TO DO or...NOT?

   

 How are you handling this unprecedented coronavirus "stay at home" order?  I suppose many retirees are already accustomed to staying home so it is not a huge deal.  However, other senior citizens who are normally active with volunteer gigs and group involvement are probably adapting by pursuing their hobbies, i.e. gardening, card making, painting, etc. or working on neglected household projects.   What about those folks who are now adjusting to working from home?  Are you able to stay focused?  And, those who have temporarily (I hope) been laid off?  How are you balancing the newly discovered leisure time while exploring available government programs and job-seeking?     Is everyone still making 'To-Do' lists?

       Many experts believe the 'To-Do' list is one of the most effective productivity tools around.  In my opinion, it also a good way to add structure to your life during these trying times.  A 'good' list is one that produces results and ultimately achieves your short and long term goals.  The catch here is first you need to have specific goals and decide the time frame you want to accomplish them.  Full disclosure: I have been writing and checking things off my to-do lists since I was a child. Honest!

      So let's take a look at the process.  If you are retired you have more leeway with the timing of projects than those working or seeking employment but it still helps to discipline yourself by setting stages to make things happen.  If you are working, your boss or institution sets broad-range goals and deadlines.  You just have to break them down into tasks that need to be accomplished each day.  I imagine adopting this concept is harder for people who have the job of finding ways to survive while they are in limbo, through no fault of your own.  I promise you it can be done. 

    Try making this a three-step process.  First, write down your most important goals on a piece of paper and prioritize them (1, 2, 3, etc.). For example, if you are out of work, most likely your number 1 priority right now would probably be 'Get Financial Assistance.'  Another might be "Find a Temporary Job.'  After you have your goals in place, start thinking about all the ways you can reach them.  On another piece of paper, jot down everything you can think of that you can do to accomplish these goals.  Be creative AND be sure you put the goal number beside it.  Next, put the tasks, such as 'apply for unemployment,' by priority into specific timeframes for a full week, i.e. Monday, Tuesday, etc.  Include dates.  Each day, try to accomplish everything you can by focusing on the things you designated as the most important.  Be sure you check off the ones you complete. Trust me, it is rewarding to make this small gesture.  Did I mention all your daily lists should be done in pencil?  Why?  Stuff happens.  Sometimes, you will not get to everything so you will need to move it to the top of the next day's list. 

     For this to work for you, it needs to become a daily tool.  It will help you manage your time and become more productive.  The reality is, it will put you in charge of your life when so many other events are out of your control.  Positive things will begin to happen.  Try it.  You'll like it.

COVID CARTWHEELS, ANYONE?

   

All of a sudden, I'm being told I can't do things I have been doing all my life.  Gym and yoga classes? Nope.  Church?  Nope.  Library? No, ma'am!  Movie? Nada.  School?  Forget about it.  Grandkids' flag football and soccer games? Canceled! The list of no-nos goes on and on.  

Okay, I understand, it's all for the good of man and womankind for all of us to keep our filthy paws and breath to ourselves.  Run for your life if someone should cough or sneeze!  It's all good to control and, with luck, stop a pandemic.

But...can you hear my inner control freak alter ego screaming?   Here's the deal.  I just plain do not like to be told what I can and cannot do.  I'm not sure, but this trait probably stems from my early childhood.  I think I may have been seen as the "rebellious one."  Whatever.  The bottom line is this whole coronavirus thing is cramping my style.  So, you know what, I will just show it who is the boss of me.

Tomorrow I plan to get outside to mow the yard.  After that, I plan to measure each blade daily to see how much it has grown.  More on that in a future blog.  I planted some tomato plants in a raised bed. What do you think?  Should I video their progress? Weeding is a huge optional outdoor activity.  Trust me the weeds do not have the coronavirus.  They are alive and flourishing.  

No coronavirus is going to ruin my days. Just for fun,  I ordered groceries online for the first time ever yesterday.  As a test, I threw a couple bottles of wine in the mix.  Three hours later they were delivered to my door.  An added bonus was the delivery lady asked me for my ID to make sure I was old enough to purchase wine.  I love it when that happens! 

By golly, I may be taking control again.  My acupuncturist son Craig says the best way to keep this Covid meany away is to ramp up your immunities.  This means eating right...green, red & yellow fruits and veggies, fish, citrus, etc.  Basically, stock up on vitamin c, selenium, zinc, etc.  He actually gave me some herbs and zinc capsules to take as a preventative.  Take that Covid-19! 


"They," say exercise helps build your immunities too.  So, in addition to walking the" hood," I'm thinking about trying cartwheels.  Does anybody out there know how you do those?  I'm 72.  This is a perfect time to learn new things, right?

What about you folks who have lost your jobs for the next few months? Besides turning off the TV and limiting your googling activity, what are you doing to get back some control of your life?  And parents, what are you doing to manage the children while they are out of school 24/7?  I would love to hear.  God knows we could all use some positive suggestions.


     

DO YOU EVER WONDER ABOUT THE HOMELESS?

        Back when I was still working a 9 to 5 job, I became more and more aware of the "street people" as I drove to and from my office.  I observed their ragged and often downtrodden appearance.  Some had nothing but the clothes on their back  Many carried all their belongings in a plastic bag, tattered back pack or, in some cases, a borrowed shopping cart.   One morning I was especially touched by a man dressed in Army fatigues standing on a corner.  He raised his fist in the air and yelled at the street light.  This vision haunted me.  It still does.

       I began volunteering at churches and organizations that serve the homeless.  Through these contacts and research over the years, I gained a better understanding of the circumstances that can lead to homelessness.  There does not seem to be a no cookie cutter path to this plight.  Some have found themselves in this position by their own doing and poor decisions,  Mental illness and drug or alcohol addiction are often leading causes.   However, others are victims of  this complicated world we live in.  The Veteran's Administration estimated there were 40,000 homeless veterans in 2016.  Some take advantage of community shelters but the large majority are what is referred to as the "unsheltered" homeless.  These people often live in places you and I would consider not fit for human habitation. 
            
           This realization coupled with the memory of the man on the street corner I mentioned above motivated me to spend  hours at my computer creating "Don't Walk."  It is a  tale of homeless Iraqi war veteran George Becker.  George encounters a mix of brutality and kindness as he fights to get his life back and overcome post traumatic stress disorder.  Although it is fiction, much of the book reflects the homelessness experience.  I invite you to read George's story.  It is available on Amazon as a Kindle book at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078RDQ3D1 and as a paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1976791901.

      


     

EDELWEISS, EDELWEISS

           

Every morning you greet me

Small and white, clean and bright

You look happy to meet me

Blossom of snow may

you bloom and grow

Bloom and grow forever

Edelweiss, Edelweiss

 Bless my homeland forever
 

                         

You may recognize the words of the song written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for their musical The Sound of Music.  It is in reference to this unique flower, which grows on steep and dangerous mountains and is the national flower of Switzerland and Austria.  To many, it signifies deep love and devotion.  Men have been known to face treacherous mountain climbs just to pluck one for their beloved.  As legion has it, a woman who receives an edelweiss bloom from a man she is assured of his deep love for her.  For my 70th birthday, we decided to go see the Alps and, just maybe, an edelweiss up close by taking a 9-day tour of Switzerland and parts of Italy.  What an experience!

    The first leg on this journey began with an hour flight from Tallahassee to Atlanta and then another ten hours on Delta from Atlanta to Zurich.  This was tough but we bucked up, put our ear buds in, listened to music, watched videos, partook of the "free" food and beverages, and attempted to slip in a nap here and there. 

Zurich

     The first day and night were in Zurich.  Although we were tired from the travel, we were invigorated by making new friends. They came from all over the world and ranged in age from 8 to 78.  Seeing the audacious scenery, the cleanliness of the cities, and experiencing a variety of cultures that first afternoon was a great kick-off to our new adventure.   As we rode in the tour coach  through the Zurich City Centre, Ron whispered to me, "Toto, we are definitely not in Kansas anymore." 

Charlie Chaplain character

Lake Geneva

      Day 2 took us to Bern where we took a short cruise on Lake Geneva before we visited the Charlie Chaplin Museum and Mansion.


It was fun seeing vignette's of  the comedian's black and white films and characters from our youth.  The day ended with a peaceful night in Lausanne.

Castle Chillon

Mountainside vineyard

 















On Day 3, we traveled to Zermatt for 2 nights. On the way, we toured the Castle Chillon
and lunched at the local Lavaux vineyards.



 Sunrise on the Matterhorn

 Matterhorn view from the Cable Car

     












      The next day our group road gondolas and cable cars up the Alps for an amazing view of the steep Matterhorn which was once considered by climbers as the unconquerable King of the Alps.  In 1865, the top of the Matterhorn was successfully scaled for the first time by a seven-man rope team led by a British climber named Edward Whymper.  Unfortunately, the descent proved to be even more treacherous than the climb up and four of the men fell to their death.  Today, more than 2,000 people per year attempt to reach the top.  An average of 3-4 of those never make it back down.  It is beautiful but I think this adventure will not be included on my bucket list. 

     Our inner children came out when we were in Zermatt so we slid in the snow on inner tube skis.
 

 

Isola Bella palace

     Day 5  We traveled to Baveno, Italy for a cruise on Lake Maggiore to an island to tour the Isola Bella Palace.

Lake Maggiore island with Isola Bella Palace

     Day 6  We caught the Bernina Line train in Tirano, Italy and traveled up the mountain to the Pontresina station in St. Moritz, Switzerland.  We were awestruck by the views  from the train.

Cable car descending from top of Stanserhorn

Day 7  We traveled to Lucerne and boarded an old
 timer train in Stans to get halfway up the

View from the top of the Stanserhorn Mountain

 

Stanserhorn mountain and then switched to riding a recently installed open-air Cabrio Cable Car to reach the top. The views were magnificent! In the evening, we were entertained by a local group performing a Swiss Folklore Show during  a multi-course dinner which included fondue as the starter.  Audience participation was required.  Doing the chicken dance was a blast!  We all sang Edelweiss like it was our native song.  

     Day 8  We enjoyed some free time in Lucerne which we used to check out the local shops and searched for souvenirs.  We had to spend all our Swiss Francs, you know. We relaxed at a grassy park for lunch and watched the local paragliders

Paraglider in Lucerne

soar through the sky in tandem with many tourists.  

Ron enjoys the fancy farewell dessert.

        A farewell dinner with our new found friends, tour director, and coach driver wrapped up our tour that evening.  Some of our fellow travelers had plans to extend their trip to other countries and adventures.  We were sad to leave everyone and beautiful Switzerland but, for better or worse, there is no place like home and getting back to family. 

      By the way, in case you are wondering, we never saw an edelweiss flower.  I guess you have to hike instead of ride up the mountains to see one.  Maybe next time.  We did see many, many beautiful wild flowers everywhere we went and all the houses and hotels were adorned with window boxes full of multi-colored geraniums and other flowers.

 





 

    

 

 



    

          

 

CIRCLE THE WAGONS!

     

        Reds here.  Blues, you circle around back.  Greens, you're in the garden.  Purples, aka all others, find somewhere to be.  Somethings coming.  We have to hunker down in our camps. 

      Uh-Oh. Holidays are almost here.  No problem, we'll mix it up, and follow Peanuts' character Linus' advice in the 1966 It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  He said, "There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people...religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin." 

     Can't really speak to the Great Pumpkin issue but I'm thinking the politics rule has been blown to smithereens in the past eighteen months.    

      Conversations with people who agree with us, even if it is  in whispers, are easy.  We don't want to offend anyone, right?  But, be honest, when is the last time you had a one on one, face to face discussion about your political views with a friend or family member with an opposing view?  Now some folks post comments, links, or art work that reflects their view on  social media...Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, etc..  Many of these posts border on being downright nasty at worst or just plain ole disrespectful to a  "friend" with an opposing view.  Guess this is the new way and okay for some.  I wonder---there sure is a whole lot of blocking, defriending and opting out going on.  

     You would think since the election is over, the social media wars and protests would settle down.  After all, what's done is done. The politicians are giving  unification speeches out of the yin yang.  It's not working. Maybe unification happens one person at a time, not one politician at a time. Wouldn't working together to find some common ground be better than circling our wagons and shooting barbs at one another?  I believe love of family and friends will prevail but only if we demonstrate respect for one another, including on social media.   

      It would be very epic to see a train of all the colors circling together.  Perhaps Bruce Springsteen envisioned the same thing when he wrote the lyrics to "Land of Hope and Dreams."  Below is an excerpt from his song.  Peace be with you.

This train
Carries saints and sinners

This train
Carries losers and winners
This train
Carries lost souls
This train
Dreams will not be thwarted
This train
Bells of freedom ringin'
This train
Carries broken-hearted
This train
Thieves and sweet souls departed
This train
Carries fools and kings
This train
ALL ABOARD