Random Observations

While looking at tartar control toothpaste recently, it occurred to me…what DO they make Tarter Sauce out of? Both substances are sort of white…. Some dentist out there has a really creepy secret, I think.

Pumpkin cutting is like the U.S. tax code. It’s gotten a lot more complex over the past 20 years, but not necessarily any prettier.


“They” are the reason for many of the daily things that cause unhappiness in daily life:

• “They” had the road all torn up.
• “They” make us do it this way.
• “They” say that this is the rule.
• “They” don’t like it if I do this.
• “They” are jacking up the price of gas.
• “They” don’t like me.
• “They” got me into trouble.
• “They” said it wouldn’t rain, and now my hair is ruined.

So, who are “they” and why don’t we sell them to the military as a secret weapon? Let ‘em make somebody else miserable.

Cats are not necessarily smarter than dogs. It’s all about their attitude. So, why do we think that snooty, bossy, standoffish individuals are smart?

When someone says the phrase “I’m not going to lie to you…” that usually means that the next words spoken are guaranteed to be at least 90% confabulation.

Ditto the phrase “Now, don’t get me wrong.” Oh yeah, they are about to say something really insulting.

Fat Free

Vivien Leigh: “Do I look fat in this?”
Clark Gable: “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Cue music….

Ahh, would life be different if our ill-fated lovers had this conversation? Could Tara have been saved through healthy self-esteem and body image? Well. Maybe not, but the chance to change the world is NOT gone with the wind.

Yes, I’m on a soap box..again. This is National Fat Free Talk Week. Yup, the opportunity for tasty, yet, fat free living.

Are you aware that Americans are virtually the ONLY society in which it is perfectly acceptable to converse, while dining, about the varied and misundry reasons why we should not be eating – let alone enjoying – what is before us on our plate? “OH my goodness, I am can’t believe I ordered this! I’m going to have to do penance for weeks.” “I am being sooo bad,” “Oh, I really shouldn’t,” “That will go straight to my hips!” (fact: despite any evidence to the contrary, unless you have an extreme physically defect, it will go straight to your stomach, travel throughout your entire alimentary canal, perhaps make a brief stop for conversion into a storage vehicle via the liver, and then decide where to vacation – “ahh, the thighs are lovely this time of year.”) More than 2/3 of American women in a magazine survey admitted to feeling guilty every day about eating. EVERY DAY?

Sheeze! What’s wrong with that picture…we have a world at war, Haitians living in tent cities a year after their devastating earthquake, entire countries with inadequate healthcare, Americans sleeping on sewer grates to stay warm, and millions of us feel guilty because we EAT??

We feel that it is our due to comment upon other’s size, shape, food choices, and then recommend improvements. Hmmm. Let me just say “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” As for me? Well, my little, OK not-so-little, pile of stones is just gonna stay out of traffic.

Do you think this doesn’t really matter? Well, what if I told you that:

• Over 40% of 1st thru 3rd grade girls want to be thinner
  
• About 80% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat


• More than half of 9 and 10 year old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet


• More than 80% of families with daughters 9 to 11 year old are “sometimes” or “very often” on a diet


• More than 90% of women surveyed on college campuses had attempted to control weight through dieting, and nearly a quarter dieted “often” or “all the time”


• Nearly of third of “normal dieters” progress to pathological eating


• Long term research shows that over 90% of dieters will regain lost weight in 1 to 5 years


• Nearly one-half of all American women are “on a diet” on any given day
  
• Americans spend of $50 billion (read that again…$50 BILLION) dollars per year on diet-related products each year.

And folks…it ain’t working! (Pardon the vernacular). We aren’t getting smaller. So…in a wholly unscientific bout of deductive reasoning…guilt, talking about ourselves in a negative way, and punitive behavior towards food is NOT effective in moving towards better health.

What would happen if…for ONE week…you looked in the mirror and said “Well, hello gorgeous.” Put on your jeans and said “I make these look good!” Or better yet, when trying on something that doesn’t fit, said “This just isn’t made to fit me” instead of blaming your body?!

Try…for ONE week…to converse over meals about something besides the nutritional content of your food. Here are some suggestions:

• the weather,


• fall leaves,


• football,


• what you are reading,


• a movie you’ve recently seen or would like to see,


• a kind gesture that you made that day,


• something nice that someone else did for you,


• your very first memory,


• one thing you’d like to do before the end of the year,


• what made you proud today,


• your best friend in grade school (whatever happened to her/him)


• or, in honor of the season, your worst ever Halloween costume

And..for ONE week…THIS WEEK…if someone else insists upon talking about the “f” word (not THAT one! I mean f*a*t), please smile and kindly say “Can’t talk about that. I’m fat free this week.”

Let me know how it goes.

p.s. Maybe they say it better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CuMJybvAh8

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPaxD61lwo&feature=related

Are we having a good time?

And now, a word about fun.
Have some.
Go ahead, you deserve it.
No, no, I mean it. Have a big ol’ helping of a good time.
It’s calorie free, doesn’t require a reservation, and may result in a throaty chuckle, a deep guffaw or two, and perhaps even unabashed laughter.

What, you say you don’t have time for that? Well, join the crowd.

Have you noticed how gosh, darn serious we all have become? I offer my opinion that easily hurt feelings, road rage, petty gossip, and insignificant arguments could all be reduced through an injection of fun into daily life.

How and why did we Americans become such a serious bunch?

Watch on your commute tomorrow. The faces of those folk in the cars enroute to work, your coworkers as they cross the parking lot, and even your own face in the mirror. Do you see a person ready to grab a good time as it passes by? To see the humor in daily life? To laugh out loud? Is there a sparkle in the eyes of the person you observe? Laugh lines ready to crinkle?

I’ll bet not. Too few of us see every day as the opportunity for adventure. No, we save having a good time for vacations. Oh, maybe on the weekend between chores. But to see life as a joyful experience? Why not? Oh, I can hear you now…because life is full of hard times. Because there are burdens to bear. Well, in the immortal words of Truvy, “laughter through tears is one of my favorite emotions.”

I do believe that we were created by the Divine. And not created to be a drone, slaving away to accomplish, accomplish, accomplish and then measure those accomplishments. No I believe we were created to live – and laugh. How can you not believe in a creator with a sense of humor? Consider the artichoke, possums, and cellulite. The fact that as we age hair grows in abundance from ears and nostrils. If that isn’t some sort of creational practical joke, I’m not sure what is. God has a great sense of humor – thank goodness.

So, I challenge you to make the view from my seat (this week) one of seeing more people having a good time. Just living. Don’t wait…life, and the good time it is meant to be, might just pass you by.

Missing Lucy

It's not the anniversary of her death, or any other special occasion, but today I am really missing Lucy, our beloved Golden Retriever.

• She loved us just the way we all were - sometimes grumpy, sometimes goofy, and always busy!
• She was happy to see us - always.
• She thought she was pretty sneaky - getting up on the sofa when we went to work.
• She enjoyed a simple treat like a nap on the waterbed as though it was the most precious gift of all.
• She needed a "front end alignment", and always walked with her back end just a bit off kilter from her front.
• You could judge her happiness level by the height of her tail.
• She was the foresworn enemy of squirrels and rabbits, but didn't chase cats.
• She never actually caught a rabbit or a squirrel however, always misjudging how far to stealth approach before pouncing. Her "hunt" always ended with good natured barking at the base of a tree, or beside a hedge - where the prey had magically disappeared.
• She patiently napped waiting for me to go to bed when I worked on a project late at night. Of course, she would raise her head up and sigh periodically at the stupidity of humans.
• She was purely pitiful when we took her to the vet. 70+ lbs of quivering "I wanna go home!"
• ...and most of all, she loved Steve best of all.

We all miss you big girl. But today, I'm especially wishing you were here for a walk in the cool crisp fall air. You would have loved it...and so would I.

Take My Family...no, really... Take My Family (with apologies to Rodney Dangerfield)

The view from my seat is … family.

I’m pretty sure family may have been what (who?) Charles Dickens was referring to when he wrote in Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Family are the only people in the world who can say “Thank for the gift, but I would rather have had (fill in the blank here)” and know that you will still love them.

Family are the only people who can look you straight in the eye and say “You still look beautiful” and know that you will believe them even though it’s been at least a dozen years and 50# since the last time you saw each other.

Family know our best and our worst. They carry the knowledge of our past and want to share the present and our future.

They can get on one’s last nerve and be the balm that heals.

Family is the treasure that we take for granted.

Why am I waxing philosophically about family? Because I am winding down from a wonderful weekend with family celebrating the marriage of my niece Jessica and her new hubbie Nelson Flores. Nelson, welcome to the madness.

Where to begin? How about a Letterman style 10 item summary (in no specific order):

1. The phrase "White Man Dance" describing that specific pathetic swaying in one place on the dance floor WAS invented for the general Prusa dance style.


2. Prusa's can and will carry on a conversation regardless of any background volume - DJ, screaming children, barking dogs, B-52 bomber, you name it.


3. We do say "I love you" with food.


4. Speaking of food, no matter what your age, coming in the back door and smelling Mom's food makes one feel that they are coming home from school. I kept waiting for Mom or Dad to tell me to sweep the floor and get to my homework.


5. It is a mystery why the Prusa men keep losing hair and the women keep gaining it. Surely there is federal money available to study the issue.


6. We do love our dogs. If reincarnation is real, it's a good thing to come back as the dog of a Prusa family member.


7. We might survive without water. We can not survive without coffee.


8. Prusa's have overactive tearducts. It's not that we're sentimental, it's a physical condition.


9. In the Prusa dictionary, fruit = pastry filling.


10. A Prusa sibling may forget your birthday, but would donate a kidney at a moment's notice. And that's OK in my book.

Update 101 in 1001

Got to get moving - lots to do by May 28, 2011!

Personal
1. Post on my blog weekly, for at least 8 consecutive weeks.
2. Write a letter (not e-mail) once a week.
3. Call a sibling weekly.
4. Read 101 books (textbooks don’t count!). In progress
5. Lose 50 pounds. In progress
6. Work out 5 times a week for 3 consecutive months. In progress
7. Drink 80 ounces of water daily for 6 months.
8. Try a new cuisine (Thai?).
9. Be in bed before 10:30pm for a month.
10. Swim twice a week for a month.
11. Floss for 30 days straight.
12. Go to a concert. (DONE)
13. Take a dance class.
14. Wear sunblock every day from May 15 to September 15.
15. Shave my legs 3 times a week for 3 months ;-)
16. Watch the sunrise on a beach or mountain.
17. Finish my NP. (DONE)
18. Get a new job. (DONE)
19. Walk 1000 miles in a year. In progress
20. Bike 2000 miles in a year.
21. Don’t curse (aka cuss) for a week.
22. Complete a whole tooth whitening kit without missing a day.
23. Journal 5 times a week for 3 months.
24. Run a 5K.
25. Read 3 non-fiction books.
26. Enter a recipe in the Pillsbury Cook-Off.
27. Make homemade bread.
28. Bring my lunch to work every day for one month.
29. Select my clothes (for work) the night before for one month. In progress
30. Try a new dish at an old favorite restaurant.
31. Do not buy coffee (or any other beverage) at a coffee shop for one month.
32. Have 3 servings of dairy daily for one month.
33. Consume my 60 g. of protein every day for a week.
34. Go bowling.
35. Fly a kite.
36. Jump rope.
37. Walk to work 101 times.
38. Get a massage. (DONE)
39. Do not eat after 7 pm for one month.
40. Go to the dentist, as recommended, every 6 months.
41. Go to Nashville meetings 9 out of 12 months in 2009 and 2010.
42. Look in the mirror and say something positive to myself everyday.
43. Don’t make a joke about my size, or other physical feature, for one week.

Creativity
1. Make my Mom a quilt.
2. Make my Goddaughter a quilt.
3. Learn to knit.

4. Scrapbook our European adventure.
5. Take a quilting class. (DONE)
6. Finish a counted cross-stitch Christmas stocking.
7. Sort the boxes of photos and get them in albums.
8. Make Christmas gifts for my work buddies. (DONE)
(50 total)

Love
1. Go on a date with Steve once a month.
2. Hide a surprise love note for Steve twice a month.
3. Go to a movie that Steve wants to see that I don’t. (DONE)
4. Take Steve on a weekend get-away.
5. Have breakfast with Steve, outside in the backyard, on 12 Saturdays.
6. Make one of Steve’s favorite dishes once a month.
7. Get Steve something he would never get himself. (DONE)
8. Tell Steve thank-you when he says I’m beautiful instead of making a negative comment about myself, 20 times.
(58 total)

Friends and Family
1. Do not watch TV for a week.
2. Go camping…real camping in a tent!
3. Get family photos done.
4. Have a weekly game night.
5. Go a week without using the computer at home to do work or check e-mail.
6. Do not play computer games for one month.
7. Each month send a card or care package to each of the kids, for 12 months.
8. Have a dinner party once a month for 6 months.
9. Stay at the Wig Wam motel.
10. Go canoeing.
11. Visit one of Steve’s sibs.
12. Visit one of my sibs.
13. Go to an event of a niece or nephew (graduation, play, dance recital, soccer game).
14. Call a friend 5 days a week for one month.
15. Have a girl’s day with my daughter and daughter-in-law(s). (DONE)
16. Go with Steve to a marathon in another country.
(74 total)

Charity
1. Do something nice for a stranger anonymously. (DONE)
2. Do something nice for someone in my family anonymously. (DONE)
3. Purge and donate 101 items to St. Vincent DePaul, Goodwill, etc. (DONE)
4. Pay for someone’s coffee or tea anonymously at Starbuck’s or another coffee shop. (DONE)
5. Do a service ministry. (DONE)
(79 total)

Home
1. Cook at home 7 times a week for 1 month.
2. Try one new recipe a month for a year.
3. Make a will.
4. Clean a closet once a month for one year.
5. Make a sweet dessert only once a week for 6 months.
6. Paint the front hallway.
7. Work with Steve in the yard, every other week during one consecutive spring, summer, and fall.
8. Talk to a neighbor once a week for 6 months.
9. Sort and purge PhD stuff. (DONE)
10. Sort and purge magazines every 3 months. In progress
(89 total)

Spiritual
1. Try a new style of prayer.
2. Go on a retreat.
3. Add to my spiritual log once a month.
4. Say a rosary every day for 6 months.
5. Offer up an act of sacrifice one a week, for the intention of someone I love.
6. Say a prayer before the start of every meeting at work. In progress
7. Go to 2 FOP’s a semester while Emily is at Franciscan.
8. Go to a daily mass 101 times.
9. Coordinate a spiritual book group.
(98 total)

Finishing Up
1. Write a thank you e-mail to the person whose blog suggested this. (DONE)
2. Put $1 into a box for every item I cross off and then do something fun with it at the end of 1001 days. In progress
3. For every item on the list not completed at the end of the 1001, donate $1 to charity.

Have I mentioned...

...that I love my job?

Yes, I do. It's been along time since I've been able to say this, but I would do this job for free. Love, love, love working at a community health center.

Why? you ask (yes, I heard you). Because it is NOT work, it is really a ministry. Are my patients aggravating? Yup, sometimes...just like me. Are they needy? Yup, sometimes...just like me. Are they crabby and unreasonable? Yup, sometimes...just like Steve.

But, they are wonderful, varied, beautiful human beings. Sometimes smelly, often unintelligible (do to my lack of ability to speak Spanish, Russian, Bosnian, Croatian, Burmese, and southern) and many times with a bit of a chip on the shoulder. But, one look in most patient's eyes is enough. They want someone to care about them. To make them feel that their well being is important, that they have been listened to, and to recognize them as individuals, not just an invisible member of the lowest class. They are smart and funny. They are beautiful chubby babies and onery toddlers, tired parents and weary elders. They are men who have lost their hourly wage job and are ashamed of not being able to support the family. They are women who run the family and make it look easy. Parents who worry about their children, and children who are worried about their aging parents.

What do they have in common? For the most part: not much money and a health care system that doesn't have a place for them.

I love working to solve the puzzle of what is wrong with someone. To hear "you do that just like _______ (fill in the name of a doctor or practitoner that I respect) And best of all, those rare occasions when someone returns and says "You made me better."

How can you not love a job like this?

6 Months?

The view from my seat has been...a blur. I wonder how life can be so busy that 6 months has passed since I last posted here.

This is the time that I thought my life would be so much simpler...no little ones in diapers. No kids involved in soccer, baseball, gymnastics...no living in the car. No teens learning how to drive. No staying up until 2 hours past curfew waiting for someone to arrive home...unrepentant.

I think that answer maybe similar to the answer to that age old question - what is financially comfortable? For the financial question the answer has always been "someone who makes just a bit more than I currently do". Yes...what is considered a NEED grows in accord with income, leaving most folk looking ahead to whatever the next salary level is. Surely, that will be the income that will feel "comfortable". Comfortable defined as "able to have whatever I think I need without having to wrestle with delayed gratification.

In the case of my current question, "When will life not seem so busy?" I have arrived at the conclusion that my here-to-fore answer of "when my family gets past _______ stage" is inherently wrong. Just as with balancing the household budget, balancing my calendar/schedule is NOT wishing for the next seemingly better phase. It is a matter of choosing to step off the race track and consciously adopt a life that affords what I see as important.

For me, quiet time is important. Time alone, to read, sew or pray. But when I am on the day-to-day treadmill, not attending to consciousness, I do not make the choices that I need to in order to have that time. It's not my life that needs to change - it is my attention!

Perhaps that should have been my New Year's resolution. To be attentive. Not to late to make a new resolution, is it? Unfortunately - I think I may have more success with the original 2010 resolution: "Eat more chocolate".