Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Points to Ponder
Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of simple truths. Here are some sayings I’ve come across recently:
            Hate is a four-letter word, so is love.
            The older I get, the earlier late is.
            No matter how stressed we are we should remember how blessed we are.
            Some people don’t apologize because they simply can’t.
            Don’t dwell on the past.
            There’s always, always something to be grateful for.
            Learn to be alone and independent, it’s a skill few master.
            Never regret a day in your life, the worst days give lessons, the best days give memories.
            I am not old, I’m vintage.

I am taking time off from my blog to concentrate on other things. The summer promises to be quite a bit different this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it.
I’ll be back in August.          
                                                     

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Worldwide Bad Dream
A few weeks ago who knew that we would soon be discussing face masks and social distancing with our children and grandchildren. Yet that’s today’s reality. The pandemic, and efforts to control it, is still on everyone’s mind.
            In my neighborhood children have used colored chalk to draw rainbows on sidewalks and in parks, even in parking spaces, to remind us that this too shall pass. And while people are slowly trying to be social again there’s an uneasiness about it as if we have to relearn everything we knew, but in a different way. Everyone has questions: Do we have to wear face masks everywhere? Can we really practice social distancing while shopping? Can we share meals with friends? Etc.
            We all want the members of our families to be safe and to protect each other so we can wake up from this bad dream. That can mean looking out for the few in society who still believe the pandemic is “not really that bad” as I heard a millennial say not too long ago. Because a lot of younger people are now getting sick as the second wave of the virus begins to hit home, I wonder if they’ll still feel that it’s not really that bad when they have to fight it and they infect their families.
            I think it’s wise for all of us to listen to the rules as decreed by the scientists so that we remain healthy until a solution, read a vaccine, is proven to be effective in making the virus a thing of the past.
The corona virus has been and continues to be a worldwide bad dream. It’d be great if everyone continued in their efforts to halt its spread as we try to revive the economy. It certainly will have to take place slowly but, just like the days when we learned to walk, baby steps will take us there safely.    
           

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Helping Those Who Grieve
In our journey we all encounter relatives or friends who are grieving a loss. After all, grieving is a universal human experience, but it’s not always easy to know how to best express our concern and care especially when people are not only grieving but also dealing with the effect of a pandemic .  I recently read a few articles on the subject, and here are the suggestions that resonated most with me.
Don’t compare experiences. Each grieving is very personal.
Do ask questions so you can connect by showing you want to share their pain.
Don’t minimize the situation.
Don’t give compliments. People in pain don’t need to be told how wonderful they are.
Do stay in the present moment, but if the grieving person talks about the past, join them.
Do not offer your opinions. What works for you may not be for them.
Don’t talk about later. At the moment that future is irrelevant.
Do let them cry. Shedding tears is a necessary component of the grieving process.
Most of all: show up and listen.
It has been my experience that people do not need to go on and on in the hope of helping the grieving person. We just need to show up. That is the best way to express how we care. Even if few words are exchanged, the grieving person will remember and cherish the expression of love.
And for those of us who are grieving, no matter the inevitable changes we all have to face, making a determined effort to concentrate on the other bountiful aspects of our lives may be the secret to replacing tears with a smile.   




Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Grey and the Pandemic
For most people, seeing the first grey hair is more often than not a long-remembered unwelcomed event. In my case I recall thinking that surely I was not yet old enough for it, yet there it was in all its glory, and as if it were lonely it soon invited a bunch of others to sprout at a dizzying speed. Thankfully for some of us someone had been wise enough to realize the commercial benefits of color in a bottle.
            But as the fellow said, in this time of pandemic we will soon see everyone’s true hair color, and we are. Even celebs on television who are working from home and who have had no access to their hairdressers cannot fully hide the fact that like the rest of us, they too are getting grey.
            After this is all over, will women, and men, see the benefits of going the natural route? Perhaps they should. One case in point is a doctor I know who has just turned 50 and whose long hair is almost all white. She looks fabulous and is proud of her natural look. To color or not to color is a personal choice, of course, but I say if you want to ignore the grey reality on the road of life, go for it.
However, you can’t avoid noticing that time is marching on when your child begins sprouting his own grey hair. In my case, this happened relatively early because his father’s side of the family has had a long-standing affair with grey. My son prefers it to seriously thinning hair, a trait of my side of the family. A nephew of mine who is in his 50s regularly shaves the hair on his head. Like many young men these days, the shaved head suits him very well, and he doesn’t have to worry about grey or fuss with a comb-over!
The out of sight, out of mind approach of color in a bottle can only last so long. One my sisters went natural – read snowy white – after decades of being a blonde. An unexpected benefit is that she looked younger.
Go figure!