A Touch of Pagan In Me....

As Easter, the celebration of the Risen Lord, approaches, I got to wondering when and why did the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs, enter the mix?  I did some investigating and found out that, in the pagan world,  the bunny is representative of spring - that makes sense -and the eggs represent "new life".  Simple enough.

Easter, as a kid,  was certainly a religious event in our home.  My parents saw to it!  Giving up something during Lent...Going to church in the evening on Holy Thursday, where the priest had his feet washed... Stations of the Cross on Fridays... fasting and abstaining on Good Friday.  All to prepare for the most important day in the Christian faith -Easter Sunday.

Looking back, I have to say, I must have had quite a bit of "pagan" in me, too.  As much as Easter was a celebration of my faith - my memories of Easter always go back to the fashion and food.  (Go figure!).

My Mom, the seamstress, always made sure her girls had new dresses for Easter.  Some years, we even had spring coats.  My favorite part of the ensemble was always the "bonnet"!  I love hats and, if I thought I could wear one now,  without folks thinking I was a goof, I'd be wearing one this weekend.   New patent leather shoes were also an Easter staple.  Loved the new shoes but was not a fan of the socks we had to wear with 'em.   I look back, in amazement, at how my parents outfitted 5 of us in Easter finery... and am pretty sure they could've done without a 2nd grade daughter, pouting over a pair of lacy anklets!

Our Easters meant trips to both grandparents' homes, for wonderful meals, that always included ham and all the trimmings.  We'd join in egg hunts with our many cousins.  There were plenty of eggs and lots of candy to go around but certain cousins were always a bit pushier than we were and ended up with more loot than the Bruner kids.  No worries.  We'd make up for it at the NEXT grandparent stop where WE were the pushy ones.

I remember, on Easter Monday, we'd hide our eggs over and over again, having day-long neighborhood egg hunts.   I'd take part,  that is, if I felt well enough.  I say that because there were few Easter Sunday nights that I went to bed without a bellyache.  So many marshmallow eggs... so little time!  I was an Easter candy binge eater, for sure.  Good thing we didn't have school on Easter Monday because I doubt I'd have been in class most years.

Years go by and some things never change...and luckily, many things do.  Faith is a big part of my life...all year round... still. And, although I don't get as dressed up for Easter as I used to, I sure appreciate my parents' sacrifice and talents more now ( but I don't have to wear those darn anklets, Mom!)   This Easter,  I'll indulge in some delicious ham, some hard boiled eggs, chocolate, in the form of bunnies and crosses, marshmallow eggs, malted milk eggs, jelly beans and some marshmallow Peeps, for sure!  I TOLD you some things never change!    Happy Easter everybody!

"Time Is Like A River"

"Time is like a river.  You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed, will never pass again. "

An undeniable truth.   That beautiful quote is a nudge to savor every moment.  But it's also a reminder, to me, to look at the way I've lived and to maybe shape up, from now on.  

I have to ask...

Have I been grateful enough to those who helped mold me into who I am today?  So many have had a hand in "the end product" and I should say "thanks" more often.
Was I kind enough?  There have been days when my time was short and so was my patience.  But how hard is it to be kind?
Was I too judgemental?  I didn't know what others' struggles may have been, so why don't I lighten up on them?
Was I too opinionated?  There have been times when I thought my way was the only way....and it wasn't.

Yes, time is like a river. The "flow" has passed.  And we can't undo most of the things we've done or the way we've been, thus far.  The neatest thing about the human condition is we can use the time we have left to change our ways.

I'm counting on it...

More Questions I've Pondered Lately...

*Why is it, when it's 68 degrees in the spring, summer or fall,  we're running around in shorts? And when it's 68 degrees, in the house, in the winter, we haul out the blankets and throws ?  68's 68, isn't it?

*Why are redheads being called "gingers" now?  And  shouldn't they be called "cinnamons"?

*Why aren't women's slacks sized like men's - with an inseam, so you know how long the pants leg is?

*If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

*Why do we have more TV stations than ever before and so little to watch?

*Has "political correctness" and over-sensitivity gone too far?

*Why do they still demonstrate on airplanes how to fasten a seat belt?  Haven't we been using those things in our cars for years?

*Why is it June, July and August seem to go so much faster than January, February and March?

*Why are "March Madness" games so much more exciting than regular season ones?

*Why are the morning newspeople so chirpy?  Maybe easing into the day would feel better for the viewers?

*Why can't perfume and cologne come in plain containers and cost less?  It's the fancy bottles and lids that drive the price up, right?

Well, that's it for me.  I know the things I ponder are pretty silly.  But what are YOU pondering?

We Can't Recycle Time ...

The greatest waste in all our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day".   Reverend Billy Graham

How much time do we waste on a daily basis?  Sad to say, I think I waste plenty.  Wasn't always the case.  I used to be a whirling dervish from morning til night.  Now?  Not so much.

I guess when you're raising kids, wasting time isn't an option.  Between running them here and there, overseeing homework, putting meals in front of them, our time is taken for sure.

Now, I kick back more, but to say I'm wasting time?  It may be a matter of perspective.  If I'm learning a new recipe from my beloved cooking shows  or I get a home improvement idea from HGTV, am I wasting time?

Maybe putting more time into helping others would be a better use of my time.  Like putting those recipes to good use and sharing them with an elderly neighbor?  Or helping someone out who's behind in their yardwork?  If it's nothing more than calling someone and letting them know I'm thinking of them, wouldn't that be better than soaking up yet another TV show?

A Facebook friend  (Thanks, Judy!) suggested  that we start a hometown missionary movement and I think that idea could catch on.  Who says we have to go to another country or another state to be a missionary?  To help others?

I'm going to make a concerted effort to look around and take notice of others' needs...And see if there's something I can do to make their lives better.  Yep, I'm gonna do it!

Obsolescence-What's Next?

I was recently reading an article about tech gadgets that have become obsolete in the past decade.  10 years!   Things are moving that quickly!  Floppy disks were an example.  When we started on computers, those were such important parts of the whole idea of computing.  You could save everything!   Another obsolete tech item?  E-Mail service you had to pay for!  Remember those AOL disks we received in the mail about every week?  90 day free trial and then you started paying?

I like to think back in bigger slots of time.  "Generations" and "eras" seem to slow things down a bit more for me than decades.  With that in mind, I offer, to you, items from past eras that, I'm pretty sure, we'll not be seeing anymore.

"Jiffy Pop" - Or just plain popcorn, cooking in oil on the stovetop.  Sure, microwaves have changed the way we cook but there was something about the fragrance of bubbling oil and the "pop, pop, pop" of the kernels hitting the pan lid.  I could always count on burning Jiffy Pop...it was more of a novelty than a matter of taste...seeing that foil stretch before your eyes...pretty amazing.

"Dippity Do"- that gooey hair-setting concoction -pink for "regular" and green for "hard to hold".  Might as well put mesh hair rollers and picks with them. We won't be seeing them anytime soon either - and I say "good riddance"!  I think I STILL have some indentations in my head from those suckers!

"Foto Mats" - Those cute little kiosks, found in parking lots all over the U.S.  Just drive up, drop your film off and return in a few days -that's right -days!! to get your photo prints.  Say so long to film, too.   Not needed anymore.  Just click and download.   The up side to film, in my eyes?  We'd be seeing fewer "selfies", if people had to pay to have them developed!

Ash Trays -I would've been screwed in my ceramic classes in the 70's!  Ash trays were the go-to item in my repertroire.  Nothing tedious...you could go outside the lines with your painting and still be okay.  Just slap that paint on and done!  Bundle with the ash trays, candy cigarettes and bubble gum cigars.  You won't be seeing them anymore - at least, not out in public.  But I could be a "closet smoker" with a pack of those Winston candy cigarettes right about now!

Electric Football Games - remember the little plastic players, carrying a tiny cotton ball on a vibrating "field"?  I always had the fella that seldom "ran" for the right goalpost....he always got turned around.   Video games provide more sophisticated fun, I guess, but not the laughs that that goofy electric one did.

Diaper Service - Before the invention of Pampers, we had fresh cloth diapers delivered and soiled ones picked up by a friendly diaper guy in a truck.  Whoever thought that was that sanitary of an idea back then would never make it now but it really was a pretty lucrative and popular business years ago.

Well, there you have it.  My short list of things, although obsolete now, were fun, interesting or handy when we had them.  It's funny how our opinions, our needs -heck, life itself - changes so quickly.  Don't you wonder what's around now that will meet with the same fate of obsolescence, as Jiffy Pop and Foto-Mat?  

Well, hopefully, not us!

"Reading, Observing Or Pissing On An Electric Fence"

I got your attention with that title, didn't I?   Well, it's a quote from humorist Will Rogers -I got it from a friend and I've been trying to figure out, into which category, do I fit.

“There are three kinds of people.  The ones who learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to piss on the electric fence for themselves.”

You, by now know, I'm not much of a reader.  Wish I had been because I'd be writing books now instead of blogs.  Reading would certainly have expanded my view of the world and grown my vocabulary.

I've learned plenty by observing.  Seeing how my folks raised kids certainly gave me ideas on how I wanted to raise mine.  Watching my Grandma make soup years ago influenced me in the kitchen and gave me my love of cooking.  Watching the many football and basketball games the boys played and coached in should have probably taught me more about those sports...but I'm a talker... Sorry, boys, I can't help it if I have a short attention span...

I probably fall into the "have to piss on an electric fence" group more than I should...as most folks would, if they think about it.

We're born into this world with zero knowledge, zero experience, zero sense. I'm one of those who have to practically be hit on the head with a hammer to get some things. But it was probably trying things and failing that has taught me the most.

My list is quite extensive -  I had to "piss on quite a few electric fences" before I gained the knowledge and experience or figured out how to overcome some of my deficits.  But the neat thing about life is we DO gain that experience, we DO learn, we DO figure out what 's right, what will work and what doesn't.  It may take a lifetime, but we, hopefully, get it, eventually.

Sometimes, I wish I could transmit my knowledge and experience to my kids, my grandkids or anyone who's trying to make their way.  But I can't.  They have to "piss on their own electric fence" and "get it" as we all have.  I just hope it doesn't take them as long.

"What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?"

I recently saw an online campaign by the name of "Dear Me".  It was an exercise to see how folks would do things differently, if given the chance.  Here's my take....

"Dear Me"

Don't be in such a hurry to grow up!  Savor every age because time goes by so quickly.

Just because it pops into your head, doesn't mean it has to come out of your mouth. ( A lifelong problem that should've been nipped in the bud years ago...)

Read more.  (Who knows? Perhaps I'd be a real author by now.  They say you have to read if you want to write.)

Really listen to the older generation.  (They offered wisdom and a unique perspective that I didn't realize the value until they were gone.)

Don't give as much importance to what other people think.  Sure, their opinions matter sometimes -I've based plenty of how I did things on how others felt about it -and shouldn't have.

Move more.  (Get your body used to it because there'll come a time when it doesn't move like you'd like it to.)

Savor what you eat.  (Instead of shoveling stuff in, enjoy every bite.)

Tell people you love them.  (I've waited too many years to say it to some folks.    I just assumed they knew it....and maybe they didn't.  Say it!)

There it is...    Sadly, there are no true do-overs in life, but this exercise really gave me the chance to look back and maybe change things up a bit.  Feel free to add to my list, comment or write a "Dear You" letter.  What would YOU tell your younger self?"

If I Was 40 Years Younger....

If I was 40 years younger, maybe I'd pursue a career in meteorology.  All the technology at your fingertips would be cool.  Dragging your finger across a screen to create a "storm front"...  Predicting something that everyone wants to hear... Accuracy isn't a problem.  Where else can you screw up half the time and still keep your job?

One thing I WOULDN'T do is get all excited when some kind of severe weather is approaching...  The current crop of weather folks get downright orgasmic if snow or rain is in the forecast!  I certainly wouldn't interrupt your favorite program to give you every minute detail of a thunderstorm.  And I wouldn't be so arrogant as to take credit for a nice day, like I had anything  to do with it.

Truth be told, we've always had weather and we always will.  If it's cold out, I'll wear a coat.  If it's going to snow, I'll have the shovel ready.  If it's raining, I'll take an umbrella.  If it's hot, I'll turn on a fan. If it's gonna get severe, I'll take precautions.

So calm down, Mr (or Miss) Weatherperson.  Trust me...we can handle it.

"And You're Wearing?"

If there is a profession that pats itself on the back more than the entertainment industry, I don't know what it is!

Yep, it's the award season...that time of year when countless programs are on, extolling the accomplishments of actors, directors, sound editors, singers...all of them!  And although I sneak a peak, I always ask myself the questions "Why"?  And "Who cares"?

I guess we've created the problem - reading the magazines, watching the talk shows, buying the movie tickets.  But the so-called celebrities' feelings of self-worth are so over-inflated, it's ridiculous... and it starts with the dress.

As they parade down the red carpet, hounded by the paparazzi, just once, I wish one of these celebrities, when asked "what are you wearing?" would respond "Wal-Mart" or "J. C. Penney".   "And your jewelry was designed by?"   "My kids"...   How would that be for striking a blow for the common man?  Oh, who am I kidding?

I've also noticed a recent trend that has the celebrities, using their time at the podium, to tell us about their political leanings, their thoughts about equality...like they should be our morality cheerleaders.  Puleeze!  I'll get my information from folks far wiser than you!  Just act...or sing... Or whatever you're paid to do.

We'll continue to watch the shows, follow them, like they mean something...  Maybe, for a change,  an awards program for people who truly have made a difference - like a Mother Teresa or a Jonas Salk?  Nah, that would probably never air, and if it did, would we even watch?   Hard to imagine Mother Teresa in something by Oscar de la Renta...