Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

We had dinner with friends last night.  They are on their way out of town and we just came back:  thus is summer.  Ships passing in the night.  But all the trips are happy ones and it's great to feel we can still have these choices of going new places and seeing new things.  And just as I had to be careful about my knees, my friend has bursitis and will have to be gentle with her foot.  We travel, but not fleetly of foot!  I hope to catch up with more friends in the coming days.  I went to a writer's group meeting yesterday morning and it was so good to see my friends.  I brought my grandbaby and another friend brought her two preschool grandchildren.  They were so sweet and my grandson was of course fascinated with them.  He knows little people when he sees them.  I didn't get much catching up done, but the environment was warm and welcoming.  I am blessed.

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

What a wonderful experience we've just had.  My husband, my friend and I went to Canada and enjoyed the people, the history, the food, the geography.  We walked a lot and at the end, a plane was delayed and at our destination my friend's bag was not on the carousel, so she is waiting for it to be delivered to her home in another state.  But, all in all, given the state of our knees and backs, we were intrepid.  What is invigorating is the engagement with another language and culture.  We learned a lot about our neighbor country.  The food was amazing.  The other group participants were from all over and different as well, which was challenging and heartening.  Two days ago we celebrated Canada Day - 150 years as a nation.  Today we celebrate Fourth of July!  North America is quite a place and I feel lucky to be living here!

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I'm excited about my granddaughter visiting tomorrow.  And nervous.  I want her to have fun, but not be in the car too much, and have food she loves, but has her palate changed?  It's all good.  I only see her every few months, so all the details are heightened.  But when I see her, it will be as it has been:  immediate relaxation and fondness and joy and just listening to her.  Each grandchild is special in his or her own way, and they all have strong personalities, opinions, likes and dislikes.  Even the babies.  So I adjust.  Something fresh this way comes.  I'm feeling very Mary Poppinsish. 

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

There is a joke in our family about how we took our younger son as an infant to a drive in movie theater to see "Jaws".  He later was afraid of water and he "blames" us.  The other night we watched "Jaws" and I was amazed to see the film was rated PG.  Not even PG13.  That pretty much encapsulates what is wrong with out country.  My husband said there were no naked breasts so the gory body parts, sharks eating humans close up and personal and the nail biting terror were fine for kids.  Our children see too much violence and then they act it out, as it becomes cool when portrayed by gorgeous actors whom they want to emulate.  I really can't get over the fact that supposedly responsible people thought "Jaws" was kiddie fare.  And we can go around being afraid of great white sharks instead of the sharks in Congress and on Wall Street.  Scare us over remote dangers and keep us in the dark about the rest.

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

Today my grandson would not nap.  Two strolls later, I surrendered.  The second stroll, when he should have conked out immediately, he talked and yelled at the top of his voice like an opera singer the entire time.  He pulled off his socks four times, pulled off his hat six times and chewed on it, and serenaded me.  Pavarotti here comes your heir!  My daughter looked defeated when she returned home, but I did the best I could.  Consistency is not a mark of a baby, and figuring out what's going on is impossible.  But she keeps trying.  I wouldn't worry about it but she will.  Hopefully, he's taking a long, long nap right now.  And she is too!

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

My husband and I saw "My Cousin Rachel" yesterday and both really enjoyed it.  I was a big fan of Daphne Du Maurier as a teen, and for a long time "Rebecca" was my favorite film.  It makes sense for someone who's favorite book is Jane Eyre.  I like the subtlety of what is going on in the book and film, and that the viewer has to figure out for herself what is happening.  In the process, you see impulsive behavior and words that hurt as much as a knife wound.  Both Rachel and Ashley don't see the other's point of view well enough to understand each other.  That kind of harming is all too familiar to any of us watching:  dismissive remarks and harsh quick judgments.  This film could truly be seen as a cautionary tale of wrong speech, and insular worlds that don't begin or try to comprehend the other.  Tragedy is inevitable, yet so easily might have been avoided if either had paused and reflected before speaking. 

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I took our dog on a different walk this morning.  She's very old, but I realized she was probably bored with the same trek every day, so we went a different route and I do believe she was perkier and more interested in her peemail and the smells.  We had a blood panel done on her a couple of weeks ago and the vet said her bloodwork was that of a much younger dog.  So she's got more life in her, despite fatty lumps and a growth on her elbow.  Our kids' pets are also old: both our younger daughter's cats,  our older son's cat, our younger son's dog.  It's hard watching them age.  But our dog is very interested in the new grandson, and loves visitors or a change of pace.  We're pretty boring, and the problem is:  we're old too!