Category: worries

TODAY’S WORRY

Have you ever noticed that there are two kinds of people – the on -time people and the late people? What is it about the on-time people that makes them feel so upset by the late people? And what is it that makes the late people think that the on-time people are anal fussbudgets? Here, I think, is one of those great divides between people. I am an on- time person. I don’t understand late people at all. Isn’t being on time merely being polite and considerate? Yet, I must admit on-time-ed-ness has some strange ramifications. Why do I set the alarm every morning at 6 AM even though I have nowhere to go? Why in my effort to be on time do I invariably arrive early? My kids say that if I say I’ll meet them between 12:30 and 1, I really mean 12:25. In fact, in order to be comfortable with John’s kind of on-time-ness, I’ll suggest leaving a half hour earlier than I am really want. We on-time people have a lot of stress.

TODAY’S WORRY

Since I’ve been here in Florida, I’ve run into quite a few senior citizens. Many are lovely and polite but many are not. Perhaps it’s just more noticeable down here where older Americans (and Canadians) make up a large portion of the population. I have been in situations where some of these people yelled at store clerks, yelled at me, took our parking space when we had our signal on and generally made themselves disagreeable. I have friends at home who are older people and they don’t act like this. Are these people in southern Florida more prone to impoliteness because they are all concentrated together and it makes them more competitive for what they consider is their due? I am concerned that maybe I’ll turn into one of these people some day. Everyone – children, teens, adults and senior citizens deserve repect and should give it back in return.

WORRY FOR THE DAY

It is infrequent that I get to see anyone in my family other than John and my kids. These next two weeks I have the opportunity to see both my sisters. I so want everything to go well. Wish me luck.

TODAY’S WORRY

I noticed an article on AP today which was headlined, “Indonesian Muslims Warn Against Evangelism.” It is alleged that there are some Christian groups coming in to help with the humanitarian effort for the victims of the tsunami who have another agenda. What’s up with that? Why does one group think they have the answers to everything and everyone else should believe it? Belief is just what it is. There’s no right or wrong in belief because no one can prove what they “believe” is true. If there is a universal truth, then wouldn’t it be a big kick in the pants if Christian proselytizers ( or for that matter, any other religious proselytizers) found out they were wrong. The Muslim people are just as sure that they are following the correct path as Christians or Jews or Hindus are sure that they’ve got the right answer. Don’t take something as pure and wonderful as helping these victims and turn it into a platform for a point of view. It’s a great way to make enemies.

TODAY’S WORRY

Last night, in a pique of hubris, I sent out an email telling friends about my blog and asking that they take a look. Sarah tells me what I did is called “pimping your blog.” This is especially prevelant on sites where there are a great many users. One tries to work one’s blog address into a post. So I apologize. I woke up this morning around 4 am thinking about how awful everyone must feel about me. That in itself is another form of hubris. So, please forgive and indulge me in my lapse of decorum. It’s just that having this blog is so much fun!

TODAY’S WORRY

As I sit here in my little island paradise, I am considering the folly of worrying about the weather. I have been reading about the rains and floods in Utah. Now I am fairly sure that our house there is safe from floods. But with all the rain, I wonder if the roof and windows are tight. I hope our six legged friends (actually foes) have decided not to seek refuge from the weather. But there is nothing I can do about it. So I think I’ll just let the weather worry float away. (no pun intended)

TODAY’S WORRY

I’ve been thinking about how and when I worry. Obviously, when I am busy, I worry less. There are only so many mental zoobs that one can use simultaneously. When it’s the middle of the night, I worry more. What are you doing? Just laying there. It’s prime time for worrying. Sometimes I worry quietly, other times when the burden of worry gets too great, I worry aloud to John. Since he’s a guy, he usually gives me solutions to my problems or suggests that what I am worrying about is noncredible. A new and interesting insight is that my worries differ depending on how far away I am from the worry source. If I am close enough to make a difference I worry more. For instance, if Sarah, Ryan or Jon has a problem, and I am in California or Utah, I worry about it more because I think I can help. If I’m in Europe or Florida or more than 1000 miles away, I am less likely to be overly concerned. I would ask them to help each other or ask a friend. So the worry equation must be:
WORRY = PROBLEM < 1000 MILES
Of course, it would depend on the size of the problem.

TODAY’S WORRY

I read this quote from our esteemed president this week,”I think elections will be such a incredibly hopeful experience for the Iraqi people.” Perhaps it would have been better for him to leave out the hopeful and just go with, “I think elections will be such an incredible experience for the Iraqi people.” Would you go out to the polls if you were living in Baghdad? Maybe if you had a death wish. Long ago when I was studying political science, we discussed the necessary ingredients for having a democracy work, because democracy is not an easy type of government. You need a stable economy and a stable social system. America worked at the first go, France did not. What chance is there for the Iraqis?

We’ve arrived in Marco Island, FL and got all of our connections. So I am back to blogging.

TODAY’S WORRY

It’s hard to imagine what to worry about while sitting next to the pool in 80 degree weather. Do we have enough wine? Shall we take a bike ride, play tennis or just laze about today? Yes, there are the crazy old people drivers on the road and a strange black accumulation under the refrigerator. But, on this first day of blogging on vacation, I think I will just say, “no worries today.” There ‘s always tomorrow.

My blog is going to have a short hiatus while we get to our vacation site and have high speed internet hooked up.

TODAY’S WORRY

A lot of people are afraid of flying. I used to be one of them. And while I’ll never be absolutely serene during a flight, I’ve come a long way. I needed to understand what was happening when planes fly. I learned about air foils and what acceleration and de-acceleration do to altitude. One thing that always freaked me out was how the pilot seemed to cut power shortly after takeoff. I guess I figured the pilot would just keep zooming up. It didn’t occur to me that the plane is told by the ground control where it is supposed to be. Understanding what is going on has made a big difference to me.

Just to show that I am not entirely fearless, though, in order to have a safe flight, before we leave someone has to say our family’s mantra, “Tell the pilot to drive safely.”

DIET TIP

The other night we had dinner with our friends, Karen and George. There were so many delicious things to eat and drink. Cape Cod potato chips, guacamole, a lovely mushroom dip, and cheeses. Dinner followed with salad, ribs, roasted root vegetables, and mashed potatoes. Karen makes the best mashed potatoes ever! Later there was lemon cake. All this was washed down with bottles of wine. We brought along a 1991 Murietta’s Well Zinfandel.

So obviously the above is not a diet tip except maybe if you are going to splurge, splurge well. What I really wanted to write about was having a “go to” meal after a splurge. The next morning I had a piece of whole wheat toast with 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter. When I was on my long diet, I ate this combination a lot for breakfast. It’s a signal that party time is over and let’s get back on the straight and narrow. Do you have a “go to” meal?

WORD FOR THE DAY

etymology

Yesterday, I treated myself to a manicure and a pedicure. It made me think about the roots of those words. Obviously, the “man-” and “ped-” come from the Latin for hand and foot. But what about “cure?” It’s also from a Latin root meaning care.

Words are so interesting. Here’s a word about words.

etymology – The origin and historical development of a linguistic form as shown by determining its basic elements, earliest known use, and changes in form and meaning, tracing its transmission from one language to another, identifying its cognates in other languages, and reconstructing its ancestral form where possible.
(from Dictionary.com)