Nail Polish

During my time off this summer I have been cleaning out closets and cabinets and trying to purge stuff that is unnecessary.  Such as the 18 pairs of Size 4 pants that have hung in my closet literally collecting dust for more years than I care to divulge.  Honestly, I'm never going to fit back in them and if I did then I probably would deserve a new wardrobe.  So they are out.

I also found a ridiculous amount of nail polish.  Some I received as gifts, some free with coupons.  More than I will ever use at the rate I only paint my toenails a few times during the summer.  So, last night I painted my fingernails.  Wow, is it weird!  I have only painted my fingernails once that I can remember in the past 25 years. 

It is surprising how much my body registers the presence of that coat of stuff when I just use my hands around the kitchen.  Apparently I frequently bang the larger surface area of my nails and now that the coat of polish is there I feel the resistance.

I'm thinking positive that I'm going to get a teaching job and if I do, maybe I'll paint my nails on a regular basis.  Most of my most recent jobs have used my hands so much that it just didn't make sense. 

Here's to using up all my nail polish and having fabulous hands as they float across the white board!

Missed It

As I start to write a post today it occurs to me that the date is 7/21/17.  21 is the reverse order of 12.  Which means 7/12/15 came and went and I didn't even think about it.  7/12/14 was a day of lots of thoughts for me -but nothing this year, hmmh.  I haven't forgotten entirely, it still crosses my mind frequently, probably daily.  But for now life is progressing mostly normally until I get further instruction.

iPod + Dirty Pool = Therapy

We have a pool in our back yard and the majority of the maintenance is my responsibility.  Once or twice a week I grab my iPod and spend almost an hour or so vacuuming the pool.  Sometimes it frustrates me because there are other things I need to be doing, but usually I'm okay with it.

When I first started using my iPod while I vacuumed I thought I would dance a bit and turn it into a sort of exercise time.  Sometimes I do that but it has actually become very therapeutic.

With my earbuds in I go into a whole different world through any of the 1300 songs that may come up.  Some are Brazilian, some are eclectic, some are from my youth, some remind me of past lives.  Many have Christian lyrics that I find inspirational and redeeming.

The songs take me through a wealth of emotions as I work out solutions to problems, contemplate regrets, and attempt to face fears about the future.  I've learned to keep a tissue in my pocket because I usually wind up crying.  I cry for relief at hearing how much God loves me in spite of..., I cry for frustration of regrets I can never change, and I cry in response to fear of things to come and probably I cry for 199 other reasons which I am not psychologically adept enough to identify.

All I know is, it feels like therapy and it's a lot cheaper.  (Well, total pool operation budget not included, just hour for hour.)  When I go back inside I feel refreshed and renewed.  When I have the summer off it is easy to attend these therapy sessions.  Once I go back to work it becomes a little more challenging, but even still when I use precious weekend time for this activity I often feel an impending loss at the thought that soon we will cover the pool up for the winter.

Death by Twitter

A few months ago I read in a Dear Abby column or something similar about someone who found it offensive that someone else was tweeting about their loved one dying.  Abby (or whoever) explained that this is yet another sign of the times and that, within reason, it should not be offending.  She cautioned that it is probably best not to send pictures and, if at all possible, get the permission of the one who is dying, but otherwise it is socially acceptable.

So that set me to wondering if anyone will tweet of my last days.  I hope they do.  Not intimate details but at least prayer requests along with general status updates.  I have only a handful of Twitter followers on my book review twitter handle @BedTimeBookRevw but I'm sure my kids have a lot of followers.  I'm sure in those moments I will be comforted greatly by the prayers that might be sent up as a result of a Tweet.  Although, given that this will occur in at least 2 1/2 years society may well be onto something new and Twitter may be a distant memory.

Hmmm, if I were super-technically inclined I might even create just the app or site that exists for the sole purpose of updating subscribers to one's medical status.  That way the happy social sites aren't made gloomy by death and dying.

Seasons in the Sun

When I was a kid I really liked the song "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks.  In the '70s I had it on a little 45 record.  Recently I downloaded a digital version of it to my iPod.  What a ridiculously depressing song it is - I guess it was the catchy tune that drew me in as a child.

Goodbye to you, my trusted friend
We've known each other since we were nine or ten
Together we climbed hills and trees
Learned of love and A B C's
Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees

Goodbye, my friend, it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Pretty girls are everywhere
Think of me and I'll be there

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed were just seasons
Out of time

Goodbye Papa, please pray for me
I was the black sheep of the family
You tried to teach me right from wrong
Too much wine and too much song
Wonder how I got along

Goodbye Papa, its hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Little children everywhere
When you see them I'll be there

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song like the seasons
Have all gone

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song like the seasons
Have all gone

Goodbye Michelle, my little one
You gave me love and helped me find the sun
And every time that I was down
You would always come around
And get my feet back on the ground

Goodbye Michelle it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
With the flowers everywhere
I wish that we could both be there

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the stars we could reach
Were just starfish on the beach

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the stars we could reach
Were just starfish on the beach

We had joy we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song like the seasons
Have all gone

All our lives we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed were just seasons
Out of time

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun