The Balancing Act...

I have never been a “halfway” kind of person.    Do I view my glass as half-full or half-empty?  100% full or 100% empty has always been my favored way of thinking, as distorted as that can seem, to the uninitiated.  It's yes or no, never maybe. 


I love that verse from John 10:10, when Jesus claims… “I have come that they may have life and have it to the FULL”  (emphasis mine)…    Well, that’s what I want to do, live it to the full extent possible.

Sparingly?  Sparsely?   The afore-mentioned are adjectives I don’t often identify with the way I live: Am I right? Wrong?   Who’s to say?   What I know is that I am aware of my passionate sense of life and am also conscious that I need to protect myself… from myself.  I'm addicted to the Full-Life principle and want nothing less!  Do you think i was born for a "little life"? Moi?    La Petite Vie ~ not for me! 

Is that safe, you ask?  Well, i have found a way to work on that problem of mine.  I need a Little "S" 12-Step Program (no Peanut Gallery, that's not a Country and Western dance lesson). 
From my readings, Twelve Step meetings are not for the faint of heart!  Do you think it's easy to put yourself out there, naked, problems in full view of anyone?  How I wish that I could stand up at  such a meeting, and state to all present:  " YES, my name is  Little "S"
and i am a  mess!  (Hey! that rhymes!)   I don't know if i'm coming  or going but as long as i've looked like i knew what i was doing, i've had you fooled.  Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm just as human and broken as you are because, by the way, i am not in control. "    Cough.  Choke. Gasp!!!

I  need something that realigns me back in a place of normal human deficiency,  and that helps me go on with more than just a black or white attitude.   Being middle-of-the-road is not necessarily considered wishy-washy.   It  should also  teach me a balance which I sadly (?) lack and show me I am not the only one who needs reminders of the health hazards of living this full way and the tremendous benefits of not constantly jumping on and off the wagon  ;   broken ankles are the least of my worries!  

Wagons can have so many different shapes; some are likely to be very well hidden: 
Drinking excessively whether it’s Starbucks coffee, Coca-Cola or rye & ginger ale!  Can't function without watching the news, on every channel, 3 times a day, under the guise of wanting to be in touch?  Day totally ruined when someone gets to the crossword puzzle before you at coffee break?   Eat, read or sleep too much?    Organizing my week to fit around my life-choices and absolutely devastated if something goes awry?  Am i still in charge?   Is the bull running the cart or is it the other way around?

Obviously, the answers to these questions are going to be different for each one of us.   However,  what I mostly appreciate about the 12-Step family mentality is that it is not wrong to acknowledge our weaknesses because once we get to that point, we are able to not only see that we are not alone in our excesses but also see that we can be realists and truly intend to roll up our sleeves and get to work at becoming the people we will value even more than we already do.   I love AA's motto of : " Progress, not Perfection."

I have learned that one of the most important Commandments is to “…love your neighbor as yourself..”.    Well, if I don’t love myself enough to want to be the best I can be, what does that look like for my neighbor? 
What am I addicted to that is dragging me down? 

Is it a monster that has taken life of it's own? 

Something to ponder on, anyways, in these days of excessive seasonal partying opportunities;  will i make it.... or blow myself up?   Maybe living to the full just reminds me not to settle for the crumbs dropped under the table; maybe it's about not being afraid of loving to the max, with no regrets.  And maybe it's just a state of being, a spirit fully satiated because i'm becoming the best that i can be, the person i am meant to be!

Signing off... and walking the line, today anyway  :)

 Better to be a Little “S” than a Little Less  

The Art of Being Lost

 What got me started?  This quote, from a book of Peter Behrens, which I just finished reading:  "The O’Briens"  -  By the way, I totally recommend this Canadian author I just discovered.

“You were never really lost because there was nowhere you weren’t lost...It was only panic that caused trouble.”

Isn’t that the truth!  I’m lost all the time,  however, I only panic once in a blue moon!

We’re talking here about someone *me*, who gets lost ALL the time!  No, I am not exaggerating.  Once my son had to come and rescue me ~on my 50th birthday~ because I lost my way while driving to an important exam.  I can still remember that phone call:  I dialed him, he recognized my number and started signing “Happy Birthday” before he said hello.  And I replied:  “No, it’s not a happy day, I’m lost” and I was balling my eyes out, on the verge of a full-blown panic attack,  with my mom and sister visiting from out of town in the car with me!  I was freaking out about being late; so I stopped on the side of the road and from my cell phone, , between sobs, I explained to him where I was.   Within minutes – thank goodness I was close to where he lived –  he appeared out of nowhere, telling me to look ahead of me on the road and there he was in his car, to lead the way!  Then we found the school but couldn’t find how to get in… and here is my boy, holding my hand and running with me to find a door that was not locked.  I tell you – that made up for a lot of his teenage shenanigans!

Another time, I was out at a Christmas get together in a neighboring town and even though I had made it there with no trouble at all, it was dark at departure time and I got completely turned around.  Ended up in the middle of nowhere, where there were no streetlights, no homes, no stores… and only one truck following me from way to close for my comfort - i started hearing eery music in my head... freaky!  And I did not have my cell phone!!!   After half an hour of driving in the dark, I finally spotted a house with Christmas lights on and figured they probably weren’t murderers if they had decorated their home.  So I got out of my car, rang the doorbell and broke into tears when a lady answered the door!  I explained to her that I was lost,  where I was coming from and where I wanted to be.  She handed me a box of Kleenex and proceeded to explain to me how to get back on the main road;  I followed her directions and was promptly on my way home, albeit over an hour late.   Scary!

I think my problem is that I do not have one ounce of a sense of direction in me. PERIOD.  I get in trouble when I forget that and decide to follow my instincts which are ALWAYS wrong.  So what do I do about this?  I do have some options:

One:  I could get a GPS unit in my vehicle.  Yes, there is something of the sort in my cell phone but since we’re not supposed to use our cell phones while driving, this is not very helpful. 

Two:  I need a chauffeur.  A little pricier than option one however, it would kill 2 birds with one stone (no Peanut Gallery, I don’t really kill birds, it’s just an expression that convenes efficiency). This would allow me a reprieve from driving and a worry-free trip as to the possibility that I am going to appear at my destination on time.

  

The moral of the story?   When I find a good way to get somewhere, I stick to it and you could tell me about better ways or shortcuts and I won’t listen to you because, if I change my mental roadmap, I’ll get lost one more time.

Mind you, another option would be to stay home but then, I’d miss all the excitement!

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less! 

Annual Visit to the Vet

My goodness....what an adventure!  That was yesterday, i'm still recovering!

I left the house 40 minutes before the appointment, even when i know we are only 10 minutes away.  I wanted to be there early, if only to give me a chance to calm the dogs down before we walked in.  I don't think they are scared of the vet's office; it's just that we don't do it often and it is an EVENT!  

We walked in, introduced ourselves and went in to get weighed. ( Not me , you in the Peanut Gallery-  the dogs!  you'd know what the "we" figure of speech was if you were a mom). I was so happy and proud , no howling, no jumping on the counter, no kiss-kiss with the young receptionist ; they behaved so well . I am comparing to last year when they yelped and barked the whole time we were waiting ~this time,  they both sat on my command  , at my feet one on each side of me like             bookends , and greeted everyone who walked by very gently - even a great Dane that looked to be the size of a small horse!!!... and then we were let into  Exam Room 2. It was all good until the vet came in and Bella (my 4-year old female) proceeded to endear herself to the Doctor to get treats... How she  remembered from a year ago?  I have no idea but she did! Anyhow... it was hilarious because it took 3 of us to hang on to Bella while she got her shots!! She is SO strong! There was dog hair flying everywhere, kiss-kisses to everyone within tongue range and worried looks from Nicky who was wondering what we were doing to his poor little sister!! 

BUT, I was smart this time: (read: "been there, done that!" )  So, i sat on the floor right away so she would not knock me down in her exuberance, as she did last year... it was hilarious - some innocent bystander should have been there with a camcorder ... the video clip of this event would have gone viral on YouTube, i'm certain.   Nicky, the gentle-dog that he is, behaved wonderfully and got his shots and his treats without any fuss. We came home 2 hours later and all had a nap~ I’m probably the only one who needed it ~ other than the vet, that is! 

So now, it's time for our walk. i was a bit worried that they would not have the energy - 2 of their shots where in their hind-quarters... i should know better – you would think these guys are on Red Bull full-time!   So, here we go, shedding hair somewhere else than in the house ~ for an hour- anyway!

Salut to my faithful peoples- sorry it's taken me so long to get over my writer's block!

"Been There, Done That " =  "Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me"

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less!

One year ago today

 Glen passed away.  I miss him ~ always will.  Today, i can say:

Love,

If …

If only I had known

That you would go before you went,

That you would leave before you left, or

That you would die before you breathed your last,

I would have said goodbye in a different way.

Love,

If…

If I had anything to do with it

All our dreams would have come true,

All our words would have been said,

All our trees would have grown tall, and

All our moments together would have been gold.

Love,

If…

If on the other hand I could change things,

We would not be the people we were

We would not have lived the moments we did

Our tears would be for naught and

Our lives would be a lie

Love,

If…

If I had not met you

I would not be who I am today.

You will always have a part of me

A very essential piece of my puzzle

Thank you for you ♥    

Glen’s Little “S” says goodbye today.   

Reflections!

              

Wow!  What a rush!   I thought I knew what I was getting into.  Boy was I wrong!  

I  resisted the idea to prepare my blogs ahead of time and just post them on the right day , because my ultimate goal for this challenge was not to just do it, it was to make sure I learned to discipline myself to write every day.  That was pressure!  Good or bad, that remains to be seen.  Setting aside the required time is something that needs to be a must for me and I seriously thought that it would be a piece of cake and  I could fly through this with my eyes closed!   Wahh!  Think again.  That was not the case.  I mean, i had chosen a word with each letter but that's like choosing a name for your child before it's born.... sometimes the name doesn't fit!!!!  So it's back to the drawing board - sort of.

Just like my 10 kilometer  run where I was exhausted before the finish line and was tempted to give up, I kept sight of the finish line getting closer and closer and by counting backwards, talked myself into finishing.  It was tougher than I had imagined,  however, it was also more rewarding than anticipated.

Will I do it again?  Most probably.  I think this must be like having kids.  It’s painful  like crazy but if it was THAT bad, everyone would quit after the first one!  Now I’ve got 11 months to figure out how to get badges on my blog site, continue to visit my newfound friends and learn from the incredible stories they all have to share.  I will plan on having nothing else of importance on my April 2013 schedule, I tell you that!

Thank you,  my brother Guy and my sister Elisabeth, to blog with me in the sidelines.  It was such a pleasure to read you every morning before my day went nuts!  Gracias fellow A to Z bloggers, everyone of you,  you all deserve a badge; not only for posting your own (or multiples in several cases)  but finding time to visit the neighbors!    Merci beaucoup, awesome organizers!  Your encouragement was truly motivating and I’ve lived an incredible month because you pioneers did it first!   Bravo and Brava!

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less 

Z is for : Zabeth ♥

Elisabeth is my (younger) sister and from the moment I first set eyes on this tiny bundle  Mom and Dad brought home from the hospital, way back when,
she has been my Zabeth. 

Some call her Zab, and she has been known to call herself “The_Zab” but in my heart ♥, she is my Zabeth and will always be.  She is the most wonderful sister anyone can have and here are a few reasons why:

♥Attentive and Artistic           

♥Beautiful and Brave

♥Charismatic and Clever
♥Determined and Dedicated

♥Energetic and Eager
♥Folle ; as in, les Nicol sont....,  and  Fascinating

♥Gorgeous, inside and out, and Great

♥Hilarious and Humorous
♥Intelligent and Interesting

♥Joyful and Just Dance 3 expert

♥Kooky  J and Kind

♥Loving and Lively
♥Marvelous and Magnificent
♥Natural  and Necessary
♥Original and Outgoing
♥Paléo diet aficionada, and Pleasant

♥Québecoise and Quick
♥Remarkable and Responsible

♥Smart and Sharp

♥Tenacious and Terrific

♥Understanding and Unique 

♥Vivacious and Valuable

♥Wonderful  and Wacky J

♥  

♥Young and Youthful  

♥Zany J and Zealous

Thank you so muchZabeth , my incredible Sis-Wa, for accompanying me through this A to Z Challenge adventure.  Along with our excellent brother,  this has been a tremendous bonding time ~ I think ~ for the 3 of us and I will always cherish this April 2012, if only for that reason. 
I will love you always... until heaven, then Forever ♥

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less  J

Y is for: Yabba Dabba Doo!

                                  

How does Fred’s catchphrase grab you? Conveys warm and fuzzy memories to me, it does.  Hope it brings at least a smile to you!  Beats “I’m excited”  by a thousand miles, doesn’t it?  I’ve always dreamt of sliding down my diplodocus’ neck at quitting time!  I ain't no yellow belly!

And how about…. Yakety Yak? http://youtu.be/-cHB3Rbz1OI 
Yes,  Peanut Gallery!   The song where you reply:   “Don’t talk back!” 
I know, I know, they don’t make songs like that anymore!  – me says, and that's a sad thing.   I’ve always loved songs with a message, a fun message like this one!  I'm sure  you can bring a horse to water
but can you make it drink?   
I don’t know, ask the teenager who listened to the song!  Did he do his chores?  You’ve never had it so good, I say, having someone sing you your duties rather than yell them out.   

Yakety yak and yada yada  go hand in hand... I can just see the eyes rolling! 

Today was brought to us courtesy of the letter “Y”.  Yesssssss!  She  loves you Ya, Ya, Ya ♫♪

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less.

X is for: The Letter “X”

What a great letter!  A treasure to behold when you play Scrabble AND have a triple point spot to drop it on -  8 points! 

I seriously thought of blogging about xenophile or xenophobe – Well, Peanut Gallery?  Do you love strangers or not?

What I decided would be more fun is to talk about so many trade names that have names ending in “X”.   A lot of those brand names have stuck and become household names:  Javex,  Xerox, Kleenex, Windex, Tampax and it’s BFF, Kotex!  Pyrex? Blistex  ? 

 What about Timex     and it’s high class sibling Rolex?   And how many of us  ladies  still  think “Cutex” when we need nail polish remover? 

The moral of this story is:  the marketing peoples of these companies sure were on the right track.  They create words and managed to get us to adopt them because they are so catchy.  “Kleenex” is what shows on my list whether I plan to purchase Scotties, Puffs or store brand tissues.    What does that mean?

Them ....., ......Me           

Signing off now, have had enough of this "x" business!  Too complex for my cortex!    I'm off to the cineplex.   Must not forget to perplex my ex in the next duplex and flex the convex annex!  

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less!

W is for: Walla Walla Bing Bang!

A song of that name was recorded by Ross Bagdasarian Sr, in 1958 and by Alvin & The Chipmunks two years later (according to good ole’ Wiki).  The song is about the advice a witch doctor gives to a man in love.  I find it wise and wacky, weird, winsome, warm and wicked, wild, wordy,  absolutely wonderful and worth listening to!   

What more can I say? It’s a winner!  You would think the novelty  would wear off after a while, but when it’s all said and done, what’s eating you will actually win you over and keep you wide awake.   Why the dickens would this be so popular, you ask from the Peanut Gallery?  Winging it  waxes lyrical.  It definitely shows the writer knew his way out of a paper bag!  You might say it’s water under the bridge  or water over the dam but I won’t let it wear off.   I bet you that witch doctor could walk AND chew gum at the same time!   So much for walking the line and much better than waking up on the wrong side of the bed.                                                  

I’d rather dance into the wee small hours of the night, because when push comes to shove and  when the going gets tough, the tough get going and the witch doctor takes me out to go boogie-woogie!  

Signing off and without further ado, wanna hear this wonder of wonders?       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFspt9fRvoo

♫♫♪  uh eh uh ah ah

ting tang Walla walla, bing bang

uh eh uh ah ah  ♪♫

ting tang Walla walla bing bang...

♪♫ uh eh uh ah ah

ting tang Walla walla ,bing bang

uh eh uh ah ah ♪♫♪♫

ting tang Walla walla bing bang

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less!  J

V is for: "in Vino Veritas"

Wow, only 8 months left and it will be Christmas Day!  Yesssss!  I can’t wait!   Do you believe me?  No?? 

Well, it’s true that I have not been drinking wine as I write this; you might consider pouring me a glass if you believe in what the creator of today's highlighted latin expression meant by it.  A Greek poet named Alcaeus was adamant that the Germanic peoples were smart for drinking wine while holding council meetings because they believed no one could lie effectively after a few!  According to infallible Wikipedia, this was around 620 BC !   and look at this:  in China, their saying goes: “After wine blurts truthful speech” and the Babylonian Talmud reports:   “In came wine, out went a secret.”       Ok, that gets my attention!

I have sadly witnessed something of the sort myself, a few times too many ,  and you know, it’s mostly not pretty!  I am of the philosophy that if you can only tell the truth after imbibing, you’re certainly not the type of person I’m going out for dinner and drinks with!       

Truth is good, I am certainly not refuting that, however not when it is blurted out after drinking one glass too many  and using an inversely proportional quantity of brain cells in the process of divulging the fact in question. 

The truth will set you free?  Not in this case, i'm afraid!  In this instance, it will probably dig you a nice big hole to crawl into once your hangover is in full bloom and you realize you’ve completed enough acrobatics to fit your foot in your mouth and make a total fool of yourself! 

Signing off with the second part of this expression, often ignored:  “In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas”, translated as the following:  “In wine there is truth, in water there is health” .  There's something to be said about that: Healthier relationships, that's for sure!

Salut!

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less!  

U is for: Until the cows come home!

I certainly  would not want to upset the applecart and go through the ups and downs of the upper crust… that would be an uphill battle!   I like to keep up to snuff and up-to-date and very seldom will you find me up to no good, hence, am rarely up the creek without a paddle.     (yes, Peanut Gallery - that is THE real expression)  

Until today, it’s like I’ve been under a spell, in unchartered territory, and I’ve had it up to here with all your undying affection that has gotten me nothing but unmentionable underwear, an ugly ukulele,   and umpteen unwanted unchecked utopian dreams!   Ugh!

“Upsy-daisy”, I utter to my stumbling uncle, unsure of his step as he is trying to usurp the powers of the guard dog and get to the front door first.  Ultimately, he upended the upholstered unit and upset his ulcer, after utilizing his unopened umbrella  to unwrap the unique ultraviolet lamp. His urge to use the urinal went unnoticed and he had to unfortunately idle away the hours and hang on, unaided and unspent, unable to unload and very uncomfortable.  

Signing off now:  I’m climbing up the walls because I am so uneasy to be under the gun, to go under the knife.  It’s all up in the air and up for grabs at this point.  Until then…  the cows will come and go and eventually, make their way home!   

Better Be a Little “S” than a Little Less !

T is for: This and That

I was tempted to try a remake on an old favorite:

T'was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving,

however, thought you’d see right through that and cite me for plagiarism.  So I changed my mind!  However, here goes another tall tale: 

TWICE UPON A TIME , there were three tiny turtles: 

Timothy, Tony and Tommy. 

They always talked a mile a minute and seemed to be part of a task force to continually tear a strip off of Tamara and Tabitha who lived three doors down, in the townhouse with the turrets. 

For that reason, the terrible tenants wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, and were worried that this was only the tip of the iceberg . Even though time heals all wounds, they weren’t ready to tie the knot; 
 “Talk to the hand”,        they muttered as
teeny-weeny Tony tried to tick them off  for the third time.

As for me, tongue-tied  but thoroughly tempted to top it all off, I’ve decided to touch base with my inner self, not that I’m the topsy-turvy kind, more like touchy-feely,  if you ask me , and throw caution to the wind.

Now that the ball is back in my court (tennis court), I’ve got an excuse to give you the third degree because of your three-martini lunches      and if third time’s a charm, I’d like to throw the book at you and watch you turn into a pumpkin!  This is not a matter of tickling someone’s fancy; we run a tight ship here.  But we do have to tie up loose ends because you are not the top banana     you think you are.  That’ll be the day! That’s the way life is!  That’s the way the cookie crumbles and the ball bounces!

Signing off now, it’s still touch-and-go.  I’m tuckered out and have had enough of this turf war.  No, I’m not turning tricks! My poor grandma would turn in her grave if that was true!  I’m just turning the corner  and finally feel like I can turn the page and turn a new leaf.    Two wrongs don’t make a right; and as much as two’s company and three’s a crowd, two can play that game and if I throw in my two cents, you’ll find out that this twist of fate, absolutely takes the cake. THE END. 

Better Be a Little "S" than a Little Less !