blog Archives - Adulting: Second- Half

A Letter

Dear Friends and Readers,

We are fine. We are so lucky. We really dodged a bullet in my town. We never even lost power at our home. I still am pinching myself in disbelief. Our only casualty was our neighbor’s small tree, which fell on our pool cage but it was even kind enough to not break through the screen. My husband just pointed out that the tiny pump in a small pond on our porch even stayed on throughout the winds and the rain. Our immediate family and our local friends and neighbors, are thankfully, unscathed from Hurricane Ian.

That being said, we do have family and friends to the south of us, who really suffered the brunt of this hurricane. There is no such thing as a hurricane tiptoeing through anything. Yes, it is true that things can always be replaced, but it is still devastating to have to rise up, and to have to restore and to rebuild the home and the life and the community which you have lovingly and carefully created and curated for yourself. It is traumatic to experience the worst case scenarios of any natural disaster. Please set all judgment aside. The people who were hit the hardest by Hurricane Ian weren’t even in “the cone of uncertainty” as late as this past Sunday. For all of our technology, and “brilliance”, we are not even close to a being a match to the natural forces and higher intelligence of our world. As the mayor of our town likes to preach, “Mother Nature always wins.”

Please continue to pray for the people who are still in the path of Ian, the lesser. The storm isn’t over yet. And thank you for all of the love and the prayers and the concern and the good ju-ju which you sent my way. I felt it. One of my biggest worries before this all even started to bear down on us, was that I wouldn’t be able to connect with you on the blog, for days on end. That would break my heart.

Love to all,

Kelly

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Important to Repeat

Friends, I woke up this morning with a bad cold, which is utterly shocking. With all of this mask wearing and social distancing, I can’t tell you the last time that I have had a cold. I almost forgot what it feels like to be sick. For reminder’s sake, it’s yucky.

Also, this morning I woke up to the sad news that one of my favorite people/pups on Twitter, Rex Masters, lost his beloved sister to her death this morning. My heart aches for him, and I have never met, nor conversed with the man, in my life. I feel like Rex might be out there on my blog space, or a fellow fan of his might be out there because I wrote a blog post about him one time, over a year ago, and today somebody looked at it. Rex, I am so, so sorry for your loss. Here is the post that I wrote about Rex Masters, a while ago:

Me and Dog Named Rex

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Just Do It

My husband and I went to see A Star is Born last night. It is everything that it has been hyped up to be! I highly recommend the movie. Here is one of my favorite quotes from Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper’s character in the movie):

Jackson Maine: Look, talent comes everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it so that people listen to it, that’s a whole other bag. And unless you get out and you try to do it, you’ll never know. That’s just the truth. And there’s one reason we’re supposed to be here is to say something so people want to hear. So you got to grab it, and you don’t apologize, and you don’t worry about why they’re listening, or how long they’re going to be listening for, you just tell them what you want to say. Don’t you understand what I’m trying to tell you?

Readers of my blog, my guess is that you are writers. Writers are readers and thinkers, and blogs appeal to writers and readers and thinkers. I read recently that in Iraq, when the market shops close up at night, the book vendors never lock up their books. They believe that readers don’t steal. It’s not in a reader’s nature to steal. Readers and writers and thinkers have certain natures. You understand what I’m talking about.

I’ve had several people ask me how I started this blog. Ironically, I went to another blog that gave me step-by-step directions. It was much easier than I expected, but there was definitely a strong determination on my part to do it. I had to get my words out and I needed a structure to do it. I am not a technical person at all. When my kids move out, I probably won’t be able to turn on my TV. Putting in a printer cartridge was a challenge for me for quite some time. I often accidentally turn on the flashlight on my phone and I can’t figure out how to get it off, until I’ve blinded at least three random people. Point being, if I was able to start a blog, so can you and you should. You have something to say. You have something to share. It is meaningful and interesting and important.

People are so tentative to share their talents and their ideas. And that’s so sad. The people who are bravest in showing us who they really are with their talents, insights, visions and passions are the ones who are really making a difference in the world. Imagine the possibilities, if everyone dropped their fears and inhibitions and showed themselves truly and openly and beautifully, just as they are in raw form. My, that would take the world to a different level, wouldn’t it?!?

Ingrid Bergman said, “Be yourself. The world worships the original.” Nike says, “Just Do It.” What are you waiting for? I want to read your blog or your book or hear your song or your poem read out loud. I want to see your dance and your artwork and your crazy creative costume on Halloween. I want to see You, the You that is timidly hiding behind fears, and societal expectations, and excuses and lies other people told you about not being good enough. You did all of the “prep work” and learning and then “unlearning” in the first half of adulting. You are ready to share You now. There is no better time. Just do it.