Wednesday Ramble

Those who fume at their

problems become their victims.

David Seabury

Several of you asked how we were dealing with the noise upstairs and had some kind of agreement been made. I just had to let you know how we handled it, and it was quite diplomatic, to say the least. No yelling, fighting, or hard feelings, at least of what we saw. At first we spoke to the Super, and he kindly went upstairs to talk to them, but the mother seemed to think we were just complainers.  Our next step was going to be to contact the building management, but I really didn't want to go over the Super's head.  I really like him, and he was trying to do his best for all us.  The poor man was caught in the middle.  And I don't want this constant friction with my neighbors.  I realize that it is going to happen wherever you go, but if I can avoid it, I will. 

It was then I said to hubby, "Maybe she just doesn't know how it sounds downstairs."  (I always like to give someone the benefit of a doubt.)  So, when I arrived home from work last night and found the house reverberating with sound, I told hubby, "All right.  That's it. Go upstairs and get her.  Tell her we have an emergency down here and need her right away.  Let her think there is a leak or something. Whatever you do, don't give her a chance to tell him to turn it off."  I honestly didn't think she would come, but she DID come once when I rang her bell about a bathroom leak...which she immediately had taken care of.  

I really would have gone to get her myself, but hubby is so much better at these sort of things.  I am not 'believable' if you know what I mean.  My face belies my motives. And, you know what?  It worked.  She ran downstairs with him, and I met her at the door. I led her into the house and stopped in the living room.  "This is the emergency.  I wanted you to hear it so you would know that I am not making it up." I mean, how can one possible weasel out of something when they are caught red-handed.

Well, I have to say the woman was absolutely speechless. She hadn't thought as quickly as I had. If she had she would have made sure that boy turned the music down...because now she had no choice. I also told her that I understood that teen-age boys love their loud music and politely suggested that he get some good headphones.  I have to say, the woman was a bit uncomfortable. I wish I could say it was because she'd just been made aware...and was really taken quite aback by the noise level...but the point is, nobody likes getting caught. Now she knows that should it happen again, I am not making it up....and I mean business.  After she went back upstairs, the music was turned down, and it stayed down.  I sure do hope it continues. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I don't want any troubles with my neighbors. After spending 15 years in my old neighborhood where I was considered an outcast, this was a blessing to me, to move into a building where people said good morning or good evening to each other and held the door for the next person, or the super's son sees me coming with bags and rushing to take them from me to carry them to my door.  And then there is the little Arab boy who races, and I mean races down the stairs, to open the door for me and replies to my thank you with "You're welcome, ma'am."  I love that kid. I've never seen his parents, but they sure are raising him right. It is the kindness and neighborliness of all these people that make this place special. That's what makes me feel at peace.

One of the basic points is kindness. With kindness, with love and compassion,

with this feeling that is the essence of brotherhood, sisterhood, one

will have inner peace. This compassionate feeling is the basis of inner peace.

The Dalai Lama

Tuesday Ramble...as well as a a Bit of a Rant

Be respectful to others as you grow. . . If we lack respect for one group,

then there is a tendency for that attitude to spread. It becomes

infectious and no one becomes safe from the ravages of prejudice.

Walter Annenberg 

Yesterday's post spoke of disrespect. Today I would like to say that respect is alive and well and living in New York City where sometimes it seems that a lack of respect is a sign of the times. This man touched my heart by showing me that there are still those who hold the values that were once the norm so many years ago so I just have to share it with you. Yesterday I had two doctor's appointments...my regular doctor and the endocrinologist.  Afterwards, rather than spend extra money on a cab, the bus was there so I grabbed it. As I paid my fare, the driver pointed at one of the front seats and said, "You can sit there". 

It was then that I noticed that, although there were many people on the bus, the front seats that are always designated for the elderly and the handicapped were empty, something I had never seen. At the next stop I noticed that as the people got in, the driver immediately told them to move to the back...all except for one older man. I realized then that this man had values that one rarely sees nowadays. Most bus drivers can't be bothered with worrying about who gets a seat and who doesn't. Hats off to you, Mr. Bus Driver, for showing me a side of life that I had thought was long forgotten.

Speaking of the doctor, my blood pressure was now at 147 over 83, slowly and steadily going down.  Yippee!!!  My heart rate was up, but the doctor feels that could be from the thyroid...or the anxiety I was feeling all day about getting my test results.  I am a big baby when it comes to those things.  The sonogram shows a huge cyst on my thyroid. and I've been referred for a biopsy.  (That word scares me).  They have finally put me on medication, Methimazole, and hopefully a lot of my symptoms, including rapid heartbeat, will go away.

Meanwhile, Scrooge is alive and well in 2013. Negotiations for a raise that have been going on since our contract expired on June 30th are now over. And guess what. Not only will there be no raise, but there will be no new negotiations until July, 2014. So, I guess that means I've had my last raise from BRC. They did give in a little and say in July, 2013 we will get a one-time bonus of a whole 1% of our salary. Whoopie!!! I'll have to make sure not to spend it all in one place. Seriously, though, with an increase in paperwork, no raise and insurance and social security payments going up, we'll be doing more work, but making less money. There is something wrong with that picture.

It's getting really hard to live comfortably in this city. I guess it is like this all over the country, but here it is becoming out-of-control. Subway fares are going up in March (have to get to work on my half-fare card), food is up sky high, rents are rising, etc. I can't remember the last time I went to the movies. Who can afford the prices? I remember someone once telling  me that they are trying to push everyone from the middle-class on down out of the city and make it only for the rich. I shrugged it off, but, of course then, we in the middle class were still able to live comfortably. Now, it seems that they might just be right. 

A wise person will make more opportunities than he or she finds. 

Francis Bacon 

But, life does go on and one finds a way to survive.  And fortunately, I have never wanted more than I already have. I've never wanted to be rich because my life is already rich in all the ways that are important. I am surrounded by love and people who care, including you, my dear blog friends, and that is all that matters.

Life will always be full of challenges, but rather than fear them, we must learn to see them as opportunities for growth. Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. Warriors cannot complain or regret anything. Their lives are an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges.

Carlos Castaneda

Monday Morning This and That

How you spend your time is more important

than how you spend your money.

Money mistakes can be corrected,

but time is gone forever.

David Norris

So, here we are again.  Monday, the first Monday in January.  This was a very busy weekend for me...food shopping, cooking.  I never did get around to taking the Christmas things down.  I've gotten tired of chicken soup and chili, so I hunted up a few new recipes. Made myself a huge pot of low sodium lentil soup, below...

Sorry the picture isn't better.  I didn't remember to take a shot of it until 'after' I had it in the one-serving container...and since I don't have a camera, it's taken with my cell phone.  Trust me.  It tasted better than it looks. Found the recipe online. It calls for ground beef, lentils, carrots, celery, cabbage, thyme, bay leaf, low sodium chicken broth, and some garlic.  It takes fantastic.  

I also made some black bean soup, (no photo, already in the freezer) and something I actually made up.  I'd plan to make pea soup as well, but ran out of time, and since I don't want to cook tomorrow, I tossed my pea soup items, all but the split peas, into a pot with some chicken and tossed in some spices.  

And it turned out fantastic.  I browned four chicken legs, tossed in some carrots, cabbage, onions, no salt diced tomatoes, low sodium tomato sauce, low sodium chicken broth, cayenne pepper to give it some pop, garlic powder, and celery.  Amazing how they all melded together...and, it has given me four meals.

Well, there is trouble in paradise.  My little hamlet that has given me so much peace has now been invaded by a teen-age boy who must have received a stereo for the holidays, and the noise from his music is driving me up a wall.  We're trying to be civil about this.  I've banged on the pipes, and hubby has even paid a visit.  And every darn weekend it is the same crap.  In the evening when I am done with my chores and want to sit in my rocker and relax, the base from his stereo throbs over my head.  And we all know teenagers and how they love the base. Call me Scrooge if you want, but I can't much more of it. Excessive noise, especially base, beating through my house, and, yes, it is so loud that there is no room in the house that one can hide out in to get away from it, makes me very nervous.  At times I have literally felt my blood pressure rising.

You should respect each other

and refrain from disputes; you should

not, like water and oil, repel each

other, but should, like milk and

water, mingle together.

The Buddha

Yes, his mommy is home and allows it. When my boys were growing up we lived on the first floor of a two-family home. The landlord had also fixed the basement up into another apartment. I was always on top of my boys about loudness and taught them we always had to respect our neighbors. Respect, to me, is a very important factor in life. We get what we give, and to receive respect, we must give respect. I know I get up hours earlier than they do to go to work, and I always make sure my television is turned down so as not to disturb them. All I ask is the same.

Well, it is time to jump in the shower and get ready for work.  Wish me luck today. Talk to you all tomorrow.

Be respectful to others as you grow. . . If we lack respect for one group,

then there is a tendency for that attitude to spread. It becomes

infectious and no one becomes safe from the ravages of prejudice.

Walter Annenberg

TGIF

We can fill each day with grasping or with giving;

with griping or with gratitude.

William Arthur Ward

Well, another weekend has arrived. It has been difficult getting a handle on things these past two weeks. It was strange having the holidays fall on a Tuesday...work one day, off for the holiday, then back to work for three more days. I just had a hard time getting my bearings, but that is over now, and it is time to move on. 

This is a cooking weekend for me, so I will have a lot to keep me busy. It's hard work, yes, but as the above quote says, 'fill each day with griping or with gratitude.' I CHOOSE to be grateful that I 'have' money to buy food and cook. I CHOOSE to be grateful that I have a job and a home. There are so many who have neither. There was a time, long ago, that I didn't have and remember lying across the bed and sleeping because I had no food, and I was hungry....

...which brings to mind a little story I'd like to share with you. Back then, when I first moved to the city, I had done so without forethought. I was always an impulsive individual so, one night, when I decided I wanted to live in the city I just up and moved there...with $200 in my pocket and two outfits. And when the funds ran out I was too darn proud to admit failure, so I stuck it out. Other residents of the hotel helped me out a bit, but they were just about as poor as I was.

One day when I was just about ready to give in, I got my butt out of bed and decided to go for a walk in Washington Square Park to clear my head. Just as I entered the park, I happened to look down, and there was a $10 bill and no one around to claim it. So, I picked it up and headed to the nearest MacDonalds. I figured the most filling item I could have was one of their thick shakes, and I would put away the change until tomorrow. To make a long story short, I bought my shake, headed out of the store, and walked smack into someone who was handing out fliers.

I stopped and asked if his company needed some help, and he replied that he was the boss and hired me on the spot.  Then, one day a passerby stopped and asked if I would like to hand out fliers for him.  I advised him to go ask my boss in the restaurant, and it turned out they knew each other, so I ended up doing the job.

It was about three weeks after that job, that my boss started with the "Gosh, can I give you half your money this week and the other half next week?" After a few weeks of this, I realized that this was not just a temporary thing, that it was something that was going to continue, so I went over to his friend's place and asked if he still needed me to hand out fliers.  He said, "I've got something even better.  My office manager is leaving, and if you'd like, you can start tomorrow before he leaves so he can train you."

And thus began the whirlwind years in which I hobnobbed with the rich and famous.  His was what was called an expediting agency meaning that we did things for the wealthy that they didn't want to do themselves.  I did things such as register Ralph Lauren's collection of antique cars, get the Visas for James Taylor's world tour, and register a car for Donald Trump amongst others.  

For awhile, I was mesmerized with all this wealth, but then one day it hit me, that it wasn't enough.  It wasn't satisfying me anymore. I wanted to help people, yes, but not in this way anymore. I wanted to help those who REALLY needed help.  And the rest is history. I tell you this story to show how nothing in our lives can be seen as insignificant.  Everything is put there for a reason.  Something as seemingly insignificant as a ten dollar bill may not be worth much in today's economy, but it was a ten dollar bill that changed my life and provided the groundwork for the life that led me to where I am today. Just goes to show that one never knows what is going to happen when you are down on your luck.

Wow, sometimes we start our post with something in mind, and it just takes off in another direction.   Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend.

To-Day

With every rising of the sun

Think of your life as just begun.

The past has shrived and buried deep

All yesterdays; there let them sleep,

Nor seek to summon back one ghost

Of that innumerable host.

Concern yourself with but to-day;

Woo it and teach it to obey

Your wish and will. Since time began

To-day has been the friend of man.

But in his blindness and his sorrow

He looks to yesterday and to-morrow.

You and to-day! a soul sublime

And the great pregnant hour of time. 

With God between to bind the twain!

Go forth, I say--attain, attain.

With God between to bind the twain!

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

A New Year, A New Look

Ever felt an angel's breath in the gentle breeze? A teardrop in the falling rain? Hear a whisper amongst the rustle of leaves? Or been kissed by a lone snowflake? Nature is an angel's favorite hiding place.

Terri Guillemets

With Christmas over, I was wondering what to do to replace the background. Many of the backgrounds I found that would fit for this time of year, though beautifully done, were gray and bleak, much like the New York City skyline. Then, I happened across this one and just knew that this is the one that was meant to be. Angels have always been a part of my life, and from the day that I was touched by an Angel, I knew that I am never alone. When you open your heart to them, you can feel their presence surrounding you.  Welcome them,  open your heart and mind, talk to them, and they will bless you and your life.

 "Where are the angels, mother?

        Though you have often said
They watched at night around me,

        And safely kept my bed;

    "Though every night I listen

        Their voices low to hear,

    Yet I have never heard them,--

        Where are they, mother dear?

    "And when the silver moonshine

        Fills all my room with light,

    And when the stars are shining,

        So countless and so bright.

    "I hope to see them coming,

        With their fair forms, to me;

    Yet I have never seen them,--

        Mother, where can they be?

    "I saw a cloud, this evening,

        Red with the setting sun;

    It was so very lovely,

        I thought it might be one.

    "But when it faded slowly,

        I knew it could not be,

    For they are always shining;

        Why come they not to me?"

    "My child, when through your window

        Shines down the moonlight clear,--

    When all is still and silent,

        And no kind friend is near,--

    "Are you not glad and happy,

        And full of thoughts of love?

    Do you not think of heaven.

        That brighter land above?

    "These thoughts the angels bring you;

        And though the gentle tone

    Of their sweet voices comes not

        When you are all alone;

    "Yet they are always leaving,

        For earth, their homes on high;

    And though you cannot see them,

        You feel that they are nigh."

H.P.Nichols

Musings for 2013--Sunrise and Sunset

The days they pass so quickly now;

Nights are seldom long.

Time around me whispers when it's cold.

Changes somehow frighten me;

Still I have to smile.

It turns me on to think of growing old.

John Denver song

My goodness, where have the holidays gone?  It feels like they were never even here.  It's already a back-to-work day, and life will return to normal.  New Year's day was cold, gray, and dreary, but my house was warm and cheerful and the food filling and yummy.  I hope each of you had a wonderful day.

On the first day of 2013 I spent the late afternoon hours as I usually do on the first of the year--contemplating my life, what is and what was. I am finding it hard to believe that in one year and 23 days, now 22 days, I will be of retirement age. I've entered the sunset of my life. When I think about it, emotionally I am not ready to let go of my working life, but physically my body makes me wonder if I even can make that year I have left.  Walking is becoming more and more difficult.  Now, it is not only my back, but my hips and knees have also been giving out on me, something the doctor warned me of a long time ago, but I was young then, invincible. Not me, that will never happen to me. How does one reconcile the desire to continue with life 'as is' with their chronological age?

And yet, it seems like only yesterday that I was in the prime of my youth, the sunrise of my life, and and time on my side. I had my entire life stretching out before me. Oh, I was so full of such glorious dreams and hopes for the future, yet many of them, such as becoming a lawyer or a psychiatrist, were pipe dreams and never meant to be. They were not a part of my life plan. I am not complaining, though, for my I am aware that my life took the journey  that was meant to take, and, although not always a happy life, it was the course that I had chosen to follow if I was ever to feel fulfilled. And in these later years, my counseling career has provided me with so much satisfaction. It was what I was meant to do. 

And with that, I wanted to share the following with you.  It says it all so much better than I can.

"You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.

I know that I lived them all...

And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams... But, here it is..the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well...seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like... But, here it is...my husband is retired and getting gray...he moves slower and I see an older person now. He is in better shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not like the one that I remember who was young and vibrant... but, like me, his age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore...it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will..I just fall asleep where I sit! '-)

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done.... but never did!!

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over...its over....Yes , I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done ,,,,,things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things ...I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime....

So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!!

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for good today and

say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...

and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

'Life is a gift to you". The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.
Make it a fantastic one.'

BE HAPPY!!!----Always do what is right, regardless of the cost. It always costs...but do right anyway. There is an eternal life after this one. Be prepared for it. AND BE THANKFUL!!!!!"

Unknown

Happy New Year

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going

to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity

and its first chapter is New Year's Day.

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Wishing you all the best in the upcoming year.  May love and peace prevail.