The Truth and Nothing But the Truth

Cartoon character Garfield is quoted as saying; “The truth shall set you free but first it will make you miserable.” I would modify that to say, “YOUR truth shall set you free but first it will make you miserable.” Yes, I’ve been miserable by my truth; my first marriage was never a good one, I lied to myself about everything and was not one to raise my voice and say, “This isn’t right.” I went along to get along. People were shocked when the Ken and Barbie of the neighborhood split up.

Denial is powerful, especially when your world is small. You may have few new friends, your friends are family, if you don’t have a job or career. You live in an old neighborhood, with retired folks who are your friends. I would see how unhappy their lives were. They complained about their spouses, living or dead. Is this what life is? I couldn’t believe it. I was so unhappy, I rarely smiled. “This can’t be right,” I thought.

Yes, the Babe and I are far from perfect. But we are perfect for each other. We are blunt but not hurtful with each other when things aren’t going well. Yes, the truth hurts sometimes. We check ourselves and learn from the kerfuffles of living with another human. Isn’t kerfuffle a great word? I heard Judge Judy say it, It just isn’t used that much. It’s a commotion or fuss, especially by conflicting views.

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Humans often want their own way. I find myself tamping down disagreement; not to “go along to get along,” but to check my ego and realize two people live here, and we both should be able to decorate, garden, whatever we want to do. My truth now is pick my battles. The Babe does the same. It’s called being a grownup. It’s also what you do when you love someone. It’s part of being a couple. Equality in marriage is possible, and it’s wonderful. It’s now part of my truth. And the Babe’s.

If you embrace the truth you find a way to deal with whatever problems are around you. You have to make decisions that may hurt. Change and growth do indeed hurt. Rejecting the old truth for the new real truths creates room for growth. It’s scary and exciting at the same time. The insights you gain help you dissect your current life and learn the skills to make the hard choices. With choice you begin to have a voice. We talked about Choices and Voices this week if you missed it.

Don’t get me wrong; I had to experience life as it was for me in order to learn and grow to where I am now. My soul is satisfied with life. I loved the part of my life when I was a Mom. My kids were the best job I ever had. They grew and left! No one told me what life would be like without them. I also knew I couldn’t keep them from having their own lives. Letting go of them was painful. And now, I’m learning how to fill that void. Writing has opened my eyes and given me a clear direction of how I hope to spend my next thirty years or so. Lord willing, of course!

It’s a warm but very windy day today. The Babe and I are both working on projects today. I love it when we’re both here, doing our own thing. He often comes in my office studio and announces, “Break time.” We both stop, sit down and have some water or other beverage, and talk. I enjoy that so much. Sometimes the break lasts all afternoon, but that’s OK. Whatever we’re doing, it’ll still be there tomorrow. I’m hoping it’s less windy downstairs on the patio. I can listen to the rest of my Kid Lit training. Then Cartney McGuigan (my illustrator), and I will conquer the Kid Lit World! We meet again in a few weeks, so I have some work to do – after I learn what to do! Busy and productive is always good!

BTW, Happy Birthday to Cartney! She turned 18 this week, and the world is now before her. She has a sound plan to begin. I’m excited for her. This young woman is considering all of the possibilities before her and planning how to get there. This is how life should be approached, my friends.

Thank you for reading today. You know how I appreciate it. Have a beautiful spring-like day today. Hope you’re not dealing with the wind, too! It’s brutal. Our new flag is snapping in the wind. What a great sound, though. The sound of our freedom. God Bless America, and all of us! See you tomorrow!

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday, I wrote about venturing out for the first time. Or rather, the anticipation of going out for the first time. If you’d like to read it, check yesterday’s post, Woo-Hoo Wednesday. We all felt very strange going somewhere to dine again, and to especially see our friends after two months.

I spoke with a lady who reiterated what I felt yesterday. She mentioned feeling safe because we all know each other. I wholeheartedly agreed. It was wonderful to be out. To be among friends. To feel safe while relaxing some aspects of social distancing. The Post strictly adhered to the guidelines the Health Department insisted be followed for reopening. People understood. People were kind to each other. As I reflect back on it today, I am thinking of those who did not come out. They were not convinced they should be out yet. And that’s ok. We took a risk, and it was a good one.

It did our hearts good. Sharing a meal with friends who are like family is almost a sacred act. I can only imagine the joy we’ll feel when we are able to be with our grandkids again. Hugs for all! We all miss those the most. Yes, it felt like forever since we were able to gather. We tried to catch up on the news from each other. We had a limit of six to a table, and had to rotate in and out to not break the rules. It was so worth it. Some men hadn’t shaved for awhile. Some women needed haircuts. None of that mattered, we were just glad to be out.

All that said, I can’t say I have a desire to get on a plane, drive to Colorado (really hard to not go, with a new grandson and all!), go shopping in a crowded place, or attend a outdoor concert yet. I don’t feel we’re safe enough to do that yet. We may not be for a long time. Yes, warm to hot weather is going to make the virus unable to make us ill, but traces will still be around. It will be round two in a few months with a double punch from Coronavirus and the flu. Lucky us. We’re going to be doing this for a long time, folks. We can do baby steps getting out again. In time we will be more secure about it. Just pick a place you know you’ll feel safe. And go, when they’re open. And you will experience joy at being with your friends again. A reward for staying home these past two months, that we were all present. It will happen for all of us soon. Enjoy the experience. Savor your people.

I may have lost 3K words from my book while editing with Pro Writing Aid. Not sure if the word counter had a hiccup or anything, I don’t see where they are missing. It may take awhile to locate the gaps. There are some chapters that need more work, and I’d still like to reach 50K words or more. Lots of loose ends to tie up, and relationships to mend (those that can be mended). Hoping I can find them sooner rather than later. It will work out, things always do!

Ancient Chinese Proverbs May Be The Best

Thank you for reading today, I appreciate you taking the time to do so. Hope to see you again tomorrow. I’ll be here! Stay safe! Wash hands, Be Kind, Call a Friend Today!

Woo-Hoo Wednesday!

May 6, 2020 – Today is a monumental day for us. Our VFW Post used to have Food Night every Wednesday. We’ve been going for several years. They have not been open since just before St. Patrick’s Day. This is due to Coronavirus, and has been a good decision. The Governor of the State of Nebraska has reduced restrictions and okayed openings with caveats. As a bar serving food, they have decided to open and test the waters. We’ll see if folks are willing to venture out tonight or not. We’re not expecting a huge crowd, and think it will be manageable.

Yes, people are concerned. Nationally, the gambit runs between panic at going out and mob protests about “rights being violated by being quarantined.” People, please! Your rights do not supercede mine to stay well. Think further than yourselves! Don’t be selfish. We need to look at the greater good here.

Yes, most of our people are retired. That doesn’t make us less important to the world than those who are younger. Those of us who are venturing out do so cautiously. We feel safe since we know the premises will be cleaned and sanitized. The rules are being followed. We know our close friends have been careful because folks our age need to be. We all want to be able to see our grandkids when this is all over. We didn’t reach this age by being stupid! Will I go to a restaurant for dine-in? Unless it was where my son works, no. I know how clean his employer keeps the place. I’m not ready to get into the mainstream general public yet.

I do believe there will be many more cases of COVID-19 diagnosed. The Babe and I are on the list the Governor requested we register on. We had no symptoms all through this ordeal. We receive check-backs from the state asking if we’re still ok. If we are not, we will be monitored and only if they think we need testing will we receive testing. That’s how it should be. If you are well, there is no need to test you. I think there may be misinformation about testing. Just because I want a test doesn’t mean I will be tested. I can only be tested if I develop symptoms. I don’t think some people understand this concept and this is where the public needs to be educated by facts and information, not led by emotion and rumors. Please. Let’s be sensible as we venture out.

While we are looking forward to seeing our friends again, I’m going to say there was a frantic moment yesterday while I was using Pro Writing Aid to edit my book. The software highlights errors like spelling, tense, offers more interesting word substitutions and the like. Well, as I got to the end, I became aware an entire chapter disappeared. Panic set in. Luckily, I had a copy in Google Docs so I copied the chapter and inserted it where it was supposed to be. I’ll run it through Pro Writing Aid one more time, then set to work to see if anything isle disappeared. Pray a rosary for me today, ok?

Since it’s a little weird today, I’m just going to pin a quilt or two before settling in to read for a little while. It will all be ok, for sure. I have faith in the universe and God that it will be ok. Not going to get too excited about anything. Except for seeing our friends again. That is worth venturing out. Thanks for reading today. I appreciate your support very much. Hope to see you tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it was to be out in a very controlled with environment with our friends. See you then! Be well!

Grocery Shopping During a Pandemic