Wednesday, March 31, 2010

I think it's time for a Zen day


As I sit in my bed, computer on my lap, across the room there is a book called The Little Zen Companion staring at me while it is propped up, cover out, on my bookshelf. Yes, Zen--enlightenment through meditation, self-contemplation, and intuition. Perhaps the answers come then, when we stop asking them. Imagine the quiet and the solace, when we can let go of the mind chatter that fills us by day, and too often by sleepless night. I remember taking walks in the rain because the streets were quiet, and all you heard was the sound of raindrops hitting the pavement. The birds would be chirping in the trees, happy for the shower so they could preen their pretty wings. Walking is very Zenful. It clears the mind, it releases energy that needs to be released, and then relaxation takes over.

Sometimes I used to lay on the floor of my apartment, flat on my back and listen to Enya or some other New Age music. As I laid there, I would drift out of thought and into a peaceful place. Oftentimes I would be so calm in body and mind, that I would drift off to sleep. I'd wake some time after and be amazed how deep the sleep was. It could have been 10 minutes or an hour, but it was better than any average 8-hour night of sleep.

If only I could pry myself away from my computer long enough to enjoy the pleasure of a Zen day. I think it's time! Is it time for you?

40-Somethings

Soon I will be joining this new group called the 40-somethings, and leaving behind the memories of my 30's. Memories of giving birth, potty training my daughter (took about 2+ years); begging her to stop using the Binkies (She always had two at any time); dealing with the daycare blues (that was me, sad, when I had to leave Aziza at daycare); seeing her off to Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade; the horrible haircuts I got because I couldn't find a decent hairdresser; and then there's the awful, loser men I met during my 30's that thought they were datable. Thirties, not all bad though: my daughter came into the world (my greatest achievement to date),I decided to go back to school (twice), returned to writing after a long creative hiatus, reconnected with many old friends, took my daughter to Disney World, and I learned to let go of bad relationships.

Moving into the 40's though will be full of many new but maybe not so wonderful things. For instance, the tiny lines around my eyes are here to stay. Even though the Neutrogena Eye Cream is amazing, it doesn't work miracles. Also, I went to the doctor last week for a check up, and she looked at my upcoming age of 40 (in May) and said, "Oh, you need to go get a mammography now that you're going to be 40." Should I have stood up and cheered, "YAY! I'm 40 and now, finally, I can go get that long-awaited mammography!" Not quite. I was more like, "Oh, is it time for that? Great..."

My sister has all these things happening to her now that she's 45, soon to be 46, and she keeps telling me, "Just wait, this will happen to you too." Is she wishing this on me, hexing me? What's the deal with the "Hey, get ready for your 40-somethings doom!" I don't know, you do the best you can to take care of yourself, and then just go with the natural flow of how your body changes. Some things we can fight but some things we just have to say, "Okay, bring it on!"

Not all of becoming 40 is a bad thing. There's this feeling of "Hey, I did it, I made it through the 30-somethings!" With that comes a feeling of liberation and greater acceptance of oneself, as you embrace a new phase in your life. Even better, I've also heard that women in their 40's have the same sex drive of men in their 20's. Wow, maybe my 40's will be the breakthrough decade for me! But wait, does that mean I'll need to be having sex with a 20-somethings so we're on the same playing field? Hmmm, definitely something to think about.

All in all, I feel great as I approach my 40th birthday, knowing that I will be sitting on a beach that weekend, watching the waves roll in and out, admiring the orange glow of the sun setting on the ocean waters, and thinking about how wonderful it feels to be 40.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Coming Soon...

It's Monday and although I was trying to get my paper for government class finished - writing it on the abusive way presidents sign executive orders - I did find some time to choose a new layout for the blog and work a little with adding pics. Google's photo software Picaso is great for making a movie out of your pics or a collage. It has many great features and it was a free download. Highly recommend it.

Anyway, been thinking about what my next topic is going to be and it's on marriage and why you should NOT cheat on your spouse. Being single as long as I have, I've heard it all, and I say don't do it!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Friends Again (Poem)

I was walking along the boardwalk
of that beach I love so much,
The one with the new benches
and quaint lampposts,
when my cell phone rang,
and I almost didn't hear it
over the sounds of waves
rolling in and out.
But it was you on the other end.
We hadn't spoken since
the day I left work for good and
I was so sorry I walked out
Without saying goodbye.
I've missed your smiles and
the way you made me laugh.
Those lunch hours we ate Chinese
and swore our fortune cookies
held our fate.
Remember the Christmas party
and the Latin disco music?
We danced together and
had a night to remember!
I miss those days; you, me,
and silly irresponsibility.
But more, I missed you
and the possibility of having
been more than your friend.
I am so glad you called.

Choosing Fidelity

I have been single for almost eight years. In that time, I have spoken to many men, in the process of dating, and discovered how many people actually cheat on their spouses, which ultimately ends in divorce. After a while, I started to feel like a relationship counselor, as most would talk on and on about what happened to them. The more they spoke, the less interested I was in getting involved in another relationship. Actually, I've always been a huge believer in marriage, having the perfect husband, wonderful children (I do have one of those!), the perfect house, and then living happily ever after. Unfortunately, been married twice and none ended in happily ever after. It was more like happy it's over. But at least I never cheated. I knew he/the marriage was wrong for me and I left him. Oh, I saw the writing on the wall, counseling would have been hard with a predominantly foreign speaking spouse. Communication is what destroyed us. Ironic how I thought it was going to be the highlight. Less talking, more action. Unfortunately, couples need to talk about difficult subjects and command of the same language is pretty necessary.

I don't see though what can be gained by cheating on your spouse? It's a cowardice act as far as I'm concerned. If you're not happy and you're bored with your life, either find a hobby, or sit your partner down and tell them you're having issues. Hey, tell them they're the issue. Don't be a coward and look the other way when you have a responsiblity to tell the person you're married to that you're not happy. Just fess up and don't pretend you can stand it, while you try to find some other part-time pleasure to take away the sting of loneliness in your marriage.

Sure, I understand that once the children come, things change. The closeness slowly dissolves,there is less time to be alone, and the responsiblities and priorities change, making people change over time. We definitely become these other people when we take on the roles of parents, but making intimate, romantic, real communication time with your spouse needs to be high priority. You have to connect in order to stay connected, right?

No matter what is going on, cheating isn't the answer. Searching for someone else, someone who can give you moments of temporary pleasure that will only result in hurting your spouse and your family, and most of all, you will be hurting. The damage is irreparable. Maybe you think you can do it, they won't find out, just talking to someone isn't so bad, I need someone to talk to. Then you think, "What's a little harmless sex chat, we're not physically doing anything?" Where do you think that leads to? It's not a good place. There's lying, hiding, deception, and when it all comes out in the light, the trust is gone.

I was dating a man recently - or trying to make a go of it - but his wife had cheated on him almost two years before that. He was a mess inside. Angry and bitter, and would talk about what happenend to everyone and anyone who would listen. It's understandable, his wife was not fair in this cheating thing - not that cheating is ever fair play - but she decided to cheat with their neighbor who was also married. In a small town, word traveled fast and it was quickly becoming his word against hers, and they were both trying to make the other look bad. This man is hurt so bad, I don't know when he'll ever trust again, or be able to have a relationship where every other word out of his mouth is not about the ex who cheated on him. Plus, it ruined the relationship with his 16-year old son because he needed his son to side with him, tell his mother what she did was wrong. You can't put the kid in the middle like that, he's hurting too. Point here is, she should have confessed her unhappiness to him before she had the affair. Given him a chance, and the marriage a chance to be healed at that point.

I don't think I'll ever marry again. Not in the cards for me, but if I did, I would make sure that I was nothing but honest with that person. If we had children together and I feared breaking up the family, then maybe marriage counseling is the way to go. You have to find the source of contention, the loneliness you feel within the couple, the boredom, and more often than not, the anger you feel towards your spouse. And if it turns out that you can't get past the issues, or there's been too much change to go back, then you deal with that the best way you can. But don't cheat - be honest, give your spouse the respect and benefit they deserve. If life decides to take the two of you in different directions, seek there to find the happiness you lost.

The Meatless Life

It's true - it's been a meatless life for me for nearly 16 years. Wow, remembering back to 1994 when my boyfriend, John, and I decided to stop eating meat. We didn't know what we were in for. We knew it was the right decision but when we went grocery shopping, we looked at each other and almost simultaneously said, "What are we going to eat??" Wasn't pretty for a while but we made it. And even after we went our separate ways, our conviction remained. Seeing him again years later, the first thing we asked each other was "You still not eating meat?" Like we wanted to see who could go the longest, lol...

Since then it's been a constant lesson in foods and the nutritional value they have. Protein. Who thought about protein? But it was something I had to make sure I was getting enough of. And then all these yummy soy replacement foods, rich in protein, came out and I was in heaven. I could almost live a normal life again. I came to worship products like Morningstar Farms and Boca, and even the Tofurky at Thanksgiving! It was better than I thought it would be. Fish is an excellent source of protein too and try to get a regular dose of it now - never used to like it though.

But it's not just the food that becomes an issue with being a vegetarian, it actually affects my love life. How many men out there are vegetarians? Not a whole lot, especially up in the sticks where I live. And when they hear I'm a vegetarian, they immediately worry if I'm going to judge them or have an issue with the monstrous bloody steak on their plate when we go out to dinner. Back in the early days I used to preach quite a bit, and sometimes today I can't help myself when I meet someone who is a hunter. I have to ask, "What's wrong, not enough dead animal to choose from at the meat counter at Price Chopper?" I mean really, don't we have enough of those people who kill animals for a living so there is enough meat for the masses. Do people really need to go out and kill their own dinner? Really now!

Aside from my one dig, I'm usually very laid back about it all now. You eat what you eat, and I'll eat what I eat. That seems simple enough, right? Not exactly. You see, men today, even though they are more independent than ever, still want a woman who can cook and clean for them. It's a part of their make-up. Sure they will often-times contribute and cook themselves, but that is a bonus really. They really want someone who can cook for them, and as soon as I tell any potential mate - meateater of course - that I am a vegetarian, I can hear the silent alarm go off in their heads, not to mention the silence on the other end of the phone as they try to think of what to say to what I've just told them.

And the questions in their minds begin to mount. "Does that mean I can't eat meat with her? Will we have problems going out to dinner? Will she never be able to cook meals that have meat in them? Will she make me become a vegetarian?" Yes, all of these questions rush through their minds, eventually spilling out of their mouths, leaving me to explain why I choose to not eat meat. I simply do not condone the killing and slaughter of animals. I mean seriously though, do I really have to explain myself, or shouldn't he be the one to explain why he advocates the death of innocent animals and then continues to eat them? I love the ones that say, "I bet I can get you to eat meat again." What?? And who would that be for?? Hmmm? Me? Doubt it! Basically, we all have free will and I am simply exercising mine.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Something on My Mind (Poem)

I was wide awake the other night and feeling something: stress, uneasiness, caffeine effects, something that would not allow me to rest and go to sleep. I turned on the laptop, wrote this, and felt better. I still never pinpointed what weighed so heavily but the poem was definitely therapeutic.

There's something on my mind
it lays there like a lazy cat
not moving but making
an impression in the
space it occupies.
I'm sleepless in my
comfortable bed
my limbs flail about
from side to side
hanging one foot off the edge
suspended in mid-air
like falling but never
touching the ground.
Two pillows, one pillow...
suddenly the evenness of
every other evening
is gone this night,
but it must linger
as it was only yesterday
I rested so well.
This stillness, now forgotten
lays beneath
this something
that vexes me
hovers over me
piercing like tiny
acupunture needles
that only look painful.
The keyboard,
my constant companion,
has offered to
endure with me
the plight of
the sleepless night.
There's definitely something
on my mind.

Friday, March 26, 2010

The Writer's Itch

The writer's itch? What is that and can it be cured with a simple over-the-counter cream, or does the prescription go deeper than just mere aloe or hydrocortisone-rich lotion? It can't be soothed away easily and it gets at the undercoat of any writer who truly aspires to be a writer. It takes up space in our minds and pushes out everything else, when all you are consumed with is this unusually strong desire to type words, tons and tons of words and hopefully have them blend enough to make some coherent sense... kinda like what I am doing right now. But even worse than the itch is the block that writer's all too often experience. What is the block? It's a freeze or lockdown of the mind where all creative thought is imprisoned in some place not your brain. The words, the thoughts, the ideas don't come and the screen is often blank or the delete button is in constant use from the inadequate attempts of formulating words and thoughts. What is even more catastrophic is when the itch meets the block... I don't think I need to explain the internal fury associated with such a mixture of desire and loss. It is not for the average writer... this is only survived by the diehards who know there is light at the end of the tunnel when all brain and body function resumes to a normal pace and literary excellence is possible.