The Sorry and The Clueless

Have you ever met someone who is constantly trying to "one up" your emotional experiences?

Let's say you have had a horrible day and you are moaning,whining, and complaining to your friend so incessantly and belligerently that you are forgetting to breathe, and then finally the moment comes when your tirade ends and with an exasperated sigh and the anticipation of being wrapped in the warm, consoling blanket of your friend's sympathy, you look at them imploringly only to hear a little something like this fall from their mouth:

"you think that's bad?! wait until you hear what happened to ME!...."

Ok, let's pause right here, shall we?

Because I am pretty sure my "friend" just asked me to engage in a game of Keeping Up with The Joneses, The Emotional Edition, which gives me the overwhelming urge to suggest a game of SORRY or CLUE.

Here's a list of verbal enlightenment for all the "one up-ers" out there. Strangely, this list bears a striking resemblance to the one hanging on the wall of my daughter's kindergarten classroom:

1) Be a good listener

2) Treat people the way you would like to be treated

3) Stay on task

4) Be prepared.

That last one is especially important, because if you aren't prepared, next time the above scenario happens, Ima knock you out.

Hay in a Bucket

I have been feeling the urge to write lately and putting it off for a various number of reasons, but thanks to the confining and never-ending nature of this Christmas King, Jr. break by which I am currently being held prisoner, I have discovered that even procastinators like myself will eventually run out of excuses.

I've consumed enough hot chocolate to warm all the kids in Minnesota, seen every movie I've always and never wanted to see, and would be a prime candidate for the next Winter Olympics, if in fact sledding were considered an olympic sport.



So now...I write.

And I am writing to to argue that the notion of a 'bucket list' is a bit depressing. In a society that typically rewards completion of a task, we kinda drop the ball on this one, don't ya think? you're finished?!? woohoo!!!....see ya. Plus, I am a procrastinator, and since I have no idea when I am going to die, I don't exactly see the check marks piling up on that one.

I propose that we make 'hay lists', instead, in the spirit of the old saying "one day at a time." Most of us hit the hay many times before we kick the bucket, thus giving us many opportunities
to complete our ultimate list.

If you've ever said "before I die I want to...."

• travel to an exotic destination, let today be the day you get a passport
• run a marathon, let today be the day you run a mile
• write a book, let today be the day you share a blog with someone....

That's all I'm saying... :)