Movin on....Living in the moment.

Good rainy morning! Mother Nature teased us yesterday as she gave us 3 minutes of sun. Then back to the drearies. One of these days....we will see sunshine...I can feel it.....

Tomorrow is my big day....yep, I have been to the gym lifting weights preparing to wave runners left on the street corner or is it right? I take my responsibilities seriously. Of course the weather is going to be typically yukky. The big leftie and I are plotting our escape south....west....anywhere...out of here. It is times like this that I miss the road trips south to sit in the stands and wait for a momentary appearance on the mound.

Yesterday I watched a HBO report on a MLB pitcher who basically lost his mojo. He could not find the plate and was relegated to the minors to figure it out and find his groove again. Finally he came back as an outfielder who could hit home runs. It was a good story.

So I texted the big kid and shared that I saw the report and was impressed.


"Don't be."

BPM: "why?"

"Drugs....steroids...."

BPM: "oh"

Yep, that one hurt. Then I texted that I was glad that he was moving forward and no longer under the scrutiny of thousands of people. He agreed and said that it was a shallow lifestyle.



Huh? Shallow? Superficial? This was what he wanted from age four. He had a mindset to go to the MLB and pitch in the World Series.

What happened to the little guy who slept with his glove under his pillow and bat by his bed?

The only thing that I can think of is that he is excited about law school.Tomorrow he has an orientation with the members of his class. So, in a way, he has gotten past his little boy dreams.

How about the rest of us? Have we made peace with goals that were not achieved? Dreams that were not actualized? 

I am not sure. I see some people living in the past and not enjoying the present. I also see people so future oriented that they miss the beauty of the moment. There has to be a balance between the past, present and future. For the life of me, I do not have any advice. However, if pressed.....here is my take on it.....

Some folks are not pleased with themselves or their lives. They are waiting for something magical to happen. Then there are those who feel that the past cannot possible be matched. Here is where they are wrong.

The present is all we have. The past is just a memory to be enjoyed and pulled out when we need it. The future is for dreaming, but not too much since we are not guaranteed anything past the moment. Just ask Daisy whose 45 year old cousin past away suddenly yesterday.   if we do not live in the moment then we are giving away a gift.

That's it. That's all I have at this moment since I have to take Tink and drop her car off to be painted. She has had a few....oh let's say....fender benders...the best one was when she hit the trash cans in the garage. Believe it or not, they did the most damage. Then there was the time when someone keyed the car at a fair. Finally, it looked so banged up that we had to do something...and today is the day.

And so.....Off I go....


Peace!

Movin on....Germs!

Good morning! Like Wildcat, I am putting off work and posting rather than answer emails and upload a quiz while grading papers. Why? Well, I don't feel like it.



Is not feeling like it a solid reason for ignoring the mounds of paperwork on my desk? Well, yeah....I believe it is. It is a lame reason but one that I can live with for the next 15 minutes or so....

Then, I will start a project and have to stop since I have Pilates class at 10:30.


I am sure that you are thinking...hey, BP Mom, get a grip. The rest of us start our day with a bowl of Special K and a Starbucks frap and work until 5.


I admire you. Last night a dinner, dad and I were talking about teachers.....real ones not faux like I am....OK, I am not faux, but at times, I feel like I am.


My contention was that I could not teach in a classroom with the same faces for 180 days. It would seem like torture.....for the kids, not me. OK, honestly...me too.....The heroes are the men and women who do this work day in and day out.


As far as my teaching is concerned, I can see the same students for 7 weeks or an entire semester. I can live with this lifestyle. Therefore, I vow.....OK, not vow, will try....
Perhaps, "try" is not the right word....how about "think".....



I vow to think about never complaining about my job again. That's good...


On to Daisy who is headed to NC to visit her daughter....my god daughter for an award ceremony and Bridal Show. You see...my sweet oh-so-intelligent god daughter is graduating from medical school and getting married....then moving to Connecticut. How about that for a little stress?

Anyway, "Violet" is extremely bright and wants to be a pediatrician. How great is that? This is a woman who will work with kids day in and day out....then she will go home some day to more children (her own). Kids will be her life.....Nice.....

I have always loved children but could not work with them in a health care way. I get squeamish when a child is sick. Then I think philosophically about how life is not fair and how little children should have enough food, the tools that they need to learn, and a healthy body.


And as I continue to see children who are sick, I become physically and emotionally ill because my head continues to play games with me. Rather than thinking about how unfair life is to these children, I probably should be thinking how I can make their lives better. Perhaps that is the way to handle my anticipatory grieving when I see sick little faces.


Speaking of sick, the big leftie continues to struggle with his health. He went to two specialists this week and they continue to give him medication. With his allergies and asthma, he should not be working at the baseball center, but he continues to do so hoping that his medication will stabilize his symptoms for a few hours.


What's my take on this?

Well....he is nuts. That's right...craz-eee.

He should stay away from a caustic environment and human petri dishes, his clients who are little leaguers. These kids are walking micro organisms who delight in spreading germs. Naturally, with his weakened immune system, he picks everything up, gets sick, and brings the bugs home. He sneezes, coughs, hacks, and gladly shares his sickness with the rest of us. It looks like he has lost about 10 pounds and cannot shake this infection.  I am not sure what to do short of sending him to the Mayo clinic for a complete work up or Florida for some sunshine and relaxation.

With that said, I have enough guilt built up that I need to start one project....just one...then Pilates....



have a great day!

Peace!

Movin on....volunteering

Happy Tuesday! It is raining and the weather has been drippy for the past few days. I cannot remember seeing the sun. What does it look like?


Speaking of the sun, Tink, dad, and big leftie have Vitamin D deficits. Yep, they are on uber Vitamin D tablets to bring up their levels. At first I thought it was something I was not doing in the kitchen with food preparation. Now, I am hearing most northerners suffer from not enough D. Imagine! Actually, I can imagine it since the sun refuses to shine north of Virginia.



It's Sparky's birthday! Happy birthday Cuz....many, many more! Happy hour?



What else is new? Well....today I brought some of my students to our little school in the city that has a budget issue. The elementary school is staying open with prayer. The school is in an impoverished area. All students are minorities and  most of their parents cannot speak English. The principal and secretary break into Spanish when needed. I am impressed. 

My students, bless their big hearts, have been running bake and pretzel sales to generate funds for the school. Today, based on their fundraising activities, they donated a pulse oximeter for the nurse (one day a week) to measure an asthmatics's oxygen level. They also purchased bilingual books for the library. They are such good people who are dedicated to making the lives of these children a little bit better.

Is it enough?

No, it is not. But, the way I look at it, they are making a tiny dent in the problems that the children and faculty face on a daily basis. Perhaps some big donor will step in. Maybe....maybe not.....For now, we have to be happy with the little things that we do since we do not have resources to do big things. Little things should accumulate over time and hopefully help to bring a smile to a child's face.

Speaking of little things....I was asked to help with the hospital's diabetes fund raiser which is a 5K race on Saturday. Here is my job....

NO, it is not counting the money....

NO, it is not shaking hands with the Mayor in a photo op....

NO, it is not making a speech about the physiological and psychological issues generated by diabetes....

NO, it is not working in the lab searching for a cure....

My job is to......are you ready? It is crucial to the success of the fund raiser........

Stand on the corner wearing a volunteer tee shirt and orange vest and wave a flag to let runners know that they have to turn left. That's it. They kept the important jobs like flag holding for the big deals of the community....yep, BP mom....a big deal.....

Ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves, I am a little deal....a really little deal...microscopic deal.... with a flag and arm to signal runners to turn the corner.

An important job?

Uh, yeah.....if I was not there with my flag, volunteer tee shirt, and orange vest, runners might not make it to the finish line. Therefore, it is very important that I know my right from my left. I believe that is the job requirements...know right from left....look for runners...wave them on.

So, now you are probably thinking...."Boy, BP mom, you have a very exciting life....pulse oximeters, bake sales, orange vests....."

Yep, exciting....thrilling....enthralling.....exhilarating.....fabulous.....cosmopolitan.....


Back to work.....then working out with Bulldog again...I must be insane.



Peace!

Movin' on....hitting the road again

Hi! I'm back. Just limped home after having Bulldog for an exercise instructor. Remember the burpees? Well, Bulldog added a twist.....Jump....drop....push up.....4 mountain climbers....jump back up....repeat....repeat....repeat...repeat...repeat....



Light breathing.....



In and out through the nose.....

Heavy breathing.....

IN and out through the mouth.....


Heavier breathing.....


Perspiration impeding my vision......


Light breathing......


No breathing at all......


Yep, when I saw Bulldog in front of class, I knew that I was figuratively going to die.....



After crawling home and a hot shower, I have the ice bag on the knee and warm pack on the back. 

What am I doing? Why am I doing it? AM I insane? Don't answer that one....

What else is knew?

Well, the big kid is on the wait list for a big law school in Wisconsin. Yes, I said Wisconsin.

What does this mean? After all, he has his choice but so far the number one is close to home.
Naturally, dad has the answer and he let me know this morning as I was dreaming about boarding a plane to go to Italy....he called and shared the semi good news with me.

Did I wake you? 

Uh, yeah......

Sorry....I got some interesting news about the school in Wisconsin. You and the big kid should fly to Chicago and drive to Wisconsin.

Even in my stuporous state, I knew that Milwaukee is no where near Italy. And so.....

Yep! Big Rig and her lil buddy hit the road again and go to the Midwest. We should have an on the road reality show starring Big Rig and her side kick as we look into law schools. I am not sure how many miles I have logged in during the last ten years, but I can safely say that it is tens of thousands.

It's actually fun for me to see these places. Big leftie is a great travel partner when he is awake and as long as I drive. His driving is a bit....hum, how do I say......aggressive....yep, it is as if he grew up in New York city and drives on the Long island expressway. The only time I saw a fist fight over a parking space was in Long Island in Lord and Taylor parking lot. There must have been a huge sale for these two drivers to come to blows the way they did. It was a bit horrifying as I watched two grown men physically fight over a stupid parking space. Who says my life is boring?

OK, now it is time to finish laundry and pull my quiche out of the oven.

Yes, I said quiche....No, I did not make it, the Amish farmer and his family did and I bought it.Love their food. Tonight we are having Amish fried chicken, Amish potato salad, and Amish broccoli cauliflower salad. Yep, it is an Amish kind of day.

Peace!