STUFF

Since my last post,
I've been thinking a lot about Stuff.
It brought to mind my favorite George Carlin routine.

Contemplate and Enjoy!

MY EXPERINCE

During my parents last illnesses,
I moved from my house in Pennsylvania to their house in Maryland.
I had to combine my Stuff with their Stuff.
When my parents died, I realized that I was now
The Keeper of the Stuff.

I have moved a number of times, each time getting rid of more Stuff.

At one time, I had to rent four storage units to keep my Stuff.
In that light, the secret in the garage isn't so bad!


TO THINK ABOUT

Reality shows are very popular right now.

A number of them are based on our Stuff.
BURIED ALIVE: HOARDING
CLEAN HOUSE
HGTV shows us how to arrange our Stuff, sell our Stuff, and make places to either hide or display our Stuff.
ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW tells us how valuable our Stuff is.

Hmmmmmmm...

Today I Celebrate Awareness!
(Bet you thought I was going to say Stuff!)

EXPOSED!

Today is August 17, 2010.

I am now prepared to expose something

That I've kept hidden

Since October 30, 2009.

Please prepare yourself. 

It is not a pretty sight.

The Garage

The rest of my Stuff (after I cleared out half of the boxes)



My secret is that I moved in with a friend
on October 30th, 2009
and
this is the stuff that is still stacked in her garage
on August 17th, 2010.


Here's a list of my really good excuses:

• When I first moved, there was no place to put my stuff.
• Then it was winter and it was too cold.
• I couldn't go through it during the holidays!
• The boxes were stacked floor to ceiling and I'm too weak to lift them from that height.
• I was out of work and too depressed.
• When the weather was nice, I had to work in the garden.
• I didn't want to clutter my room.
• It's been too darn hot this summer!!!

THE GOOD NEWS IS

I found my winter coats in July!

I found the rest of  my clothes and my shoes!

Since I hadn't worn them in over six months, I gave half of my clothes to Good Will.

Going through boxes one at a time is like Christmas - surprise and delight at what I find.

I've learned that I don't need all of my Stuff!

I feel a garage sale coming on......


Today I Celebrate Sharing Secrets and Simplifying!

Life's Paths

Which way to go?

Turn Left

Follow the Leader (A Fabulous Gray Haired Lady)

Over the dunes

 Straight and Narrow

I love pictures of paths.
They challenge the imagination.
Where do these lead you?

Today I Celebrate Paths of the Imagination!

Gray Haired Ladies

Spanish Moss
To learn more about Spanish Moss, click here

I remember when I discovered my first gray hair.

I freaked out and ran for my tweezers!

As I grew older and found even more gray,

I abandoned my tweezers and ran to my hairdresser.

Through the years my hair has been

various shades of brown, red, blond, and even greenish.

Just before my 60th birthday, I decided to go gray.

I finally dropped out of the race for eternal youth

and accepted who I am and what I look like:

no Botox, facelife, liposuction.

I embrace the badges of age

and

celebrate the life experiences that have brought me here.

Today I Celebrate the gifts of Age.

What's in the Sack?

A Surprise for Judy

This photo reminds me of a poem by Shel Silverstein
called "What's in the Sack".
[I used the poem as a starter for a creative writing exercise when I taught second grade.]

Today I look at the "sack" as the day ahead.
One never knows what little surprises the day may hold:
a call from a dear friend, a beautiful butterfly, a rainbow, the ideal parking spot, an unexpected smile...

Today I Celebrate Pleasant Surprises.

(check out the photo below to see what yummy surprise awaited me in the sack)

MARYLAND crabs!!  My favorite!

Friendship Bouquet

SPRING is my favorite season of the year.

So, being transplanted from Maryland to Florida deprives me of the flowers that I love most -

daffodils, lilacs, tulips...

That's why I chose to visit my childhood friend, Linda, in MD in April.

Unfortunately, I had missed the lilacs.

To my surprise and delight, Linda went out and bought me this bouquet.

I call it the Friendship Bouquet because isn't that what friends do?

They recognize your needs and longings and do their best to fulfill them.

In good times and bad, my true friends have been there for me.

 

Today I Celebrate FRIENDSHIP.

Twists and Turns

I took this photo during a visit to my very dear friend, Linda.  I was very attracted to this tree but didn't know why.

I finally decided that it reminds me of Life.

One cannot appreciate Life's twists and turns until viewed from a distance.

Today I celebrate Life!