Popcorn

As the night before the first day of the New Year wends its way toward my bedtime, my mind is filled with little kernals of thought, which I am now going to share for no particular reason and/or in no particular order.

1. Have you ever had a conversation that appears as if the person with whom you are speaking is performing for an audience behind you? Reminiscent of the one-way windows in an interrogation room? I had that experience today in a restaurant, when the person I was with was far too animated, far too loud, far too persistent in HER conversation and reacted her own way, no matter what I said in the course of the conversation. I was more than uncomfortable: I felt used as a prop! In the middle of yet another of her performances, I packed up my purse and said, "Gotta go!"

2. There are 3 times in my life that I really wanted to look my best and failed miserably: (a) my daughter's wedding, where I planned the outfit and the hair-do and failed gloriously with both. The only good news is that the helmet hair-do washed out, sort of, but the bad news is that wearing wet hair in a French braid simply didn't do it for me or the resultant photos. The other bad news is that when the wedding planner saw my outfit, her comment, "Oh, are you wearing THAT?" ruined what was left of the experience. I tossed the outfit in the trash before I checked out of the hotel. (b) my son's wedding, involving the nightmare from hell flight experience, which did finally deposit me in the correct city in the correct country, but, alas, without time to find a hairdresser and/or actually take a shower, shampoo, and arrange my hair myself. I not only felt like something the cat dragged in, but looked like it, too. If only there were do-overs. (c) my best friend's wedding, where my hair looked so good, I felt wonderful, but a series of events combined to ruin the weekend for me. Actually, I tossed that outfit into the trash, too, just so I'd never have it to remind me of the experience.

3. Experts from different walks of life are arguing on Larry King Live whether there are UFO's or not. My response: if anyone thinks that we are the epitome of creation, take a closer look! The human race to which I belong more closely resembles God's biggest joke than His most glorious achievement.

4. I'm supposed to come up with a Bucket List for b'fast next Friday, and I'm not doing so well with it. What do I hope to accomplish before I kick the bucket? I have no idea, no goals, no grand plans. Are there things I'd like to do? I guess, but nothing of monumental significance and nothing with which I cannot live without. I don't like flying, or I'd take the trip to Greece and Italy I've always thought about. It isn't worth being in airplanes to achieve that goal. Are there places I'd like to see? Maybe, but there's no real reason I haven't already done that, so I must not want it enough to take action, so why put it on a list. I have a fear of heights and vertigo, and I deal with claustrophobia the best I can, which limit where I would go/what I would do. I used to think that I'd like to rent a medium-sized motorhome and take a road trip, but I've passed the age where that's a safe activity for me to do by myself, and I don't know anyone who would either want to travel with me -- or I'd like to have as a travel companion.

5. One of life's true pleasures is not getting up in the morning. I love my bed and have found that a hot cup of tea and a good book give me a full hour of enjoyment between my awakening and my actually getting up and at 'em. I've figured out exactly how to arrange the nest of pillows for maximum comfort, while still being able to see the pages clearly. My earliest childhood memories are being rousted out of bed and literally making it as my feet hit the floor, as if an unmade bed were a capital crime. These days? Every so often, I just don't make the bed. Granted, more often than not it's made before I leave my room, but there are the days when I just walk out and leave it. One of life's little guilty pleasures.

6. I'm not making resolutions as they don't motivate me to make changes. Sure, I need to lose weight, but I'm not doing that and putting it onto a list won't make me do it. I really want to clean the garage, but that's a task I need another set of hands to handle, so when the time comes, I'll do it, but putting it on a list won't make the time come any sooner. I already try to be my best, I work hard, I'm kind to my dog, my co-workers, students, family and friends; I make donations to support worthy causes; I live my life the best I can without infringing on anyone else's right to live their life the best they can, so that's about all I can do. I"m sure that if there's something else I should be doing or something I'm doing that I shouldn't, someone will tell me.

Happy New Year. If we all live life by the Golden Rule, the world will be a kinder, gentler place to be.