Sunday stretches ahead of me with nothing planned that I have to do but enjoy it. I love Sundays that are followed by Mondays off. I finished reading Seabiscuit this morning and burst into tears, the first time I’ve sobbed in I can’t remember when. You know, I don’t even like the idea of horse racing when I get to thinking about it, but I’m a fool for the underdog (or underhorse, in this case) and Seabiscuit was a supreme example. He ended his life happily on his lifelong owner’s farm and was buried in a secret place in the woods there with an oak planted on him. His underdog jockey and trainer ended their lives in obscurity and hard times, however. Life is never all a Hollywood movie.

Deep Thought: I bet it was pretty hard to pick up girls if you had the Black Death.

Thanks everybody for the encouraging words.

It was hot in Portland today. Up to about 90 and humid. This morning I watered the front yard and went to the gym for my workout. Plus worked on the paint around my bedroom window that the sloppy painters did when they painted my house. Whew, paint remover fumes. Went for a midday walk with my neighbor before it got too hot. Then I went to the Jiffy Lube for an oil change to keep my little Toyota happy. Stopped at the grocery and video stores. Helped my neighbor fix her computer. Cleaned my kitchen and did a laundry (which I just remembered has to come out of the dryer). Then it got to 90 or so and the cats and I all collapsed. Slept badly last night so I expect the heat will do it again tonight. Hope you all had a good day. I’m actually feeling real peaceful.

Deep Thought: It’s fascinating to think that all around us there’s an invisible world we can’t even see. I’m speaking, of course, of the World of the Invisible Scary Skeletons.

Well, I must say I almost bagged doing this Xanga thing yesterday. There was a comment from someone that was so full of hate and ugliness that I thought, how typical, every time you turn around in this life, there’s some really sick person standing there. I’m already practically a hermit in my private life, and this is one of the main reasons why.

So I immediately deleted the post and unfortunately didn’t notice the block the user link until too late. So I think I’ll compromise and just wait awhile to post again.

I’m such a self-help book freak, I was doing this assignment from one recently to think about people you know, famous or not, living or dead, who seem to be people with rich souls. What qualities did I see in them that I would like to nourish in my own life?
Well, let me tell you I got absolutely stuck on this because I realized after deep thinking about it that such a person would have to be someone I could imagine being friends with and not being bored or intimidated. They would need to be both kind and daring. It took me some weeks, but here they are (I’ll add photos later):
1. My mother – for her great love of children (she was a children’s librarian and an astonishing grandmother), her far left political passion to right the wrongs of the world, her general instinct for nurturing, and her love of nature.
2. Susan Sarandon – For her political integrity, her ability to be with a handsome younger man and make him look lucky, and her balancing of family and a fine career.
3. Aaron Feuerstein – Stumbled upon this man by chance from a TV program about him. This is a wealthy businessman who, when the chips were down in his business, chose to pay his employees out of his own pocket and kept them on through a crisis – for his moral integrity, his simple lifestyle in spite of his wealth, and his love of poetry.  Read about him here:  http://www.opi-inc.com/malden.htm
4. Bob Dylan – Hero of my youth, for his escape from Hibbing, Minnesota into a world he fashioned himself with only his small size and huge talent, for giving the world something to think about in turbulent times, and for keeping his private life private.
5. Martin Sheen – Not especially a fan of his films or TV roles, but having seen him interviewed learned of his passion for his country and his family, his humor, his intelligence, and his compassion. He lights up a room.

Interesting note:  Every last one of these is a political activitist, while I would do almost anything to avoid confrontation.

So does anyone else have a rich soul to propose?

Deep Thought:  If they have moving sidewalks in the future, when you get on them, I think you should have to assume sort of a walking shape so as not to frighten the dogs.

The Four Stages of Life

1. You believe in Santa Claus.

2. You don’t believe in Santa Claus.

3. You are Santa Claus.

4. You look like Santa Claus

____________________

 Deep Thought:  Too bad Lassie didn’t know how to ice skate, because then if she was in Holland on vacation in winter and someone said “Lassie, go skate for help,” she could do it.

Don’t you wish some days you could just go back in time to the pure little soul you once were, the essence of yourself, and rest there for a little while?

Deep Thought:  I have to laugh when I think of the first cigar, because it was probably just a bunch of rolled-up tobacco leaves.

Well, this has been quite a stellar past week. I got a new Recovery sponsor and signed up for a counseling group with 8 Recovering women to start in September. I went to the movies and dinner with a new woman friend from my Tuesday night women’s circle. I started the process to sign up for a Photography Darkroom class at the local community college in October, and I signed up with Curves for Women gym today and did my first half hour workout. I also met a man at Senior Friendfinder and made a dinner date for a week from Sunday. Don’t know what happened to me – must have gotten my 64th wind.

Deep Thought: Instead of studying for finals, what about just going to the Bahamas and catching some rays? Maybe you’ll flunk, but you might have flunked anyway; that’s my point.

Wrote this in Oakland, California 40 years ago and still feel this way most days.

Deep Thought: I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, Yahoo!, I’d have all my money back.

Like the First Morning

This is my life story that I started writing about 10 years ago actually. My intent was to write a chapter for each 5-year period with the first chapter being kind of setting the background.

I wanted to do this partly because my own parents didn’t leave their history for me, partly because I enjoy keeping my writing chops up, and partly because it will help me center myself to prepare for old age.

The title occurred to me one morning when I found the song it comes from running through my mind as I looked at a sunrise.

Deep Thought:
Somebody told me how frightening it was how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around the campfire and nobody got scared.