Rick and I got out and raked the yard over the past couple of weekends. We hired somebody to do it for us at  Christmas because Rick was sick and I was working a lot, but decided to do it ourselves again. Why not, we reasoned. We're healthy, the weather is nice, and it's just a waste to pay somebody to do it when we can do it ourselves. We did the front and side yards last weekend and aside from some sore arms, no problem. But yesterday we did the back yard, which is bigger, and it was about 10 degrees warmer.

OMG. For all of you that tell me "oh, you're still young!" that's crap. I got overheated. It took forever to cool off. Rick's sinuses have been giving him grief and my back is so sore that it's been a struggle to move all day. I've been trying to hide it - pride, you know, because I hate to admit that it's getting the best of me, but the truth is that my back has been killing me today. Good grief!

Yea, this wouldn't have bothered me 10 years ago. I might have had some sore arms and been tired, but it would have been gone the next day. Not so this time. I started out ok, but as the day has gone on, I've lost my energy and felt cruddier and cruddier. I didn't know what was wrong until Rick informed me that the yard work yesterday was probably still taking a toll on me. After all, we aren't in our 20's anymore.

Most people complain about seeing those first grey hairs. I'm here to grip about the loss of energy and how much harder it is for me to rebound from pushing myself. Now I understand why both of our parents have hired out the yard work. If this is how it is in my mid-30's, I can't imagine it's going to get any better from here.

Well, crap. How did I get to approaching middle age? A day at a time, I suppose, just like everyone else.

I have to tell you that age isn't something that I give much thought to most of the time. I just keep going on, doing my thing, until something like this happens. These are the instances where I say that age is "the creeper" coming up on me. Most of the time I plug along just fine with little mind to that DOB on my driver's license and CWP until some little thing reminds me that I'm not a kid anymore. Like taking longer to recover from illness and injury. My aching wrist when the weather changes, from that bout with tendinitis I had 2 years ago when I was working on the final draft of Anywhere But Here. An ache here and a pain there. Hearing grunge songs on "remember when?" countdowns on VH1. Things like that remind me that the clock is ticking and time is creeping up on me, slowly now but it's coming, like a thief in the night.

It's not all bad. I have to say that wisdom is an advantage of your 30's. You might be jaded by life and it takes more to impress or excite you, but you're also more patient a understanding. Things don't bother you as much. You know yourself better and find a confidence in that that gives you the boldness to embrace your individuality. I can honestly say that I wouldn't have considered e-publishing 10 years ago, when I started out in writing. I wouldn't have believed that I could learn or do what it takes to be an independent author. But after adopting 3 birds, buying a car, recovering from a stomach infection, building a house, a job move, an in-law move, joining two church committees, and a 3 year dry spell with my writing - yea, I figured why not step outside the box and give it a try. And so far, so good. It's building, and I can tell this is the way for me to go. I didn't believe I could do it on my own until I was knocked flat on my butt and crawled back up again a few times. Then I finally knew who I was and that I could do anything through Christ. Intellectually I knew it all along, but it took life experience for me to really see and believe it.

Still, though, I look at my wedding pictures and know I'll never be that 110 pound pixie again. Not that Rick's complaining about how I look. He's still gracious and tells me I'm beautiful, and I belive he's a good looking fellow. But sometimes that rising number on the size tag in my clothes bugs me and I think, gee, I wish I could have the mind I have now and the body I had at 23. Especially today. Because my back didn't ache so much when I was 23!

Then again, I'd also like to see robot maids, self-cleaning cages, and laptop computers and smart phones with retractable power cords, but that's not happening either. So I suppose the point is that in life you can have it all - but not at one time. Great body and great wisdom come, but not in the same day. And I somehow doubt that robot maids and retractable cords will be around before I hit retirement either. I suppose I'm better off enjoying where I'm at on the path to where I'm going. I know better - I just don't look it!

That's all today. Have a great start to the new week.

Bye!

Being a member of Generation X puts me in a unique position to see the divide between how the generations view and use technology. Having watched technology integrate into everyday life puts my generation right at the crossroads of the “I don’t do computer” Baby Boomer generation and the “what’s a record player?” Generation Y. 

It’s an interesting place to be. I had a record player as a child, although they were replaced by cassette tapes and CD’s by the time I was in middle school. There were still chalkboards in my classrooms, although they were being abandoned for overhead projectors by high school. I hand wrote my papers until I started college in the fall of 1993, where professors required that all papers be typed and printed on at least a dot-matrix printer. And I heard my first cell phone go off in public when I was sitting in a class my senior year in college during the fall of 1996. 
 
We have come a long way. It’s hard to believe there’s a device for everything, and they keep developing new things and coming up with improvements on the old. Now laptops are lighter and faster, and are being slowly replaced by tablets. Books now come on e-readers and phones are smart. I remember a conversation I had recently with a person in their 50’s that was lamenting on how complicated things are. “I don’t need a phone smarter than I am,” she griped, “just make and take calls. That’s it.”


“I don’t know,” I said, “sometimes I need for my phone to be smarter than me so it can keep me from looking stupid.” 

She didn’t seem to understand that was the point of a smartphone – to keep you organized so you don’t look like a blithering idiot because you were late for a meeting (or worse yet, forgot about it), or because you didn’t get the e-mail that went out 2 minutes ago while you were dashing up the stairs. To her, it was all a pain in the rear. 

Personally, I feel technology has made my life better. I long ago determined that the most crucial tools in my life are my laptop and my smartphone. The laptop because I deal with a lot of documents and it keeps them all in one place and makes them easier to access, and the smartphone because the multiple functions keep me organized and give me up to the minute news and information when I need it. I don’t have to dig through file cabinets or track down a newspaper or television to find what I need. And after years of juggling paper in school I can say from experience that the less paper I have taking up space and giving me papercuts all over my hands, the better. A 5 pound laptop is nothing to carry around when I’m used to handling 30+ pound bird cages anyway. 

I do understand the concern that we’re getting too dependent on technology, and am glad I was raised in a generation that learned the “old way” and “new way” parallel to each other. I have nothing against file cabinets, calendars, or newspapers. The digital way just seems more efficient and easier to manage to me. In the end it’s a matter of personal preference. 
 
The digital world isn’t going away – in fact, it will continue to grow – but using it is a personal preference. There will always be holdouts and that’s their choice. For all the talk of going paperless, I don’t think it’s going to happen, at least during my lifetime. There are too many holdouts that cling to the old ways. Heck, I know people my own age that don’t own a computer and refuse to use anything more than a very basic cell phone. But at least we have a choice, and choices are good. We just have to be patient with one another and respect those choices as the world continues to evolve in the digital age. 

That’s all for today. Happy Friday to you tomorrow and I hope you  have a great weekend. 

Bye!

Hi all; I hope you're doing well and having a great weekend. We have no plans for the rest of the day, 
so it's time to chill out. Dang, Netflix sent Thor last Thursday and now I wish we held on to it so we could watch it today. Oh well, I imagine it's in high demand and somebody else is waiting for it. Anyway, I'd better enjoy this slow time because this week is going to be busy - I have meetings tomorrow and Tuesday. Whew! When did my life take off like this?

I think that's a common question.I've attempted to twist my brain around major life changes over the past
couple of years, but I'm starting to see that I'm not alone. It seems a lot of people I know have gone through major life transitions that have caused them to feel a degree of isloation from life as they know it. It's sad that we couldn't navigate this together, but the nature of these changes have been very personal and as such, each individual has to cope on their own. We can say "yea, I  know how you feel" to one another, but there's really nothing any of us can do to help one another out in a productive way. It's ironic that you can know so many people on the same or similar journies and yet you feel alone. An example is that friend that died a few weeks ago. Lots of people miss her, and every person in our Sunday School Class has admitted that coping with her death has been a challenge. We did devote a class to discussing it, but in the end it came down to the fact that each of us is going to have to cope with our grief over her loss on our own. Comforting to know others' face the same struggle, and yet we must muddle through on our own.

Yes, it is good to know that my life isn't the only one that has taken off in radically new directions. There have
been some good changes and a lot of progress, but I'll also admit that some things have passed out of my life that I wasn't so ready to let go of. Simplicity is the biggest thing. For all my responsibilities, there was a charming simplicity to my life until a couple of years ago. It wasn't terribly complicated with multiple responsibilities and I wasn't bound to a schedule that had to be consulted twice a day. Not so anymore. Oh well. I hear there's a time and place where that trend reverses - it's called retirement. Hmm.

I guess the secret is to take each day as it comes and make the best of it. That seems to be where it's at right now, anyway. I'm starting to see the meaning of "daily bread" in The Lord's Prayer now. My life has filled up so much that "daily bread" is about all I can handle. And some people scoff and think I'm not busy because we don't have kids. Ha! I'll tell you the truth - when you're in those active years of your 20's, 30's and 40's, (and even into yoru 50's) something ALWAYS comes along to fill up your time. But life definitely doesn't leave you alone to plug along. It's more like a tidal wave shoving your forward, whether you feel like going or not - and you hope and pray your hard work and effort lands you on a shore you WANT to be on. At least it seems that way these days. Inevitably it will change. But when? And how? Who knows?

Well, that's all for today. I hope you have a great week. See you later. 

Bye! 

Dear Life:

I've made it through another year on Planet Earth. Well, good for me. Unfortunately, I must inform you that the mid-life crisis that I hear I should be having must be rescheduled.

I know I can't deny my age, but I don't have to be bound by it. I know 36 isn't a spring chicken, but it's not fried either. I'm not even sure if mid-30's qualify as "middle age" anymore.

Yes, I feel time creeping up on me. I don't recover from illness as quickly as I used to I can't run at 110% all the time without crashing. Injuries creep up on me every now and then. And yet, my life is more full and active now than it's ever been. My energy levels might not be what they used to be, but my activity level is at it's highest ever, at least in my adulthood years. I'd say the substance of my life has increased and abounded beyond my expectations.

No, I'm not old. I'm not middle aged. I'm alive. I've been greatly blessed, and I intend to enjoy those blessings and make the most of them in this life that the Lord has gifted me with. Age is nothing more than a mile marker on the journey of life, and I see a lot of potential on the horizon. I intend to make that potential my reality.

As such, I've determined that I don't have the time, patience, or desire for a crisis right now. The journey continues and I have a lot of living to do. And so, I must be gone because, well, I have stuff to do.

Sherri

Hi everybody; I hope you're having a great weekend. Today is kind of a slow going day for me, which is refreshing. It's nice to not be rushing around all day!

My wrist is feeling better, and I'm glad it healed quickly because I've had a lot of writing ideas lately. Over the past couple of weeks, I've done some flash fiction, some non-fiction, and now I have ideas for two more pieces. One will be fiction and the other is non-fiction/inspirational. I'm glad that I'm inspired to write things in different genres. One thing I don't want is to be a one-trick wonder. I like writing in a variety of genres and styles. Although fiction is my favorite, I'm pleased that my inspiration for the non-fiction work that got me started seems to be returning. I'm probably rusty in that area, but I'll brush up. I do believe it's time to make my muse evolve and to embrace both fiction and non-fiction as fully as possible!

Tomorrow is Rick's birthday, and my birthday is next Friday (August 26th). I think Rick is a bit down about getting another year older - you know, the whole magic of birthdays is kind of lost after you turn 21. But honestly, my age isn't bothering me too much. I know mid-30's bother a lot of people, and from time to time I do ask myself how the hell I got to turning 36 in a week. But by and large, I have to say that I don't feel old. Wiser, definitely, and extremely grateful for that. More life experience to draw on, which is a good thing. Wishing I looked more like I did 10 years ago but Rick still compliments me so I guess I'm still in "average" range with the looks, which isn't bad. But not old. No, I'm not feeling the mid-life crisis right now. Guess I'll have to have it later.

But I would like to take this opportunity to publiclly wish Rick a Happy Birthday tomorrow.

It hasn't been as hot lately, and I'm grateful. A lot of people are saying they're ready for summer to be over so this hot weather will pass. Yes, it's been brutally hot, but truthfully I'm not eager to see summer go. Why? What would we be wishing away. Extreme heat for what - extreme cold? No thanks. Actually, I hate the cold, so I'll cope with the heat. And as I said, it's been more seasonable lately, so it hasn't been bad. So no, I don't want to see summer go. I still like it. I like the sunshine and long days, the green plants and blue sky, and the fact that the world is still alive. And there's something almost charming about a summer storm. In fact, I believe one is brewing now. I hear wind and thunder.

Well, that's all today. Just some random musings. I hope you're having a good weekend. Take care. More later.

Bye!