having recently returned from my annual spring pilgrimage to Florida, coupled with the fact that i have not actually posted a blog entry since December, i decided it was time. (let's not discuss the three other entries that i have started but not finished...) and, there are a couple of things that you may or may not know that might help contextualize this post.
first, i love spending time with my parents. despite the fact that i have lived on the opposite coast for 19 years, every opportunity i have to spend with my parents reminds me how incredibly blessed i am in so many aspects of life.
second, i visit my parents at least twice a year in typically warm, sunny environments. in March, i travel to Florida, where they now spend the winter months, wisely escaping the New England weather (which this year has been nothing short of miserable). in August, i visit them at their home in Sandwich, MA on beautiful Cape Cod. having spent many summers on the Cape as a kiddo, the fact that my mom and dad have retired there is very special to me.
finally, full disclosure: some of the things included on this list are things that i already knew before going to Florida, but i think they are worthy of repeating and/or reminding myself. AND, the list that follows is in no particular order, with the exception of #1.
1. the more time i spend with my parents as an adult, the more i see the lessons that they have taught and modeled for me throughout my life. my parents are kind, generous, smart, humble, loving, fun -- the list could go on and on. they have deep rooted values and beliefs and yet they do not judge how others choose to live; they live simply and let others simply live. they have wonderful, solid friendships, which they cherish and seem to keep them young because these friendships are full of love, respect and lots of laughter! they are grateful for the life they are blessed to live: they are not wrapped up in material possessions and know that value is not found in the size of your house or the kind of car that you drive. they take really good care of each other without question or complaint. and, probably most importantly, they LOVE: each other, their children, their grandchild and their grand-dog, their family and their friends. and this love, i can tell from personal experience, has no conditions.
2. i will probably not stay in Oregon for the rest of my life. those who know me well, know that i have a west coat soul. i have spent 19 years between California and Oregon and it is hard to imagine living anywhere else. BUT, i need the sun; i crave it. and, on top of my sun worshiping, i have a condition called Raynaud's, which is a fancy name for "my fingers get really f@#$k*&^ cold, turn white, and lose sensation". The Mayo Clinic explains that with Raynaud's disease, "smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin narrow, limiting blood circulation to affected areas." Bottom line: having this condition and cold weather is not really a winning formula! (Note: this condition happens even in the shower and after swimming, but it is at its worst in the cold.) Considering that the condition continues to worsen as I age, I am pretty sure that I am going to need to live somewhere that sees more days in the 70s and 80s than Oregon does! There are absolutely no plans on the horizon for a move of any sort right now, but someday...
3. i will probably never get over my body issues. ever. i exercise, i eat fairly well, i drink more water than an elephant. and, i will never have the body i had when i was 21. or 25. or even 38. well, i suppose i could have that twentysomething body with the help of liposuction, but, that's not really my thing. and so i struggle, like so many women, and men too. but i try to keep it all in perspective and accept and, better yet, be grateful that i am healthy and happy and blessed. but i am not a big fan of mirrors!
4. Keith Richards is a fantastic musician and a terrible writer! i picked up his autobiography in the airport before leaving Portland, thinking the 540+ pages would be a nice, leisurely read while sitting by the pool. WRONG. it is painful! i stopped reading after 120 pages. why he did not use a biographer is beyond me, but he really should have. (or maybe he tried to but no one could work with him, which seems entirely possible!) his story is interesting, but his ability to tell it has been annihilated by his recreational abuse to his body!
5. JFK is one of my most favorite airports in the US. i never really thought about having a favorite airport before, but this trip i hit JFK en route both to and from Florida and i realized how much i love it. it is like a microcosm of the planet wrapped up in a handsome guy in a Yankees cap: the people, the culture, the diversity. it is so alive! so many people coming from and going to places all over the globe. my first experience at JFK was when i went to Ghana in 1993. and again when i left the east coast with my backpack and a box to move to San Francisco. those were both pretty life changing adventures to be sure, so perhaps that is why it holds a special place in my heart. i have been there several other times as well, both passing through and as my final destination. sure, there are more scenic airports (Anchorage or Denver), airports with better shopping (Atlanta or Minneapolis), better eating (San Francisco or Boston), easier access (Portland or Oakland), and airports with more activities (Vegas, baby!), but i think that JFK is the best.
6. i cannot tell you who sings the song "Call Me Maybe" but I know most of the words thanks to the viral videos of the US Olympic Swim Team and US troops in Afghanistan (which I recently learned was a spoof of another viral video that I did not see by the Miami Dolphins' cheerleaders). god bless the internet!
7. I have really mellowed out significantly over the last 10 years! Don't get me wrong, i am still stubborn, moody, sensitive and occasionally bossy with a knack for planning, but i learn to let go a little bit more each day. I credit yoga, meditation, self help books, good friends, and American television!
8. I would write a lot more blog posts if i did not care about spelling, grammar and the art of storytelling! Fortunately, spell check can help me with the spelling issue, but certainly not with the arsenal of stories -- both partially on paper and partially in my head -- that i WANT to blog about. and, when i share my thoughts with you (per #4 above) i want them to flow and, hopefully, be somewhat entertaining and/or thought-provoking. i'll keep working on trying to post more than four times a year, but per #7, i won't hold my breath!
thanks for reading!
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