tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1681475095316709192024-02-27T19:37:31.558-06:00Listening between the linesFinding beauty and humor in our shared human story. Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-79862764057739272802024-02-21T20:29:00.001-06:002024-02-21T20:29:55.314-06:00What's in a name?<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I wish I could introduce you to my friend John, but I’m not
exactly sure where he is right now.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We’ve only met once, actually. It was a couple of weeks ago.
I was on my way home from the post office, waiting in a line of cars for the light
to turn green. It’s a busy intersection and seemed to be more backed up than
usual. I craned my neck a little and spied the problem.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A man was trying to cross the intersection while pulling/pushing
two shopping carts (one large, one small), and propelling his hand-powered wheelchair.
He needed about three more hands.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It was excruciating to watch.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Drivers were starting to get impatient. A few began inching forward.
One or two tapped their horns. The man was sweating visibly (and I was 3 cars
back), desperately trying to maneuver his meager belongings across the 6-lane road.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“I wish someone would help him!” I grumbled to God.<br />“Why don’t you?” He replied.<br />“I’m too many cars back.”<br />“You won’t always be.”<br />“I have a wonky knee.”<br />“You have a cane.”<br />“I’m in a turn lane.”<br />“So turn. You can always turn around.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">God is irritatingly good at poking holes in my excuses. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Cars
inched past, and by the time I reached the intersection the man was almost
across. The only place he could possibly be aiming for was the grocery store on
the corner. The road begins a downward slope right there; once past the store entrance and
its uphill incline, it gets steeper. If he missed that entrance, he was in danger
of picking up too much speed and rolling uncontrollably to the bottom of the
hill.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Traffic, still inching past the man and his carts and giving
him disapproving looks, grudgingly let me move over two lanes. I pulled into
the grocery store parking lot and stopped.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“I might fall going down that entrance,” I reminded God.<br />“And you might not.” He answered.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I didn’t.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As I approached the man, he looked wary and I realized that oncoming
strangers were not usually a positive experience in his world.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Where can I push this for you?” I asked, reaching for the larger
cart. Out of breath, he gestured to the grocery
store. I pushed the cart up to a level place and went back. He’d reached the
upward slope with the smaller cart in tow.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“I’ve got it,” he panted, but he hadn’t. I grabbed one end
and said, “You push and I’ll pull,” and between us we got the cart up the slope
and onto level ground beside the larger one. It
crossed my mind that passers-by might assume that I, too, was homeless
and that made me smile. We made a confusing pair: thin, wiry, homeless him
and out-of-shape, obviously-not-underfed me. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Do you have any chocolate milk?” he asked and I thought
that a bit odd. “I need the calories and the fat,” he added, and then it made heartbreaking
sense.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I apologized for my lack of chocolate milk and held out my
hand. “I’m Carol.” He shook my hand firmly. “John,” he said, “like the author
of Revelation.” I laughed and countered, “And like my late husband. It's a really good name.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Side-by-side, we made our way to the grocery store, me walking
and pushing the large cart, John rolling and pushing the small one. He shared a
couple of stories from his life on the streets. Not self-pitying, just factual.
The car that hit him because he was in the way. The frequent thefts because
others could run and he couldn’t give chase.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“But I’ll survive,” he said. “I have so far.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">We reached the grocery store. John was going to go in and
use what little money he had to buy chocolate milk. It killed me that I had no
cash in my purse to offer him. We parted ways.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As I started to walk back to my car, he called out, “Stop,
please!”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I turned and he gestured for me to come nearer. As I did, he
took out a beautiful purple, blue and green handmade throw. “A lady made this
for me,” he said softly. “I can’t bear for it to be stolen. I
want the chance to give it away. I want to give it away to you.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">His face looked haunted. I thanked him for his generosity and promised to take
good care of it. “I’ll survive,” he said again, “and I have other things to keep me warm. But I’ll be happier knowing I was
able to give it away.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So I turned and walked to my car, a man’s dearest treasure
in my hands. I was glad he couldn’t see me cry.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTi-MgrA-_gDUzxmf1gPlCkqUONlFhgueuZVmTHXwNcwmUEPSQK0Oj-Oqm7JygEUKwyqlHGVkET69gvxJ5pSRWUptXrmQooh1C_ytkCIcNKzEEShmsd9kmKC7w3jG5__bOo41AtCi2teTfL1x6aqKTfLZZ_TvreCIQd11FaQhpG44lw4WkT4u9NBgpVUM/s2167/The%20throw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1359" data-original-width="2167" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTi-MgrA-_gDUzxmf1gPlCkqUONlFhgueuZVmTHXwNcwmUEPSQK0Oj-Oqm7JygEUKwyqlHGVkET69gvxJ5pSRWUptXrmQooh1C_ytkCIcNKzEEShmsd9kmKC7w3jG5__bOo41AtCi2teTfL1x6aqKTfLZZ_TvreCIQd11FaQhpG44lw4WkT4u9NBgpVUM/s320/The%20throw.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />I haven’t seen John-like-the-author-of-Revelation since, but I carry chocolate Ensure in my car now, just in case.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And yesterday marked 19 years since my John died. Generosity was his hallmark. He would
have stopped his old pickup truck mid-intersection, gotten out and helped
push the carts, chatting with his namesake, and gleefully exaggerating his limp
for the benefit of all the impatient drivers. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I don’t have his chutzpah. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instead, I have a world of memories of one John to make me
smile, and the precious treasure of another to keep me humble. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That's a lot to pack into a name. Unless it's a really good one.<br /><br /><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">©</span>2024 Carol Shaw</span><o:p></o:p></p>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-12975994654016677632022-06-05T15:38:00.009-05:002022-06-05T15:46:28.833-05:00Of Magic, Queens, and Paddington Bear<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There’s a
picture online of Queen Elizabeth having tea with Paddington Bear, and it made me
smile when I saw it. But I wasn’t surprised. You see, I have my own Paddington/Queen Elizabeth
story.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When I was 6 or
7 years old, a nearby missionary family received a shipment of children’s books.
They generously let me borrow some from time to time, which is how I came
across <i>A Bear Called Paddington</i>. It was instant love. And with the decisive
logic of a 6 or 7-year-old, I decided that the Queen of England needed to know about
that love.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">My parents gently
explained that:<br />Her Majesty was a very busy person;<br />her staff
was very busy;<br />a letter
from our tiny town in Ecuador would take weeks to reach the U.K. and might get
lost along the way;<br />I would
probably never hear back from Buckingham Palace.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Then they gave
me paper and pen and Mom helped me spell the big words. I don’t remember the
whole letter, but I do know that I thanked the queen for running a country that
had such things as Paddington Bear.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Dad took my
letter with him to the capital city on his next trip and mailed it from the
main post office. As the weeks passed, I pictured the Queen reading my letter
and sharing it with her gal pals. They were probably too busy having tea to
write back, but I understood.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And that could
have been the end of the story.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Instead, about two
months later, I received a small package from London. There was a note on
palace letterhead thanking me for writing to the queen. Enclosed was a Paddington
Bear pin.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As I got older, of course, I realized that there was probably some office vaguely attached to the palace and tasked
with sending out form letters to school children who wrote to the queen, and
that someone in that office dug one more pin out of the box of thousands, folded
one more school-kid form letter - and then decided to ignore geographic boundaries.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But this is really
a story about parents teaching kids that it’s okay to risk disappointment. It’s
about the importance of reaching for stars beyond our grasp. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">about the kind of magic that happens best when we're 6 or 7 years old and know that queens often take tea with adventurous bears.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And it's about the lasting
impact of a fleeting moment of kindness, even when it’s to some random child in
a backwater town in a small, faraway country.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">-cs 060522<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghLQO3QX-QytD6zIY1iIvNNZOUebgLFu-TT_1ny1HgYV6HvK6VH4YisN5yWIMmRfbalQhihE-cP1LfOsqhEjTMouR0MTWT3h3fWclDyYzAcr2w7ubnNPHTqwpCoV79eud4szj8gngK7tXF0JjW9GoPF86dEUNlsuq6kj_FbjqnrmRK21fIIwmx86mqQ/s2048/Paddington_Bear,_all_alone_(50285504591).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghLQO3QX-QytD6zIY1iIvNNZOUebgLFu-TT_1ny1HgYV6HvK6VH4YisN5yWIMmRfbalQhihE-cP1LfOsqhEjTMouR0MTWT3h3fWclDyYzAcr2w7ubnNPHTqwpCoV79eud4szj8gngK7tXF0JjW9GoPF86dEUNlsuq6kj_FbjqnrmRK21fIIwmx86mqQ/s320/Paddington_Bear,_all_alone_(50285504591).jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;">Matt Brown from London, England, CC BY 2.0 </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-54408002983891216132021-12-25T09:58:00.000-06:002021-12-25T09:58:27.654-06:00In Spirit and in Flesh<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The spirit of Christmas-now walks
soft beside me,<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">weaving as we go:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">the chat with a good friend;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Christmas dinner at a table set for two instead of six;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">unkind words about another driver;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">kisses blown to sick loved ones through a patio door;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">quiet moments reading (sometimes to the cat); <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">until what I truly value is etched
into the fabric of the day,<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">a gift to me:<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">an image of my Faith, raw, unmasked,
unclothed.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />The spirits of Christmas-yet-to-come
stand silent: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">watching, shifting with the winds of
time and choices </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">from now and yesterday,<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">until one stands alone,<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">pregnant with possibilities and
Hope.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />But the Spirit of Christmas-long-ago
– ah, that!<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It wraps itself around me,<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">embracing me in all my humanness,<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">holding Humanity itself so tightly<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">that it can’t help but be born<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">in spirit and in flesh;<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">and it whispers softly that its truest
name is Love.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">©</span><span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: verdana;">Carol Shaw 122521</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE0zGFphymWVkIjfsJ75AdQ3SaTGi7icjkQafwPEp0uWFkFMUECT6EpIVE4hBsVETFGGhF8fShuA6hrs377v-bsOk0c-7-Mw1uoYPd_coxYSKQ5O-Ge5L_2-roEykCREHPGyDz1hz47SBtSNIKdHu14t7OOqPTH_s6wnKXCqza1zN5uP1qMjUcaZ8Nhw=s800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="800" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE0zGFphymWVkIjfsJ75AdQ3SaTGi7icjkQafwPEp0uWFkFMUECT6EpIVE4hBsVETFGGhF8fShuA6hrs377v-bsOk0c-7-Mw1uoYPd_coxYSKQ5O-Ge5L_2-roEykCREHPGyDz1hz47SBtSNIKdHu14t7OOqPTH_s6wnKXCqza1zN5uP1qMjUcaZ8Nhw=w299-h198" width="299" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">©evgenyatamanenko - Can Stock Photo Inc.</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-EC;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-70516534724375098942021-04-02T18:15:00.000-05:002021-04-02T18:15:14.317-05:00Of Lent and Litterboxes<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lent was approaching, and I hadn’t yet decided how to
observe it. In my particular tradition, Lent is a time to slow down and examine
how we live our faith in the day-to-day. It’s a time to challenge our comfort
zones, which can so easily become barriers to a dynamic life of faith.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last year, of course, we were midway through Lent when
the entire world came to a screeching halt. And it didn’t start up again on
Easter Sunday.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So this year seemed a little odd. I’d had a year of
semi-isolation, yes, but I hadn’t really slowed down. If anything, I was busier
than ever. I was focused on work and associations and research and to be
honest, with nothing and no one at home to interrupt my introvert self, that
comfort zone had gotten a little more rigid. I put on a few extra unwanted
pounds, but otherwise the isolation of the pandemic didn’t affect me as deeply
as it did others. I kind of liked my rut.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On this particular day, though, a friend stopped by to
drop off a book. After placing the book
on my doorstep, Jim withdrew partway down the walk and texted me. I came out
and stood in the open doorway to visit a moment. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a flash of
movement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cat was running down the
alley across from me, a little over a block away. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As Jim and I chatted, the cat made a beeline across the street, down the sidewalk and up my walkway, glancing up at Jim
without breaking stride. When he reached me, the cat paused, looked me in the
eyes, and walked through the open door into my house. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After Jim left, I went to find the cat. He was sitting
on my sofa. I could hear him purring from across the room. I grabbed my phone
and took a few pictures. A cat this friendly must have humans somewhere.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The pictures went up on Nextdoor. I searched the “lost
pet” websites and bought cat food and kitty litter. Temperatures were dropping
that night and I wasn’t tossing the friendly little guy out into the cold.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Besides, I like cats. The first pet I ever had that didn’t
have to be shared with my siblings was a little grey tabby with tiger stripes. He disappeared when I went off to boarding
school; it broke my heart.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The next day, I let Cat out of the bathroom where he’d
spent the night turning a toilet paper roll into confetti. He ran outside the
open back door and disappeared. Gone to find his family, I assumed. Minutes
later, he returned, meowing loudly at the door. After a while, I let him back
in. It was time to take him to the vet to check for a chip.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">He had no chip.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I sat down at my desk to see if anyone had responded
to my attempts to find his humans. No luck there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cat jumped onto my desk and stared at me. Did I mention he’s a grey tabby with tiger stripes?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8VZdJ81rrBQSxP9blEXyoFK91Xh6LsMbQ7tNjCwWDN66d12LRGJoi9WVQPAjUNQosL9wwZq46mxA24GyTvB1pf9gRsPX5Yayzk4uqNJqxUus1i1y4XVx-rVvjOPxLp_5EjcDcIMpz8qU/s2048/Bailey+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8VZdJ81rrBQSxP9blEXyoFK91Xh6LsMbQ7tNjCwWDN66d12LRGJoi9WVQPAjUNQosL9wwZq46mxA24GyTvB1pf9gRsPX5Yayzk4uqNJqxUus1i1y4XVx-rVvjOPxLp_5EjcDcIMpz8qU/s320/Bailey+2.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“You’re gonna
to be such a pain in the butt, aren’t you,” I said, and he crawled onto my
chest, put one paw on either side of my neck and pressed his face into my shoulder
in shameless agreement. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Forget my comfort zone. The cat now interrupts every activity and takes over
my desk. When I work, he supervises. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpGy9n0fYqppZXiGB_A-mFCRuOmScBgS5H5v9yOxKw8fIlq9ZeeLmGANZBsWPLFEOgtTsYJauPsqFg2INNedme94NFFDOiIPKx_sfpGX7D4wkcz6WP5DcOeE6MG6oKGUt_RfH2almYwUj/s2048/Bailey+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1819" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpGy9n0fYqppZXiGB_A-mFCRuOmScBgS5H5v9yOxKw8fIlq9ZeeLmGANZBsWPLFEOgtTsYJauPsqFg2INNedme94NFFDOiIPKx_sfpGX7D4wkcz6WP5DcOeE6MG6oKGUt_RfH2almYwUj/s320/Bailey+3.JPG" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had to upgrade my noise-cancelling headset so that Zoom
depositions wouldn’t be interrupted by indignant yowls when I locked him out of
my office. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My daily power naps have long been a perk of being
self-employed. My first midday snooze after Cat moved in was interrupted by an
unexpected thud! on the bed that my drowsy forgetfulness interpreted as the presence of an intruder. Adrenaline does not mix well with naps.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I decided to shut my bedroom door at night to avoid
such surprises. The first night, I woke up out of a deep sleep, every sense
suddenly on alert. I’d heard something, but wasn’t sure what. There it was
again! Scratching… <i>on the inside of my
bedroom door</i>! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Heart pounding, I snapped on the light. Two paws were slid
under my door, scratching on the inside to wake me up. Soon there were vocals.
Not a simple “meow”, but a three-toned “ah-OOH-uh”, sometimes varied with “AHH-ooh-ah”
or even “ah-ooh-AH”, which always sounds like a question.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I yelled, “Cat! Stop!” and realized he needed a name
so I could yell at him properly. He looks like Irish Cream in a cup of coffee,
so Bailey it is.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One week later, Texas went into a deep freeze. My
house lost power. In a time when I’d gotten too busy despite a worldwide
pandemic, my personal world now came to a screeching halt. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As the temperatures dropped inside, I took refuge
under my covers with my fully-charged laptop, phone, portable charger and
Kindle. A camp lantern sat on my bedside table. For the next four days, Bailey joined
me. Sometimes he crawled down to my feet like a feline hot water bottle. He
watched me on the computer, stared over my shoulder as I read, and occasionally
went to monitor the rest of the house.</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since then, I’ve lost a few of those pandemic pounds.
It’s hard to snack absently when every bite must be guarded against a curious
feline.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I can’t focus just on work anymore: there’s a litter
box to clean, food to supply, backyard doors to open and close, and “stop that,
bad cat!” to yell from time to time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My fourth granddaughter was born, and when I finally
got to hold her I was horrified to hear myself crooning, “Oh, she’s a good
girl, yes she is. Such a good girl.” I may be on my way to becoming <i>that</i> cat lady.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lent is almost over. Today is Good Friday. Although the
pandemic persists, there are signs of hope on the horizon and I think of the
disciples’ grief and hopelessness. Spring buds promise new life, and I think of
Mary in the garden on Sunday morning, every expectation about to be shattered.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sometimes we go into Lent with intentionality. We
examine how the comfort of our worldview may be hindering our spiritual journey.
We solemnly mark the days until Easter Sunday.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But sometimes Lent surprises us. Sometimes, to borrow
from Carl Sandburg, Lent comes to us on little cat feet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H2X4ea7AOpj3IAGKgxnab40Be8k3s_W-InECk7Wt7SiTGcyvlrGOw5mY2FbyO0NJLAvW5RcJdDneAr7TdcGGhjQxj-rurJFxjrLAiqkaTx6NHgokcwI3pRxDFfLei72gdkH2YbNP2flg/s2048/Bailey+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H2X4ea7AOpj3IAGKgxnab40Be8k3s_W-InECk7Wt7SiTGcyvlrGOw5mY2FbyO0NJLAvW5RcJdDneAr7TdcGGhjQxj-rurJFxjrLAiqkaTx6NHgokcwI3pRxDFfLei72gdkH2YbNP2flg/s320/Bailey+1.JPG" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="ES-EC" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Photo credits: Carol
Shaw </span></p>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-62721098567584181902021-02-14T03:04:00.002-06:002021-02-14T14:11:48.338-06:00 Murphy and the cold, hard facts<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">There are icicles on my porch roof that haven’t melted since Wednesday.
The weather folks say it’s going to get worse before it gets better. We’re
getting snow with high winds tomorrow and are on our way to single-digit
temperatures.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I love the cold. My teen years and early adulthood were spent high in
the mountains. Chilly weather makes me feel young, energized. Cold in
Texas is a treat, so when I went out to pick up a last-minute order from my local
Walmart, it was with an eye to staying off slick roads, not out of the weather.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><u>30</u><u>°F</u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It was still light outside when I left the house just after 6 p.m. Walmart
is barely 2 miles away, so I slid my feet into sandals and threw a lightweight
poncho over my short-sleeved t-shirt and sweat pants. That’s all I would need
to sit in my car while some bundled-up teenager put my purchases in the trunk. Besides
– young and invigorated, remember? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I must have said that last part out loud, because somewhere, Murphy’s
ears perked up.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When I got to Walmart, the app kept telling me I was 18 minutes away. Eventually
it dawned on me: I’d placed the order on the other Walmart, 5 miles away in
rush hour traffic. By the time I got to the right store, dusk had faded into
dark and the temperature was dropping. A
polite, cheerful young man loaded my purchases and I started back home.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ooh, Boston Market! Chicken pot pie for supper sounded perfect. Unfortunately,
by the time I managed to move over just one lane, Boston Market was 5 blocks
behind me. I’d have to loop back. The added “adventure” seemed to justify a Boston
Market brownie, too.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><u>27</u><u>°F</u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Eventually, I pulled into Boston Market’s parking lot. My sandals no longer
seemed practical so I decided to stay in the car. After placing the order online,
I pulled around to a curbside pick-up spot to wait my turn. Switching off the
car, I sat and enjoyed a few moments of unbusy-ness.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A young woman opened the Boston Market door and made her way toward the
car. I hit the window button, and nothing happened. Oh, right, the engine was
off. I pushed the ignition. Lights flashed, something chittered in the console,
but that was all. Nothing useful happened. She walked around to my side and
handed me my supper through the door. I explained that my battery seemed to be
dead and I’d have to wait there for Roadside Assistance.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><u>24</u><u>°F</u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Roadside Assistance notified me that my rescuer would arrive in…. 1
hour and 49 minutes? I decided to eat my pot pie. And brownie.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The cold was no longer
invigorating. Bracing, maybe. I thought about how it's been a minute since those chilly nights in the
mountains of my youth. I pulled my poncho closer around me, tucked my feet in a
bit and prepared to wait. Time crawled by. I read Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Instagram and WhatsApp, emails and all 5 news sites on my phone in a steady
rotation to pass the time. Unbusy-ness had lost its charm.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><u>20</u><u>°F</u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">An hour and 45 minutes later, my toes were on strike and my arms were
thinking of joining them, when a truck pulled up beside me and a man got out, wrapped up like a human
burrito. I stepped out into the night in my frozen-toed sandals to say hello, and
popped the hood on my car. Arctic wind whipped my poncho around. I climbed back behind
the steering wheel, not sure if it was the cold or my arthritis that was
slowing me down. My cheerful rescuer hooked up the cables. Frigid fingers
pushed the ignition. Frozen toes pushed lightly down on the accelerator. The
engine sprang to life and warmth, blessed warmth, began to fill the car. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Burrito man walked over as I let the engine run. “I never knew it could get so cold in Texas,”
he said.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Yeah, but it’s been a while,” I answered. “Back in the mid-80s we had several
cold winters, if you’ll remember.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“I wouldn’t know,” he said politely.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“Oh, you’re not from here? Where are you from?”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">“No…” he hesitated, then went on, “I am from here, but back in the
mid-80s… ma’am, I wasn’t even <i>born</i>
then!”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Just like that, the years caught up with me. Thanking human burrito child, I drove away, amused and grateful for my greying
hair and thawing toes and the heated bliss pouring from the vents. Maybe, I reminded myself, maybe sometimes I should embrace the wisdom of Not Young. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And somewhere, I swear, I heard Murphy laughing gently in the cold, invigorating night.
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0FSQd5QLUzP_f6hfEp9NipYwr6MYAGZ-KKq9Fnkb592T1wPFlnCDDcW5r9BtOwH2pGTqJBB_OLRKotKKY6DDBoqjX2rDgzpxTCb5TQfyTjajyiZiAykZemnQIqqfAjWrIrcQsnzgXNbE/s800/canstockphoto63615764.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="800" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0FSQd5QLUzP_f6hfEp9NipYwr6MYAGZ-KKq9Fnkb592T1wPFlnCDDcW5r9BtOwH2pGTqJBB_OLRKotKKY6DDBoqjX2rDgzpxTCb5TQfyTjajyiZiAykZemnQIqqfAjWrIrcQsnzgXNbE/w384-h156/canstockphoto63615764.jpg" width="384" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.canstockphoto.com">(c) Can Stock Photo / Pellinni</a></div>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-90721290733312364312020-07-24T11:59:00.000-05:002020-07-24T12:01:00.848-05:00On Stories and Holy Ground <div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cbfgv" data-offset-key="bp912-0-0" style="background-color: white;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span data-offset-key="bp912-0-0">For the last 3 weeks, members of my church have been meeting in small groups online for Safe Conversations - honest, vulnerable looks at stories and experiences of racial prejudice and bias and our own, often-subconscious responses.
</span>
For me, it keeps coming back to the stories. Listening to someone else's reality without judgment or critique. Listening to learn. Listening for what is holy.
</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Holy Ground</u></b>
Come.
Let me move myself over.
Sit a while
and share with me
your story.
Let your words
Filter through
the cracks and fissures
of my world,
past my certainties and creeds
and the neat arrangement
of my understanding,
until they take shape,
and grow.
Stretch the sinews of my conviction.
Push my inner parts aside.
Let your story hollow out in me
new holy ground
and let me witness
God’s eternity in you.
</span>
© Carol Shaw 072120</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaysZRJYh2tPO7UKxX1RkTrKgVM2JXT6t9ST1FqxuilfaRIgIwpGIs14acGZbAwu72zOeWUmjaLhcl0KIO0yNBAcirGqITrY_fjamQoY6mMl4NqqoTMAv0k-Qmg8d7XcLdJS9ncYIxjx4/s1600/Silence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaysZRJYh2tPO7UKxX1RkTrKgVM2JXT6t9ST1FqxuilfaRIgIwpGIs14acGZbAwu72zOeWUmjaLhcl0KIO0yNBAcirGqITrY_fjamQoY6mMl4NqqoTMAv0k-Qmg8d7XcLdJS9ncYIxjx4/s400/Silence.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-83246433317777971442020-04-12T00:08:00.001-05:002020-04-13T12:40:36.257-05:00Cuaresma, Cuarentena<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Spanish, the word for Lent is <i>Cuaresma</i>. The word for quarantine is <i>cuarentena</i>. But the word <i>cuarentena</i> is also a rarely-used synonym for Lent. This year, during Lent, the world itself made a sacrifice of change and isolation. May we, like Jesus, come out of our desert stronger, with lessons learned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Las palabras </i>cuaresma <i>y </i>cuarentena <i>tienen una misma raíz. Pero </i>cuarentena <i>es también un sinónomo poco usado de Cuaresma. Este año, durante la Cuaresma, el mundo mismo ha hecho un sacrificio de cambio y aislamiento. Esperemos que, como Jesús, salgamos de nuestro desierto más fuertes, con lecciones aprendidas. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">..............................</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Cuaresma/Cuarentena </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">De la ceniza de <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tu miércoles <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">no queda huella.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">La cuaresma está <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">por terminar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Abraza tu desierto.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">El ruido, déjalo
atrás. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Entra al silencio <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">de esta santa
cuarentena <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hasta que lo único <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">que queda es respirar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tu viernes <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">se vestirá de
luto; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">el sábado de <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">gloria y confusión.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pero el domingo renacerá
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">en destellada Luz <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">que convertirá <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">en catedral<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tu solitario balcón. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-cs 041120</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>(Loose translation into English)<br /><br />Lent/Quarantine <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Come. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Of your Wednesday ash <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>not a trace is left. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Lenten season is <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>coming to a close. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Embrace your desert. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Leave the noise
behind. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Come into the silence<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>of this holy
quarantine<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>until all that you can
do <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>is breathe. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Your Friday <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>will dress itself in
mourning; <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Saturday in turmoil <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>and in glory. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>But Sunday will be born
anew <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>in blazing Light <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">creating a cathedral</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of your lonely balcony. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-EC" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>-cs 041120</i></span></div>
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<br />Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-10896808890849293782019-04-20T03:50:00.000-05:002019-04-20T19:49:42.821-05:00And the rains came <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the rains came down</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and we huddled,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">cradling our pain and confusion</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">this was not the promise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">expectations drowned in mud,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">reality in lockstep </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">marching </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">without malice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">without mercy,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">void,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a red line slowly strangling </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">when all was lost, </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">when <i>we</i> were lost, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">that’s when the rains came down. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and the Earth thundered.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the Heavens split,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Holy Fire engulfed </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a man-made Tree,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">leaving only bitter Ash</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">cleansing ash</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">mixed in mortal silence </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">as the Living Rains came down.</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">-cs </span><span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">Ó</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">041919</span></div>
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<br />Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-78828297950472394412019-03-28T23:17:00.001-05:002019-03-29T02:01:58.172-05:00On Keys and Compliments<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">It
was 1983. I was working in the international sales department of a
manufacturing company, a job landed two months earlier thanks only to my
command of Spanish. The environment was nothing like that of my last full-time
employer (a leading law firm in Ecuador). <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The rules and jargon of the U.S. labor culture
still perplexed me.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">At
that particular moment, I was interrupting an engineer. Spreading a schematic
out on his desk, I pointed to an error in the design. Not that I knew exactly where
the error was; I just gestured vaguely in the direction my boss had.</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">The
unhappy engineer made some notes for himself. I reached past him to pick up the
schematic. All of a sudden, a smile softened his face and he murmured, <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Someone sure smells good!”</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Then,
with a horrified look on his face, he stared up at me and blurted, “Oh, but it
isn’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i>!”</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">(I
later learned that he had been reprimanded for inappropriate comments made to
female colleagues. As for me, I’ve giggled over his compliment-backsie for
years.)</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Compliments.
Powerful little bits of encouragement that we’re often too unmindful to give. There’s
a juvenile judge in whose court I interpret from time to time. Watching her interact with the teens that file
nervously past her bench is a study in the power of compliments.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">One
young offender walked forward this week in his Sunday best. The judge smiled
and said, “Thank you for dressing so respectfully for court. That’s a great
tie.” </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">“Thank
you,” he mumbled in his thirteen-year-old voice (part man, part boy, part yodeler),
and stood a little taller than before. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">She does this with all the kids in one way or another. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">I
was thinking about that when I left the courthouse. Thinking about how easy it is<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">—</span>especially on social media<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">—</span>to criticize those who are too young, too old, too different or just don’t seem to
have a handle on life, overlooking the chances to build someone up. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">While
lost in thought, I pulled up to the post office to check the day’s mail. The
battery has gone out on my key fob and I haven’t found my teeny little
screwdriver yet, so I’ve been locking the car manually.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As I walked to the post office door I shifted
the keys in my hand. The key ring felt
light. And small. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">The
car key was missing. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">I
retraced my steps. Nothing on the ground. But when I peered through the window
of my car, there it was: my key, lying neatly in plain view.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The ring that attached it to the rest, the
ring that I kept meaning to replace, was flimsy and had come loose from the
rest of my keys. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Stepping
inside the post office, I called roadside assistance. Just telling the operator
that I’d locked myself out of the car apparently wasn’t enough. I felt
compelled to explain about the flimsy ring, and the dead battery, and how this
hadn't happened in a long time, and how I’d make sure to take care of it all right
away. She listened patiently, an impromptu Mother Confessor who tried to assure
me that I had no reason to feel dumb even though we both knew differently.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Fifteen
minutes later, a man in a roadside assistance car pulled up beside me. About
three minutes after that, my door was open and I could sheepishly return to
normal life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">s
he reached past me to pick up his logbook, my rescuer’s face eased into a
smile. “Someone sure smells good,” he said. “That perfume is perfect for you!” </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Then
he got in his car and drove away, leaving me just a little bit taller. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-64614307133215646362019-01-01T16:43:00.000-06:002019-01-01T16:43:12.741-06:00Borders and a New Year's Prayer
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve been thinking a lot about borders, current events being what they
are. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">At a Rio Grande summit last month where I served as the interpreter,
someone made the simple but profound observation that you cannot see the
border in the river. The image gripped me. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">It got me to thinking about water and baptism and new life and how we
all have borders in our lives because change is one of those inevitable things,
like death, taxes and the pull of gravity on body parts. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t know about you, but when I plan a journey I start with the
destination and work backwards. If there is no To, there can be no From, and I
find myself forever parked at the starting line, wondering where to set my
sails.* </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course, most of my journeys happen without planning. I pin my hopes
or expectations or fears on a distant point and somewhere along the way realize
that I’m headed there, gathering experiences (and pounds and wrinkles) as I go.
Somewhere along the way, I reach a border between what was and what will be. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">The thing is, whether the journey is planned or (more commonly) accidental,
I tend to forget that after reaching the border, after I rest and take a
breath, I will inevitably – there’s that word again – head for yet another
border. Another invisible line between what was and is, and what will be. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">And while I may not see it, the experience is always a baptism. Each
border always brings a death and rebirth of sorts.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think about things that drive people from their physical homes and
homelands, and those that drive us from our metaphorical ones.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think about the fears, dreams, or needs that push and pull us into
the journey and how they trigger fear or hope in others along the way, others
who are then pushed or pulled into their own journeys, carried to their own borders,
facing their own invisible lines.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">And in the crisscross of our paths and borderlines, I find sketched the
face of our common humanity.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here’s my prayer for 2019: whether we look at the exhausted faces of
refugees fleeing conditions most of us cannot imagine, or the careworn faces of
our neighbors whose struggles we cannot see, may we all extend a little mercy and
remember the grace we have been given. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">*Metaphors may be unapologetically
mixed, shaken or stirred this New Year’s Day.</span></i></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0px;">©
</span>2019 Carol Shaw</span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div>
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Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-69925840027608621642018-10-17T23:27:00.001-05:002018-11-12T16:06:59.900-06:00Dignity and a Runny Nose<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I
don't usually post in such quick succession, but I don't usually get attacked
by babies in court, either. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Today I
had a rare interpreting assignment - rare, in that I rarely accept them. My
practice is primarily translation and I like sitting in my little corner office
(formerly my son's bedroom), surrounded by dictionaries and other resources.
Instrumental music streams from Pandora as strings of words and phrases
populate my mind. I sift through them, weighing, sometimes researching,
perpetually seeking the right ones for the text before me. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It's a
zen place, is my office. It's comfortable and comforting. But every so often I
exchange it for the rapid-fire pace of interpretation. Change is good exercise
for mind and soul, so from time to time I put my interpreting license to good
use and let my brain run a different kind of obstacle course. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Off come
the sweatpants and t-shirt, and out of the closet comes the suit and closed-toe
shoes. I use a small briefcase. I even put on a little makeup to boost my
professional appearance.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And that
brings us to today. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There
was only one case on the docket that required an interpreter. The offender was a
juvenile. She was accompanied by both her mother and her child, a cherub with
rosy cheeks and bouncy curls. Since Grandma was both Mom's guardian and Baby’s
sitter, the judge allowed us all to approach the bench. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I
interpret in court so rarely that I no longer have equipment. That's a mistake.
As I stepped up slightly behind Grandma and began to interpret simultaneously,
Baby reared back in shock. Those sparkling eyes squeezed almost shut.
"NO!" she yelled, perceiving in me some kind of threat. The judge
glanced over. Grandma tried offering a bottle, which promptly flew through the
air, narrowly missing me. The judge didn't stop, so neither did I. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"No,
no, no!" Baby insisted, launching her pacifier at me. Every time I got too
close to her grandmother the tears began to flow. Little snot bubbles formed.
Grandma shifted her to the other hip. I shifted to the other side of Grandma,
trying to keep distance between me and Baby without interfering with Mom and
the judge. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Then
Baby’s fists balled up and she alternated between trying to hit me and trying
to push me away. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Grandma
turned from one side to the other, alternately trying to pacify her and keep
her away from me.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I
alternately dodged baby fists and feet and tried to keep access to Grandma's
ear. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I can
only imagine the show we were giving the folks in the gallery. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The
short hearing was eventually over. Mom, Grandma and Baby left. The judge, who
had been focused on Mom but couldn't help catching the action in her peripheral
vision, stared at me - I couldn't tell whether in amazement or shock. Finally she
said, "What was THAT?" </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I wanted
to say, "The death of my dignity, Your Honor."</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Instead,
I asked for a signature on my time sheet and left. But on my way out of the
courthouse I found the answer. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Baby was
sitting on a bench with Grandma. As soon as she saw me, she squealed with
laughter and reached for me, eyes sparkling. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So what </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">was</span></i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> that, Your Honor?</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Just a
little reminder to step out of my world from time to time. To forgive and
forget. Maybe be a bit more flexible sometimes. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Just a little Reminder with bouncy curls and a runny nose. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMvqgzaUUjb7PZj9nu-iJKwSOlEhKSNhjQlklojgm27EsiTFxo5qyu3Sih45MIG934gLhFx_Nv-MMBple66-6YLldcNe9kdOkdcg5f8iIb3zE868YQefSV8ElwvYibkaBaVyDN4sYuOrK/s1600/Baby.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="266" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMvqgzaUUjb7PZj9nu-iJKwSOlEhKSNhjQlklojgm27EsiTFxo5qyu3Sih45MIG934gLhFx_Nv-MMBple66-6YLldcNe9kdOkdcg5f8iIb3zE868YQefSV8ElwvYibkaBaVyDN4sYuOrK/s200/Baby.png" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">Ó</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Carol Shaw 2018</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-67396782305206558862018-10-14T14:00:00.002-05:002018-10-17T23:27:52.508-05:00When No One Seems to Listen<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Friend
Murphy, ever deaf to my pleas, has partnered with technology and upped our
dysfunctional game. I now stand accused of not being who I say I am. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">One of
my Facebook accounts was disabled for “pretending to be someone else”. My
account (and by extension, I) was deemed bogus. Without due process or hearing,
I was abruptly ejected from that back-fence-around-the-world that I enjoy so
much. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The
initial shock morphed into something akin to loss, or maybe a form of
existential crisis. It felt like my friends were all in the local hangout
together because they were the cool kids who knew the secret code, and I -
well, I was not. I was stuck on the outside, knocking on the door and looking for a keyhole. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Soon,
the Five Stages of Facebook Loss set in. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Negotiation</span></span></u></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">A simple
mistake, I thought. I have - sorry, had - two accounts. One for family and old friends; the other for colleagues, business
friends, and my professional groups. Someone must have seen my picture on both
pages and decided one was Me and the other was Not Me. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So I
wrote to The Facebook Team (as the notice was signed) and explained the
situation. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The next
morning, I received an email from Adele Gisell at Facebook. They could do nothing
until I submitted the </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">correct </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">documentation. I sent a copy of my license to
Ms. Gisell and moved into the next step. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Anxiety</span></span></u></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Who did
this to me? Who jumped to that conclusion and why didn't they talk to me first?
Did I leave anyone mid-conversation? Did they now think I didn't care? Life was
being shared and I wasn’t part of it. Did they miss me? </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">An email
from Donnatella Oceans at Facebook dropped into my box. It was identical to the
email received earlier. I submitted a copy of my passport (duly redacted) and
moved on. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Irritation</span></span></u></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Facebook
said that a friend had reported me as an imposter. Some friend! And what's with
the form letters, Facebook? And those were </span><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">my </span></i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">photographs and memories
and conversations with old friends. Mine, Facebook, not yours. At least give a little
warning! </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The next
email, this time from Dezfara H'ghar, was identical to the previous emails and
confirmed my suspicion that I was dealing with algorithms, not people. There
was no human intelligence examining my documents; just a program, a two-dimensional
robot designed to scan for certain patterns. The irony of a pretend customer
service agent telling me that I was pretend was not lost on me. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Scheming</span></span></u></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you
can't beat ‘em, join ‘em, the saying goes. In their lack of sentience, the
programs could only search for patterns. So patterns they would have. For the
disabled Facebook account I had used my original surname and my current one in
order to be more easily identified by old friends; none of my legitimate
documents contain that set of names. I would provide them with fake documents
to beat a charge of being fake myself. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The
following morning, I received an email (this time signed Blue Dela Cruz). It
was the same form letter as before. Apparently, they can recognize fake documents
but not real ones. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<u><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Resignation
</span></span></u></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Today, I
quit what is arguably an excellent metaphor for our current political times.
Despite all the busy back-and-forth, no one is accepting solutions that work
for all parties. Questions are asked with little to no attempt to understand the
problem. All responses are considered fake, regardless of any truth they may
contain. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So
today I quit trying to move the massive machine. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I'm taking action: not
against but forward. Getting back in the game. Reestablishing connections.
Reentering the social exchange. Because unless we make the effort ourselves,
nothing happens. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And
while it may feel like no one is ever really listening, I know that isn't true.
</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Murphy. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Murphy
is always listening. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05_XC_u1WmPjXzEarL6inuyTW2oPhjVlLP4Duk_lOeKq7t_D1ybvTtCBQisSvgNfsf0mUY2O3Wp4FzA9rPeHMRCUrLM23eyozt8ihJhs2nkE7u-hD0aRFADlpf9htMev7KXehOjFXvZ_q/s1600/ear-2972890_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05_XC_u1WmPjXzEarL6inuyTW2oPhjVlLP4Duk_lOeKq7t_D1ybvTtCBQisSvgNfsf0mUY2O3Wp4FzA9rPeHMRCUrLM23eyozt8ihJhs2nkE7u-hD0aRFADlpf9htMev7KXehOjFXvZ_q/s320/ear-2972890_1280.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ó</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"> Carol Shaw 2018</span></span><br /></span></span></div>
Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-72405962760441874532018-08-05T10:51:00.000-05:002018-10-17T23:28:03.705-05:00The tooth about Murphy <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I woke up to the sound of the alarm. Something felt off, but I couldn’t
quite put my finger on it. My day didn’t normally start for another hour at
least, but I had to be dressed and across town soon, so I stumbled to the
bathroom to splash water on my face.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My jaw was a little sore. I’d been clenching my teeth. Maybe a smile
would relax my muscles, help me feel more awake. So I smiled. In the mirror, a
gap-toothed grin to rival that of any 6-year-old beamed back at me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sometime in the night, a crown had come off one of my front teeth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I quickly searched around the bed. No crown. And no time to look any
further. I had to get ready. In less than 30 minutes, my friend Charo was
picking me up for an event we were attending. An event at which I was speaking.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And there I was, looking like a character from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lil’ Abner</i>. Suddenly, I was Very Wide Awake. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Murphy, it seemed, had just upped his game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Murphy and I have a long-standing relationship. He lurks, just out of
sight, and little things go wrong. Or big things. A piece of software crashes
just before a deadline. My neighbor’s cottonwood drops branches into my yard
instead of theirs. And my car had just been declared un-roadworthy. That meant
I’d have to take the bus to get to my out-of-town conference the next day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the years, it’s become almost a game. How well can I roll with the
punches? How quickly can I think of Plan B? or C? We’re cat and mouse sometimes,
Murphy and me, and he keeps me on my toes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I stared in the mirror, my mind raced. This was a low blow, even for
Murphy. Deep down, I have a stubborn streak of vain insecurity. I’d even gotten
a fresh mani-pedi the day before to boost my confidence for the workshop. It
seemed doubtful that little hoop earrings would distract much from the awkward
gap in my mouth. Plans B, C and D were jettisoned as my mind raced and I got
ready on auto pilot. Time to roll with the punches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the car, I told Charo what had happened. We laughed together and she
told me to relax. My friends are a great counterbalance to Murphy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All through the other speakers’ presentations I used a little Mona Lisa
smile, but my session was coming up right after lunch, the last one of the day.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the years, I’ve come to see Murphy as God’s little civil servant. We
all have a Murphy, of course, but my anthropomorphic version has faded red hair
and a bristly little mustache. He carries a clipboard. There’s probably a
baloney sandwich in his lunchbox. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">His job is to make sure that I never get too comfortable or take too much
for granted. And he’s very good at his job. He’s made me step out of my comfort
zone, go on accidental adventures, and surprised me with perspective. Over the
years, I’ve come to appreciate Murphy – or at least, be a little more at ease
with his lurking presence. And here he was again. Who needs a comfort zone
anyway? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After lunch, I walked to the front of the room. I looked out at the
waiting attendees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I told them about getting a mani-pedi because I always get a little
nervous, and I flashed my bright red fingernails to make my point. I told them
that God has a sense of humor and He has ways of making sure that I never take myself
too seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And then I flashed the biggest grin I could muster…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The next day, still congratulating myself for successfully rolling with
Murphy’s latest punch, I called my dentist. They managed to squeeze me in for a
temporary crown. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I sat in the dentist’s chair, watching the minutes tick by on the
clock, I realized something else. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I may have dealt with Murphy yesterday, and I may have made
sure that I would not be toothless at the conference, but he had still won. In
my effort to fix my dental woes, I had lost track of time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My bus to Austin had
just left without me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well played, Murphy. Well played. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">Ó</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Carol Shaw 2018</span></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
<br />Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-54579161996129205082018-07-04T12:00:00.000-05:002018-07-04T12:14:36.813-05:00July 4<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes we get binary and talk about an aisle with opposite sides, forgetting that for an aisle to exist everyone must sit in a single room.</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes we talk about points on a spectrum, but points only form a spectrum in relationship to each other. </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Maybe it's something else - something bigger. <br /><br />Maybe it's a piece of fabric, </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">something big and broad </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">that stretches up and down and across</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and even diagonally. </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Something with an underlying theme </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">to the lines and corners</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and range of hues. </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Something like a few stars </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and a few bars,</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and a few colors, </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and when you put them all together, </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">they make a theme that no single component</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">can ever create on its own;</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and maybe you on your straight red line </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and me on the tip of an angle - </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">maybe we need a day</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">to remember that </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">without you on your bar</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and me on my star, </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">we would just be <span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">isolated points on a nebulous spectrum </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; margin: 0px;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">or empty chairs in a broken room</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></strike>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">-cs 070418</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-68275302661495722902018-05-20T16:05:00.000-05:002018-10-17T23:28:25.418-05:00On Labels and Expectations<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">A couple of months ago I took my car to a local shop to have
some work done. The attendant asked for my phone number in order to look me up
in their computer system. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">“Jolly Carol?” he asked. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">“What?” I wasn’t sure I’d heard correctly. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">“Jolly Carol. That’s you, right?” and he showed me the
screen. It seemed that someone, many years ago, had mis-entered my late husband’s
name into their system. “John” had somehow morphed into “Jolly”. Later, they added
my name and just like that, I was Jolly Carol Shaw. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The attendant then sat down to regale me with jokes and stories
about his grandchildren. What’s more, he expected me to laugh. I was, after
all, Jolly. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Last Friday, I found myself in the hospital emergency room.
My foot, propped up in front of me, looked like an overstuffed empanada. I wish
I could say I injured myself doing something heroic, like saving a puppy, but no. The truth is, late Thursday night I stepped on my own shoe while packing, returning from a quick trip. My foot (still not healed from an earlier sprain) exploded
in pain. In the morning, I had to ask for wheelchair assistance at the airport.
And by the time my flight landed, my foot was an angry, swollen mess and my son
made me go to the ER. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">As we sat there chatting, my son and I, my nurse came up and
introduced himself. We cracked a couple of jokes. The doctor ordered some tests
and I was wheeled down the hall to rule out a DVT (a precaution after
flying-while-injured). The ultrasound technician made a lighthearted comment
and I laughed. She said, “I heard you were fun!” </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Fun. A new label had preceded
me, and she was prepared to treat me accordingly. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">We shared a few chuckles. The x-ray tech came to cart me away
and we laughed together. Eventually, I was deposited back in the hallway with
my son. The doctor came over, handed me some papers and told me that it was a
bad sprain; he had prescribed pain medication, there was no other damage, I
should go home and stay off my foot for several days. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">My son and I looked at each other. We both needed lunch. I
was loopy from little sleep and lots of pain. And I needed the bathroom. So he
wheeled me toward the door. We passed one bathroom, but my addled brain said, “No,
that’s for patients,” and in my mind I was not a patient. So I asked him to
take me to the waiting area where I could easily hobble into the bathroom. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">When I came back out, I found my son explaining to someone
from the hospital that no, we really weren’t running away. The man eyed
me with suspicion. Then he gruffly ordered us back to our spot in the hall until properly released. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Back inside the ER inner sanctum, they processed me for
discharge. We joked about my slow-speed “escape”.<span style="margin: 0px;"> We came up with new labels: </span><i>Wheelchair Fugitive, Granny on the Lam, </i>and <i>Hotfoot Shaw </i>all made the cut. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">But I couldn’t help thinking. We humans tend to treat others
based on our own expectations. We often see what we expect to see. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">So, what if we all <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">expected</i>
to see in others the image of God? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Would it change how we treat them? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">And if it changed how we treat them, would it change their response? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Would it change the world around us? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I don’t know about you, but I want to find out. Just let me
grab my cane and orthopedic boot.</span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"> <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">Ó</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Carol Shaw 2018</span></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-56597402813019416092018-04-08T02:14:00.001-05:002018-04-08T11:28:35.599-05:00Of Cheese and Investment<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Some people invest in Wall Street. I, apparently,
invest in cheese. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Having recently admitted to my friend Ellen that I was
in serious danger of becoming a card-carrying hermit, and recognizing my need
to devote more time to my friendships, I decided this week to join a group of
fellow translators and interpreters for a purely social event. Some of these
women I’ve known for years. Some I’d never met. But they were coming together
on Saturday morning for brunch, and I was going to join them. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">I chose the safe option and offered to take a cheese
tray: dash in to the store, grab a tray at the deli and check out – 10 minutes,
tops. That was the plan. </span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">But the store was out of cheese trays. I quickly
weighed my options: wait in line here or race to the other store a 1/4-mile
away. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The time seemed better invested
staying put, so I joined the line at the deli counter. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">We inched forward. The lone deli worker greeted her
regulars as she filled tubs with salads and sliced ham. Finally, it was my
turn. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">That was when Deli Lady politely said, “Just a moment,”
and disappeared. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">I looked at the time again. Surely she was coming back
soon… right? I re-calculated my options and the time involved and decided it
was still probably better to stay. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">A couple of minutes later, Deli Lady was back.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">“I need a cheese tray, please,” I said, trying not to
sound anxious. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">“We’re out,” she answered. I refrained from pointing
out that their lack of prepared trays was precisely why I was in line there,
and not at the checkout.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Could she make a tray? <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She thought about it a moment, then said yes. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She asked how big I wanted it: small, medium
or large. Unsure of just what those meant, I began gesturing, measuring random
sizes in the air.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">She didn’t blink. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Eventually I added the words “ten to fifteen people” (while
still waving my hands around). This got a nod from Deli Lady and she once again
disappeared. I once again began weighing my options. Did I have the time to
wait for her to make a tray? She seemed to be working at
I-don’t-want-to-be-here speed. Should I leave and take my chances elsewhere? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Time. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">We know how valuable it is. When we invest it, we are
so loathe to pull the plug. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">And so I waited, and eventually Deli Lady could be
seen sorting through trays in the back room. She found what she obviously
believed to be the right size and wandered back. It looked a little big to me,
but my investment of time seemed about to pay off so I shut my mouth. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Cheese began to fall in thick slabs from the slicer.
She cubed it with an enormous knife. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>A
small mountain of cheese began to grow on the tray, all in slow motion.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">The minutes ticked by as she found the right lid.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>More, as she keyed in the prices. My
investment in cheese was quantified. She secured the lid, handed me the tray
and drawled, “have a nice day,” as I made a mad dash for the checkout line. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Total time: 45 minutes. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">As I drove across the Metroplex, I pondered our odd
relationship with time. We waste time, forget time, lose track of time and sometimes
think we have all the time in the world. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">But the moment we become conscious of our investment,
time becomes a thing of immeasurable value for which we fight.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">We finish poorly-written books in order to not
invalidate the time spent finding out just how bad they really are. We back the
same team or attend the same church year after year because we’ve always done
so. We defend relationships, heroes and ideals (sometimes beyond their
expiration dates) because of the time we have invested up to that point. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">As I pulled up to our hostess’ house and parked, I
thought of the group of women gathered inside. Friends, acquaintances, strangers –
all of them people in whom I was about to invest a little time. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Then I hoisted my tray and marched up to the door.
Today, my investment in friendship would be conscious – and it would come with cheese.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoagt6PCfxmY9d35rqomStnBh8Qgnq33CFR-Pj-kEj4-7snJAitOTh6Z9lMxFLaD5qxMjVmL_9XgGlWb2PcXXYiGLMO4wInfs4rXUn9lha1jybQaQE-zFZt-W7D0Uqmie1oN1RCsrq7JIr/s1600/Cheese.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoagt6PCfxmY9d35rqomStnBh8Qgnq33CFR-Pj-kEj4-7snJAitOTh6Z9lMxFLaD5qxMjVmL_9XgGlWb2PcXXYiGLMO4wInfs4rXUn9lha1jybQaQE-zFZt-W7D0Uqmie1oN1RCsrq7JIr/s320/Cheese.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-88062368223080395102017-12-25T01:42:00.000-06:002017-12-25T01:42:21.880-06:00A Christmas Prayer<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I’ve just gotten over the flu, but only the icky
contagious part of it. I still wear out with absurd ease. After a Christmas
party yesterday where all I did – literally – was sit, eat and talk, I still
came home and took a nap. So I wasn’t looking forward to making that one last
trip to the store before Christmas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Besides, stores with crowds are next to underwear with
bad elastic on my list of things to avoid.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But shop I must and so I braced myself for tired,
grumpy cashiers and tired, grumpy shoppers, and marched into the store. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The first person I ran into (almost literally) was an
elderly woman who jumped out of my way, laughed, and told me to have a </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mericrismas</span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Then I dodged a young
father toting his toddler in one arm and an educational toy in the other. He
smiled. I smiled. The toddler squirmed and reached for something less
self-improving. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Middle-school boys pushed passed me with a polite,
“Excuse me, ma’am”. A teenager moved his
cart out of my way before I could ask. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">A young woman with matching eyebrow and nose rings
rang up my purchases with a cheerful smile. As I got back to my car, a young
man came running over and told me in halting English that my front tire was
low. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I started thinking about how many of those people
(those generous, kind, polite people) get automatically crossed off someone’s list because they fit a predefined category.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The elderly.</span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The immigrant.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Minority.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Majority.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Tattoed.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Pierced.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Left. Right.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Muslim. Christian. None-of-the-above.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Language-challenged.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The middle-aged.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The young.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I thought about a Birth; </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">a Baby;</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">new eyes that see </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the Other </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(you and me) </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">not as a construct of </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">filters, fears and </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">expectations,</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">but as we are. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Not faceless pieces </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">in a power game </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">or subjects of gossip </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">and memes on social media. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Not as a <i>they</i>, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">but as a <i>you</i> - a</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">s in <i>I love you</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">So here’s to us,</span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">the Loved. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Here’s to </span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">the misfits, </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">the conformists, </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">to you and to me:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">May the Birth that</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">reknit the world</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">in a long-ago manger </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">give us new eyes,</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">and may we</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">ruly see that Child</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">in one another. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLfhn02d1Yxfuf4J8ep5v1gzqR5sQnTQgHG7B-lvNoim63u2eTlQwsZKieyVKwv4y69RGTxwjVY2e2WNcgB-VuDPe4_pcum7xCPq8le2fuDHwpYIkMXIgdoHAoJCaAF1C_4yu2xWs6AtX/s1600/3126066146_f3d9e5da56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLfhn02d1Yxfuf4J8ep5v1gzqR5sQnTQgHG7B-lvNoim63u2eTlQwsZKieyVKwv4y69RGTxwjVY2e2WNcgB-VuDPe4_pcum7xCPq8le2fuDHwpYIkMXIgdoHAoJCaAF1C_4yu2xWs6AtX/s320/3126066146_f3d9e5da56.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">©</span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Carol Shaw, Christmas 2017</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-48654319512432160952017-10-23T01:42:00.000-05:002018-04-15T14:45:53.205-05:00Oh Mamma! <br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stress. It’s been my middle name of late. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A heavy work season. Not enough sleep. Car making suspicious
sounds. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span>And now a trip with back-to-back
events. First, </span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">to Indiana to see family, friends and participate in my friend
Lynn’s women’s retreat. Then on to Washington DC for the annual American
Translators Association conference.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Somewhere
in there, a large project has to be completed.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">S</span></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">o when my alarm went off early Friday morning, my frazzled brain
begged me to throw in the towel and stay under the covers for a week. Instead I
dragged my body out of bed after only two hours of sleep, put my luggage in the
trunk of the car, and took off for the airport. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There was a wreck on the freeway. Three out of four lanes
were closed. I made it to the airport 7 minutes after my flight left. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the airline desk, a sleepy clerk put me on standby for the
next flight, nearly 5 hours later.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">R</span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">ealizing I’d forgotten something important, I decided to
count the delay as a blessing and dash home. When I got to my car, I found that
a large van had squeezed into the spot beside me, leaving about 7 inches of
space between us. I am not 7 inches in diameter.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With a prayer that no one with a cell phone would notice me, I
crawled through the passenger side, scooted the driver’s seat back, launched
myself over the middle console, wrestled my uncooperative knee over the gear
stick and settled into place. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">A</span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">t home, I took a nap and repacked, Tetris-style. My son had delivered
his daughter to daycare and said he would drive me to DFW airport instead. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He dropped me off at the entrance near Gate C37. It was the
closest security checkpoint to my departure gate. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A sign at security advised that the TSA Precheck line was
at Gate C20.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I decided that walking to C20 just for Precheck convenience
was not worth it; I was leaving from C39. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It took several minutes of standing in the slow-moving lane
for me to realize that only one of the security lanes was operational. There were
at least 15 people before me in line. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I finally reached the conveyor belt, walked through the
scanner -- and my carry-on bag promptly got pulled for inspection. The only
inspector was busy with someone else. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When he got to my bag, he dug almost everything out until he
found the object of suspicion: wooden candlesticks, handmade by one of my
brothers. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
A<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">fter making sure they were only candlesticks, the inspector meticulously
examined everything else in my bag. Some mental math was required to convert grams
into ounces, after which he decided that the little container of mora jam I was
taking to my other brother was more than 3 ounces and qualified as a liquid or
gel. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“What time does your flight leave?” he asked. I looked at the
clock. “Three minutes.” We both looked at the contents of my suitcase, now
spilling all over, and he said, “Then I guess maybe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> should repack…” </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few minutes later, I was put on standby for the next flight
to Indianapolis and sent to Gate C19. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A firm believer in accepting the ebb and flow of life, I
still couldn’t help feeling a little beat up. The things I’d been stressing
over – the job, the women’s retreat, the conference – were now things to fight
for. Forget pulling the covers over my head. A sense of urgency started to build.
Every flight to Indianapolis was fully booked. My chances of getting on a plane
seemed to shrink as the day went by. And even if I did get a flight, I still had
a two-hour drive to make after landing. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I sat down to text the people who would be waiting on me.
First, my brother, who was duly sympathetic and said he’d have a bed ready for
me when I made it. I didn’t tell him about the confiscated jam. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then, Lynn, whose retreat I was supposed to be at. I poured out
all my pent-up stress and frustration into my text. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">A</span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">nd then… </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Music. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Music over the airport sound system, and not just any music. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters were belting
out ABBA. “I was sick and tired of everything…”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My foot started tapping. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“All I do is eat and sleep and sing…” </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Mamma Mia! soundtrack continued, and all of a sudden I was
a “Super Trouper shining in the sun”. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I realized that the only thing I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">could</i> do was the only thing I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had</i>
to do: keep showing up until something happened. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few minutes later, my earworm (“smiling, having fun…”) and
I made our way to A17 in order to not get on that flight. From there, we were
sent to not get on the plane at D42. Somewhere along the line I picked up a
little lost lady from Cameroon who was trying to get to Indianapolis to see her
daughter. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, thirteen hours after my originally-scheduled flight,
my Cameroonian friend, the seven other people also on perpetual standby, and I found
ourselves once again at C19, where we boarded the very last flight to
Indianapolis.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don't know about them, but for me a<span style="line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">ll it took was little Mamma Mia! - and a whole lot of showing up. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGA44JMNFxo5rW36ErS-w1BF2cdj_iIBxXEJzcMB04UtK81NzYs7VNiIxA25vdby9VN2KukR4apd28SGhaIbX0jMG7WC3W8nkHsSScshy-2Lyua-zSXBfAH08VWrFxZwOhXXIUufIYAmh/s1600/hurry-clipart-vector-cartoon-clip-art-of-a-woman-in-a-hurry-to-catch-her-flight-while-running-late-in-an-airport-by-ron-leishman-116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGA44JMNFxo5rW36ErS-w1BF2cdj_iIBxXEJzcMB04UtK81NzYs7VNiIxA25vdby9VN2KukR4apd28SGhaIbX0jMG7WC3W8nkHsSScshy-2Lyua-zSXBfAH08VWrFxZwOhXXIUufIYAmh/s200/hurry-clipart-vector-cartoon-clip-art-of-a-woman-in-a-hurry-to-catch-her-flight-while-running-late-in-an-airport-by-ron-leishman-116.jpg" width="195" /></span></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-17476980314462937862017-10-17T00:11:00.001-05:002017-10-17T20:17:01.933-05:00Beyond the hashtag<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve been thinking about
the #MeToo movement. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve hesitated, because
– while yes, me, too – it’s not where I live. It’s one of a multitude of things
that make up the fabric of my life (along with somewhat lesser events,
like the time I was robbed on a bus, or the time my appendix nearly burst,
or the time I tried smoking pot and learned why I really, really shouldn't.) </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No single event defines who I am. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve hesitated because
while the occasions of violence in my past occurred many years ago, the moment
I open my mouth or put fingers to keyboard it becomes news to someone else,
now. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Someone who loves me may
find themselves thinking When? What? How?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
Or, “Well, THAT explains things!” (It doesn't)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
Or even, “Could I have stopped it?" </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And there! Right there! –
that’s why I decided to join in and add my voice to the chorus of “me
too”. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because while you couldn’t
have stopped what happened to me many years ago, maybe you can stop
something from happening now, to some other girl or boy, woman or man. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sexual violence isn’t about
sex. It’s about dehumanization, subtle or overt. Maybe you can be one more person who consciously chooses to reject
dehumanization. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe you can look at
people who cross your path and really see them: not categories, ideologies,
experiences or genders, but them. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe you can be part of
the evolving change. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And maybe together we can
take it beyond a hashtag. </span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
</div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUqneW1zKPunBa_w40dZPckfXJ_wELWJaLo2k2Hmd8Q1Ewt_zLSP84k8VJjpqiESVsYL8TEcsUO0I7LrhsL01krPNe3z9zIqjght-vMEzaQCjfTL6JVkbqNUdQdvv4WOpuhztXsyYgYc8/s1600/10-17-2017+12-19-24+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUqneW1zKPunBa_w40dZPckfXJ_wELWJaLo2k2Hmd8Q1Ewt_zLSP84k8VJjpqiESVsYL8TEcsUO0I7LrhsL01krPNe3z9zIqjght-vMEzaQCjfTL6JVkbqNUdQdvv4WOpuhztXsyYgYc8/s1600/10-17-2017+12-19-24+AM.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
</div>
</span></span><br />
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-21878757745886125632017-09-04T03:17:00.001-05:002017-09-05T01:28:52.065-05:00Of Life and Adventures<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On May 6, 2000, I married M’s grandfather.
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As I watched that cute little
redhead wander down the church aisle, stop to dump out her entire basket of
flowers, then take off her shoes, I vaguely wondered how I could learn to be a
grandmother when I was still trying to figure out how to raise 12- and
14-year-old boys. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I had no idea how to “do” a little
girl’s hair. I’d have to buy a rocking chair. I barely needed the
sporadic Miss Clairol moment.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But there
she was, my new little granddaughter, acquired as part of the package deal to
which I said “I do”.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It turned out to be quite a bargain,
that package deal.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I bought a rocking chair. M rather liked
having her hair flow free when she stayed the weekend. And somewhere in there I
must have done something right, because at age 3 she stuffed every Barbie doll she
owned into her little backpack and announced that she was running away – to me.
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Eventually, her little sister S came
along and joined us for those weekends: with two teenaged boys, two little
girls and two dogs, we were our own weird version of Noah’s Ark. At night, I
would wrap first one granddaughter and then the other in her favorite blanket
and rock them to sleep, cocooned together in soft lullabies and sweet little
girl dreams.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When their grandfather died, the
girls and their parents became his legacy to me. It was always a forever kind
of deal. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If the visits slowed over the years
it was only because growing girls develop lives of their own and I live an hour
away. Still, I go up for plays and awards when I can. The girls come spend a few
days with me a couple of times a year. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And as a buffer against the day they grew up,
I made a promise: when each girl graduated, she could pick a city anywhere in
the contiguous 48 states and I would take her there. It would be our last big
adventure before they went off to adventures of their own.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">17 years after she became my
granddaughter, M graduated.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> A few weeks later, </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">my son drove us to DFW airport and we were off, on our way to New
York. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">After rushing through security, we
had barely enough time to grab a bite before they called our flight. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">That’s when I realized I’d lost my license.
Leaving M with our bags and my breakfast, I raced (figuratively) back to the
security checkpoint. It was the last place I remembered having my license. I
remembered putting it in the tray along with my purse. I remembered the tray
flipping over on its way down the conveyer. My license had to be there.
Red-faced and panting, I reached the checkpoint and started my search, always
aware that our flight might be called at any moment. It wasn’t there. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Maybe someone had found it. I turned
around and saw a guard smirking at me, license in hand. “Name?” he asked,
although who else looked like that woman on the license, I don’t know. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I rushed back and managed to swallow
my breakfast and a few gulps of coffee before the flight was called.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As we settled into our seats, I remember
thinking, “Well, if that’s the only bit of excitement…”</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I should never, ever think those things.
Murphy always reads my mind. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I had decided on a shuttle bus to
get us to our hotel, so we could see a bit of the city as we drove in.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> As it turned out, t</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">he bus had advertising on the windows, blurring everything around us. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">About 20 minutes from our hotel, M’s
mother called. She’d gotten a call from the man who had M’s suitcase. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We hadn’t known it was missing. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We remembered grabbing her
zebra-striped bag. It was the one with the pink yarn bow and Mickey Mouse tag,
wasn’t it? We weren’t sure. M’s mother had the man’s number. M called him from
the shuttle. He was desperate to retrieve his bag. You know, the little red one...
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Oh. Not the checked bag. The man had
accidentally grabbed M’s carry-on. We agreed to a rendezvous point and set out to meet a stranger in a strange city to
recover my granddaughter’s footwear, and somehow that set the perfect tone for adventure. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We spent a day on tour buses (the
ones where you sit up top), and dodged low-hanging branches and got a little
sunburned.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We shared our pretzels with the pedicab
driver in Central Park and posed for a million pictures. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We dressed up one night and went to
see The Lion King. We were mesmerized. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On our way out of the theater, a
couple of shirtless young men in construction gear were bantering with
passers-by and the tall one figured I was old enough to safely tease so he
called me "white chocolate”, among other things, and I blurted out, “You’re
old enough to be my son!” which confused him and made M laugh. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We explored the 9/11 memorial, went
to the Met and took the ferry out to Liberty Island. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">M navigated our walk from the hotel
to the Empire State Building and became an expert at hailing cabs. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We ate at a deli, had a slice of New
York pizza, found a diner near the hotel that served eggs with plantains, and
got hotdogs from a street vendor. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We saw the homeless pregnant woman
on the sidewalk. And the man terrified of a monster that only he could see. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We saw street artists and amazing
dancers in parks. We stopped to listen to the saxophonist on a bridge. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And we asked for stories from every
cabbie, every Lyft driver, every waitperson we could. Usually, we got more
story than we expected. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I sat on a bench in the Museum of
Natural History to rest, while M explored the vast building. Pretty soon
another grandmother came over and sat down next to me. Her granddaughters promised her (in Spanish) that they’d be right back and they wouldn't get lost. I must
have smiled or something, because my bench mate greeted me in Spanish and we
had a nice chat. When her girls came back, the little one threw her
arms around me and neither of us grandmas chose to explain that I was actually a stranger, not
an old friend of her <i>a</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>buela’s</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">M wasn’t ready to leave when our
five days were up. Nor was I.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But then,
I wasn’t ready for her to grow up so fast, either. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">She turns 19 today. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Happy birthday, dear girl. May all
of your adventures be good. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-73609256465183799592017-07-03T00:03:00.000-05:002017-07-03T00:03:42.400-05:00Friends and Fences
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Robert
Frost had his Mending Wall. I have my Friendship Fence. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">It was a
simple proposition, to start with. My neighbors needed a new fence. They knew I
knew a good fence guy. They also knew that my fence guy’s English is not so
much, and their Spanish is not much more. Could I please facilitate? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">As a
professional translator, I could hardly say no. I didn’t want to say no, anyway.
I liked my neighbors (Dan and Dana) and my fence guy (Carlos), and if a
little fence post interpreting would help them both, why not? When I called Carlos to ask him for a quote, we took the opportunity to discuss the new fence I was budgeting for later this summer. Dan and Dana accepted his quote. A start date was
set and all was well. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Or so it
seemed.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The day
after the fence posts were committed to cement, Dan learned of a new city ordinance
about fences on corner lots. Theirs was a corner lot. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Dan called me. He was on his way to work but wasn’t sure Carlos would see the
revised drawing taped to the patio door. Could I please go over and make sure?
Of course I would. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Carlos had
indeed seen the drawing but thought it was incorrect. Would I please call Dan?
No problem. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Dana's mother called. While I was figuring out the drawing, could I also ask Carlos if he was using treated wood? Sure. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Dan called back. The drawing had been done using the city’s guidelines. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Carlos called. If the drawing was right, he would have to move a couple of the
posts he’d sunk into cement the day before. And the wood didn’t need to be
treated yet. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">I left a
message for Dan about the posts. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Dana's mother
called again; please ignore the question about treated wood. I gave her the answer anyway. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Dan called back. Please have Carlos stop everything until they could figure this
out. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">I walked
next door for the umpteenth time and awkwardly gave Carlos the news. While I
felt bad that he and his crew would lose a day's work, the sudden respite
was welcome. Jobs were piling up on my desk and I desperately needed peace and
quiet in which to catch up. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Twenty
minutes later, I was deep in translation when a loud clattering echoed through my back yard. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Then I
heard yelling – the kind of yelling people do when they’re trying to be heard over
the sound of power tools. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">When the
hammering started, I got up to see what was going on. Stepping outside, I was
greeted with a new fence in the making. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">A new fence
around <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my </i>yard. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Carlos came over, grinning. “I promised my crew work for today,” he said. “You can pay
me later.” </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Dan and Dana and Carlos got things figured out the next day and by the end of the week we
both had new fences. As we stood between our houses, laughing over the
back-and-forth, I realized it was the most time we’d spent together since they
moved in. After living next door to each other for 15 months, it took a pair of
fences, a language barrier and a city ordinance to make us really neighbors. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Dan and Dana have moved away. It turns out the new fence was the last thing on their list
before putting the house on the market. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">I just wish
it hadn’t been the first thing that made us connect.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-36957067339552835442017-06-16T01:26:00.000-05:002017-06-16T01:26:35.244-05:00Workshopping Life<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">My first morning in the charming town of Princeton, NJ, I got lost. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I don’t mean driving around the block three times to get my bearings lost. I’m talking driving what I thought was around the block and ending up going over a bridge heading toward Trenton lost. Twice.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Eventually, I found my way and my destination. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">On day two of the writers’ workshop in Princeton, I lost an earring. On the third day, I spied it in the chapel under a pew. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">That afternoon, I lost my phone - my external left brain. Panicked, I got up early the next day to retrace my steps from the day before. My phone was in the first place I looked. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I made dear new friends, listened to stories that begged to be books, learned from experience and imagination, and in the process, I lost a few more things: </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px 24px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Like fear of asking the dumb question that everyone says doesn’t exist; </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px 24px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">and fear of publishing (apparently, that </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">is</span></i><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> a thing and I’m </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">not</span></i><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> weird);</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px 24px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">and fear of finding that my particular stars really are out of reach.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">We discussed the importance of intentionality in our work</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">, of understanding our motives</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">, and of stopping not doing what we needed to do</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">[3]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">There were stories in the music</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">[4]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> and poetry in the art</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">[5]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> and kinship in the people by whose side I learned. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I lost a lot last week in Princeton, NJ, and I’m grateful. In the process, I also found my way. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">And eventually, even if I end up crossing that bridge another fifty times, I’ll find my destination.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
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<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[1]</span></span></b></span></span></span></i></span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Diana Butler Bass</span></span></i></div>
</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[2]</span></span></b></span></span></span></i></span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Jonathan Merritt</span></span></i></div>
</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[3]</span></span></b></span></span></span></i></span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Anne Lamott</span></span></i></div>
</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[4]</span></span></b></span></span></span></i></span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Andrew Peterson</span></span></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Carol/Desktop/Princeton.docx" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span style="margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[5]</span></span></b></span></span></span></i></span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Makato Fujimora</span></span></i></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-39170910246522524332017-05-29T22:01:00.000-05:002017-05-29T22:01:21.786-05:00Memorial Day
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">On this day, we bow
our heads</span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">to mourn with those
who mourn:</span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The
mothers with their empty arms,</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The
fathers with their heavy hearts,</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The
sisters and the brothers</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">whose
history was torn apart,</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The
husbands, wives and sweethearts,</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">with
amputated dreams,</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The
children born to loss and</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">those
who never came to Be.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The
friends who hold an empty seat,</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">the
friends who might have been:</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">unique
and sacred stories</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">that
reach far beyond their end.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Today we stand in silence
</span></i><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">As we mourn with those
who mourn,</span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">in solemn recognition
of</span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">the endless cost of
war.</span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">-cs</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">052917</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-83638285779997678902017-05-07T15:25:00.000-05:002017-05-07T15:27:04.421-05:00The Here and Now<div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes my brain gets overloaded. More
accurately, sometimes I overload my brain. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Take this last week, for instance. On
Monday evening, a friend and colleague asked me to cover a last-minute urgent
request for a deposition the next day.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">She’s a good friend, so of course I said yes. Never mind that I was
trying to get all my work finished up before leaving to visit my sister for
a couple of weeks. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Tuesday morning, I was going about my business when my phone
chimed. It was a text message from my friend. “The attorney
wants to know where you are…” </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I believe my first words were, “Oh
crap!”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My mind was so full of details that I’d
completely forgotten that last-minute request. It was nearly 25 minutes past
the start time. The law firm was just a couple of miles away. “Tell them I’ll
be there in 10-15 minutes”, I answered and started throwing on the appropriate
clothes. Shoes. Next, face and… </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Did I mention that just before her text
came in, I’d started to apply a hot oil treatment to my hair? </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Muttering under my breath, I tried to
reduce that one little patch of oil. There was a can of dry shampoo in the
stuff I’d bought for my sister. She wouldn’t mind sharing. I squirted a little onto the offending spot. It helped a bit, only now I smelled like
baby powder. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Nevermind. I brushed my teeth and dashed
out the door. Within a mere 12 minutes of the texted query, I was walking
through the law firm’s doors – no makeup, no jewelry, smelling baby fresh, but nonetheless ready for business. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Afterward, grateful to the attorneys,
court reporter and witness for their kind acceptance of my apologies and less
than orthodox appearance, I got to thinking. Why do I keep overloading myself? </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There’s no one else to blame. I’m the
one who appears to believe she can manipulate time.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So I decided to at least sit down and
make a list of everything I had to do, buy, pack or pay before leaving the
country. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At least I could make sure everything
was under control from that point forward; that I would forget nothing else.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My list was informative. Past and future
were crammed together. In my zeal to make sure nothing that should have been
done and nothing that needed to be done slipped through the cracks, I had left little
room for the present. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So here I am in Santo Domingo de los
Tsáchilas, spending time in the now. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Last night, I lay in bed for over an
hour, listening to the rain and the frogs and the myriad little sounds of a
tropical night. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Bamboo, papaya, coconut, lemon, banana,
angel’s trumpet, and a dozen other trees of my childhood keep watch. A rooster
crows in the distance. Hummingbirds busy themselves with the flowering bush in
the middle of the yard, and an occasional breeze brushes my cheek. I have
plenty of work to do but have set it aside, for now. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">For now, I am just present. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes I pick up my Kindle and read a
little. I had to adjust the font, though. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I forgot my reading glasses. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWXjvle3EOPkNd_IejUWq0l1K_pFBhSQoyrDJ4CIjTLquyXJa38WDb2ebvQK7Fj8YnyZNabSCDsFYpTWl7dyOW7_2GEqudJZV58dZC2tLeGh54WyQcTcBZ0Wx71S8shUpkFr2cmpsiecF/s1600/Trees2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWXjvle3EOPkNd_IejUWq0l1K_pFBhSQoyrDJ4CIjTLquyXJa38WDb2ebvQK7Fj8YnyZNabSCDsFYpTWl7dyOW7_2GEqudJZV58dZC2tLeGh54WyQcTcBZ0Wx71S8shUpkFr2cmpsiecF/s400/Trees2.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168147509531670919.post-11118798929460399462017-03-11T01:54:00.000-06:002017-03-11T08:59:04.049-06:00Lent: in my Opinion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">You know those wonderful, wise people
who listen with full attention, never jump to conclusions, and say only what
needs to be said and not a hiccup more?</span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Yeah, that’s not me. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">I am an experienced operative in the world
of unsolicited advice. Don’t want an opinion? I have one anyway. Didn’t ask for
advice? Mine is free and plentiful. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Until recently, I would have said I was
fairly careful about sharing the advice and opinions that pop into my head. But
after standing in line to cash a check ,hearing the non-stop thoughts of the man
behind me, I got to thinking. What would happen if I consciously listened more
and opined less? </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">I hadn’t decided yet what to sacrifice
for Lent. This would be perfect! For 40 days, I would offer no unsolicited
opinions and give no unsought advice. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">It seemed easy enough, until I logged in to Facebook. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The first well-thought-out comment to a
friend’s post flew from my fingers and I hit “send” before remembering. He hadn’t
asked my opinion. I hit “delete”.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Several comments have since been
half-written and erased. I’ve had an internal debate over whether “liking”
something constituted an opinion or just encouragement. The nuances are many. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">In the store, I noticed a misspelled sign
in Spanish. I instantly dug in my purse for pen and paper, then just as quickly
stopped. The minimum-wage clerk behind the counter didn’t need someone telling
him what his company should do. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">To be honest, it drove me nuts for the
first few days. Like a pressure cooker without a release valve, I became more
and more aware of every advice-laden, opinionated thought that pressed on my
lips. I began to wonder about the protocol for changing Lenten sacrifices; what
do you do when it’s hard to tolerate the one you picked and you’d like to try a
lighter fare?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Then, last night, I had to phone in to a
committee meeting. In the course of discussion the chairman said those magic
words: “What do you think?” Let me tell you, that was one heady brew. I aired my
opinions! I gave my advice! As I excitedly laid out (in more detail than
necessary) my recommendations for a possible event, I found myself scribbling, “Thank
God for committee meetings!” <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">It boggles the mind. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">It also got me to thinking again. I
tolerate the squeaky door. I tolerate the wrong salad dressing. A Lenten sacrifice should not be tolerated; it
should expose me to the deeper nature of Jesus. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Then I thought about something I tell novice
interpreters: that one of the most important skills they can develop is the
ability to listen without the need to respond. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">So maybe that’s what was missing from my
Lenten sacrifice. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Perhaps instead of listening more, I
should focus on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> listening, even outside
the interpreter’s booth. Maybe I need to cut loose the expectations lurking behind
the advice I want to give, expectations the other person never asked for, and make
room for the person they already are. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The impatience is gone now. I’m getting
excited about this experiment. The next few weeks will be an adventure. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">In fact, the excitement seems to be
catching. My son called to chat, and I told him of my Lenten sacrifice and that
I wouldn’t be giving unsolicited advice until Lent was over. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">He and his brother are still out celebrating.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHuMjBm-eiCcpn9TrUNHGg2qXtbJpULoLm9MrEnT4r0A-xUD3SqCdNYMHzo2msdMD3oN60zJ37WfNisX0OD_Yq2s70gVC31s0ir4zqkbpe-_FPjdpK9gZ_UaS6p-Kmz_th7YMRqxCJ4PE/s1600/canstockphoto7395237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHuMjBm-eiCcpn9TrUNHGg2qXtbJpULoLm9MrEnT4r0A-xUD3SqCdNYMHzo2msdMD3oN60zJ37WfNisX0OD_Yq2s70gVC31s0ir4zqkbpe-_FPjdpK9gZ_UaS6p-Kmz_th7YMRqxCJ4PE/s320/canstockphoto7395237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>Carol Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06623768624921560791noreply@blogger.com0