So many years, it was the same thing, day in and day out.   At that moment, Jill decided she’d finally had enough. She firmly grasped his arm, and looked at him with a deep sense of concern and purpose. She took a deep breath, and spoke with all the earnestness at her command. “We just can’t do this any longer.  You’ve broken your crown for the last time. Please Jack, put down the pail. Today, we are going to buy bottled water.”

And so it ended on that day.

No more falling down the hill.

No more tumbling after.

Just Evian for ever more.

“There is a woman at the beginning of all great things.”
-Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869)

“The beginning is always today.”
– Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851)

“Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life.”
– Sandra Carey (present)

Years ago, when I would see someone taking a run… I would call out “Hey lady… is someone chasing you?”  Every time.

Wouldn’t you know it though….. at this point in my life, I run most every day. And no one has chased me in a whole lot of years… I can assure you of that.

But during this physicality… well….. it seems to be my best moments to clear out and think. A lot of times, I just sing in my head. On other occasions, I go through much private introspection.

I have come to realize though, that there are some parallels between the “daily run” and living my life.

One thing that comes to mind during this quotidian routine… is perseverance. Determination. Purposefulness. Gumption.

When I start out on a long run, I sometimes think… “Oh my holy bootstraps. How can I do this today?” But after the first few steps… the action of moving forward ignites me. Halfway through… now… it somehow seems do-able. And finally, when the run is over… I feel really good about the accomplishment.

Therein lies the first parallel in life. “On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

I think this is relevant for not only for truth, but also for achieving happiness, awareness, compassion…. life in general.  Or merely completing simple tasks.

The other parallel….. is the miles we’ve left behind us. When I am moving through my run, I will say exactly that to myself…. “Well, that is one mile behind me.” This morning, the statement struck me in a very significant way.

The miles behind us. We travel a lot of distance through our lives. Can we look back, and be proud of who we were on that course?

Did I treat someone with insolence? Unfairly? Has it been a while since I’ve seen one of my friends smile? Was there anyone I overlooked, or did not include? Was I spiteful or angry or vindictive in any way? Am I doing things that I can be proud of, or not? Can I glance over my shoulder and see that I was a loving and compassionate person… a kind individual with good intentions, and consequently good actions? What have I left in my path? Have I shown enough gratitude?

I can’ t change any of those miles on the soles of my shoes. But I can learn from them. How am I going to walk on the road to come?

Wouldn’t it be great if someone approached us,  and said…”I just wanted to thank you… for making this one of the very best days of my life.” ? Or even better… if  we would take the time to thank someone in this way.

So today, and every day… while we are walking those steps through life, I think we should go where we can truly shine.

Not to run because we are being chased.  But moving forward…. with purpose…  to reach that higher ground.
“Goodness is uneventful. It does not flash, it glows.” -David Grayson

And by the way….. I think you rock.

I have come to enjoy certain things about Facebook. I resisted “joining” Zuckerberg’s Nexus for a long time. But now I’ve been using it (loosely) for about 3 years.

As with any communication device or media outlet… it has its advantages and its drawbacks.

I use it mostly to post my daily writing installations and photos. Sometimes I comment on others’ posts… but that is about the extent of it for me.

There is a lot happening at Facebook that I do not understand. I am not saying is either good, bad, right or wrong…. it is just out of my grasp… out of my ability to comprehend.

I am sure there are a lot of people out there who “happen” across my daily post and say the exact same thing….  “Holy Macaroons.  I can’t figure out what the heck that Kronenberger-Chick is yacking about now!”

But nonetheless…. it is a social network. An online community. People coming and going… and being just who they are.  A big cyber-city.   We don’t have to like all of it. And in many cases… I could give a hill of beans either way.

The truth of the matter is… for A LOT of us… a whole LOT of us… … well….. we like it because it makes it easy to by nosy… snoopy… perhaps… inquisitive.  Peeping Toms. Gladys Kravitz’s.  Seinfeld’s Kramer.

It is reminiscent of going to someone’s house and opening the drawers… or peeking behind their shower curtain… oh c’mon…. you know it happens…. WE have become our mothers….

Yes….  somehow it is fun to eavesdrop without being rude. It is the standard. Many will say… “Oh. It is great for keeping up with my friends and family.” So true. It is a wonderful “keeper-upper” tool.

Yet, it also affords us the time and resources to “drop in unexpectedly” on a whole lot of other people too.

Again, I think it is ALL equally okay… it is a community event. People are entitled to do what they may… one of our afforded freedoms here.   But amidst that polite assessment… There are a few “posts” that I JUST do not understand… which then leads me to invent stories about why some people do the things they do in the world of Facebook.

A couple that come to mind: The updated “status” phenomenon. There are some people who write things like: “I’m tired. Going to bed now.” OR “Boy I am hungry. I think I’ll eat lunch.” OR “I’m headed out the door to the mall.”

My invented story: They have a pact with a family tribe, or a small band of people. They have an agreement to keep each other informed about each and every life activity… no matter how large or small. Thankfully, I am now privy to this riveting update… and my day can move forward from this point on.  A celebration may even be called for.

Another one that is a mystery to me is the photograph of a handwritten message on loose leaf paper. These are becoming quite popular and are numerous. Most of the transcriptions are supposed to have a profound life message on them. Some do. And some… are just pretty darn hokey.  My invented story:  People are looking for LARs.  Life Altering Revelations.  They want the answers.

So I have decided from time to time, to make my own little handwritten notes… with my secret discoveries about life and the universe written on them. And like a good neighbor….   I will share them whenever I can.

…. and by the way…  “I’m tired.  I’m going to bed now.”  Stop the presses.

Bandwagon.

In its original meaning, it is kind of a happy word. Bandwagon.

By definition, it is a wagon used for carrying a band in a parade or procession.

These days, most bands walk the parade route. But I guess a century or two ago… if a farm animal could pull something, folks relied on the horse power.

At any rate, the word in that context… projects a positive image in my head. On the other hand.. the “bandwagon” we know best these days is the kind everyone jumps on.

For some reason, this variety bugs the holy heck out of me.

The folks who “jump on the bandwagon” might be better off thinking on their own… maybe… I’m just saying… they should at the very least… consider thinking on thier own.

Okay… I promise I won’t mention Sock Monkeys for a LONG time after tonight. But here’s the deal.  This is a great example of hopping on the bandwagon.

I have liked Sock Monkeys since I was a kid. I had one… old and weathered. He commingled with my other stuffed animals. I named him George. (I was hoping to get a Curious George stuffed animal… but Santa never brought one.) But I cared a great deal for that Sock Monkey instead.

Later in life, I had the opportunity to write the online “Adventures of Dewey” when I worked for the Preble County District Library System. I was the Information Technology Geek… but I wore a few different hats there. Sock Monkey Steward was one of them. How I loved that part of my job.

My attraction to the little button-eyed characters continues to the present…. as many of you know.

But these days… everybody loves the Sock Monkey. I see them on commercials, in stores, modeled as apparel (hats, and gloves, and sweaters, and such)…. big trees of them in Cracker Barrels across the country, Sock Monkey kitchen utensils, puzzles, games, notebooks… Sock Monkey Talk Show Hosts. Oh… it is viral. Or as we used to say in the olden days… “They have become quite popular.”

Other bandwagon items in recent news… Green Bay Packers;   Energy Water;  iStuff;     Housewives of Atlanta, or Beverly Hills, or where ever;  the GOP candidate of the minute;   grits (okay…. NOT grits… I just threw that in to see if you were still reading the list)….

But you get the picture. People can be like lemmings. There are loads and loads of people who just follow the other lemmings off the cliff. And if they survive the fall… they just roll over, and follow the next bunch of lemmings off the next cliff…. again and again and again.

The unthinking.  Heedless.  Imprudent.

Just be careful who you follow… is all I have to say.  Oh, it may just start out with Sock Monkeys… but following could lead to Deception… and that can be bigger than King Kong.  I’ll bet my sock monkeys on it.

“Group conformity scares the pants off me because it’s so often a prelude to cruelty towards anyone who doesn’t want to – or can’t – join the Big Parade.”   – Bette Midler

Today was a travel day for me. Travel days make you think. Especially when you fly.  Air Canada’s Slogan is “Defy Obstacles”…. Now that’s a heck of a thing to make people think about while flying… especially when you are 20,000 feet up.

But needless to say…

When you travel…. certain laws of nature take over… and there is no fighting them really.

Here are my top 3.

1. Things change.  And…. …even if you make like a boy scout and be prepared…  things change some more.

I think being prepared is almost always a good thing. You see, I am so OCD…. I have no choice but to feel this way about life. I prepare like crazy. Case in point: We fly out of Dayton pretty often. There used to be good places to get a morning meal there. NOW… it seems…. there are just no good breakfast spots at Dayton International Airport. The past four trips, I’ve eaten powdered eggs with ketchup on them from Sbarro (what the heck kind of name is Sbarro, for a restaurant anyway….) But back to it… YUK. So, finally today, I wised up and packed a turkey, ham, lettuce, tomato, mayo on white. YUM. Well, don’t you know it…… when I get to the airport this morning… all sorts of breakfast restaurants have sprouted up there. I was prepared…. no doubt. But things changed and then they changed again. When Henry David Thoreau said, “Things do not change; we change.” …. he was kinda’ wrong. Both change. All the time. Sorry Hank.

2. The obnoxious-osidious-monster-person WILL sit right next to you on the plane. Oh yes, they will. Even if there are 40 open seats. I always scope out the waiting area at the terminal, and try to size up my fellow passengers. I guess I shouldn’t do this. I think it brings bad kismet to me. Yes….. the karma-cloud all results from my sitting there imposing all sorts of stereotypes and labels on people I don’t even know. The example here…. there were three loud and offensive (albeit inebriated) individuals who clamored around me in the waiting area. (Singing Hank Wiliams Jr. songs… I think) Drunk AND singing at 7 in the morning. Great. And….. Where did they sit on the plane? You got it. Two directly in front of me and one right behind me. While my suppositions turned out to be correct this time around… I was still encased with a bunch of pickles. Crispy cucumbers.  Oh dilly, dilly.

3. Sir Isaac gave us the next one. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

This is one we all need to remember. Especially people who throw litter out car windows; pee on toilet seats; pitch cigarette butts wherever; cut ahead in long lines of traffic, and food lines; cheat on anything; sneeze on you; hog the arm rest; or act unkindly… just as some random examples. No recaps of the day needed here. I am sure you have the visual.

Yes, flying the friendly skies.  Up, up and away….  We love to fly and it shows.

I learned a lot today… in airports and airplanes. And I am glad for that. Another observation from Thoreau…  “It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.”   Once again, I love Henry David… but I think he was smoking crack.  I believe we have to keep learning all the time… or we continue to bump into the same mistakes and obstructions.    Let’s not forget Air Canada…. defying those obstacles.

Now… here is a good one for me:

“Life is change.  Growth is optional.  Choose wisely.”  – W.S. Maugham

Dreams are a funny thing, now aren’t they.

There are different varieties of dreams….

The kind we do when we sleep at night.
Then there are aspirations, hopes, and life ambitions.
The fantasy kind… where you dream about winning the lottery.
And the poetic variety…. pleasant… “Oh the date was a dream.” OR “He was just dreamy.”

Yep. Dreams. The sleeping kind are the ones that really get me though.

I mean…. what the heck? They come out of nowhere. They can be happy, sad, funny, scary.  You name it…. they ARE.

Sometimes they are exactly how things are in real life and other times they are just whopper-jawed.  Sideways.  Madcapped and zany.  Whack-a-doodle-do.

Last night, I dreamed I was at a huge social event with my friends (that I worked with at the Preble County District Library… about 100 years ago). Some of those friends are still alive and some are not. But in the dream, we were all doing shots of Tabasco Sauce… all different kinds. Specifically, Diane K and I, were really knocking them back.   Some of that Tabasco Sauce was upward of $500 per bottle… various flavors, and colors. Then my old friends from high school started showing up.. intermingling in dreamscape. My friend “Farmer” was playing the cello. As far as I know… she doesn’t play it in real life. Again.. I ask you…. what the heck?

The night before that, I was in a huge bike race, and we were all staying at the Golden Inn in New Paris. My real-life friends own it. But the Golden Inn that appeared in the dream was not the one on Rt. 40. I told my friends, Lea Ann and Jeff, that hundreds and hundreds of people would be showing up without reservations. I kept saying…”Build it and they will come.”  They were directing traffic with those orange airplane-runway-wands.

Dreams.

Another one I had was about a Frog Prom at our pond.  They were all dancing around in couples.  There was one toad who was all dressed up in a white tuxedo… but he also had on red-high-heeled sparkly shoes. There was money stuffed in all his pockets.  He was doing John Travolta moves from Saturday Night Fever.  And that was it. He was just strutting along in all his garb…. eating insects.

Please… I know there is an awful lot of psychoanalyzing happening on the other side of this monitor.  I am fully aware that I am loopier than loopy.

But….I’m telling you. Dreams make me wonder like crazy.
This amphibian dream in particular brought up all sorts of questions.

If frogs did wear shoes… what kind would they wear?

Probably open-toad.

Or if they were rich…. were would they keep all their money?

I’m thinking….  at the river bank.

If frogs ate bugs from Europe… what kind would they be?

French Flies.

Okay….. I better stop now. It is getting late… and I want to see what might be in my dreams tonight.  They might be as fine as frogs hair.  Or they could by hoppy.  Or….

You know.  Maybe I should lay off the Tabasco Sauce for a while…..

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about contradictions. Ideas which conflict.

The world is full of them, you know. Life too. It is when the contradiction occurs on a personal level, that we stop and take notice. I struggle with some of these.

A good is example is this…..

Some call me crazy… but I like to talk to the animals.

When I was young, I was mesmerized by that ever-so-intelligent-and-proper Dr. Doolittle. (I know now it was Rex Harrison). But back then, when I was five or so…..he WAS Dr. Doolittle.

I would marvel at his extraordinary abilities to converse with the four-leggeds and beyond.

And I would say to myself, at that very young age….”Gosh dern it Polly. One day, you are going to grow up, find a nice top hat, and talk to the animals… just like Dr. D.”

Well, what do you know. I never acquired the top hat… but I talk with animals a lot.

Why… just today, I asked a squirrel to show me his nuts… and he DID.  But not the kind I was asking about.  I meant acorns… and such.

I also prattled with a rabbit, two birds, a sleepy fish… and of course….

…. three dogs and one cat. And they always talk back.  It is just that…. well… sometimes I can’t understand what THEY are saying.

So what brought about all of this? Well, it is “Enos the Chimp.” Enos flew into space on board Mercury Atlas 5 on this day (November 29) in the year 1961. He completed his first orbit in 1 hour and 28.5 minutes. It was a big, Space-And-Monkey-American first. A space pioneer. According to observers, Enos jumped for joy and ran around the deck of the recovery ship enthusiastically shaking the hands of his rescuers. At any rate, he laid the road map for John Glenn, who would be the first American to orbit the earth… about 4 months later.

I just read today that Enos got sick the very next year and died. He didn’t get a Hero’s Tribute, or burial, or anything like that. Instead…. he was subjected to extensive study at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology after his death. Enos’s body is assumed to have been unceremoniously discarded after the examinations were completed.

And there you have it. This news made me immensely sad.

Yes, I read all of this while I was eating dinner. Roasted turkey and vegetables.
There in lies the contradiction. I am sure that turkey was killed in a slaughterhouse. It could have been a Tom, or a Gertrude… a turkey with a family… and one who experienced turkey feelings and emotions. Who’s to say not?

I KNOW our dazzling dogs have feelings. So does our curmudgeony cat.  Why not a turkey or a cow?

Yes, I love to eat meat… but at the same time…. I felt terrible about Enos the Chimp, dying that way.  Contradiction.

It tells me that there is a lot of GRAY in life. Yes, all you people out there that say life is all in black & white… it is either this way or that way… and NO WAY can it be both. Well, I am guessing it can. Yes I think there is gray.  Battleships full of gray.  Podiums full of gray.

And if you are the “Black & White” Sort of a Person… I simply say…

You better not throw crayons if you live in a non-washable walled house.

Well, I don’t think that is quite the original phrase but you get the picture.  I guess sometimes we have to live with those contradictions.  We have to loiter in those gray areas.  Sometimes it is called Compromise, other times it is known as Justification.

Yep.  I am lingering in the grayness of middle-ground.  Because…..  at this point…..  I don’t see me giving up cheeseburgers.   Sorry Enos.

“Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth.”   – Blaise Pascal

I don’t like to shop. Not at all.

Especially at this time of year. Black Friday is like the Black Plague to me. I guess Cyber Monday is more my speed… if I had to pick a post-Thanksgiving Day shopping melee.

I don’t get the Black Friday Attraction. At all.

And if you are reading this, and you love to shop on Black Friday… I think that is great… for you. I just don’t have it in me. It seems American consumers weren’t willing to let this old weak economy get in the way of a good sale either. No way Jose. They spent a record $11.4 billion on Black Friday, which is up a whopping 6.6 percent from last year.

Heck, I don’t like to shop in the biggest, most deserted store in the world…… filled with most audacious & incredible bargains…. with pleasant smell abounding and not a tiny bit of canned elevator music piping in anywhere……..  … let alone in a swarm of frenzied, sleep-deprived, chomping-at-the-bit, mad shoppers. “The Bargain Hunters.” Worse than Head Hunters… I think.

Put Black Friday aside.  People are just plain crazy this time of year. They have lost ALL sight of what the holiday is truly about…..

1. The Decorator Christmas starts WAY too early — I saw Christmas lights up before Halloween this year. Blow-up Santa dolls in leaf filled yards. Cut-out reindeer on roof tops. C’mon. This has to make the “Great Pumpkin” just a little sad?

2. The Retail Christmas starts WAY too early — Same thing. Christmas displays in stores starting in mid-October. I like the Candy Corn withOUT the candy canes, and that green Grinch mixed in.

3. The Consumer Christmas is out of control — In L.A., a woman pepper sprayed a crowd of people at the video game discount table. Black Friday shopping was marked by violence in at least seven states, including California.  Most of the reported incidents happening at or near Walmart stores.  Huh.  Hang on to your X-Box baby.

I always thought this holiday was meant to celebrate the birth of a little fella’ named Jesus. That little swaddler in the manger. He grew up to be a very peaceful and loving man as he spent his days on this earth.

He fed lots and lots of people… whether they could afford it or not.
He healed those who were sick or in need… whether they were rich or poor.
He embraced individuals who were different…. and looked down upon by popular society.

Hmmmm.

… And even if you don’t believe in Jesus… there is that cute Santa Claus Chap.  The jolly guy with a kind and giving heart…. making people happy the whole world round.  He gives.  He shares.  Provides equal opportunity for all his reindeer…  even Rudy.

Maybe we should carry some of those principles over in our every day lives…. not only at Christmas time.

It seems that this notion has gone in the wrong direction in the bigger scheme of things. Darn it anyhow.

I think I am going to try to do one little peaceful & random act of kindness…. every day from now until Christmas. Just because.

Maybe if we all do a little thing… here and there… it will start rubbing off.   Maybe we can start celebrating Bright Friday… not Black.

Not spending.  Instead……  simply…..  mending.

“Deliberately seek opportunities for kindness, sympathy, and patience.”
-E. Underhill

Doldrums. It is one of my favorite words. I don’t like having the doldrums. I just like the way it sounds. Doldrums.

But unfortunately, last night, I had a case of the doldrums. So, I didn’t write much here. Not at all.

Yep.

A bit “Down in the Dumps”

“On the Blink”
“Feeling Blue”
“Down in the Mouth”
“Out of Sorts”

“On the Fritz”

Call it what you will… I was just feeling low. It is hard to do things when we are sad, or lonely, or despairing.  So I didn’t.

What amazes me is just how many cliches there are describing the state of despondency. But of those phrases… I would have to say that “On the Fritz” is my favorite.

As far as anyone can tell… its originated from the times when the first electrical devices would have shorts in them, and flicker on and off. Fritz, then, may be an imitation of the “pfzt” noise that a faulty connection in an electrical machine might make.

But, I am always reminded of my YoungerYears when I hear “On the Fritz”

We lived in a pretty ethnic neighborhood growing up. One of my favorite families, with one of my closest friends, were the Miklaus Family  (the surname has been changed to protect the innocent).

The father and mother were George and Frances. He called her Fritz. The kids nicknames were Mutt, Yergy, and Elenute…..

Mrs. Miklaus (Fritz) made the best Lithuanian food in the world. I loved her homemade Kugeli. I would go to their house and always asked Mrs. Miklaus if I could have something to eat. I was skinny as a toothpick growing up…. she probably thought Mom & Dad weren’t feeding us…. But… if she had a pan of Kugeli in the house, I was one happy toothpick.

One year, we talked Mom & Dad into getting a cat from them… a kitten… when I was about 9 years old. We named her Fritz. (There was a movie out at the time… called “Fritz the Cat”…. which contributed to the nomenclature).

I loved that cat like crazy. One day, my sister (Batman) and I (Robin) decided that Fritz needed a good shaving. The Joker was on her tail, you see, … and we needed to disguise her. So down to the basement we went… clippers in hand… capes in place… and shaved the holy crap out of Fritz. Dumb kids. She was a long haired Calico / Persian / Furry-Butt-Breed of some sort.

Oh boy. Fritz was on the fritz. Then Mom went on the fritz. Mom really, really went on the fritz.  She flew off the handle.  Batman and Robin were on the hotseat. I’ll tell you that much right now.

Those were the days. And now these are the days.

I have a Mutt named Frances… and sometimes (like today)… I slip… and call her Fritz.

Full circle. It all goes full circle.

Yes…. tonight I am feeling much better. In my mind, I’ve spent some time in my childhood…. with my beloved cat, smelling  Kugeli in the Miklaus kitchen, and thinking about my adventures in my long lost cape.

And better yet…. that sweet mutt named Frances is laying by my feet… dreaming of chasing furry cats.  There are “pfzt” noises…. coming from her butt. Once again…..Full Circle.

So I am “Back on Track”
“One Happy Camper”
“Good as Gold”
“In the Hunt”
“Happy as a Clam”

“Off the Fritz”

Friends. I just can’t do it tonight.   We all fall down from time to time….

See you real soon……  PK