I couldn’t take it any more.  I just HAD to make the phone call.  You see, I had seen the commercial at least 100 times before.  And this morning during the Early Show News, I heard it again.

So I dropped everything and pulled out my phone.   I had the number in my contact list, and dialed away.   I was a little bit nervous… as I wasn’t even sure what I was asking about.  Does it help me to change?  Or get smart?  Or does it help me to grow?  I wasn’t sure.  But THIS question had be answered…. so I made that call.

I had dialed my doctor’s office.   The receptionist on the other end of the line finally answered.  “Can I help you?”

To which I responded… “Why.  Yes.  I’m calling to see if Latuda is right for me.”  After getting up all that nerve… to ask the question…  … well…. we got cut off.  I think.  I heard a click… and then a dial tone.

I don’t even know what Latuda is.  But I don’t think I want to be right for it.  I can’t stand the name of it.  Can you imagine at parties.. how awkward that would be in conversation.  “Polly, what’s new with you?”  “Oh… not much… but Latuda is right for me.  I asked.  It is.  And there you have it.”

It’s not like saying you went Zip-Lining… or Sky-Diving… or anything cool like that.  No.  It almost like saying… “Well… for fun … I cut my toenails on Friday night.”

Except… apparently… this Latuda Thing is risky business if it turns out to be right for you.  The commercial tells YOU to tell your doctor about any movements you cannot control in your face, tongue, or other body parts, as they may be signs of Tardive dyskinesia (TD).

And this TD thing is a big serious sledge hammer. It is a serious and sometimes permanent side effect. TD may not go away, even if you stop taking LATUDA.   There are about 50 other side effects too.

LATUDA can affect your judgment, thinking, and motor skills.

How could it be right for me?  I really don’t want uncontrollable movements in my face… or my tongue… or any other body part for that matter.  I have trouble enough controlling these things without Latuda.  Especially my bladder.

Oh.  But here is the thing.  This THING is no different than any other thing.  How do we truly no ANYTHING is right for us.  Sure, some times we get a feeling in our gut…. or in other cases…. we have a well-educated-guess.    But there is not such thing as a sure thing.  No safe bets.  No guarantees.

Life is full of uncertainties…. full of hits or misses.  And uncontrollable movements in our faces.

The best we can do… is our best.  It is great when we know what is right for us, and it works.  But in the cases where it doesn’t… that is okay too.  There is a lesson to be learned… which in turn… helps us to grow.  And when we are growing… we are facing the right direction…. toward the sun.

….  ….. …. Dag nab it.  Now it is happening again.   I can’t believe it’s not butter.   Here.  All this time! I thought it was butter.  … …. ….     ……….

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.  — Brian Tracy

Dream A Little Dream.
Be Afraid.  Be Very, Very, Afraid.
The Chance of a Lifetime.
The Sky is Falling… The Sky is Falling.

These are some messages we get in this life.  In this society.   Among many others…. which can be totally contradictory.

Which brings me to this.  Are you a logical thinker, or a creative thinker…. or a little bit of both.   I think most people are both.  I am…. I think.  Therefore I am.  Yep.

Lately, I’ve been wondering about this.  Many people give up on their true goals and ambitions only to settle for things in life which they are not so thrilled about.  Mostly…. because it appears to be good insurance.  You know… a job, a relationship, a habit.

Most of the time… we seem to like things to be status quo. We sort of settle for circumstances that will at least keep us where we are… or slightly better than the next guy.  This is what society… and logical thinking…  tells us.   There are the things we are “supposed” to do to be fulfilled and happy.

Dude’s with funny names often come up with good quotes.  So.  As Deepak Chopra said, “The universe has no restrictions. You place restrictions on the universe with your expectations.”

If we could only believe this statement to be true.  If we took the ball and ran with it.  If we could just start expecting to live the life we have always wanted.   Would it become an actuality?

Now… this next one… I am learning from our chickens.  In all honesty, I was highly familiar with it before the New Hampshires came to eat and poop here.  Also… before they were acting like big chickens… or Chicken Little.

And here it is….. The single most debilitating emotion we as humans possess is fear.

There are so very many fears to list.  It could be fear of change, fear of failure, fear of what others think of us.  Or maybe we fear of success.  It seems that fear is undoubtedly the biggest thing that holds us back from going after our hopes, our goals, our dreams.

Fear often disguises itself as logical thinking.   “That could be risky… blah, blah, blah.”

If we are always expecting things to “not be that great”….  then how in the heck can we expect any differently?  Things can be great…. I think. We limit our existence.  Right there and then.

But.  If we try thinking creatively…. we open ourselves up to all sorts of possibilities.   New and different solutions, and ways of doing things.   We can start to recognize opportunities for growth and …. and utilize our specific gifts and talents.

I hope this next part is true.  Because a lot of big thinkers… have said it before.  The universe wants us to be happy and in love with our lives.  IT… the whole clockworks of IT…. needs you to be….. and me to be me.  And we to be we.  Each one of us has our very own gifts and talents… everything that makes us completely unique.  And when we see it… use it… and share it… we our giving our gift to humanity.  To one another.

There are a lot of phrases out there.  And proverbs.  Meanings to try to make sense of this life.

Chances are…. you’ve heard a truck load of them… in your day.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
All that glitters is not gold.

Don’t change horses midstream.
Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
Don’t cut your nose off to spite your face.
Good things come to those who wait.

In most every case… we either agree or disagree.
First up.
Birds of a feather flock together.  Yes or No?

I tend to agree with this one.  In general terms.  I think a lot of times, people with a certain set of religious, or spiritual convictions tend to flock one another.  Same with politics.  Yet, I have some friends with completely different views on these things than I.  Generally, in those cases though… they have much more to offer.  Like… boy oh boy… can they cook!  Or they have season tickets to the Steelers Games.  You know.

Okay…. what about this one.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Again, in a broad sense … I think this one is good.  Yet.  There are times when something has been working the same way for 100 years.  But it may not be working at its best.  Small communities are classic for this.  The phrase… “But we’ve ALWAYS done it this way.”  This way of thinking tends to stunt progress.    However… in certain cases… like your washer and dryer.  Or your wall clock.  If it ain’t broke…  leave well enough alone.

In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king
Necessity is the mother of invention
Rob Peter to pay Paul
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

…. and on and on they go.  Most of them are clever and have a meaning that we can take away.  Whether we agree or not… is an entirely different matter.  For instance… “An eye for an eye.  A tooth for a tooth.”  If we follow this one… everyone is blind and can’t chew solids.

The one that hit me today was this.

“It is neither here nor there.”

I mean…. for crying out loud… sometimes these things make  absolutely no sense…. whatsoever.  If something is neither here… nor there…. then where in the holy-heck-a-moonie is it?

Oh… I am thinking it HAS to be somewhere.  I looked up the origin.  Apparently, in first appeared in the 1500s.   It was first recorded by a dude named Arthur Golding.    He wrote a translation of “The sermons of J. Calvin upon Deuteronomie”

That certainly clears things up…. like mud.

Which brings me to this…

Two wrongs don’t make a right
There’s safety in numbers
Variety is the spice of life
The opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

If phrases were horses…we’d get down to brass tacks…. and we’d take the cake.

and that my friends is neither here, nor there.

I guarantee it.

Today was the Fourth of July.  At least in our heads.

Every year we have a Fourth of July Party for our friends of softball.  I don’t really like to say it that way.  But that is how the big party started.  The Ohio Cardinals…. the softball players… not the State Bird….. would converge on our place for the big hooo-ha.

We’ve been doing this for a lot of years.  This year, for a number of reasons, we had to have it a little early.  And.  Of course, the attendees vary from year to year.  But no matter.

What a bunch of fun.  We didn’t do the normal fireworks display that we usually put on.   And that doesn’t really break my heart any… as fireworks scare the chicken feathers out of me.

Anyway.  We had fun.  Jollification.  Mirth, laughter, and glee.  With just a dash of merriment mixed in.   We swam.  We chatted.  We ate and ate and ate.   We drank beverages of varying intensity.  From water to fire water.  We played.  We sang.  There were introductions to the Chicken Family.   We spent really good time together.

Near the end of the evening, we played Gestures.  My team won.  Why is this important, you ask?  Because …. you can take the girl out of the game… but you can’t take the game out of the girl.  If I am playing, my competitive-hat goes on… whether I intend it to, or not.

One of our friends from afar… who could not fly in from California… suggested that we play Human Foosball…as seen on You Tube and Face Book.   We did not have time to construct such an apparatus… which may have turned out to be a blessing.   You see, not only am I competitive… but so is every other dame at this party.  I think there may have been injuries had we acted like the little spinning plastic men.

And… since we dodged a bullet with the Fireworks… no sense in putting ourselves in harm’s way on a life-size-foosball-table.

All of this aside… the main point is… Friends.  It is so very nice to be in each other’s company, sharing in conversation, recreation, and levity.  And of course.. good treats.   One thing about those really good friends… apart from all the fun… is that you know you can count on them.  We mutually choose one another.  We have good taste… after all.  Even if we are delusional about what day and month it is.

I am thankful for my friends.  And for all they are willing to share with me in life.  It is yet another thing, about this world of ours, that there is to love.  Love for living.  Love for life.

There are countless things of precious splendor in this life.  But there are three secrets to finding those simple joys.

1. Recognize them
2. Appreciate them
3. Spend some time with them

For me, I am pretty darn good at numbers 1 and 2.  But when it comes to number 3… I really suck.

But tonight was different.

I am typically on the move.  I stay busy with this and busy with that.  My brand new awesome Dick-Tracy-Apple-Watch tells me that I stand about 15 hours a day.  Most of that on-my-feet-time is moving this way and that.  And… tonight was much the same…at first.

I had a boatload of things I wanted to get done.  A big one on the list was to construct a new “chicken coop” in the garage for the young New Hampshires. For those of you out of the loop on the Chicken Scoop… we have 15 Orpingtons who are older by about 4 weeks. We also have 4 New Hamphshires.   All of them poop.  But…. Once the New Hampshires… Imogene, Eloise, Bernice, and Dorothy…. get a little older… we will put them all together.  Until then, the little foursome live in the garage.

So tonight, I worked and worked, ply and bending chicken fence.  Shaping… molding.  Building a little gate.  Then I cleaned things up, and a couple of hours later, the task was complete.

On to the next item on the list.

But wait.  The garage door was open.  The coop was all done, and a gentle breeze was easing its way into the garage.  Thunder rolled in the distance, as the storms had moved in.  A gentle rain was falling…. in the pitch black of night.

And those four little chickens.  They did not fear the sky.  They did not think it would fall.  Instead… they were running and playing and enjoying their new little wabbley, yet awesome, coop.

So I took my queue from them.  I grabbed an ice-cold soda, pulled up a stool, felt the mist of rain in the air…. and I simply sat and watched those chickens.

It was fulfilling.  It was beautiful.  It was one of those wonderfully simple joys in life.

I could see numbers 1 and 2 readily.  But this time…. I found number 3.  I can’t begin to tell you how good it felt.  And now I know.

Perhaps that is one thing that will make the world a slightly better place.  If everyone could make the effort…… in Finding Number Three.  Taking the time… any time…. to enjoy the simple joys of life.

We humans seem to keep rushing forward.  Getting this thing.  Trying that.  Achieving this goal at work.  Just Do It.   Go for the gold, get the promotion, win the contest.  Seize not only the day, but everything else.  And teach our children well…. we start our kids doing the very same thing…. in every program and every sport. Lest they be left behind.

Somewhere along the line, we got caught in this swirling skirmish that is perpetuated and reinforced by social and cultural means.  We get overtaken by  this impervious consumerism.  We lose track of our authentic selves.  Super-doooped-up lifestyles and  materialistic mindsets.  It all gets so complicated.  I am as guilty as the rest.

And.  As a result. We have forgotten some of mankind’s biggest life secrets along the way.  Too many to mention here.  But a few important ones, I suspect…

We have forgotten our place on earth.  In nature.  And in the universe. In the last few hundred years we have lost our communications in nature. We exploit it, and try to control it, and waste it.  The Native Americans had a handle on the listening to and understanding the natural cycles of the earth.  Its rhythms.  We have forgotten how to follow nature’s path and live in balance with it.  And eating Oat Bran Cereal in the morning, may not be quite enough.

And another.  There used to be ancient wisdoms.  We have forgotten these too.  Our ancestral soundness.  The stories.  The traditions, and legends. Scientific knowledge has abounded.  The head and logic over rule all.   And because of this, we have let go of  the true learning through the opening of our hearts.  The possibility of the magic.  We miss that very incredible harmony with the universe.  And eating Lucky Charms Cereal in the morning, may not be quite enough.

There are many more.  But maybe the biggest is this. Everything is Love…. and connected energy.

This is an all-encompassing truth. It is hidden somewhere deep inside of us.   All of us.  Somewhere along the line, the most of us forgot this notion of  inner-peace and love.  The everything of everything… is energy ….. and consciousness.  Most of all…. we once understood that love is the fundamental fabric of existence….  and it runs through all energy and consciousness.  We simply need to remember how.  I guess oatmeal might help.

Simply.
Then why does it all seem so very complicated?  So very often.

If I could throw a coin in the fountain and wish it all exactly as I want it to be… I am sure I would get splashed.

All we can do, on any given day, is try to open our hearts, our minds, and our selves…. to all which is in, around, and through us.  Simply.

What wasn’t to love about “Miss Mouse”?  She was favored by all.  Witty. Smart. Charming.  Adorable.  Clever.

When she walked down the little mouse streets, other mouses would stop, and turn their heads.  Simply because she exuded brilliance in every way.  They had to catch a glimpse.

Her talents were endless.  She recited the mouse alphabet backwards, while standing on her head.  She quoted Edgar Allan Poe when she skydived.  She made elaborate butter sculptures… of dolphins diving on waves…. … from scratch.  She could land a triple-lutz… on any rink of ice.  Miss Mouse never knew a stranger.  Everyone smiled when they saw her.

She grew up on Fastleberry Lane. Of course, the two most popular boy mice were madly in mouse love with her.  They lived on Fastleberry Lane as well.

Every Saturday, Alfred brought her flowers and boxes of chocolates.
Melvin cooked her little tiny chicken eggs, with Rye toast and fried bologna …. on Wednesdays.  The other mice made fun of Melvin.  But he courageously continued with his gifts of fried chicken eggs.

Years later, after mouse college… they both asked her for her little mouse hand in marriage.  Alfred earned his Bachelor’s in Accounting.  Melvin became Research Biologist.  And Miss Mouse graduated with a degree in Quantum Physics.

Both mouse boys promised her Baby Cheeses for all her life, and a Villas in the Mediterranean.  They wooed her, and wowed her, and showered her with their gifts.

But in the end, it was Melvin who had won her heart from the start.
She told him in their 72nd year of marriage… “Honey, it was always the little chicken eggs.”

“Sometimes what you’re looking for comes when you’re not looking at all.”   — Unknown

The best things in life are unexpected – because there were no expectations.  —  Eli Khamarov

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.  —  Lao Tzu

We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.  —  Max de Pree

Tonight, simply some images of things I have seen lately.

But here is the thing about each one of them.  They are not extraordinary in most people’s mind.  In fact, they mostly go unnoticed… perhaps even stepped on or brushed aside.

Yet, each one is highly interesting and incredibly beautiful.  If you just spend a little time with it.

I think this is true about most things in life.  Including the peoples among us.

We may not notice them, or even think they have anything worthwhile to offer.

But I argue that every ONE has something incredible within.  It just might take a little work to figure it out.

Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.  — Camille Pissarro 

Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.  —  Corita Kent


The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.  — Lao Tzu

It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.
—  George Washington

Young and carefree.  I understand.  That is how I was…. when I was younger… and…… welll…. a little more carefree.  By that I mean,  I didn’t have many philosophical beliefs.  I really didn’t have spiritual beliefs either.  Oh sure, I went to church, but I was just saying the words.  I never really thought much about much…. except for being young and having fun.  I didn’t keep up with who was running our country, or who was trying to.  I had no big aspirations, or any strong convictions.

And then, we learn.  We gain years.  Life experiences.  Bumps in the road… and moments in the sun.  As a result…. there are a few things I have come to believe, in my life.

Peace Baby.  Striving to find peace within ourselves and to live in peace with others is the most important thing we can do in life. I really don’t think anything else even comes close.

Here is the thing.  Deep down inside each one of us…. is this ultimate wish to live in peace.  Whether we realize it or not.  Everybody wants to be happy, I think.  And… when we have peace inside our hearts and our souls…  this inner peace is where the happiness resides.

The popular phrase right now.. is “mindfulness”… but call it what you want.   Living. Being Awake.  Being Aware. Living in the Moment.  When we pay attention to life, we can begin.  Our beginning… that first step… is to strive diligently towards your own inner peace….  and to live with compassion.  To love others, and have an understanding of others.  When we work toward peace with others.. we begin to know it.

It just brings me calm to think about it.

This is not to say that we won’t encounter those “difficult” people in our lives.  Some call them Enemies.  I call them Crampy Creatures.

I do believe we can grow more from these testy people…. than we can from most other experiences. We are sometimes tested…that is for sure.  Our compassion, patience, and understanding are all held up to the light in these interactions.

So we use our good.  Our good judgement, and our good hearts.

When we welcome these Crusty Companions with compassion, love, and understanding…. our real greatness comes shining through.  In the end… we find peace. I believe this to be true.

I have known great peacekeepers.  Not many, but a couple.  One can just feel  it when they are near.  There is and essence of good… and it is apparent.  It brings calm.  And… …. well…. peace.

Walk in peace.  And then we find our way… to do what we do best in life.

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.  —  Albert Einstein

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.  —  Buddha

Scenes from the road.  A barn… on a backroad…

A tree at Ye Old Tavern Inn…

Grandma K in her hot wheels! 

Today, we decided to go on an outing.  A Sunday Afternoon Excursion.  The destination we set upon was Yellow Springs, and our plan was to have a movie at The Little Art Theatre…. you know the kind of movie… with subtitles and all.  After the movie we were going to have dinner out.

The best laid plans.

We left the house right on time, and embarked on I-70 West.  I like to drive when the speed limit is 70 m.p.h. or more.  I like to go fast.  Anyway… we were zipping right along until we hit Brookville.  The Interstate Mavens had posted lots of signs saying there was a wreck ahead, and long waits were possible.

Brilliant us.  Let’s shoot off at Brookville and head up to Route 40… that good Old National Road.  Brilliant US.  Brilliant every one else too.  So now we were in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Rt. 40.  But I assure you… I-70 looked worse.

Then… me in my unending wisdom say… I bet we can keep going east on country roads… and make our way to Yellow Springs.  As it turned out… we had a nice Sunday drive in the country.  As it also turned out… it took us two hours to get to Yellow Springs and we missed the movie.

That was okay with me.  I am a slow reader…. and subtitles put me at a severe disadvantage.

As it went… we did a lot of walking around the Springs.. and shopping around the Springs.  By nature, I am not a shopper.  I like to know what I am after… go into a store… get it and get out.  But today was different.   They had good stores in Yellow Springs.  The kind that sells rocks, and things.

We were hungry early and ate a very wonderful lunch at Ye Old Trail Tavern.  (Built in 1827…. the first home in Yellow Springs.  And if you didn’t know, YS was called Forest Village in those very early days.   It is a great old log structure… occupied by Francis Martin Hafner.. and built from trees cut where the Tavern stands.)  I digress.

My cheeseburger and fries were OFF the CHARTS good.

Of course on our way out of town… we had to make sure Young’s Dairy was still in business.   It is.  They still serve ice cream too.

And on home.

I-70 was STILL backed up… 7 hours later.

Yet.  The most curious part of the day… was driving past a car on Wayne Trace Road… very near our home.  I am sure my Grandma Kronenberger was behind the wheel.  I don’t believe she drove a car when she was alive… but these days… she is tooling around Preble County in a Chevrolet Impala.

What does it all mean?  It means that time is like a bunch of feathers in a wind tunnel.  It all just swirls around at will… sometimes very fast… and sometimes in a soft drift.  And you never know where any one feather will land… or not.  That is the anomaly of time.