I'M GONNA SIT RIGHT DOWN AND WRITE MYSELF A LETTER...

"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart."  Phylliss Theroux

There has been a lot in the news lately about the necessity of closing some smaller post offices.  I find this so very sad.  My Dad was the Postmaster of the Warrenton Post Office for many years - and so the institution played a huge part in my life.  This picture is one that was taken fairly recently, I suppose.  I don't remember all the bushes and trees. 
I do remember going to visit my Dad and playing in the back on the mail carts.  I'm sure that the postal workers were less than enthused by my worrisome chatter - but they were always gracious!  No one ever delivered our mail since Daddy brought it home with him from work every day - and the only time of the year that I was ever slightly interested in mail was during the Christmas season.  Of course, I looked forward to the Sear's Wishbook, like every other kid...but I also loved the Christmas cards.  What happened to the joy of Christmas cards?

It seemed that sending Christmas cards became a duty...a chore to get through.  And people were always looking for ways to make their list shorter.  I even know some folks who recorded who they RECEIVED a card from and used that information to create the next year's list.  Miss a year, and you are off the list forever! No holiday wishes for you!


I also remember when the Christmas newsletter started slipping in among the stack of colorful, glitter-filled holiday wishes.  Typed on a boring piece of paper (sometimes with a gratuitous print of a wreath or snowman) ...no hand-written note - not even a written signature... filled with mind-numbing details that might have been more interesting if the sender had simply called occasionally and made personal contact.  And, the real kicker was the typed address label. A mass mailing.  Not terribly festive.  

So, why this rant about Christmas cards...in October?  Because sometimes I mourn the loss of good old human contact.  Emails and IM's and FB postings are good - but they are just not the same.  So, I am going to make a preposterous offer.  Are you ready?  Ok...

If you would like to receive a good old fashioned Christmas card with a hand-written note this year from ME - send your name and address to my email:  terre.sadler@gmail.com.  No solicitation - or networking - no ulterior motive...just a desire to give something back during the season.  I won't use your address for anything else.  I promise.  


I simply would like to send you a little happy sparkly good cheer this year.  Who couldn't use a little bit of that?

WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

"Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you."  Hafiz of Persia

Lately, I have been giving some thought as to what makes me happy....what makes me smile.  I can get so caught up in making sure that everything gets done and that everyone around me is taken care of, that I forget to take a moment for myself and just "check in."  I'm sure I am not the only one.  I get lost in the "shoulds" and the "ought to's" of life and sometimes lose sight of the little things that bring me joy.  I stop looking for the zillion's of delights that are just waiting for me to pay attention and simply smile.

I love wild sneakers.  The wilder, the better.  And if they happen to have "sparklie"s on them - that is just a bonus. I have a closet full and every time I wear them, I smile - and so do people around me.  Of course, they may be thinking I am crazy - but I don't care.  Bright colorful shoes make me happy.  And - since I am in a wheelchair, they last forever!!!  

I love Sesame Street.  Who can frown while watching the Muppets?  All that bright fuzzy fur and big eyes and crazy voices.  When I flick through the channels and find them - I always stop and watch for awhile.  It is like getting a giggle infusion.  Who couldn't use one of those?

I love animals - all kinds (except I am not too fond of snakes.)  And I absolutely adore dogs!  If I could, I would have at least six.  But, being a realist, I know that sometimes dogs poop and pee where they are not supposed to - so six is far too many!   But, I start every day with a visit to Cute Overload. Wonderful photos of animals just being cute.  Uncomplicated joy just waiting for me every morning.  And, of course, I have my own dog and cat, who provide an unending source of entertainment.

I love quiet music and good books and I love to watch the birds at the feeders outside my windows.  There is a particularly fussy bluejay that lets me know when the feeders need refilling.  He makes me smile.  Also, there is a chipmunk that scampers up the tree and crams seeds in his cheeks like crazy.  At the beginning of summer, he jumped into the pool, and we had to fish him out.  Since then, he is careful to stay away from the water.  Lesson learned, I guess.

I love to laugh - and can usually find humor in just about everything.  Laughter is life-giving, I think.  And, we certainly could use more of it these days. Sometimes all you CAN do is laugh.  Politics comes to mind.

Maybe it is a good thing to "slow down" and let happiness catch you.  Just embrace the things that make you happy - even if they don't make sense to anyone else.  Honor your own heart.

Are you smiling yet?

SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL

August was a weird month. Pneumonia, an earthquake, and a hurricane.  Not going down as one of my favorite months of 2011 - but quite possibly, it could be the most memorable.

It started with a cough - and a pain in my back, which escalated to fever, chills, and the nagging feeling that I just might die.  Being the Queen of Procrastination, I had not found (or, I confess, even looked for) a doctor in Pennsylvania, even though I have lived here for a year now.  So, this put me in a terrible spot.  I was forced to turn to Urgent Care.  I am not sure what the current definition of  "Urgent Care" is, but in my mind, it did not include waiting for 6 1/2 hours in a germ-infested waiting room with a fever of 103. This was the price of my procrastination, however, and I accepted it as gracefully as possible while promising God that if I ever got out of the waiting room alive, I would find a real doctor ASAP.  Which I did.  It took two weeks before I was able to go out the door without feeling like I might pass out.

Being the quintessential Southern woman, the first thing I did was to go to the hairdresser.  I was already two weeks beyond my regular appointment, and the gray roots had reared their nasty little heads and were beginning to roar.  As I was sitting quietly in the salon, waiting for my turn, the earth began to shake.  My first thought was , "Boy, I am still really sick."  I mean, who would have suspected an earthquake?  In Pennsylvania?  I was probably the only person who was actually relieved to find that it was indeed an earthquake - and not a relapse for me.

Then we trudged forward to experience Hurricane Irene.  I dutifully filled the bathtub with water, found all the flashlights and checked the batteries, bought bottled water, even though I was certain we had little to worry about.  Truly the only thing I thought would happen would be to lose Direct TV, since reception is precarious at best.  The wind blew, the rains fell, the house creaked and groaned - and all was well....until it was all over.  Then we lost power.  Go figure. 

My family does not know how to chew without the TV on, so three days of no power was beyond stressful.  First of all, it is REALLY DARK out here in the country!  I have heard the expression about not being able to see your hand in front of your face, but I had never experienced it before.  I was glad that I had filled the tub with water, because that was the only way we could flush the toilet.  Eventually, we started using water from the pool.  It was all too much like camping for me - without the S'mores.  I know that there were people who were without a lot longer than we were....I can't even imagine. 

So I gladly greeted September, ready to get back into the swing of life.  Of course, now we are experiencing rain, rain and more rain - and floods.  But I don't mind.  I'm not coughing, the earth is not shaking, and I am still marveling at the wonder of electricity.  Maybe we all need a little shaking up from time to time to appreciate the little things.  At least, I think I did.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE SKY - YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S COMING TO GET YOU!

When we bought this new house - it came with a pool.  I didn't really want a pool...my swimsuit days are LONG behind me.  BUT - since it is HERE - we are using it.  The first time I got in, I was like a little kid - splashing and swimming and enjoying the sensation of being free.  Especially from the wheelchair.  Made me remember the days when I could really move.  And it is very private - no one can see unless they are in a plane flying overhead...in which case my house may be mistaken for Sea World, but who cares!
The other weekend, George and I were enjoying a wonderful Sunday afternoon in the pool on our floats.  The breeze was blowing, butterflies were everywhere, a few puffy clouds in the sky and I think we were both almost asleep when I opened my eyes and noticed buzzards flying overhead.  They were circling lower and lower and it dawned on me that we better start moving around because it was obvious they thought they had spotted a Sunday barbeque!  When we started kicking our feet - they flew off in search of something that was really dead.
I started thinking that life it kind of like that.  We have to keep moving...keep learning...keep reaching...keep trying new things.  Otherwise, we waste our days and before we know it, we become dull and lifeless, with no joy.
Mary Kay Ash said, "Some people drift through their entire life.  They do it one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time.  It happens so gradually they are unaware of how their lives are slipping away until it is too late."
I could paraphrase that quote by saying, "Don't let the buzzards get you!"  I think my quote is more memorable.

I'M ON A ROLL

I am finally writing.  Seriously writing.  After nearly a year of not being able to put a thought together - or sustain an idea, this is a wonderful feeling!  I suppose the anxiety of moving probably played a huge part in sucking the creativity out of me, but whatever the reason, I am glad to be on the other side of it.  I have been working for quite awhile, but wanted to be sure it would last before I put it out here in the blogosphere.  For the first time, I have to also say that I am enjoying the process.  It had been my intention to write fantasy instead of continuing in the crime genre.  And, that is what I am doing.  So much more fun to spend my "brain time" creating a new world filled with magic and interesting characters than delving into the minds of serial killers!  I know - seems like a no-brainer, but for me, it was not easy to change.  I felt that I could write the other genre well and was afraid to try something different. 
One of the biggest factors in stimulating my creativity was that I freed myself from the worry of publication.  I don't care if I land a book deal or not.  I do care if people READ what I write, so I plan to aim for total electronic publication.  At least, that is what I am thinking at this moment.  With all the electronic reading devices out there, the world of publishing is changing rapidly and this seems do-able to me.
So, I will keep you posted on my progress.  The project is looking like it will be a trilogy - another new avenue for me.  All I know is that it is great to be creating again.  I am a boring person without it!

"GEE, YOU LOOK FAMILIAR!"

"It is a sweet thing, friendship...a dear balm; a happy and auspicious bird of calm.".....Shelly

Sometimes the way the Universe works is simply mind-boggling.  I recently discovered that a friend I went to school with as a child lives only 20 - 30 minutes from my house here in Pennsylvania.  Gives new meaning to "small world!"  She came for a visit the other day - and I am still smiling!

 I must admit that I was nervous...after all, I had not seen her in nearly 40 years!  A lot has happened in that time...a lifetime, really...and I wondered what she would think of me now.  I even worried about what we would talk about. (Ridiculous I know.  I have never been at a loss for words!)  However, the moment she walked through the door, the 40 years seemed to magically evaporate and it was as if I had just seen her yesterday.  Truly amazing.  We had a wonderful afternoon together laughing and catching up - and doing a fair amount of simply reminiscing. 

There was a difference, though...I sensed a deeper, more authentic connection between us than when we were young.  I think that is one of the gifts of growing older.  We shed the superficiality of youth, and embrace our days with a tender grasp on wisdom and an appreciation for the treasures to be found in the human heart.  The joy of friendship, the rich bond that unites two people, is a vital part of our journey on earth.  It reminds us that we are not alone - that we have a touchstone for belonging - a common thread that weaves a beautiful design between two lives.  It may be colored with childhood memories, or similar interests, or simple compatibility, but whatever its composition, it is valuable beyond measure.

Yes - it really is a small world after all, and I am glad that it is.  (Now - I bet you are humming that song just like I am!)

When my friend came by for our afternoon "reunion", she graciously brought me some yellow roses and now, every time I walk by them, I remember our laughter and I smile. 

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?

I know, I know...where have I been....who knows?  Maybe it was too much holiday...too much fruitcake...too much "whatever" that lulled me into a creative-free, no writing zone.  All I know is today I woke up with something to say.

I am simply amazed at the collective "Ah-hah" moment this country seems to be having on the heels of the tragic shooting in Arizona.  Can it really be that no one has noticed the insanity of meanness that is sucking the life out of our country until just a few days ago??? Or is this just another political ploy to lure us like lemmings as we continue to choose sides? 

Have we been under a rock somewhere?  Have we missed the increased lack of civility in our government?  The continuous ranting, 24-7, on the TV?  The venomous political ads that attacked us in our living rooms like shrapnel on the battlefield?

And it hasn't confined itself to just politics.  How about the children committing suicide over bullying and labels? Or the fact that now we need to have legislation to keep some wacko church from protesting the funeral of a little 9 year old girl because she was Catholic??? Dear God...and I really mean that...Dear God, we need help.

I read somewhere recently that the old argument of "I'm right, and you are wrong," (as bad as that was) is now, "I'm right, and you are evil." Really scary stuff.  We label everything and everyone and in doing that, we ignore and eventually forget the things that make us all the same.  We even have labels "within" our labels.  For example, in POLITICS, we have Republicans, Tea Party Republicans, Conservative Republicans, Moderate Republicans, Democrats, Blue-Dog Democrats, Progressive Democrats, and Independents. In CHRISTIANITY we have, Methodists, Baptist, Southern Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Fundamental Baptist, Free Will Baptist, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons....on and on and on and on...each little label signifies a group that proclaims, "I am more right than you are - so there!"
With PEOPLE, we have division by race and religion (even though we want to say that we don't), we have gays and straights, married and unmarried, fat or thin, rich or poor, educated or ignorant, geographic labels (Redneck Southerners, Crazy Californians, Uptight New Englanders, etc.) And the sad thing is that what I have listed barely scratches the surface of what is out there to divide us.

So...what can I do about it besides rant?  I can make a pledge to myself to not judge.  Now...I know I will have judgmental thoughts...but I don't have to express them.  I can make a pledge to myself, that my words will be kind, inclusive, and affirmative.  That is all I can do because I am the only one I have control over.

Now, how about you?