Back To School

Today is the first day of the new school year for most students in my city. When I was a student, I waited in anxious anticipation as the new school year approached. It seemed that each year, summer holidays got shorter. Suddenly it was time to return to school and with it came all the fear, nervousness and uncertainty. I was always very nervous that first day: would I like my teacher? would he/she like me? would my friends still like me? did my Mom pack a good lunch? what if the whole years turns out to be awful and unbearable? how will I know which bus is mine when I come out of school at the end of the day? There were some happy things about going back to school. Each year I would get a new set of clothes, which usually arrived in a huge package from Sears. I would carefully go through the Fall and Winter Catalogue and pick out my new clothes. I loved new clothes! It almost made it worth going through the pain of the first day of school. I also loved shopping for new school supplies. Mom always made a big deal out of writing our names on everything. She would set aside an afternoon for "marking" and all of us kids would stack our supplies in front of us, and we would write our names on everything (maybe this is where I developed that love I have for "new book" scent. Despite my discomfort at facing that first day of school, I enjoyed putting on my new clothes, grabbing my new books and waiting for the bus. Loving - and fearing - the first day of the new school year . . . it's a good thing!

My New Ride!

I bought a new bike on Saturday. OK - I admit it: I have never owned - or wanted to own - a bike with gears! Which should give you an idea how old my old bike is. I bought my old bike back when you could still buy one without gears - I specifically bought it because I knew it was one of the last years that kind of bike would be produced. (I don't drive standard vehicles either, by the way). My bike had not been used for a few years when I pulled it out of the garage this spring. I began riding it and remembered how much I have always loved bike riding. However my poor bike was falling apart and made a weird scrapping noise every time the pedals made a rotation. I told myself I didn't care what people thought, I loved my "non-gears" bike. However, last week I had to admit to myself that I was biking on the trail only when I am pretty sure there wouldn't be many people out. I also had to admit to myself that I would try not to pedal when I rode past people so that my bike wouldn't make that weird noise. I finally had to admit it: It was time for a new bike - and, because of availability, it would have to be one with gears, no less! So, Saturday, I got my new bike (a pretty blue), had my husband instruct me on how to work the gears (several times) and have been flying up and down the trails for the past couple days! And - bonus - it has a kick stand, which is a feature on a bike I have wanted since I was a child - I was so envious of friends who's bikes had kick stands. (I think all bikes comes with kick-stands now, but it is still a wonderful feature to me). A brand new bike that looks pretty and pedals without making weird noises . . . it's a good thing!

Through The Years With A Friend

M is my niece and one of my best friends. She is a year younger than I am, so we grew up together and have been friends almost since the day we were born. Both of us have reached a stage in our lives where we find ourselves taking care of a parent. The other day, we were discussing this very milestone, comparing notes and swapping war stories. It is never easy when the parental roles switch, and it is good to have someone to talk to who is going through some of the same things. As I reflected on our conversation later that day, my mind began to go back in time and to remember the many milestones M and I have gone through together. Just as we were discussing helping a parent, not so long ago we were discussing the raising of our children - comparing notes, exchanging ideas and babysitting for each other. Then I began to think even further back, beyond elderly parents and children, there was a time when we had very serious discussions about men (I guess they were really boys when I look back, but they were men to us). Again, we swapped ideas and opinions on what it was that made men tick. Going back even further, M and I shared childhood conversations about how strict and how unfair our parents were. We each loved our Mom and Dad, but they just wouldn't let us do everything that we wanted to, and we just didn't understand that! Through my entire life, she has been a constant. As well as being friends, we are family, so we share that strong circle as well. She was my BFF before anyone even knew what that was. Looking down the road, years from now, I can see us discussing nursing homes, comparing notes and sharing stories about our grandchildren and great- grandchildren. Having a life-long friend who "gets" you . . . . it's a good thing

Elin Nordegren

The next issue of People Magazine will feature a story about Elin Nordegren (Tiger Woods' ex-wife - "ex" as of this week). Elin contacted People magazine because she wanted to tell her story. She is receiving no money from the magazine. She felt very strongly that she wanted the world to know that, contrary to rumours and stories reported by the press, she did not hit her husband with a golf club. She tells how there was never any violence in her home, even when her whole was torn apart after discovering his infidelities. Good for Elin! We need confident and strong women like her as role models for our young women. It seems that in the world of the rich and famous, women put up with abuse and cheating, and our young women are watching and learning from them. She says that when she realized that Tiger had crashed his vehicle, she did everything she could to get into the locked vehicle to help him. Even through her despair and anger, she did not want anyone to be physically hurt. As well as telling women that violence is never right, she is also setting a good example by simply leaving the man who cheated on her almost throughout their entire married life, and leaving him immediately after she found out about it. She is sending out a strong message that women deserve better. A powerful and beautiful woman who is strong enough to set a good example to women everywhere . . . it's a good thing!

Huguette Clark

I recently came across a story about Huguette Clark. Huguette has just celebrated her 104th birthday in New York City. She is the heiress of millions of dollars left to her by her father who made his fortune in Montana copper mines. She presently owns three homes: a $100 million home in Santa Barbara, a $24 million country home in Connecticut and $100 million apartment in New York City, overlooking Central Park. Having this much money and three beautiful homes, and living to the age of 104, one would think that Huguette Clark's life has been wonderful, happy and carefree. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Huguette has lived as a recluse for the most of her adult life. She has not visited any of her homes in over twenty-two years. She has staff in her homes who have worked for her for over fifty years and have yet to meet her! Her only friend (to whom Huguette once gave $10 million) now has Alzheimer's and can no longer visit her. She has no children, no family and no friends. She celebrated her 104th birthday alone in a hospital room in New York, where it is claimed she has lived for over twenty years. In comparision, while most of us do not have millions of dollars or beautiful homes across the country, we have family and friends to celebrate our birthdays with. Our homes may be far less elegant than Ms. Clark's, but we enjoy them. We have a great deal less money than she does, but we have so much more of what really counts: love of life, joy of friendships and closeness of family. Having everything in life that makes us happy, even if it is not millions of dollars . . . . it's a good thing!

Bumbleberry Crisp

Yesterday. my friend C baked a bumble berry crisp for me! Out of the blue, she delivered it to me at work, along with a container of ice cream (low-cal ice cream, no doubt to neutralize the zillion calories in the crisp). The crisp was delicious. But more than the food itself, I realized that my friend's generously was something to be appreciated. She was given some fruit and took it upon herself to not only make dessert for her family, but made several other batches for friends. What a nice gesture and a thoughtful act. That is just the way she is, and those of us who are lucky enough to be her friends reap the benefits. She is one of the most generous people I know and is a wonderful friend. Having a friend who bakes for you . . . it's a good thing!

Wiener Roasts

Wiener roasts are so much fun, especially when you share it with family or friends. Having a wiener roast when there are children involved is the most fun. When we lived on an acreage, we had a fire pit and many times over the summer we would have a wiener roast. (We also had wiener roasts in the winter, but I prefered the summer ones.) By the time we would decide to light the fire and thaw out the wieners, the kids were already hungry. So the fire would either be just starting or would be in the really smokey stage, and the kids would be so hungry, they would begin to roast their wieners on a "not-ready-yet" fire and end up eating slightly raw hotdogs. Or, the fire would be so smokey, it made it difficult to get close enough to roast anything. I remember my starving nieces crawling on their stomachs, trying to get under the smoke, so they could roast their wieners. By the time the fire was hot and just right for roasting, everyone had already eaten and was finishing off the marshmallows. We never did get that timing right! Looking back, I guess that was half the fun! Having a wiener roast - and fun - with family and friends . . . it's a good thing!