This blog is a journal of forays into my loves of creative writing, humor, and photography. It is a departure from daily stresses. Some of life's greatest journeys are detours.
The real act of discovery is not in travelling to distant lands but rather in seeing with new eyes. - Marcel Proust
(photo taken in Spring in South Korea) No one loves spring more than Michigan people, dwellers of the frozen north. We have had some beautiful Spring-like weather these past few weeks so of course it turns one's fancy to thoughts of Spring. We always hope this is it for Winter, that final day when we trade the snowblower for the lawnmower, but we know lurking around the next bend is the dreaded BIG DUMP, we know it is true, but for now it is wonderful to be experiencing the first signs of Spring or I will call it "Alleged Spring" something of a poser. We are looking forward to the real thing!
To this end I have penned a verse about my beloved Spring, I admit it is a little over the top, but I am a girl in love!
Oh Spring
Such joy you bring this day Your rich beautiful tale Unfolding while I wait. Each day you reveal your secrets The beauty that lies hidden Beneath the folds of this winter cloak.
No one loves you more than I Hovering in the cold Waiting in the darkness Forr the first breath of your sweet goodness.
The shades of sleeping brown Await your glorious touch Your green brushstrokes Bring the world to life again.
Those blooms that hover just beyond my sight- I grow impatient for the sweet sachet that they bring to my world.
Oh Spring I wait for the day when you and I will walk hand in hand Basking in the warmth of your caressing rays, Your stay is fleeting, this I know. But Spring, you are such good company. Come back to me I surrender to your charms Oh Spring.
May Spring hurry to your neck of the woods...Happy Spring!
….in line…in pain…dreams dashed! With a new resolve never to be put in this position again.! Yeah! Musician Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines. United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor guitar ($3500) during a flight. Dave spent over 9 months trying to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his custom Taylor guitar. During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for youtube exposing their lack of cooperation. The Manager responded : "Good luck with that one, pal".
So he posted a retaliatory video on youtube. The video has since received over 5.5 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally his response was: "Good luck with that one, pal". Taylor Guitars sent the musician 2 new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from the video that has lead to a sharp increase in orders.
This video while amusing reminded of my own terrible experience with United. The only recompence is that it is a singular experience since It will never happen again. I am passing along my tale of woe, but just in case there is some unsuspecting soul out there that doesn’t have a clue, consider yourself forewarned. I guess if there was truth in advertising for United, the slogan would be “for those times when it really doesn’t matter when you or your luggage gets there”or “for the free spirits..when time doesn’t matter! My Experience I was so excited. Our three adult children were coming to visit us in Seoul Korea. The trip of a lifetime and we were excited.. They were coming from three different cities and I went to a lot of trouble for two of them to fly into LA and sit next to each other on the plane. I was excitedly relating these plans to my friends. What airline are they flying in on? they asked. “United” I replied. Stony silence. They looked at each other and said “Oh that is too bad”. “Why” I asked. “Well they won’t come in together and their luggage definitely won’t be there” “We never fly United, didn’t anyone tell you?’ I spent the next month hoping that they were wrong. So the big day came and I began to get the calls. My son from LA saying my daughter wasn’t on the plane. My daughter from Denver saying they had been sitting on the tarmac for two hours waiting for the flight crew to arrive. This was May so weather wasn’t a factor. When they finally arrived there was no apology, not even a free drink! The crew went on about their business like nothing was wrong. they didn’t even hurry! My daughter is a lawyer and took time off work only to sit on a plane wasting her time. But then that was the case for an entire plane, wasting their collective time. But I guess that doesn’t matter… So she missed her international flight and arrived in Los Angeles in the middle of the night. When she asked one of the United employees what she should do they said “That is not my problem” So she called me and I began to make calls from Korea. I called all the 24 hr help lines and none of them answered. Finally I called a sales office in New York City and had the good fortune to speak to someone who was helpful. I told her I needed to get my daughter on the next plane and there was limited space. (I had checked on the internet) She said she wasn’t an agent but could access the internet and could put my daughter in a seat but that we would have to sort it all out at the airport. We may have to pay to change the ticket! I told her thank you and that I was calling her from Korea, she replied that I was speaking to her in London! So we sorted this all out via a lot of international calls!
After all of this, I contacted United and was given a $100 voucher! $100! for missing a day of a once in a lifetime vacation and all that aggravation. I sent it to my daughter and she said she wasn’t going to use it. “I don’t think I could afford a FREE flight on United”. she said. “My time is too valuable” This happened over a year ago but my sources tell me things haven’t changed. It seems to me that United hasn’t awakened to the fact that customer service is important. Consumers have fewer dollars to spend and they look for value. So I am not suggesting that you never fly United, just be mindful of the potential difficulties that could arise. Sorry I don’t have the name of the helpful employee in London… Share your experiences good or bad with me.. Maybe you have had good luck! Happy Trails!
Well I just wanted to share with you the secret to my current success at achieving a pretty consistent level of keeping my New Year’s Resolutions. I will impart the secret to my success. That is setting achievable goals!(Well I am not a total slacker so I do set some pie in the sky goals to keep stretching and growing!) My first achievable Goal was Carpe Chocolatum! (Seize the Chocolate) Yes by seizing the chocolate I can be a healthier and happier me. I only use healthy dark chocolate. I can honestly say it has been very fulfilling to add this new food group to my daily life. Yeah….Chocolate. My next achievable goal was to make a friend of carbs. Yes it creates another not quite so easily achievable goal which is exercise..but since I adopted this new guilt free carb consumption lifestyle it has increased my output in joyful living which is my next achievable goal.
Joyful Living Find some joy in every day. I am adopting this as a lifelong goal.Exuberant living is it’s own reward. It get’s a little hard and well yes I know there are cow patties in the sweetest of cloverfields but I am all about this concept. Note I should interject here that having all of you in my life definitely increases my Joy exponentially, Thank You
Increased acceptance at what you can’t change when Life hands you lemons make margaritas. I am working on this one… that acceptance prayer.. Accept what I can’t change,,,change what I can …and to have the wisdom to know the difference.
Well this is a quick update to bring you up do speed..
Now I need to go “clean” which is code for doing creative interpretive dance to my Enya and Evanessence albums while pushing the vacuum cleaner.
Gotta go and update my Joy calendar. sometimes I gotta mine it to find it!
Have a Joyful Day!
Helpful hint…I try combining some of these resolutions to get a higher Joy output! Yeah…chocolate..carbs and increased acceptance yields a lot more Joy1
I love this video. It is a reminder of the power of of attitude in whatever we undertake. You have heard the term KISMIF (Keep it simple, make it fun) It seems the longer I travel on the Earth the more I see the value in this simple concept. We all have the heart of that playful child! So I say put more fun in your days! Find the awe and wonder in the world, it may take a little doing these days.
I am putting this concept to work in my life. Yep! I am beginning by continuing my attitude adjustment by replacing my "have to" with "get to" . I realize that this is a personal sales job that requires a high level of marketability in some cases because many of your "have to" things are quite crappy and it isn't easy to convince yourself that it is fun. I know this! As I wrote about in previous renderings, I am working on this with my "less jiggle to the wiggle" fitness campaign which is coming along, I keep repeating snappy sayings like "It's fun to run or "If it's meant to be I'd be a size three" I am making progress, I know it is a journey.
I am putting this concept to work in another area of my life; cleaning.( See photo) Today I "get to" clean. Wow I am pumped I am ready to go! I just can't wait to spend the day chasing those dust bunnies! Laundry...I embrace you....bathrooms...I adore you! Vacuum...I am ready to begin our joyful dance! Hey this is working! I feel better already! Hmmm time for a break!
Let me know how this works for you! Remember it's all about putting the FUN in Functional!
Note this picture is adapted from the work of Sally Swain.. The Great Housewives of Art.
Agism is beginning to be a cold reality for many of us boomers these days. Many of us are finding ourselves benched just when we have finally figured out the game! Go ask your nearest actuary..we are living longer and we're here to stay! We're a lean, (mostly) mean, awesome machine!(just ask us) Anyway I am on board with this philosophy of Growing Bolder in our mature years. Let's fight back..old age and treachery beats youth and skill every time! There are more of us than there are of them. we are a sociological anomoly, a large group of mature people! Lets jump right on this! Will we go softly into that dark night! Hell no! We won't go! We want our voices heard. I invite you to sign on to this Growing Bolder idea. Remember whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger! Ignite those passions! Dust off those dreams! Make a friend of fear! (and an even better friend of Advil) Go for it! You're burning daylight! If you are looking for me I am working on my new reality show Cinjolina the Suburban Video Stalker...uh...master. (for the record this series in NOT about me or any of my alter-egos)
In my life there is a sweet bouquet. Not just a "swing by the supermarket" bouquet but a true "designed by the master" bouquet. At times, like now I step back and just marvel at how I lucky I am. This bouquet is the special people in my life. (You know who you are)I don't always tell you what you have brought to my life.
In this bouquet I can see all the beautiful differences and my world is much richer for it. Over the years at one point or another, I have wanted to be you. But now I get it. I am me BECAUSE of you and that makes me a better person. You inspire the songs the poems are in your honor You are witness to the highs and lows and the seasons of my life.
The good times make their homes as special memories. and a lot of my best memories include you.
In case I haven't said this lately. I appreciate you. The language of friendship is not words but meanings. ~Henry David Thoreau
"Less jiggle to the wiggle" that is my renewed fitness goal. After a summer of eats, treats, and overall abuse my body is no longer speaking to me so I am called to action. Yes I admit to a checkered past when it comes to a commitment to diet and fitness. I have tried many approaches; “Sit and be fit” the ever popular “Teeny Korean girl” diet which included Kimchi and mountain hiking- actually this one worked for a while.South Beach and most recently, Lake Michigan Beach Diet (this one did NOT work the main focus was hot dogs, Gin and tonic and S’mores) So here I sit in carb withdrawal wondering where to turn. I have been in major denial, I know. All of my diets come down to this agonizing truth; EAT BETTER, MOVE MORE.
So it is the dawn of a new day. I rise with fire in my eye and dimples in my cheeks. (Well ok…I have dimples in ALL my cheeks about now but that is all going to change) I went to a wellness class where the speaker urged us to find the physical activity that we love. Find your “get to” she said rather than your “have to”. This made sense until I scanned my life for my current “get to” activities. In all honesty, not many of my get tos involved activities where you sweat. Hmm truth be told, my get tos mostly involve eating, talking, reading, writing, taking pictures of cool stuff, or traveling to places where I do the previously mentioned activities. So in this quest for change, I realize that it can really work with the help of a great self sales job and a suitable rewards program. (Chocolate may be a factor) And so it begins… today I am dancing and singing loudly to my Ipod. This is a great start, then on to my rightful reward.
Remember I’ll be pulling for ya. Soon there will be.. Less jiggle to the wiggle
