Finding peace

Almost always easier said than done, especially in terms of the Middle East. The fact that influential leaders from most of the area's top players agreed to attend the US-hosted summit is a promising step in the right direction. But showing up won't be enough, of course. They will have to be willing to listen and compromise. If they can do that, and then follow through of course, just imagine what that would mean for the stability and security of not only that region but every country in the world. So much hangs in the balance that it's hard to even comprehend the consequences of failure. There's no easy answer, but let's hope they come up with a half-decent one.

Giving thanks

You have to love a day that's dedicated to family, food and football. I'm thankful for the aforementioned "f" words and also for everyone who cares enough about what I have to say to read this blog. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Volunteering

This is one of the most rewarding ways to spend time, and I wish that I had done much more of it before I had kids. I've often said that before I became a mother I had so much free time and didn't realize it. Anyway, once a month I spend two hours at a home for teenage boys who are either in trouble for various reasons or in state's custody. The focus is always some sort of arts and crafts project. The boys generally act like they're not interested initially and then start fighting over the glitter pens. You can see that some of them have had really hard lives, but there's still a child in there somewhere who wants to express himself. I was trying to help one of them with a hanger wreath and confessed that I wasn't very good at these craft projects. He looked up and said, "Why do you come here then?" When I told him that I came because I liked to hang out with and talk to them, he didn't quite know what to say, but I could tell that it meant something to him. That's a big part of it--knowing that I'm making a difference. To be able to be a positive influence in other's lives is a wonderful gift to them and to myself. If you have any extra time, consider volunteering somewhere in your community. It will be time well spent.

In the dark

The power went out today for nearly two hours. Thankfully I had enough daylight left to find matches and candles, because I'm wholly unprepared for such a situation. Couldn't find a flashlight, and even if I had, I'm quite sure it wouldn't have been functioning. Got lucky finding the matches and had to call for help finding the candles. Had to use my cell phone, because the only home phone we have uses electricity. Ate cold pasta (not uncooked, just cold) with the kids by candlelight which they thought was the best dinner ever and then decided to go for a drive. Had to call again for help once I realized the garage door runs off electricity too. Apparently the red cord that I try to stop from passing over my head before I'm able to jump in the driver's seat by running around the car every day actually has a function. I was told that had I been born in 1970 I would have know that, but I highly doubt it. Cord pulled, we headed off to Walgreens. The store that is two minutes from my house here looks exactly like the one that was two minutes from my house in NY. I mean identical. Creepy and comforting at the same time. Anyway, we tried on Santa hats with elf ears and played with squish balls. Probably should have bought some batteries and a cheap phone that would work as long as the phone line doesn't go down also, but why spoil my complete lack of emergency preparedness now? Came back home to an obviously powered neighborhood and breathed a sigh of relief. It's fun for a little while. But as it gets darker and colder and longer, one can't help but think about the CNN interview where somebody who would know said the most crippling and yet disturbingly easy terrorist attack would be a wide-scale shutdown of electricity that could potentially last for months. In light of that information, the dark isn't any fun at all.

The easiest thing

Have you ever smiled as you passed by somebody and then been annoyed/disappointed/curious that they looked right at you and didn't smile back? Well, it has happened to me many times, and it's just plain rude. People often avoid getting involved in other people's lives, but this is taking it way too far. It's not an invitation or a commitment of any kind--it's just a smile. The easiest way to brighten someone's day just for the sake of doing it. There have certainly been days when a stranger's smile offered me inspiration and hope, or just made me feel happy enough to reciprocate. I smile at everyone I see unless I'm completely preoccupied or I'm absolutely certain that it will be misinterpreted by the recipient (I could give an example of this but then I'd have to relive it, and it was very unpleasant). I will continue to do so with the spirit that every little thing we do has the ability to profoundly affect our lives and the lives of those around us. I hope everyone who's reading this does the same. :-)

I think too much

Honestly. And at the moment the topic is changing so fast that I can't get anything coherent out. My brain is a mishmosh (that's a word, right?) of thoughts and memories and ideas, and it's literally giving me a headache. My little lady usually snaps me out of this state by making me laugh about something trivial or absurd, but alas, she is already asleep. I better just follow her lead before my head pops off.

World War III

What a good idea. Let's invade Iraq under false pretenses, threaten to move against Iran because Ahmadinejad's not playing nicely, and then start talking about something that could mean the end of us all. It's about as irresponsible as leading your country into billions of dollars of debt and then borrowing money from China. Or financially supporting the very countries and terrorist organizations we're fighting against because of the persistent, irrational dependence upon oil. The one thing everyone agrees upon is that there are no good answers to our current predicament, but there should also be consensus that the current course of action is not only playing right into our enemies hands but also coming at a price we can not afford.

November already?

Time has jumped into warp speed. Older friends have told me that the speed will just continue to increase with age, and that's a frightening thought. I know I don't make the most of so many moments as it is. Perhaps if I increase my efficiency to compensate? Now there's an improbable plan. Maybe just stop obsessing so much? Slightly less possible. I'm still upset about time I wasted five years ago. Just enjoy the fact that Christmas decorations are already invading the mall? Seriously, can't they just exercise a little patience and put up some paper turkeys? What makes Christmas so special (at least for atheists) is that it's only once a year--the Christmas season. But now it has taken over nearly all of autumn, and most of winter if you count the time it takes for some people to take down their lights. Too much of a good thing is never good. Except for the warm and fuzzy feeling that makes you want to sing carols and hug everybody you see. That's always a good thing--eggnog induced or not.