Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.


The bolded part of this poem is on a sign the I hung on the soffit in the basement right above the elliptical.

I have looked at it and pondered the truth of it many times during the last 4-6 months. I decided to see where the quote came from and discovered that the rest of the poem speaks of most things I desire.

C'mon, get happy

No, this isn't a tribute to the Partridge Family -- sorry to disappoint.

This is a tribute to my current MUST READ: "eat, pray, love."

If you haven't read this book, I HIGHLY recommend it. If you have, then you already know what I'm talkin' about! Here's a very brief plot synopsis to set the stage for the following excerpt:

A 30-something year old woman, Liz Gilbert, finds herself in a pool of tears and snot on her bathroom floor after a difficult break-up and a deep sense of hopelessness and lack of direction. In the midst of her pain she reaches out to the Universal Divine and believes she is directed to take a year off and search for meaning and happiness. She goes to Italy, India and Indonesia. The rest of the memoir is definitely a page-turner.

Teachings about happiness that Liz got from her guru while in India:

"People universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's now how happiness works.

Happiness is the consequence of personal effort.
You fight for it,
strive for it,
insist upon it, and
sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.

You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.

And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your innate contentment.

It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

This I Believe

Yesterday while driving back to the office I was listening to "All Things Considered" on NPR. For my more conservative readers, NPR is a news network that, unlike some other networks claim, reports information that is actually NEWS WORTHY and does it in a FAIR and BALANCED manner.

Anyhoo, I got caught up in one of the features that has been included occasionally on All Things Considered called "This I Believe." This has grabbed me before, but yesterday it REALLY got me, probably because I had left the house with a chronic family struggle stuck in my craw. I was trying to be a little quieter in myself so I could gain better perspective on the situation -- doing deep diaphragmatic breathing and the like -- so, true to the promise, this semi-meditative state opened me up.

If you have the opportunity, you check out the This I Believe web site. Basically everyday folks (just like me and you!) have shared their life philosophies in a personal essay.

Yesterday's personal essay was written by Muhammad Ali. That didn't do much for me but what did was the montage of excerpts from previously aired personal essays. This is the one that's had me thinking, HARD, for the last 24 hours or so:

"So I keep watching what I do to see what I actually believe."

Whoa.

I decided to do the same and will be reporting back. Care to join me?

Back for another try

It's April, FINALLY, and despite some mucho stress at home, I'm feeling a bit better....FINALLY!

Whew! What a winter.

Hope everyone out there is alive and well.

I missed you!

Top 5 things I want to do before I die

100 Things

I found this list on another blog -- I can't remember which one, but it's floating around out there. It's a list of 100 things to do (sort of like the "bucket list"). I've bolded the ones I've already done and at the end I've put which 5 I REALLY want to do. Here goes:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea -- does Lake Michigan count?
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Vacationed in Italy
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud With 3 boys? Yeah.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Holly Hobbie)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating -- don't ever see this happening BLECH!
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee -- 63, in fact. All at one time.
100. Read an entire book in one day

5. Buy a stranger a meal at a restaurant
4. Play in a band
3. Go rock climbing -- in Southern Utah
2. Vacation in Italy -- preferably stay in a villa for a month or so, near Florence
1. Run a Marathon

OK blogger pals. It's your turn!

Black Friday

I'm not going out there.

You can't make me.

You know who you are

for all the family and friends, near and far, who make the foundation of my rich and meaningful life.

Thank you.

Guide my thoughts and ways

If you planted hope today in any hopeless heart,

If someone's burden was lighter because you did your part,

If you caused a laugh that chased a tear away,

If tonight your name is mentioned when someone kneels to pray,

Than your day was well spent.

Emerging Emotion

Today I looked at our nation's flag and wept.



For joy. And with pride.

Some more photos taken during my most recent junket, at which time I fancied myself a talented photographer

Near Boston Public Library



My highly photogenic daughter looking out the main entrance doors of the Old South Church



Boston Public Garden



National Botanical Garden


NBG

Travelin' Fool Part 2

SO.

It took me a while to figure out what to do about missing the train. Unlike flying, this mode of transportation doesn't allow for rescheduling a couple of hours later.

My two options were waiting until Monday at noon and taking the Lake Shore Ltd. back the way I came. Or, I could wait until that night and leave at 9:45 pm for Washington, D.C. In the interest of time and ONO's sanity, I opted for the route to D.C. and then back up to Chicago. I was initially very upset by this change of plans, but it turned out to be a wonderful thing.

At first I tried to get out to Worcester, a city 40 miles west where we lived from 1-7 grades. Turned out I'd missed the last commuter train to Worcester for the day, AND I'd only have 3 hours with a car rental. I decided to go back to Bethany's room, run along the Esplanade, shower, eat some dinner and then get to the train station LONG before the train left.

What a FABULOUS run! It was sunny, not too cold, and the view of the Charles River and then the harbor was spectacular! I decided to venture into the downtown and look for historical stuff that I hadn't had the chance to see the day before. I asked for a lot of directions and people were helpful. I ran up Charles Street to Boston Commons. Then I went back down Charles and circled around a big hill. Turns out it was Beacon Hill, and if you've heard anything about the homes there, it's all true. Here are some pics:

I don't know if you can make out the incline on this street. It was QUITE steep. Needless to say, I didn't try running up that hill. I wanted to enjoy my way home.

I found the Public Garden and snapped some pics there and then realized I was on Commonwealth Ave., and that took me right back to BU.

At 9:45 pm I got on the Northeast Regional and headed for DC. This train was a commuter train, with the seats much closer together and much less comfortable. It was difficult to sleep for that reason, and because the lights were never turned out. In the long run, it didn't matter because I was in our nation's capitol, and I had 9 hours there all to myself!

I swigged a giant mug of coffee, snarfed some Au Bon Pain, tidied up a bit in the very public bathroom, and stashed my bags for the day (and for $15). Then I headed out.

I spent about an hour wandering around the Capitol and the Supreme Court building. There were a LOT of security personnel and I could tell they didn't take much to wanderers. It was sad to me to see this and all the barricades, etc. I have been to DC a number of times since I was 12 and this really spoke to how things have changed in my lifetime.

After a while I pointed myself to where I thought the Smithsonian was. On the way, I happened upon the National Botanical Gardens and was in absolute heaven for about 2 hours! Many pics were taken and something of an important spiritual experience was had.

I also toured the new Native American museum, part of the Air & Space museum (had to take pics of space rockets for Brennan!) and finished off with one part of the National Art museum. Boy did my feet hurt, but what a wonderful day!

The train ride back was less enjoyable, mostly because I'd run out of food and cash, and was forced to sit next to a woman who was drunk and continued drinking from a wine bottle she'd stashed in her carry-on bag throughout the journey. Her mother had died and she was traveling to the funeral. That was sad but she wanted to talk (and talk, and talk) to me about it and I'm sorry! but I was on vacation! I almost asked the attendant to find me another seat but I found one late Monday night and stayed there the rest of the trip.

Despite the annoyances, the train itself was pretty cool. It was one of those double decker deals with a real dining car and sleeper cars. There was also a "Club Car," which had big comfy, swivel seats that you could turn towards the windows and chat with your cronies (if you were traveling with cronies).

I arrived back home at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, exhausted but very satisfied. It was a FABULOUS trip. My one big disappointment about the whole thing is that Carter played what turned out to be his last soccer game while I was gone. They lost in the first round of playoffs, although I heard they played very hard, and very well. I'm pretty sad about that. I really enjoyed watching him and the team play.

Travelin' Fool Part 1

I had the opportunity to visit Bethany during parents' weekend at Boston University.....so I went!

I chose Amtrak as my mode of transportation for a number of reasons:

1. Traveling this way would give me at least 48 hours of alone time to read, sleep (or so I thought), and just look out the window if that's what I chose to do.

2. Traveling by train is slightly cheaper than flying.

3. Most importantly, traveling by train would mean NOT needing to be shot with a tranquilizer gun in order to arrive at my destination. Yes, I'm afraid of flying -- a bona fide phobia. Isn't that ironic?? Yeah. A therapist with a phobia.

So, I drove to the tiny town of Dwight, IL, smack dab in the middle of the state, and hopped on the Lincoln Service 304 to Chicago around 7:30 pm. I've been to Union Station many times so that was a cinch. I got on the Lakeshore Limited 48 at 10:00 pm and we headed east. I was fortunate to have a row (2 seats) to myself so I could kinda stretch out and I did sleep a bit.

Most folks kept to themselves, but in a friendly sort of way. I did have a few nice gentlemen offer to help me with my bags. The train ride was very interesting, mostly due to novelty. It was clean, including the bathrooms, and the train attendants were friendly and helpful. Here's what I saw if I was only looking forward:

By daylight we were in the eastern part of Ohio. I have to say,
the route along the Erie and Ontario great lakes, and then the rolling wooded and farm lands in Pennsylvania, New York state and western Massachusetts provided me with some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in a long time. Here are some pics I snapped from the train. They by NO MEANS do it justice -- what I saw was absolutely stunning! Add the sound track to Into the Wild and those few hours were nearly idyllic.

At 3:30 pm, the next day, I switched trains in Albany, NY and finished the trip out with 6 more hours of train ride into Boston.

Bethany met me at the main train station in downtown Boston around 10 pm. We dragged my bags down a bunch of flights of stairs and got on the "T," yet another train! It was a brief, but CROWDED, ride to her stop near where Commonwealth Ave. and the Mass turnpike meet. It's right on the Charles River and you can hear the sculling coaches starting at 7 am in the morning. I called them the "yellers."

The next day we rolled out of bed at the crack of.....late morning. We met her friends and had late breakfast, early lunch (i.e., brunch) in one of the BU cafeterias. The food wasn't that bad!




Then she took me on a tour of west campus. I saw her school and one of the administration buildings.....this school has a LOT of money.

Off to Newbury St. for some shopping, the Boston Public Library, which has some stunning architecture and art, hopped the "T" to Cambridge and walked around there, back on the "T" to downtown.

Apparently the Boston Transit ("T") System is the oldest in the USA, as announced in this mosaic at one of the stations:

We happened upon a open air fruit and veggie market and bought a box of strawberries for $1. We mosied through Faneuil Hall and Marketplace.

Here I am at one of the many "You are here" red pin markers -- very clever!

By late afternoon/early evening we landed at the open common area near the Government Center where a giant pumpkin festival was taking place. I have never seen SO many jack-o-lanterns in one place at one time....literally hundreds -- maybe one thousand! It was very, very cool, and the proceeds went to support a pediatric illness foundation. Here are some of my favorite pics:



By 9 pm we got back to Bethany's room and I thought I was done for the day but we ended up going to see the 10 pm showing of "W." It was ok -- not a GREAT movie but pretty good.

Our plan for Sunday morning was to get up early, work out in BU's FitRec Center, have brunch in the "good" cafeteria where you could get a crepe and/or omellette made to order, and then get me to the train by noon for the return trip. It's a good thing I'm flexible because we ended up sleeping in (despite the "yellers"), walking a bit on the Esplanade and seeing some scullers and then having scrambled eggs and a muffin at the "good" cafeteria.

Even though we adjusted the schedule, I arrived at the gate at 12:03, and I watched as the Lake Short Ltd. pulled out of the station.

To be continued.....

What I did on my vacation.....

Contemplated
Relied on the kindness of strangers
Soaked up my surroundings
Captured beauty
Experienced spiritual awe
Ran
Adjusted my expectations
Listened
Stretched myself
Sat

Doesn't too exciting? It was perfect for me.

I traveled to Boston to visit the college muffin (who is very college-y). I had not been away, by myself, overnight for 3 1/2 years.

I should do this more often.

Pics and more details to come. I just have to get back into the swing of things.

Are you a giant?

Here are the lyrics:

When I go for a drive I like to pull off to the side
Of the road, turn out the lights, get out and look up at the sky
And I do this to remind me that I'm really, really tiny
In the grand scheme of things and sometimes this terrifies me

But it's only really scary cause it makes me feel serene
In a way I never thought I'd be because I've never been
So grounded, and so humbled, and so one with everything
I am grounded, I am humbled, I am one with everything

Rock and roll is fun but if you ever hear someone
Say you are huge, look at the moon, look at the stars, look at the sun
Look at the ocean and the desert and the mountains and the sky
Say I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye

When I saw Geneviève I really liked it when she said
What she said about the giant and the lemmings on the cliff
She said 'I like giants
Especially girl giants
Cause all girls feel too big sometimes
Regardless of their size'

When I go for a drive I like to pull off to the side
Of the road and run and jump into the ocean in my clothes
*I'm smaller than a poppyseed inside a great big bowl
And the ocean is a giant that can swallow me whole

So I swim for all salvation and I swim to save my soul
But my soul is just a whisper trapped inside a tornado
So I flip to my back and I float and I sing
I am grounded, I am humbled, I am one with everything
I am grounded, I am humbled, I am one with everything

So I talked to Geneviève and almost cried when she said
That the giant on the cliff wished that she was dead
And the lemmings on the cliff wished that they were dead
So the giant told the lemmings why they ought to live instead

When she thought up all those reasons that they ought to live instead
It made her reconsider all the sad thoughts in her head
So thank you Geneviève, cause you take what is in your head
And you make things that are so beautiful and share them with your friends

We all become important when we realize our goal
Should be to figure out our role within the context of the whole
And yeah, rock and roll is fun, but if you ever hear someone
Say you are huge, look at the moon, look at the stars, look at the sun
Look at the ocean and the desert and the mountains and the sky

Say I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye
And I don't wanna make her cry
Cause I like giants

"I Like Giants" by Kimya Dawson

Let's play a game

Here are a bunch of pictures. After looking at them all, complete the following phrase:

America: Land of the Free, Home of the _______________.










Yes, all of these pictures were taken in the U. S. of A.

Come on lurkers.....you know you want to play!

My apologies

It's come to my attention that there has been an unusual focus on bathroom humor/functions in my latest postings.

Please keep in mind that I live with 4 males.

Sorry.

Colossal!

Given our family's current preoccupation with poop, I think a trip to the Indiana State Fair would be a fitting vacation for us this year.

"Indiana??" you ask. "But you live in Illinois!" Yes, this is true. But the Illinois State Fair does not have the Coco the Colossal Colon exhibit.

I am not making this up. Here's a picture of Coco:



You may not be able to tell from that picture, but Coco is 40 feet long and 4 feet high -- tall enough to crawl through and check out what the inside of a colon looks like....both a healthy colon and a diseased colon. Like these ladies did!



And here's a link to the brochure advertising the Indiana State Fair.

See? I swear I'm not making this up!

So if you think all of THIS is fascinating, there's a club just for you.....The Colon Club!! If you want to see more pics of the inside of Coco, click here. From there you can check out the rest of the web site....and join the club if you want! Actually, if you want to join the club, that probably means you have lower GI "issues" and that's definitely NO FUN. So if this is you, I hope you're not offended by this post and are taking it in the spirit in which it was meant -- just some good clean colorectal humor.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Mary Oliver

FI-nally!!

After weeks and weeks of a big tease, it started to feel a bit like summer today. The temps got into the 80s. I can't tell you how GLAD I was, and GLAD definitely beats SAD any day!

Of course there's a downside. After dodging many meteorological bullets this spring, Central Illinois is currently under a tornado watch. Even so, all I can say is

WELCOME

WELCOME

WELCOME!!

Welcome sticky popsicle faces, that sunscreen smell, running through sprinklers, lightning bugs and needing a bath every night.

Welcome painted toe nails, that slight, tight stiffness from a little too much sun, flip-flops, flowey skirts every day, and smoothly-shaved legs.

Welcome sweet frozen drinks with umbrellas, oodles of garden produce, watermelon, salad for supper, corn stuck between your teeth, and dripping ice cream cones.

Welcome trips to the water park, family vacation, slowing down cuz it's SO hot and humid, insects droning, and watching thunderstorms on the porch.

Welcome summer! My favorite time of the year!

Look what "sprung up" in the garden last week

I was checking on the nascent strawberries, hoping to find at least ONE red, ripe juicy one, but I found this instead:




Thinking a bird had made a nest in my garden, I started angrily yanking all the soft stuff away. But it wasn't a bird's nest. Can you tell what those are?





Let's all give a collective "Awwwww" for the cute little, baby bunnies.


Once their eyes were open I evicted them. I'm not in the 24 hour, all-you-can-eat, bunny buffet business.