I used to see situations as "black or white," believing my sense of right and wrong was absolute. Long ago I moved to the "
grey" and am definitely more happy (and no doubt easier to be around).
However, in February I was reminded I still have a couple of "absolute" buttons. One of them is our national anthem. In my view, there is a right way (and a million wrong ways) to sing "
O Canada!" It has a fairly speedy tempo so a slow version drives me nuts, but the worst is when someone jazzes it up to show off his/her vocal prowess.
This happened during the NBA All Star game in Toronto. I've been so careful to avoid internet
shaming, and yet I kind of did it. To be honest, I was surprised that not everyone agreed with me that Nelly Furtado did a horrible thing (even though I got trapped in the same darn argument when Nikki Yanofsky did similar for the Vancouver Olympics).
So while I do feel a little hypocritical about posting my opinion on the internet, I know I would have been better off keeping my opinion to myself. To date, I am unable (or unwilling) to shift my position -- you just shouldn't screw with the national anthem! And yes, I am also aware that I can have a
happier life if I let that go. I'll get back to you on that.
I've listened to "
What Makes A Good Life" (Ted Talk; link in left column) a few times now. In 1938 Harvard began a study of 724 men (60 are still alive). Here's the punchline:
Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. We've heard this before -- social connections help us, loneliness kills us. It turns out "quality, not quantity" is a good measure for friends as well as goods and services. I remember when I didn't used to think that way. I'm sure glad I've changed!
Lately I've been focused on work and on writing my new Fringe
play. I've managed to see a few plays and even a few of the Academy Award nominated films. Now that the
Oscars have been handed out, I can see there are a few more I should check out.
My "cull" has slowed to about one item per day, but I am still committed. I recently ran across something I cannot get rid of:
Barbie. I've kept one of each size plus a vintage
Ken who was gifted to me as an adult. Just so you know, loving Barbie did not cause me to be less than what I am capable of being. Ken, however, never really did it for me. No matter the version of him, he fell short.
GI Joe was a better boyfriend for Barbie, in my view (so I had to find friends with brothers). I suspect it was that scar on Joe's cheek that made him so tough. And now there are variations to Barbie, which I think is a good thing. I can't imagine what they'll do to Ken!
March first is a "Plan a solo vacation day." This is something I do with regularity, but I appreciated the reminder. So Friday I'm heading to Golden for the weekend. I've been doing ok writing at home, but I feel another creative burst coming on and there's no better place for that than the mountains (and maybe I'll celebrate "Walk in the park" day early, too). What might you get up to, I wonder?
"Either you run the day, or the day runs you."
-- Jim Rohn
/lmwe
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Sorry, could not find photographer's name -- but these critters are awesome! |