Old So What

  OMG my cat is bleeding to death!! But it was just some blackberry jam from breakfast…

  For starters, the house itself was unusual. It was haunted. No really.   It was. I don’t normally believe in phenomena like this but I experienced it myself. I know what I know. The reconverted barn had reconverted ghosts. You became the victim of its wrath if you fell asleep in its room. Usually it struck (if that’s the right term for it) at 1 in the morning.   Then sharpened bony fingers would grip your shoulder and hold on tight until you woke up in a fright.   (I always thought of it as a he, but it could very well have been a she .   I mean why not?) This “thing” whatever, was not friendly.   Its physical language was aggressive, clearly saying, “get out, you’re in my territory!” Besides me, it appeared to both my brothers, and a friend of ours who knew nothing about what happened in that room, but slept there as a guest one unfortunate night for him. Because it was now a house and no longer a barn, it took on the hybrid effects o...

  Where are the directions? If a hair straightening appliance comes with a set of directions, the pamphlet small without much detail though it is, why not life?   Why doesn’t your life come with a set of directions, guidelines, something to go by, to hold onto when things are questionable and a little scary? If my grandmother were here right now, I would have so many questions for her, but I, myself, being just ten years away from the age that she died, she might expect that by now I would have all, or most, of the answers, which I don’t. I even forget the questions. I do know for sure that we are breakable.   We are eggs traveling around without our protective egg cartons, lurching through life, haphazardly skating along. We expect the best to happen to us, but at some point, in our lives we realize that the worst is usually hovering close by, always keeping us in its sight. And, so keeping that in mind we go through people in our life, carelessly tossing the...

Let's face it, at some point we will all be faced with a doctor's appointment that will change our lives. This can be scary and completely overwhelming, but this tip can and will make things easier. Choose a close friend or family member to go to the doctor's office with you and be in the room when you hear the news. This "second set of ears" matters! While you are focused on the questions, "will I be okay," and "what do I do now," the other person can focus on what the doctor or nurse is saying. They can even take notes! While explaining the next steps in the course of action, most medical professionals will use examples of how others patients adapted to their new way of life, and those examples are important too and will not appear in the visit summary. "What did they say could help?" "What foods should I avoid specifically?" The other person can help you fill in the blanks of any parts you missed. Together you will have a...

  Suggested that this story be included in our Blog. I really don’t want it included because it’s unpleasant to say the least, but in the interest of telling you that you’re not alone should this happen to you: The other morning, at 2 a.m. to be precise, the outside lights came on, on the side of my house. Thinking it was the usual raccoon, I looked out the bathroom window and saw someone, a man, standing between my side door and my car. Just standing there until he wasn’t and was trying to open the car doors.   I flew down the stairs with my mobile in hand and called the police. I looked out the side door and saw that this person had opened the storm door as well in an attempt to enter my house. I was angry and, not seeing anyone at the moment, I yelled out, “You better leave, the police are on the way.” This was a stupid thing to do and the police dispatcher called out, “Don’t engage this person.” Anyway, the local police, who are very impressive, at least to me,...