Fifty Years, Really?

Totally timeless, isn't it?  When did it begin? Will it ever end? I certainly hope not!

Unfortunately our human bodily lives to have "limits" on them.  Oh, some are much longer than others for sure, but all eventually succumb to time.

I am reminded of this today as I received an invitation to my 50th High School Class Reunion.  Yep, fifty years!  Can I really be that old?

As I looked over the names at the bottom of the list who are on the committee for the reunion, all of them are very familiar to me....most I haven't seen in the past fifty years.

Living in Florida, then Georgia and now in Utah, I have been quite far away from my original "stomping grounds" for quite some time now.  I have managed to visit a few times, but it has probably been about 15 years since I was last in Maryland.  It will be interesting to say the least re-connecting with the people I knew all those years ago.  It will be fun to see how many actually show up to the reunion, as we are scattered all over the country at this point.  It seems that most people now don't stay in the State much less the City where they were born and raised.

I venture to say that the little hamlet where I actually grew up has changed least of all.  It is such a small place at a dead end peninsula on the Potomac.  Not much had changed when I was back there 15 years ago.  There are plenty of fond memories there, and some not so good as well.  I can't even imagine having spent my entire lifetime there.  I think I knew even as a child that I would not.  I had always wanted to see other States and Countries, and I have been blessed to be able to do so.  Sometimes I feel like I have lived several lifetimes in the last fifty years. I have traveled a lot, worked many jobs, had many children and grandchildren, and now here I am in Utah living in the Rocky Mountains - the absolute LAST place I would have dreamed I would end up!  Life certainly has taken some twists and turns along the way.  I don't regret any of them.

I have heard some people say they wish they could go back to High School.  Not me.  I don't think I have ever wished that.  Oh, it isn't that it was bad or anything.  I just knew that there was a huge world full of interesting people out there that I wanted to get to know.  I have always been a person who looked forward to each new day seeking new adventures.  From traveling the world, to snowshoeing, to Paddle Boarding I have always been unafraid to try something new.  Tomorrow I plan to travel up the mountain to Snowbasin and try my hand at downhill skiing for the first time.  I will have an instructor, and there is plenty of fresh powder to fall on so I shouldn't get too many bruises!

I am looking forward to going back to Maryland for the Reunion.  I have lots of cousins still living there that it will be fun to see.  I have friends there that I haven't seen in 50 years and I am looking forward to reconnecting with some of them too!  I want to walk the halls of the old Lackey High School and remember...just remember.  So much happened when we were students there, including the assassination of President Kennedy.  I will never forget sitting in my tenth grade class that day.  I'll bet neither have any of my classmates.

Life is so different now.  No more manual typewriters, not even Selectrics! Wow, I wonder what we would have thought if we could have seen fifty years into the future?  We lived in the Viet Nam era, our parents in WW II, and now - well now it seems the whole world is at war in one way or another.  I hope the next fifty years prove to be more peaceful than the last fifty.  I pray that there is some hope of growth into a more peaceful world.

For now, I am looking forward to sharing stories with my classmates from the past.

PEACE, LOVE & JOY

Linda

The 17 Day Diet

This picture was taken about 6 years ago, when I was weighing i at about what I would like to weigh now. I am working on it!

Still sticking like glue to the 17 Day Diet Plan...37 pounds gone and about 27 to go.
If you haven't gotten this book yet, you need to have a look see. I actually went to Barnes & Noble and read part of it before I bought it that day. I was so impressed with the science in it. It isn't a "fad" diet. It is nutritionally sound and easy to follow.

I am enjoying delicious meals, not feeling hungry and feeling well and healthy. Exercise is not "pushed" but encouraged. 17 minutes twice a day. Anyone can do this diet, and anyone can lose weight this way.

I enjoy the protein I am allowed, but it is not really a "low carb" diet....nothing like Adkins, which I felt was terribly unhealthy.
Fat is limited, but not eliminated. You will not feel hungry or deprived on this plan.

So come and join me in this quest to lose weight and be healthy. I will keep you posted as to my progress, and you can contact me with questions and your progress too!

Good Health and Happy Eating!

The Help, Part One

Just finished Chapter One of The Help. I have heard a lot about the upcoming movie, and I would like to read the book before going to see it. Frequently the book will have more depth than the movie.

I find it interesting that the author decided to write this beginning chapter of the book in the vernacular of the black woman housekeeper, Aibileen. I am anxious to see if she will continue this through the entire book.

I moved into the Deep South for the first time about fifteen years ago, and have been exposed to attitudes here that I was never really aware of. I have a little 95 year old friend who uses the "N" word sometimes and my hair stands on end. I realize from talking with her that she doesn't really know how hateful this word is. It is what she grew up hearing, it is familiar. Even though her family didn't have a lot of money, they did have a black maid to do laundry. This was, after all, the Deep South, and when she was a child many of the local black folk were still uneducated and picking cotton. I am so thankful things have changed.

I am looking forward to reading this book. I am expecting it to be poignant, funny, sad and enlightening. I will let you know what I think of it as I continue to read!

Moving On!

Sometimes I think we spend too much time looking backward at all the times we have been hurt or offended. It is time to move on!
Turning the page on all that has been hurtful or non-productive, we need to Move On into the future.

Tea Party, Coffee Party, Republican Party, Democratic Party, why can't we just be Americans and work together toward a better future for ALL? No, I don't mean socialism. I just feel like if everyone would take their eyes off their own personal needs and wants and look forward to the betterment of mankind, our Country and our world, we might actually make some progress.

We definitely don't want to make the same mistakes over and over again, but regurgitating old hurts and hatreds doesn't accomplish anything either.

When I moved into the Deep South ten years ago, I was totally unaware of the prejudices that still existed on BOTH sides of the fence. In some areas it is almost like the Civil War never ended! I can understand why people on both sides feel offended and injured, but isn't it time to let go of the pain and injury and Move On?

As we watch the continual terrorism in the Middle East, and realize that it has been going on for thousands of years, isn't it time for them to let go and Move On? Nothing has been accomplished, no progress made and hatred and pain and death have persisted and ruled that area longer than anywhere in the world.

We are all born selfish little babies, but we are supposed to grow into a maturity that opens our eyes to the world around us and teaches us to live in peace, and work together to create a better world for our progeny.

The recent disgusting show in the Congress and Senate shows us that we need to change. We need to Move On and learn to "make nice". We need to work together to make progress and not create stalemates. Is it really all about money, or power? Is it about egos and who can get elected? Are any of those "serving" as real public servants, or are they actually only pursuing their own personal agendas? It is time we found out. It is time we Moved On!

Let us finally stop the vitriolic spew that has become so commonplace in our Country and our World. Kindness and generosity of spirit cost nothing!

I want your input! I want to find out what the REAL people in this Country want our future to look like. I think there is power in numbers, and I think the number of people who are sick and tired of the status quo is huge! Let's prove it. Let's start an honest, sincere, generous and kind dialogue and pass it on ...I believe that this Country became great on the backs of the average working man and woman. I believe that the American Dream doesn't have to die! I believe that "love conquers all". Let's prove it! Share your ideas with me and I will share them with others. It is like the child who gets a penny the first day for his allowance and it doubles to two which doubles to four which....well you know how that old story goes.

Let us quit looking back, and look forward. In your personal lives, don't look back and regurgitate all the hurts and offenses of the past, but Move On. Forgive and forget and make progress. The same needs to be true in politics, quit the blame game and Move On. It doesn't really matter whose fault it is that we are in this mess. All that matters is that we CHOOSE to Move On and make progress in becoming and remaining the best that we can be.

Let me hear from you!