A Clean, Fresh Slate Again

Here we are, starting the “ber” months. Debates about Pumpkin Spice will flood the airways, and I will love getting out my hoodies, sweatshirts, and jeans. It’s meant to be! I love living where there are seasons. Sure, it gets too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Since it’s all I know, I’m not sure what it would be like to be one season all twelve months.

Weather balance is a good way to describe it. Being retired, we don’t have to go anywhere. It can snow all it wants. I remember the days when if we didn’t get to work, we didn’t get paid or had to take a vacation day. Dad gave us the example of never missing work unless you were very sick.

In another re-start on my Keto journey, I’m making a “resolution” for September. 30 days should give me a jumpstart since I’ve been at a plateau for more than six months. Time to get real.

No added sugar.

No alcohol.

No bread.

Eat lots of veggies.

Eat a reasonable amount of fruit.

Lots of protein.

To focus on my personal mission of helping Veterans and to support our Police Officers, I vow to do this every day:

22 Wall Push Ups

Bike 22 minutes a day

Do 71 squats a day to remind myself of the Veterans who die by suicide every day. The total for 30 days will be about 2200 for the month.

By committing to these things, I’m reminded of the commitment made by our military and our first responders. My 69 year old knees, back, legs and hips will benefit from the activity, and my mind will become more focused and creative. And the thing of it is, I’m stating it to the public. To all of you. To my friends and readers. We’ll have to check in on my progress. Thanks in advance for keeping me on track. Let’s do this!

Join me. It’ll be fun. Think outside of yourself. Help others. You’ll feel better for it. I’m off to do my biking. Taking Mom to the doctor later. Hope you have a beautiful day today. Let’s see each other tomorrow. Thank you.

After the Meltdown

I’m back to being myself after venting yesterday about changes to the color of our credit/debit/ATM Card. Was I ranting like an old lady? I didn’t think so. We all have times when something just ticks us off. I’m letting you see that in me. And I remind you we all do this some times. Some people go way too far. and bring in things (like race, or education) and place blame, etc. They lose focus on what the problem is, and they attack. Hatred takes over. It gets ugly. Glad I didn’t let it. 

I’m glad I didn’t go there in this situation. The young man at the teller’s counter name was Mohammed. It’s true. In my writer’s mind, I saw a whole other scene there. It took an ugly turn. So it is living with a creative kind of mind. Author friends? Do you do this? Am I normal? I think I’ll make notes about what ran through my mind. It may be in a future book. It was pretty vivid. Stay tuned, kids!

The other thing at the bank yesterday is I noticed some pretty wall art around the offices with glass doors. There was a kids’ room for play, they had poured paint designs with the same colors. They were placed randomly with different sizes all over. I love noticing new and different things. How about you? It’s part of the creative art of attention. Julia Cameron wrote about that in “The Listening Path.” I am still making my way through her three books, along with one about personality changing. My brain is busy these days.

Police Week Challenge Coin. A gift for our neighbor.

Sorry, couldn’t decrease size of this comparison, front and back, of a Police Week Challenge Coin. I saw it advertised and bought it for our neighbor. She is an officer in Omaha, and in a rough part of town. She is very respectful of everyone, she is tough but fair. Her husband is a probation officer (Federal) and they have three children. The kids are great. I learned all I need to know about them the day they moved in. The oldest teenage daughter was out mowing the grass. It’s a huge yard. With kids who will do things like that, they have been raised well. Respect is high on their agenda. It’s what the world needs now. We appreciate you Rosa. And salute you!

It’s a sad day in Omaha, Nebraska today. It’s the anniversary of the death of Officer Kerrie Orosco. She was killed in the line of duty just before going on maternity leave to care for her young baby. It was brutal. It shook me to my core. Watching the funeral on television was so sad. Her murder was two days before my birthday. So here we are today, remembering a young woman who did not deserve to die while serving a felony warrant. She deserved to go home to her preemie baby who was finally released from the hospital.

The Babe and I were in DC during Police Week the year Kerrie’s name was added to the Police Memorial. We were not able to go to any ceremonies. We found out too late the time, and it would have taken too long to drive to the location. We saw evidence of many officers returning home after the ceremonies at the airport. One man, wearing a polo with a badge embroideried on it, was deep in thought. I walked over to him and thanked him for his service and for being present for the ceremonies. I mentioned Kerrie as a hometown hero. He stood and thanked me. I told him I could see in his face how difficult the week had been. He agreed. And he went home to Chicago. It was a moment, for sure. I still pray for his safety.

As we continue our days, remember the families of fallen police officers and families of Veterans who do not return home. They all have a loss they can never replace. It hurts. Endlessly. Be Respectful to each other out there. Be Safe. Be Kind. Thank an officer today. And think about them, wishing them well. They need it.Thank you for reading, and we’ll see each other again tomorrow.

Prayers for her family today.