make music with your selection. You wear it week after week and know that if nothing else will do you can always wear it. Some of these are all worn out – but you hide the stain, safety pin the rip and hope nobody notices the fading because you just like the same-old outfit. There is comfort in knowing an outfit well – how it behaves in public, in the cold, in the rain, when you are hot and sweaty, when the wind blows.

So, what do your clothes tell you? What have you learned?

Better Beat your Body Boot Campy

So I promised to complete my saga on the boot camp. I have lost a few pounds and a whole lot of face! I walked out because I could not do the exercises. It is true I have injuries and impingements to health - like a serious inflammation disease...but I still feel like I copped out.

So what do I do? I go pay the muscle monkey to beat me up one-on-one at the Fitness center. How stupid is that? Now there is no hiding in numbers and pretending to do all those bicep curls...I have to do each and every one of them because he is standing there counting.

I kept asking myself - why? why? would I do this stupid thing? Then it occurred to me. I ate so much face being a quitter that I swallowed my brains and have none left. I plan to finish up with the group the last week of this Boot Camp. And I think I am going to "show 'em!!"

So - tomorrow I go back for my own personal beating. I think I need prayer.

Here - have a flower. I like my flower.

Like Rain

The expert memory maker

Memories are like rain. We saw a lot of rain on our Arkansas trip.

Mostly while driving. I saw too much of the butt end of a windshield wiper blade.

But memories are like rain.
It starts with droplets one by one, clearly landing - distinguishable , separate; faster and faster they pellet until you cannot see today at all.

Then swoosh – the intermittent wiper action clears the path and today

comes into focus once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes you wonder why it takes so long when someone is so important to you.

Where do you sit after a long afternoon of water skiing...on the stone wall of course!

What do you see when you are sitting on the stone wall?

The Lake I lived on or should say in all summer 1966-1970

Where my brother worked, my father shared his ceramic brilliance by creating glazes,

and where I remember special one-of-a-kind collectable pottery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Memories are like rain.

They clear the air of all the dust and pollen so the world around you is brighter, greener, fresher. They come like a flood then trickle to an end as today

bursts forth rallying the senses to come into the moment and enjoy it’s newness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I cleaned cabins at Knollwood Lodge when I was 16 and 17. Here is one cabin, the one we had - untouched by remodeling-a timecapsule of memories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Memories are like rain. They soak the dryness, steam the pavement,

and plump the landscape of all that happens today.

They make provision for tomorrow like the buds of today that are tomorrow’s flowers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The greatest joy of my teen years was centered around my horse, thoroughbred racers, and the early mornings at the track.

Lookout Point - where you make-out with your boyfriend or make-up your

dreams of the future, overlooking Hot Springs from West Mountain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Memories are like rain.

Sometimes they come like a surprise shower in the middle of a sunny day.

Sometimes there are signs that gradually awaken you to a coming cloudburst

like birds taking shelter in their nests,

or a change in the wind or the sudden shadowing of the sun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A fresh drink of water from heaven. First place I hit in town after a semester away at college.

So that’s what the trip was about for me. Memories for my mother to share with her friend, memories for me to share with my daughter and memories for my daughter to make with her daughter. We made as many memories as I recalled. Check out Christy’s blog for a day-by-day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Mom and Anne Kastner - friends for 40 years.

Making memories as Emma walks with G-ma to Anne's cabin.

Making memories with Grandma on West Mountain overlooking the whole city.