Seeking Past Delights

Recently I had a good portion of time off, I had hoped to rekindle and reconnect some old friendships. I managed to meet with one friend after over a year of non-contact, we had a great time, and have vowed to meet monthly for coffee and chat, maybe even inexpensive lunch and chat. We found ourselves at the same place we had left off, like a well-loved book that we could pick up and read again and again. I managed to also get a couple phone chats in with other friends and we made plans to meet in the Fall, when their busy summer lives slow down. Another friend I managed to chat online with, her daughter is soon to be married and she has showers to attend and preparations to complete for the blessed event. A former co-worker from my last job and I have made plans to meet in August for Thai lunch and conversation. I love hearing of his young family and the adventures they have experienced. As a father of three, he leads a busy life as does his wife. I am grateful to have stayed connected with so many and cannot begin to recount the many ways they have enhanced my life.

Lately I have longed for some of the happiness found in the past in my childhood. I reminisce about games we used to play, board games especially. There was also a time as a single young woman I played cards with my upstairs landlord/maintenance man and his wife, Jack and Linda Ray. We played Pitch and Poker, had snacks and even drank some beers and wine. It was great to have two people right in the building that were fun to get together with and just comfortably chat and enjoy one another's company.Linda developed cancer and became very ill, they moved away many years ago with their young daughter Andrea. Many times I have wished to re-connect with any of them, it would be nice to see what has occurred in all their lives. Until fall of 2008, I played cards about once per month with a group of people from two jobs ago. It was much fun, despite one person who was a genuine PITA, but everyone deserves chances, so we kept her in our group and she was okay much of the time.

Lots of my fun times go back to even school days,elementary, high , and college days. My friend Debbie and I met at college, and we formed a bond and had great times out on Friday nights. She now lives in Minnesota and I have recently checked in with me online and we share a bit of conversation on Facebook. I am thankful that social networking has kept me connected with many people I have met throughout my life from my days in kindergarten, and right up to the present.People I graduated from high school with have reconnected online, and its a blessing in so many ways. High school was a rough ride for me, grade wise I did well, graduated 11th or 13th out of a class of approximately 100. Not too shabby. The teen years were not my fondest times, as an overweight teen girl with acne and a relentless amount of teasing from one male in particular, I would not go back through those years for anything. In fact, my 40th reunion in 2013 was not one I attended.

PTSD from those days kept me from going to this event, I regret that now. I realize the past is what is is THE PAST. I am a strong and resilient woman, and should not let one fragment of the past color my present or my future. I can only hope my work hours can be flexible enough for me to attend the 45th reunion in 2018. I would not miss the next one. A couple of my former classmates seemed to not remember what I went through, but that was then and this is now.

I look forward to the times I can continue to re-connect with my buddies from the past, some long ago past people as well as recent friends. I will take every opportunity I can to meet with those important to and for me, there really is no excuse not to find time for people. We all lead busy lives, and can manage to squeeze in a little time here and there for one another. Especially I think I need and want to do this because one never knows what life may bring us and when we might move on to other horizons, either in life or beyond life. I do not want to say I wish I had, I would rather say I am glad I did. As the old saying goes, if you want someone in your life you can always make a little time for them. One of my long standing friends is in Myrtle Beach this week with grandkids helping with Little League trip down there, and we will meet after her return the first week in August. My other dear friend from my work days at HPC, is busy with grand kids and great grand kids this summer, and when school begins again, we can meet and have one of our long lunches, once again, opening our book to that same page we left off on.

Some past delights cannot ever be re-established, due to many circumstances. Many things are fond memories, and we tend to remember the very best and the very worst of times, it is the in-between times I find to be hazy in my recollection process. I also know that there are many current and future delights yet to come , and I am looking forward to entering those in my book of memories to fuel me when I am an old woman. Which, by the way, is not too far off judging by the amount of gray hair I have! So, think of who and what you need to do to rekindle old friendships, keep current ones strong, and foster future ones. It is a plan you will not regret.

Routine Resolutions

It is over a week into the year 2015, as usual I did not make New Year's Resolutions, nor do I intend to. In my humble opinion, when change needs to be made it means you are choosing to have a different outcome from the current one trending in your life. For example, you are arriving late to work nearly every day and you as well as your employer are not liking this it means that you need to seriously look at the entire picture and change things for the better. Perhaps you are not getting enough sleep, maybe you need to set things out the night or evening before to make your transition from home to work less of a helter-skelter approach and one that is better planned and less anxiety producing.For some maybe you are out partying too late, and you need to reign this in or risk not have the financial means to go out at all, or even worse.

Perhaps you want your health better, so you plan more nutritious meals, get more exercise, hydrate with plenty of water and make regular visits to your healthcare provider. Thinking positively in all respects of one's life can assist one in having a better life almost immediately.Stop worrying about others opinions and actions, take care of your own life and do so well and with fervor. Plan to judge others less and concentrate on how you can help others to have the life they want to have , in doing this you create a positive ripple and get back as much as you give out in all honesty.

I have grown tired of selfish, self-involved individuals. It is the preoccupation with the ME that ends up creating a disharmonious and unhappy life. My own recent obsession with some individuals that used to be in my life and reasoning why I never hear from them, get included in plans and activities they talk about us doing was causing me a lot of negativity and generating poor effects rather than what I want in my life. In concentrating on these few people it was eating up time , energy and thought better spent on more positive pursuits and preoccupations in my life. In short, my poor choice was creating feelings of resentment, hostility, anger and loneliness. I realized I have control of whom I have contact with or choose to reach out to.When making good and sound choices, my end result is most always better. Certainly there are some facets of my life where I cannot control whom I have contact with, but when I put my best foot forward and make the contact limited and positive, the final deal is better than it could have been.

So I am resolving to change, not a list of specific activities most people plan and let fall by the wayside early into the New Year. Such change requires thought, planning and then execution, or action if you will. Part of my personal resolve is to disengage myself from as much negative thought and interaction as I am humanly capable of. I also resolve to remain in close and regular contact with those who I care about and for. I hope to be able to continue to give my all to remain grateful and positive in my life and hope that the pattern rubs off on others that want the same.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Balance in everything~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~