No Committment Please

What to do if your dilemma du jour is that you are in a semi/quasi relationship which as it turns out is precisely what you want? How do you convince the other 'key' player that a peripheric participation is perfectly fine and what's more, all that you wish to have? No easy way it would seem because this is not the "norm" and as such is rather difficult for the 'average' person to accept as a truth. How much personal energy do you feel you care to expend in the effort of convincing? It is odd that you even have to explain beyond the actual words you apply to convey your intent, but persuasion takes on a new meaning when you find yourself in the dubious position of having to do just that. If you care, you might consider putting forth a herculean effort to convincingly make your case and make it good. You must transform yourself into an expert on new age relationships and you might even be called upon to give concrete evidence supporting your views. You become your own attorney, painstakingly building your case all the while taking extra care to plug any and all possible holes that 'the other' might use as leverage to derail you from your chosen course. If you do your duedilligence, you should finally get what it is you want but perhaps not before exhausting all possible protests and cries of 'foul!'for which you must be on the lookout and remain ever vigilant. There will be no 'woe is me, alas and alack' but there will be a case hard fought and won.

The Eyes Have It

For the last 20 odd years of his life my dad was blind. It's funny how he, our most prolific teacher of life's curriculum, covered every area except for that one. Consequently I can look back and see clearly that I was never made privy to the basics of a life without sight. He never complained, never lamented and never blamed, he also never really described what he actually did see (hues, shadows the vaguest of forms etc.etc.)so recently when I experienced a few hours of 'white' blindness a a result of a test, my thoughts naturally turned to him and the wondering began. If I upon facing a potential ocular problem could be so freaked, how did he ever get used to it enough to take in in his stride? While I in my brief (but too long for me!)moment of fright could not adjust to what I knew was temporary, he seemed to handle it all without 'batting an eye'. This leads me to conclude that his philosophy must have been a nod to that old tune, 'Que Sera' so if that was good enough for him, no retina specialist's words should be powerful enough to knock me for a loop, or cause me to deviate from a tried and true credo. No matter what, the fact that it worked for Dad is proof positive that my only option is to follow (not blindly) suit.

Last Thanksgiving

If you recognize the powerful tug that memories have on your heart strings, it will not surprise you that when making those very memories, you are in a moment where their import is not as obvious to you as it is when you revisit that certain time/occasion. Such was kind of a case in point for me this Thanksgiving just past. While I realized how happy I was during the day itself, I also knew it would be the last time in the forseeable future when all the people I most love would be gathered together under the 'old' family roof. My kids are now grown and have flown as they were meant to; no ruing or wishing them small again can change that fact. I spent my time getting a good handle on the incredible adults they have become and was able to sit back and enjoy their company on a level that had little to do with being their mom. My newly minted memory will have to suffice as there will be no more of these reunions for me. I will always cherish and be grateful for this splendid incomparable moment in time.

A High Maintenence Man

Much has been said about the 'high maintenence' woman but for some unknown reason her male counterpart has been totally ignored....until now!
The high maintenence man is no myth. He exists and under a mask of anonymity, manages to wreak havoc with any and all who come into contact with him. He is like a Mack truck in the way he barrels ahead ignoring the unsturdy roadblocks he meets along his way and he manages to do this because women are generally not adept enough when it comes to roadblock construction. I think that the only key to surviving this type of man is to build a better roadblock. If you do not become a master builder you risk a lifetime of cooking, cleaning, ego stoking and forced laughter at jokes that aren't really funny. Your free time will be usurped by forced listening to the minutae of his days, and all too soon, you will find your "you" time a thing of the distant past. If you have had a 'H.M.M.' and miraculously manage to get to the point where you can still see the forest for the trees despite the glaring headlights of that truck, do not purchase a plane ticket to Mexico, simply run for the hills/forest and let your high maintenence guy get what he needs most at the first available truck stop.

The Last/Lost Weekend

When you have a huge investment whose success or failure hinges on a 'weekend' it would not be hard to understand the following:
No matter your hopes for a positive result, you need to wait and see. While waiting it would be perfectly understandable for you to engage in any manner of second guessing but not realistic to expect the outcome you most want. If you are at all pragmatic, a good way to be, you will need to acknowledge the distinct probability (more than a fleeting possibility)that you will in fact not have things go your way and that in the end, the weekend has the power to irrevocably change the course that you had so carefully charted for yourself. It is always dicey when you are not the sole author of your own big decisions, but if and when you find yourself in this type of situation, you can only bide your time and look deep inside for the optimist you know yourself to be; then you will best be able to handle whatever comes your way.

The Organic Berry Bar

In these fiscally challenging times how wonderful to find when visiting The Organic Berry Bar a well known drinking hole in the neighbourhood, a plethora of newly minted libations that reflect these uncertain times when recession and ecological concerns are at the forefront of virtually everything. I was most pleased to see the following offerings written on the giant display chalkboard:



Green Sidecar

Hydroponic Bloody Mary

Tax Free Martini (with a rebate twist)

Anti-Aging Sloe Gin Fizz

Long Island Anti Oxident Iced Tea

Recyclable Coconut Shell Pina Colada

...........................................

To list but a few.
How rewarding and perhaps instrumental in the decline of the number of alcoholic drinks sold in this bar!


*Newly available exclsively at our Iqaluit branch, Global Warming Arctic Ice Vodka

On The Road...Again

When you feel like you must get away but aren't sure of logistics and don't feel like planning, simply throw the bare necessities into a weekender (you'll not need more)grab some healthy snacks and some bottled water, hop into your chariot (any reliable set of wheels will do)and voila, you're on the road! You drive until you reach a spot that tugs at your innards asking you to rest awhile and that is the first stop on your jaunt. Not planned, not orchestrated by anything sensible or mundane; a new place and the beginning of a future memory. This type of travel will afford you an incredible lightness of being and and will deal with your wanderlust at the same time, un unbeatable combination. As you travel the roads, listen to a copious amount of songs by Johnny Hartman and no matter where you roam, don't listen to country music or you'll end up heading back home.. prematurely.