Why don't they just move?

Judging by the fact that I can eat my weight in ice cream, I'm not allergic to the cold like I thought. But for all of you nonbelievers out there, I'd say this is a very important step toward proving that I really am allergic to rain. :-)

I am a Blade of Grass

Do you ever have one of those days? One of those days in which no matter what you do or where you turn there is a cloud over your head that follows you and rains... and rains... and rains? So you're walking around with this cloud, soak and wet from the rain, looking for an umbrella, a hat, a piece of cardboard, anything to get under for shelter if only for a few brief moments and you finally see it, like a beacon shining in the night. You reach for it, grasp it and hold it close as the rain lifts, the clouds part and the sun shines bright once again.

Depending on your situation, your umbrella could be a lot of things. A comforting friend. A welcomed distraction. A higher power. A vigorous workout. A keyboard and a blank page. It changes from day to day. What works one day might not work on another.

Recently I was having such a rainy day. I was feeling quite sloshy and in dire need of a good pair of galoshes and, through suggestion, I got them - in the form of I Ching. An ancient Chinese text, the I Ching is based on three principles:

Simplicity - The fundamental law underlying everything in the universe is utterly plain and simple, no matter how abstract or complex some things may appear to be.

Variability - Everything in the universe is continually changing. By comprehending this, one may realize the importance of flexibility in life and may thus cultivate the proper attitude for dealing with diverse situations.

Persistence - While everything in the universe is changing, among the changing tides there is a persistent principle, a central rule, which does not vary with space and time.

To read the I Ching, I "rolled" three coins a total of six times. The three coins added up to a number and the numbers corresponded to a hexagram or symbol which then corresponded to a particular text or passage in the book.

All six of my "rolls" produced either a 7 or an 8 - pretty consistent - and that pointed to a passage about perseverance. It said that sometimes we are like a blade of grass pushing out of the earth in our effort to grow. Sometimes we are fragile and subject to stronger forces that try to push us backward into the ground, but we persevere because it is our intention, our course, to grow and to push through the difficulty. In order to do that we must remain calm within ourselves and in the face of hardship and hold tightly to the truth that we will pull through and reach toward the sky.

So it is that I am a blade of grass.

And that got me thinking... grass needs rain to grow. The hardships that temporarily set me back are just as important as the sunlight that pulls me forward. I need the rain to learn and to appreciate the sunshine. So yes, in life, a little rain must fall... but it is temporary and I will be all the greener for it. :-)

Give Me My Daily Bread

I have a love affair with bread. Dating back to the ketchup and bologna sandwiches on Wonder bread of my youth, I've spent years entrapped in doughy goodness. Eating around the crust and pulling out the warm centers of a roll, eating bread was a favorite pastime and no two baguettes were the same. I agree with my friend Shelly who said of a warm loaf, "It's so good, you just want to stick your face in it."

So it was with great reluctance that I recently embarked on a two-week wheat- and gluten-free diet in the hopes of discovering a hidden food allergy or sensitivity. Not only was I banned from the bakery, I also had to avoid caffeine, sugar, soy, red meat, dairy, chocolate and processed foods. Telling co-workers and friends about my plan yielded one common response "What the heck are you gonna eat?"

Well, see, there are these things called fruits and vegetables that grow in the ground and on trees and you can eat them raw or cooked and some of them actually taste pretty good. Perhaps you've heard of them?

I wasn't so worried about what I would eat. I'm pretty creative in the kitchen and I made some great dishes like Italian White Bean soup and Black Bean Mexican Quinoa salad. But it was challenging. Every time I opened the fridge I could hear the chocolate bars snickering and and see the Kraft singles smiling their cheesy mocking smile. I was singing the Ain't Got No Bread Blues and a few days into the detox I wanted to rip someone's head off. A friend started referring to my "crazy detox eyes." I suggested she keep a biscuit in her back pocket in case I did anything rash.

By day 11 I would have given my left arm for a sandwich. By day 12, my right. But by day 13 something changed. Suddenly I could drive by Great Harest without bursting into tears, people stopped looking like walking loaves of French bread and I no longer spent my nights dreaming of crunchy garlic croutons. It was a miracle! The "bread moodies" were virtually gone and I have so much energy that I practically leap out of bed in the morning, much to the cats' dismay.

Still, I look forward to the day when I will once again be one with my loaf. :-)

Hockey is Life

I've played six games of hockey now. Six nights of stepping out onto the ice. Six nights of trying to stop on skates. Six nights of velcro. But it wasn't until my sixth game that I really fell for hockey.

Well, sort of. :-)

What I really mean to say is that it wasn't until my sixth game that I allowed myself to fall on the ice; that I allowed myself to lose a little bit of control and to not be so concerned with embarrassment or looking silly.

Pyper, a teammate of mine, described my skating sweetly saying that I was methodical on the ice, deliberate in my moves, gliding along. Dare I say graceful? And while I'd love to picture myself in this way, floating along the ice like Kristi Yamaguchi, the truth of the matter is I'm slow simply because I can't skate any faster! And as for being deliberate... well...

I'm a person who likes to be in control. There, I said it. Do I get a cookie now? :-) I like to be in control of myself and, if at all possible, the situation as well. I think things out thoroughly, I play scenarios in my head, I like to know what's going on and I hate to be in the dark.

Enter hockey...

At first glance, one would easily surmise that hockey is not a sport of control and deliberation - at least not at the amateur level. Too bad I missed that day in class because I was determined to retain my calm methodical composure in this new sport. Uh, HELLO! I'm on ICE for crying out loud! How much control did I think I could possibly have?

Remember that one of my goals in my first game was to not fall? I was proud that I didn't fall the entire game, nor the game after that, and I continued to keep that goal as a sign of accomplishment. One night I had a particularly frustrating game. I was confused about where to be, I was frustrated immensely with my lack of skill and I wasn't having a lick of fun. To combat my frustration, Nicole and I went to the rink a few days later to work on my skating. An hour on the ice and still not able to stop on skates, I at least left the rink with a new outlook (and a pretty good snap shot, I might add).

My new outlook was simply this - falling is learning.

If I really wanted to advance, if I really wanted to learn, I had to try to stop, try to turn, try to skate balls out the length of the rink even if that means falling - and it inevitably would. But then there would come a time where I would try and I wouldn't fall. That's where the real accomplishments lie - beyond the fall. But still, that meant giving up control and I wasn't sure I could do it.

A few days later at our next game, I stepped onto the ice with a radically different goal - I was going to fall. A lot. And I did. I spent more time sliding across the ice on my bum than I did skating but you know what? I was aggressive and I made plays and I heard "Nice, Mel!" Great job, Mel" coming from the bench. Sure I looked more like Bambi than Yamaguchi, but I wasn't embarrassed. In fact, I was proud that my socks were soaked with water by the end of the game.

The best part was being recognized by my teammates for trying harder. No one cared that I fell because it was seen as improvement. A rite of passage to becoming better at a sport so foreign to me.

So from now on I'll leave my need for control in the locker room and I'm going to try more, inevitably fall more, and get a heck of a lot better at getting up.

Hockey is life, lesson #1.

Yes We Can

Yes we can.
To justice and equality,
To opportunity and prosperity,
Heal this nation,
Repair this world,
YES WE CAN.

Here's to hope and our new first family!



Can't wait to trim those "hedges" on January 20th!

Is it Drafty in Here?

Or is it just me? :-)

I Voted!

November 4, 2008. 6:45am. It's dark outside but just light enough to make out a sheath of frost covering the ground and my breath puffing in small clouds in front of me. Normally sleeping under a mountain of blankets this early in the morning, I'm surprisingly alert. Excited to be waiting in line outside in the cold, jumping up and down and hugging myself for warmth. And I'm not the only one. The 50 or so other people joining me are smiling and buzzing with anticipation. Neighbors call to each other, "Hello, Miss Julia, how are you this morning!" "Good morning, sir! Fine morning isn't it?"

So this is what it feels like to make history. Millions of people all over the country waiting in long lines, some for as long as eight hours, just to cast one vote. Folks standing in the pouring rain at an elementary school at 5:30 in the morning, just to do their civic duty. And all the while, they are smiling and they are proud because they know they are a part of history today. No matter what happens.

Plus, your I Voted sticker can get you all kinds of free stuff today like a free coffee at Starbucks, a free donut at Krispy Kreme, and a free scoop of ice cream at Ben & Jerry's! As if making history wasn't enough...