Month: September 2022

I Am What I Am Today

Do you ever think about the people in your life, and how they have helped you become who or what you are, today?  At eighty-four years, there have been plenty of people who helped to shape me into the woman that I am today.  Some women.  Some men.  My mom, of course.  And, sister Clara.  Larry, particularly.  Claire Knox, the town’s head librarian in the town where I lived until I went to college.  Henry Fukuhara, Pomona Hallenbeck, and Marie Ungemah – all mentors for my watercolor.  Denise Vega, my writing coach.  I think, however, that there is one person in my life whose presence definitely made me the competent student that I became and continued to be through high school and college.

Making an Apology

How does one go about apologizing for something that has been done that can’t be undone?  How do you unhurt someone who has been hurt?  When I think over the last eighty-four years, there has been plenty of that.  Why is it that we seem to think that our families can take the brunt of this behavior easier that friends and acquaintances or work associates?

Every day – well, almost, every day – I make a list of what I need to do that day.  Laundry.  Feed the dog.  Trim the dog’s nails.  Vacuum the carpet.  Water the grass.  You know.  If I’m lucky, I accomplish 1% of what is on the list.  Or, if I’m really lucky, on a good day – 15%.

I go into the day with the best of intentions, but by five in the evening, the productive day is over.  I’m left wondering where has the day gone – what have I accomplished, today?  And, I’m also left with wondering what I will have for dinner.  Meals are never on my “to do” list; so, I’m never really sure.  Or, for lunch, either.

Two things you should know about me – you may already know them.  I love “sayings.”  Sayings that people tell me.  Sayings that I glean from books.  And, sayings that are in my favorite movies – on Hallmark, of course.

The second is the “fortunes” that I find in Chinese Fortune Cookies.  Interestingly enough, they don’t all come with Chinese food.  Sometimes, they come with Thai food; or, any other Asian food.  My Asian food comes from Spicy Basil or The Erawan Cafe.  Both have excellent food; Spicy Basil, however, is closer to my home and delivers, great during the pandemic!.  In fact, I’ve used Spicy Basil so much that the delivery person just brings the bag of my lunch or dinner to my porch, rings the door bell, and scurries back to his car, knowing that I’ll be immediately at the door to bring my meal into the house.