A Few Days Off Refreshes the Soul

Last week I took a few days off of work, the heat, the day to day doldrums of August and went to meet my two best friends in Pass Christian, MS.  We celebrated an anniversary, birthday and their grandchildren (almost all of them).

It has completely changed my mindset.  I feel happier and less bogged down.  Even though I sat in the New Orleans airport for almost four hours waiting on my plane, I still felt happy.  The Flight Attendant on Southwest Airlines was hysterical (funny).  At first she announced someone had dropped their wallet and then when everyone looked to the front, she said "now that I have your attention......." and everyone laughed.  Then she said "she was dimming the lights so she would look better to all of us and if that didn't work, she was serving alcohol".  Truly had everyone in a great mood.

Life lesson.....when you are bored, depressed, hate the heat.....go off on a small journey with friends.

You will perk right up!

Things I CAN DO now!

I am 64 years old and until this year I could not touch a peach.  They were too furry!  Gave me the shivers or as we like to say in Louisiana the frisson.

(Frisson (French for 'shiver') is a sensation somewhat like shivering, usually caused by stimuli. It is typically expressed as an overwhelming emotional response combined with piloerection (goosebumps). Stimuli that produce a response are specific to the individual.

All my life whenever I saw a peach I got the frissons.  Now that can be good or bad.  Me and a peach.....bad.  Once I went to Dorignac's (New Orleans wonderful grocery store) and picked up a peach instead of a nectarine and screamed.  Silly, I know.

But about two weeks ago my next door neighbor brought me about 25 peaches.  I just kept staring at them, because all my life people have been peeling them for me or I put on gloves and peel them.  And then I just took the plunge.....I picked one up and peeled it WITH MY BEAR HANDS.

No one knows what a triumph that was for me....(Hey in this stage of my life, I take what I can get).

Now I have been eating a peach every day (but I have to admit, I still have to peel them).

I guess Life is One Insane Event After Another.  (a phrase that was written on a note give to me by my good friend Winfield Campbell when I was crying one day).  You string them together (along with the touching of the peaches) and it hasn't been so bad).

My friend Lynn H asked me yesterday why I wasn't blogging....I may start again......thanks Lynn.

MY TWENTIETH GODCHILD

I have the good fortune to be a Godmother many times over.  Some of my godchildren I talk to all the time.  Some I never see. (and that is a sad thing).  But the one thing I thought I knew was that I was out of the godmother business.  I mean all of my friends are having Grandchildren.  Imagine my surprise.....

My good friend Damion who is a policeman at Past Era Antique Jewelry and one of the best guys you will ever meet, well, he and his precious wife had a girl (finally) after three boys.  They named her Kaylee Miriam.  And she is the cutest thing you have ever seen.  The first time I met Kaylee last year, they asked me to be her godmother.  So excited!  I went to lunch with them yesterday and had a ball with the three boys and just oohed and aahed over Kaylee (or Kay Kay as her brothers call her)  I am confident that Kaylee will be the most well protected daughter and sister there ever was.  

Addendum to Blog Written on January 17, 2014

Wasn't I smug when I wrote that I hadn't eaten sugar since December 1, 2013?  How much better I was feeling!

 How much energy I had.

Well, Friday night I attended a party and was over-served!  I drank too much.  I imbibed more than I could handle.  I don't remember going home, leaving the party or the last half of the party.  I was sick as a dog and this went on until Saturday evening.  But the worst thing was my good friend Melanie calling me and asking me if I was going to confess in my blog to the sin of eating wedding cake.  Cake with lots of sugar.  Not even a piece of cake served to me.  I ate someone else's cake off their plate.

So here it is.  My confession.  And the worst part?  I can't even remember.  But I am sure on one thing......I probably enjoyed eating the cake.

No Sugar Since December 1, 2013

Ok, I am not saying it was easy.  The first four days I had an horrible headache.  And if I hadn't written 31 days on my chalkboard at work and made a big deal of marking through each day without sugar with a big slash, I probably would have caved.  We had cake, cupcakes, candy, etc. in the kitchen big time for December.  And I won't even mention the delicious caramel apples at Randalls that I use to partake of (I ate the caramel and dumped the apple).  

The fact of the matter, is I am always blue in December.  That's funny, because December is my birthday month and I love my birth date.  But the whole aspect of Xmas, Family, etc.  leaves me feeling blue.  My mom and dad are gone....and while I used to always hate flying home for Thanksgiving and Xmas......well, I miss it terribly now.  Thank goodness I have my two sisters living in Houston.  We do try and make a great day of it and this year it was wonderful.

But getting back to the sugar.  Or NO SUGAR.  Besides the fact that I lost 10 lbs. (how much sugar was I eating), the best result of "no sugar" is my attitude.  I am go much "gentler"; not prong to outbursts of anger.  I have been in a good mood since about the second week I gave up sugar.  I did have three documented "no sugar" outbursts at work during the first few days, but now it is smooth sailing.  So much more energy, enthusiasm, and ok, I'll say it, zest for Life.  

Don't Eat it, you'll like it.........

Time Is Short

Tonite I got a call from  a college friend who has  cancer.  Things have accelerated in the past few weeks and the news did not sound good.  She mentioned to me that she had to get a "lot of stuff done" and soon.  She then went on to say she had to redo the kitchen, etc.

I am so proud of my friend.  If that was me,  I think  I would put my head under the pillows and the kitchen be damned.  I would like to think I would get everything in order but is that ever done?  And why should I do it if I am not going to be here to enjoy it? 

But that's my friend.  She always thinks of others and has been that way most of her life.  She is amazing, has a  heart of gold and I am proud to know her and call her my friend.  I wish her every happiness and the time to finish all of "her stuff".  Knowing her, I'll be long gone before she is.

What If?

What if I had gotten  married (yes, I have had four proposals).  What if I met someone in Paris when I went four years ago for 7 weeks and stayed in Paris?  What if I would have accepted the job I was offered with Fayez Sarofim when I first moved to Houston in 1975 and I was retired now with a bucket load of $$$$? What if I had never left Houma when I was a junior in high school?  What if I had gone to LSU instead of USL to college as I had always planned?

I cannot imagine not living the wonderful life that I have now.  The people I have met, the wonderful town of Houston, having my two sisters living in Houston, traveling, enjoying.  But every now and then, I have fun and imagine What If?