Rest-Of-Summer Checklist, 2007 July 16, 2007

Summertime, and the living is easy…

I am thinking about the first summer after Doug and I divorced. I was at once scared as hell of the prospect of being lonely, yet open to the liberation of having to do things alone. That was the Summer of 2001. Some would say it was the last summer of my generation’s innocence, as Americans were oblivious to the plans terrorists had for us later that year. Summers since have been good, but not as sweet.

For me, Summer 2001 was certainly carefree in many regards. I spent most of my awake time on Lake Coeur d’Alene with the Soderquists. My kids and I took random road trips on our weekends together. I rode my bike everywhere when the kids were with their dad.

My favorite dessert that summer was cheesecake from Costco and it had nothing to do with the taste. I bought the cheesecakes throughout the season because I had this patch of wild flowers that grew in my yard, and I just loved the way those flowers looked when I used them to decorate the dish.

It was the first summer I enjoyed Sierra Pale Ale in my front lawn with my really good friends over great conversation.

I remember it, too, as the summer I began collecting Pottery Barn catalogs. I still have them, from six years ago. I love the lifestyle the catalogs sell and I think it is the reason I am so in love with the idea of having a clam bake party in my back yard. I know I don’t live anywhere near the coast, but wouldn’t it be fun?

So, in an effort to reclaim the innocence of summers past and again enjoy life’s little pleasures with carefree abandon, here is my list of Summer 2007 goals:

1) Play a really good game of croquet
2) Raft the Boise River
3) Picnic at Lucky Peak
4) Host a BBQ Party
5) Snap a bunch of flower pictures for framing this fall
6) Visit ZooBoise
7) Bike the greenbelt
8) Visit the farmer’s market
9) Make homemade ice-cream
10) Get Swimmer’s Ear
11) Get a sunburn
12) Make a sandcastle
13) Sleep in the back yard under the stars
14) Watch a movie at the drive in
15) Enjoy a really good summer ale on the lawn with great company and conversation.

Any takers?

Co-Parenting in the 21st Century July 15, 2007

Well, it’s just me and MeMe for the next six weeks. We just got back home from driving H & G to Spokane for their summer-time visit with their father.

I am so grateful for the little miracles that are happening in my life over the past few months. I am amazed at how dependable the Universe really is. I was a little stressed about the fact that I did not receive my vacation pay, had to rearrange some funds in order to go, and wasn’t quite sure how I’d get through these next couple of days. Doug and the kids were depending on me to drive them up to see him. I couldn’t just change the plans that day. I was up at 2:30 am, Friday morning, worrying about this when I said to myself, “It is what it is. Just get some sleep and everything will work out. Right now you are just too tired and you’re getting yourself worked up over nothing.” When I did get up later that morning, everything just fell into place. I had the money to go, my bills were paid and I can’t thank the Universe enough for the way things worked out.

Spokane is about a six hour drive from Nampa. We showed up around 11:30 pm, and Doug and his girlfriend, Susan, invited us in and we chatted for about an hour over beer. She then booked us a hotel room with her Hilton Honor rewards, saving me about $100 that night. What an awesome thing to have done.

I like the fact, too, that we we had a cordial visit in front of the children. I think for their sakes, it was a very good thing.

Let’s Go, Let’s Sit, Let’s Talk. Politics Go So Good With Beer… July 14, 2007

“Tell me, what are your biggest fears”

I have that Pixies song stuck in my head, Levitate Me. But its not the entire song. I keep hearing Black Francis screaming into the mic, ”losing my penis to a whore with disease. Just kidding, losing my life to a whore with disease. Excuse me please…”

I know, I know…how inappropriate for this forum, but it has me thinking about my big fears, which I thought I should share here. Not that anyone cares, but since I am getting things off my chest, why not?

Loss.
Gain.
Stupid hard work.
Being inadequate.
Appearing stupid or ignorant.
Actually being stupid or ignorant.
Having to make small talk with people I don’t care to talk to at all in the checkout line.
Being stuck in a dead end job.
Eating cardboard dumplings and drinking fake water
Making assumptions about people and being schooled otherwise.
Going to jail.
Having a stroke.

My God! I feel Like I am 8 again! July 13, 2007

Check out this video: Manamana

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In Dreams Begin Responsibilities July 13, 2007

We choose our destinies. I thoroughly, whole-heartedly believe this. We live the consequences of our actions every day, which is why it is so important to embrace each and every day with the respect it deserves. Are the choices I am making bringing me closer to my Big Why? What is my Big Why?

I also believe everything happens for a reason. Chance encounters, in the grander scheme of things, are not chance encounters. Back in January, I found a cell phone in the parking lot of WinCo. I called the home number and left a message that I had the phone at the front desk of my office. The next day, Mr. Wiebe came in to claim it and he rewarded me with $20 and a poem entitled SIPID that spelled out the rewards of living a life with intention.

In February, for my birthday, I got the dvd “What The Bleep Do We Know.” As I’ve always been interested in mind mapping, neuroscience and perceived reality, I watched the movie with great interest. Then, I bought the dvd, “The Secret.” I was awed by its very simple message.

Seemingly by chance (or not…), my friend Phil called me the other night and told me he was taking some classes that are like “The Secret” on steroids. To explain further, he asked me, “if you had three wishes in life, what would they be?”

Being put on the spot like that, I couldn’t really think. It’s like looking at life through a magnifying glass. Sometimes we are just too close to the situation to get the whole picture, and right now, my focus has been on my circumstances…not my Big Why.

But here is the answer I gave:
1) I’d like to meet my deceased Grandmother. She passed away when I was three, but I feel she has been with me in spirit on a number of occassions. I’d like the opportunity to know her and find out for real if it has been her all this time.

2) I also said I’d like to be independently wealthy and travel the world to learn about other people and other cultures.

3) My third wish is to leave a legacy. He asked why and I replied, “its my quest for immortality.”

But these were just johnny-on-the-spot answers. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about them, nor have I focused lately on what my three wishes~my Big Why, if you will~ is.

It is becoming more and more apparent to me that I must narrow this down so that I can begin living with intention and bring some dreams to fruition. Now I am charged with the task of whittling it all down into something more manageable, something purposeful. I’ve got some serious work to do.