A woman stood next in line behind S. and me in the express lane at the grocery store.
She was hunched over and wobbly, carrying a bulge in that special space between her shoulders where people over the age of 70 tend to wear their age. She had a warm and open presence. Her smile engulfed the little bit of face that peeked out from under a wide brimmed hat. She peered intently at us, her body positively bubbling with a desire to engage in conversation.
She lay her four items on the conveyor belt.
one package of beef tongues, extra large
one cantaloupe
one small package of ground meat
one box of Trojan condoms
and later in the car, S. and I pondered her choice of grocery items....
S. Did you see what was on the conveyor?
me: Some kind of bloody meat.
S.: It was tongue. Beef tongues. I read the label.
me: Aww, ew. Beef tongues. That's disgusting!
S.: yeah, beef tongues. and condoms.
laughter
me: she's planning a hot date! ; )
S.: She does realize that she is past menopause.
I mean, condoms aren't necessary unless she is worried about catching a disease.
we both pause
S.: Imagine, being 70 years old and having sex with strangers.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
A Leaving of Sorts
I let you go.
like a ribbon of cloth
held up against the sky
grasped between my fingers
bucking and whipping,
desperately aching,
in the wind.
I let you go.
tumbling and twisting forward
underneath, on top again, and sideways
buffeted by the elements.
I watched you go.
in that instance,
as my hair whirls and weaves itself around me
and cradles me in curls,
like a diver adjusting
to the break of the surface,
I feel the pressure ease.
the weight lifts from me.
like a binding cloth that peels away from my lungs,
I feel my cloak of claustrophobia,
the sadness that often envelops me in a suffocating sorrow,
disappear.
like something ethereal. it evaporates into the atmosphere.
and what I've carried with me for years.
I watch it go.
-- lml June 18.07
like a ribbon of cloth
held up against the sky
grasped between my fingers
bucking and whipping,
desperately aching,
in the wind.
I let you go.
tumbling and twisting forward
underneath, on top again, and sideways
buffeted by the elements.
I watched you go.
in that instance,
as my hair whirls and weaves itself around me
and cradles me in curls,
like a diver adjusting
to the break of the surface,
I feel the pressure ease.
the weight lifts from me.
like a binding cloth that peels away from my lungs,
I feel my cloak of claustrophobia,
the sadness that often envelops me in a suffocating sorrow,
disappear.
like something ethereal. it evaporates into the atmosphere.
and what I've carried with me for years.
I watch it go.
-- lml June 18.07
Saturday, June 09, 2007
pumped up
The sun is shining on this Saturday morning...
I'm nibbling a Kettleman's bagel smothered with margarine, sipping on a freshly brewed Brazilian Bridgehead dark roast coffee. I've cranked a new Fall Out Boy tune ("Sugar, We're Goin Down Swinging...").
The past week was intense. I put in lots of hours (lots of hours for ME... my hat goes off to people who work these hours regularly!) and felt very involved, motivated, engaged, and focused. It was a powerful place to be! To be so present, so there, and experiencing such fun and adrenalin... feelings I haven't had for awhile at work.
New song... "Open your Eyes - Snow Patrol"...
What was different? I am doing more. Added a few new responsibilities on my plate. Items that got me talking to different people and give me a chance to look outside the immediate team that I work on. And I spent some time interacting with different people within the company asking them about what they do, being actively open to seeing if there are opportunities for change where they are. Being open, I guess.
And feeling some very positive rewards coming from movement.
Outside of work, I have a lovely event this afternoon that I am excited about. With some fellow volunteers, we are presenting to a group of Sparks, girls the ages of 5-8, what to do if they get lost in the woods. It's the Hug a Tree program, originally developed by the RCMP, which Search and Rescue Global 1 now teaches as part of our volunteer organization.
... My Chemical Romance now with "I Don't Love You"...
I operate really well when I am on such a rush. I feel empowered and efficient. I feel good, in the deep trenches of my soul. I feel very positive and I feel the possibilities. It's astonishing how much I learn about what I am capable of when I feel this intensity and adrenalin.
I'm nibbling a Kettleman's bagel smothered with margarine, sipping on a freshly brewed Brazilian Bridgehead dark roast coffee. I've cranked a new Fall Out Boy tune ("Sugar, We're Goin Down Swinging...").
The past week was intense. I put in lots of hours (lots of hours for ME... my hat goes off to people who work these hours regularly!) and felt very involved, motivated, engaged, and focused. It was a powerful place to be! To be so present, so there, and experiencing such fun and adrenalin... feelings I haven't had for awhile at work.
New song... "Open your Eyes - Snow Patrol"...
What was different? I am doing more. Added a few new responsibilities on my plate. Items that got me talking to different people and give me a chance to look outside the immediate team that I work on. And I spent some time interacting with different people within the company asking them about what they do, being actively open to seeing if there are opportunities for change where they are. Being open, I guess.
And feeling some very positive rewards coming from movement.
Outside of work, I have a lovely event this afternoon that I am excited about. With some fellow volunteers, we are presenting to a group of Sparks, girls the ages of 5-8, what to do if they get lost in the woods. It's the Hug a Tree program, originally developed by the RCMP, which Search and Rescue Global 1 now teaches as part of our volunteer organization.
... My Chemical Romance now with "I Don't Love You"...
I operate really well when I am on such a rush. I feel empowered and efficient. I feel good, in the deep trenches of my soul. I feel very positive and I feel the possibilities. It's astonishing how much I learn about what I am capable of when I feel this intensity and adrenalin.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Lighten Up!
How to have fun in life... and other happy moments brought to you by Buddhism.
"You hear a slogan like "Always maintain only a joyful mind," and for the whole next two weeks you're just hitting yourself over the head for never being joyful. That kind of witness is a bit heavy. So lighten up. Don't make such a big deal. The key to feeling at home with your body, mind, and emotions, to feeling worthy to live on this planet, comes from being able to lighten up. This earnestness, this seriousness about everything in our lives — including practice — this goal-oriented, we're-going-to-do-it-or-else attitude, is the world's greatest killjoy. There's no sense of appreciation because we're so solemn about everything. In contrast, a joyful mind is very ordinary and relaxed."
"You hear a slogan like "Always maintain only a joyful mind," and for the whole next two weeks you're just hitting yourself over the head for never being joyful. That kind of witness is a bit heavy. So lighten up. Don't make such a big deal. The key to feeling at home with your body, mind, and emotions, to feeling worthy to live on this planet, comes from being able to lighten up. This earnestness, this seriousness about everything in our lives — including practice — this goal-oriented, we're-going-to-do-it-or-else attitude, is the world's greatest killjoy. There's no sense of appreciation because we're so solemn about everything. In contrast, a joyful mind is very ordinary and relaxed."
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