Desert Magnolia

You know how sometimes you look at something, then look again and go 'WTF?' I had one of those moments this morning. Just so you know, my efforts to 'be completely present in every moment' are resulting in me noticing some things that for some reason I wouldn't normally notice. Don't mock me, I'm working on myself and sometimes the results are startling. Anyway, I was almost to work, just a traffic light away, and found myself behind an older Chevy SUV..maybe a Tahoe, but more like a smaller Suburban. It was a deep metallic blue at some point, now faded to almost a sky blue, and the windows were darkened...not completely blacked out, but someone tinted them. On the back window was one of those stick figure family things, and from what I could tell, there was a Daddy, a Mommy, a little girl, a little boy, and dog and cat in their family. And now is when things get a little weird(er).  This is when my eyes travel to the right, and see that on that si...

W. H. Auden once said: Choice of attention—to pay attention to this and ignore that—is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day that we often forget that every single choice that we make, particularly when it comes to how we live, not just the little niggling details, really matters. Every single one. I guess it boils down to limited resources, right? There are a finite number of moments in each day, and most of us are obligated to spend a considerable number of those pursuing our careers, making ends meet, etc., which means that the number available for spiritual and emotional nurturing are limited, indeed. So demonstrating our love for our families, taking good care of ourselves-nutritionally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, in the moments we actually have for those pursuits? Makes absolute sense. And growing our hearts and enriching our spirits through whatever means we choose, be it spending more ...

My head? Today feels like it's encased in an allergen-induced gauze. Everything is kind of fuzzy, one side of my head feels heavier than the other one, and I'm sleepy. That's just the histamines, right? Because when our bodies fight the pollens so hard the resulting chemicals make us drowsy, want a nap, want to just....snooze. I'm there. Seriously, drowsily, there. But naps, in an office, in the real word, for grownups? Don't happen very often. Maybe on the weekends, maybe if we're lucky. So today my Satellite (grande) Mexican Latte is going to have to stimulate my ass through the 5 o'clock hour. All I can say is, it better hurry its lil self up.

In my life I've asked some big questions, and received answers, eventually. But always. The key is just asking. Just putting it out there for the universe to mull over. So as I'm contemplating my next life steps, as I'm feeling this deep unease and desire for...more..spiritually, emotionally, etc., I'm cautious. Because it's been my experience that when you say, 'Give me a sign..give me a kick in the butt or a gently persuasive nudge,' to the universe? You're gonna get it. Every, single time.

Of late I've felt dark and heavy and full of questions for the universe. And while I realize that the answers are going to come from within me, not originate externally, I'm a little impatient at the whole damned process, to be quite honest. I get it, I'm just kind of crabby about it some days. Empty nesting isn't for wimps, I'm finding, but it's all part of life so navigating it with some degree of elegance is my goal.  So far things are going mostly well, but I've just discovered that if anything gets out of sync in my life, I feel it more right now. A bad day becomes a really bad day until I jolly myself out of it, or one of my friends does that for me. Stress seems to accumulate more quickly than in the past, so I'm really focusing on managing that better, with various degrees of success, depending upon the source of the stress. My close friend, Grey's and Off the Map texting buddy, JL, is headed off on a grand adventure. To the Pacific North...

Monday, as in after Sunday. As in after a lovely gathering on Saturday night to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I think this was our best celebration ever. I got to mingle, which sometimes doesn't happen. I seem to get caught in the kitchen, which is always full of chatty friends, and as I putter and fuss over food and such I just become embroiled in one conversation after another and never really mingle in the living room and dining room, and outside by the firepit. But this year I did, and it was nice. And Daughter got to spend time with all of our friends who love finding out how life is in RI, in college, and with her in general. She also gave an iPhone tutorial to a group of our friends that made them all gasp with wonder and become more excited about their phone choice. Suffice to say, they're now all hooked on Words with Friends... Yesterday we went for hike, and it was hard. It was on the Piedra Lisa trail in the Sandia Mountains, which is steep...going up is hard ...

We are not Irish. Per my Grandma Gin during a recent conversation, I have a wee bit of the Irish in me, but not much. Not enough to wholeheartedly celebrate on behalf of the Emerald Isle, really. But we do. For fifteen years now, we have. What began as a foray into a simple corned beef and cabbage dinner lo those many moons ago has morphed into an annual event that has continued to grow in size with each year. And, as we did the first year, we always end up watching Irish dance...Riverdance or Lord of the Dance, and my Hubby's not so secret crushes, Celtic Women. I swear, if he ever leaves me, it's going to be for a sweet-tempered Irish singer. I just know it. Our friends gently mock this corned beef/Irish DVD  tradition, but we get 100% invitee/attendee turnout, so mock they may, but attend they do. The menu typically looks like: Corned beef, sliced, then glazed and finished under the broiler Boiled new potatoes Cabbage wedges, also boiled Guinness Iri...

As part of the Great Home Improvement Project of 2011, as I've mentioned, we decided to move our bed into Son's room and buy a new one. Have you ever bought a new bed? If so, you realize that the decision..is one which must fit for a long long time. Our first bed we inherited from my Mom, over 23 years ago,  and it was kind of a special platform bed made from beautiful cherry wood but which sat on a makeshift platform. So part of it was gorgeous and the rest was kinda not so gorgeous, really. But we had other concerns as we were raising our family, and certainly other outlets for money, so we kept it. A long time. But then Son grew and grew and grew and really needed a bigger than a twin bed, so we gave it to him. And he had tons of room to stretch out, at last, and all was well. The bed we bought then was from Tema, was a modern metal platform thing in a cool anodized graphite color, and it lasted us for a long time, too. For some reason, shopping for a bed this time...

All of the bulbs begin to pop up green foliage when it warms a bit, and now is the time in the high desert. On a quick recon of our front and back yards yesterday I saw tulips, hyacinth, daffodils and crocus popping up. The tulips are already 8" tall! And in a good year, they bloom by my birthday, which makes the event extra special somehow. Tulips.com Image provided by Jennifer Morrissey of her garden in early April. Gorgeous, huh? I may be suffering from tulip envy. For sure I am. Yesterday afternoon I got home a little early, changed into my running clothes and was on the trail while it was still light. And warm. And comfortable for a nice leisurely jog my first day back from New York. And did I mention I wore shorts? And a long sleeved tee shirt? This time last week I was freezing my buns off in NYC...so the warmth is welc...

NYC never fails to entertain. From a weather or culinary or people watching perspective, it is without equal. It was cold, it rained cats and dogs, it got sunny but very chilly, then on the last day the weather began to behave and be downright lovely. But by then I was on my way to La Guardia, destined for the high desert once more. Food, was good. Daughter found two good restaurants in a row, a Mediterranean place, then the next night a French place, and then on her third night, we literally stumbled across a good Italian place. Once she had left, it was my colleague and I hitting and missing, mostly hitting, decent food. What never fails to amaze? When you're wandering and consulting your iPhone (he's really into that) you have an equal chance of finding good places to eat by just happening across inviting looking restaurants and choosing by their menu... On the last night we packed up our stuff, then headed out on foot from Javits Center to 1st Ave. and 1st St. That tr...