Slim Goodbody at Dillon Lecture Series

Slim Goodbody at Dillon Lecture Series

This morning Slim Goodbody was at the Dillon Lecture Series. I didn't know who he was, but the hundreds of school kids in attendance certainly did. I guess he's been doing this for 30 plus years and was a fixture on Captain Kangaroo.

I always go to the lectures if possible, even if I don't know anything about the person, because I figure it will be interesting. And this was, although it was certainly not my favorite by a long shot. It was all geared toward kids, but it was neat to see them so interested.

They bussed in kids from all over and invited them to come sit on the floor so it was kind of cool - I was surrounded by kids and they were really enthusiastic about him.

At one point he had kids come up on stage who could do something unusual with their muscles and have them demonstrate. We saw kids walk on their hands and a chest roll and other fun stuff.

He did share some neat facts that I made note of:
Only two creatures live longer than humans - tortise (200 years) and a tree that is 4,900 years old. That means it was growing when the pyramids were built.
Two creatures have bigger brains than humans - elephant is 13 pounds and whale is 17 pounds while humans are 3 pounds. But compared to body weight ours is largest.
Heart is the hardest working muscle in the body - the diaphragm is the second hardest working muscle.
Every mammal has 7 bones in their necks - humans, mice and giraffes all have 7.

One of the most interesting bits he did was have five kids come up and he gave them each a word - I Will Never Smoke Ever. He then tapped them on the head at various times and used those words in a variety of ways to get across that message. I thought that was really effective.

I had to leave the luncheon early to get to the marketing training that was being put on by the Hutchinson Community Foundation. It was really, really, really good. I was glad I went.

Tonight was Altrusa, so I've had a really full day. Leadership starts at 8 a.m. tomorrow so I need to try and get some rest. I haven't had a break all day.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.

Errands, Exhibits and Experiments

It was a busy day again. I will be tied up most of the day tomorrow and all day Wednesday so I'm trying to get a lot done before then. I spent the day running around, but I did get to see Trish for lunch. It was just a spur of the moment thing to call and it worked out. We ran into Teresa at the restaurant but she was busy thinking through a project and didn't join us, although we did chat briefly.

Tonight was the Arts and Humanities board meeting. It was also the opening of an art exhibit we're doing at Stringer Fine Arts. It's a neat exhibit called, "How the Ink Feels."

It's a travelling exhibit of letterpress broadsides by distinguished artists and writers. The exhibit features sixty-four matted and framed letterpress broadsides, which illuminate prose and poetry selections by well-known writers. Most pieces were printed using manually operated letterpresses a technique which has changed very little since the Middle Ages. The pieces are collaborations among the printer, the writer, and the artists, printmaker, woodcut illustrator, calligrapher or paper maker.




Some of the artists and writers whose work is included in the exhibit include Max Heim, James Agee, Maurice Lapp, Wendell Berry, Hui-Ming Wang, Rita Dove, Patrica Waters, Naomi Shihab Nye, and William Stafford.

I didn't get to stay for the official opening reception because I needed to spend time working on some MHA and personal projects tonight.

Tomorrow I'll be tied up all day with a Dillon Lecture Series and then an HCF marketing meeting. And Wednesday will be leadership all day, so my time to devote to projects is minimal this week.

Tonight on the way home I stopped by a restaurant Mike at Roy's recommended to me. It's on east fourth and is an unassuming place. However, he told me the food was really good, and he was right. My favorite part was the homemade pineapple turnover I had. Man, that was good.

I like to try the local places and this one had escaped my attention.

A Creative Weekend

I spent the weekend at Susan's farm in Valley Falls. She invited a number of us up for a creative get together. Jocelyn, Debbie, Diana and I went from Hutchinson. We were greeted by a gorgeous moon on the way.

We stopped in Brookville for some chicken. It's great stuff - we ate the coleslaw until we thought we would pop. It's made with cream - real cream - and it's delicious.




It was the first time Jocelyn had had Brookville. I was telling her the creamed corn was really good. A more accurate description would be that it is corn, in cream.

We got the weekend off to a good start with lots of laughter while we were having dinner.










We arrived at Susan's about 10 p.m. Being the gracious host she is, she had little baskets of goodies for each of us, the house spotless, and snacks ready. I had something I've never heard of - candy corn mixed with peanuts. Yeah, I know, it doesn't sound that appetizing. Let me tell you, we couldn't stop eating it. Even those of us who don't especially like either of those ingredients.




Saturday was a gorgeous day - a perfect day. I worked on the books I mentioned in my last post while the others went to Lawrence for a little while. When they returned Jocelyn worked on cards a bit and Debbie painted for awhile.







Susan and her friend, Elaine, took Debbie and Diana on a little jaunt over to the pond for a walk. Lets just sum it up by saying that everyone arrived back safely.




Saturday night we were favored with a beautiful sunset.




Susan fixed a wonderful dinner and then we had smores by the fire.




We were also greeted with a completely full moon and it was stunning. It was a struggle to decide whether to look at the moon or the fire.




Jocelyn, Kathleen, Diana and I were sitting near the fire long after we were done with smores.

We were gathered near it and there was a huge explosion. We thought a log had exploded. We all ran back, with bits of embers falling all over the place, popping back about 10 feet behind where Jocelyn and I were sitting.

Amazingly enough, none of us got even a tiny burn, including Jocelyn who lost one of her sandals when she was running back. Turns out the concrete had busted beneath the fire. We don't know what caused it but it was scary.

This morning we could see exactly what had happened. It was as if it had scraped off a bit of the top layer of concrete where we had built the fire.

Today there was plenty of time for relaxing and chatting...




... and lounging.




I asked everyone to pose for a group photo. That's Kathleen, Susan and Elaine in front; me, Jocelyn, Diana and Debbie in the back.




It was a wonderful weekend and I'm so thankful to Susan for the invitation. I love being at the farm and she is such a gracious host. I'm honored to call her a friend.

Bits and Pieces of Life

Today I have been creating a couple of books that include what I call the "Bits and Pieces of Life." I take the little things I save from one thing or another and glue or tape them into books so I can contain them, and yet still have them to enjoy.

I've been going through a box of stuff today that used to be part of my bulliten board at the radio station, as well as tons of other things. It has been enlightening.

One thing I've learned is that I did some really good work for them. Really, really, good work. Some of the pieces I designed are really clever and nicely done. Considering the constraints we had of using one color printing, they are some high-impact pieces.

The other thing I've learned is that my life is so different now than it was less than ten years ago that I truly don't even remember some of these things. There's a program from a Dillon Lecture Series featuring Susan Stamberg on October 13, 1997 - 9 years ago next week. I saw Susan Stamberg? Yes, I did. It finally dredged up from my memory, but it took awhile. I guess that's why I need the bits and pieces of life. Yet, while I may not remember the specifics of that event, I know it adds to the tapestry of my life and who I am today. All experiences do.

There's a postcard from Anne Rice. I remember now - getting to interview her when she stopped through Hutchinson on a book tour. That was lost in my memory until the pen and ink drawing of her home showed up in this box.

There are lots of fortunes from various visits to Chinese restaurants. "The star of riches is shining on you." "Your present plans are going to succeed." I think I've had that one more than once - maybe it has come true everytime, I'm not sure. "Your love life will be happy and harmonious." Well, it certainly has been at various times. "Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life." That one is absolutely true at anytime. Maybe that's a "gimme" in the fortune business.

Quotes are prolific - gathered from printed pieces that crossed my desk at various times. I now work in a much less creative business, so that sort of thing doesn't appear in my mailbox much. But, I decided to go ahead and commit these to the notebook today, instead of making a new bulliten board, because they are from another time in my life - even though they are still true and things I believe.

"I can never be what I ought to be untilyou are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way the world is made." MLK

"I shall pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do, let me do it now... for I shall not pass this way again." Etienne De Grellet

And there's the assortment of political things - it was in the Clinton-Gore era. And Habitat pieces because I was an ardent supporter of it then.

I occasionally run across, and add in, an old credit card bill. There's a 1998 May bill from First Card where I ordered something from the Barlow, Kentucky florist on May 8. I'm certain it was a corsage for my mom on Mother's Day - white roses if your mother is dead, red roses if she's living.

There is a certificate from the library for my volunteer work and some bits from a Valentine's Day bouquet Greg sent sometime in the early 90s. Old phone bills show where my loyalities were at that time, although I have no idea who I was calling repeatedly in Santa Ana, California in September of 1997. That bit of my life has faded into history.

Ironically there's also a letter from Leadership, where I was nominated in 1997 to be part of the class. I assumed my bosses would not let me go, so I didn't pursue it then. It wasn't the first time I was asked to apply, but now nearly a decade later I'm in the leadership class. And it's the way it was meant to be. The class is much different now and this style is much more suited to my learning abilities. Things work out the way they're supposed to.

Our lives change and we change along with them. Some things fade in our memory, but all are with us in some fashion. It's positive for me to bring those things to consciousness every now and again by jogging my memory with the tangible bits of life.

Prison Tour

I took a tour of the local correctional facility this morning. It was interesting to see the various programs they have there to help train the men to do something when they get out. At one time they had even more, but funding cuts have taken them away. It's a pity, really.

One of the amazing areas that they work in was an art area. The gentleman showed us some of the artwork done by inmates and it was incredible. He said they will paint pictures for the public for a very reasonable amount. The artwork was really well done.

I was glad I had the opportunity to go, but hearing the doors close behind us really made my heart start to pound. Freedom is one of the things I just never get enough of so being inside a prison, even temporarily, was not an enjoyable experience for me.

However, I was impressed with the facility and the warden who runs it. One of the things he has been insistent about is having flowers planted in various places on the grounds. It really makes a difference.

Hectic Day

It was a very hectic day - really my first day at work after being in Seattle since I spent Wednesday in leadership class. I'm now in constant list making mode, trying to make sure I do everything I'm supposed to do.

Today was National Depression Screening Day so I had to prepare for that, as well as do it. I see my calendar for the next few weeks starting to overflow and I just cannot figure out how to keep that from happening. I like to be involved in things, but I also like to have time for me and my various projects. Sometimes they mesh together and sometimes they are in conflict.

I realized today that I'm going to have to move my dental checkup yet again. I go every four months, but this is becoming more like a seven or, soon to be, eight month checkup. But, as of yet I've been unable to figure out how to be in two places at one time. Tonight was a great example - I was supposed to be at a Horizons board meeting but was at the screening instead.

There's a friend I've been trying to connect with by phone now for almost three weeks. We have called each other at least a half dozen times. So far only our phones have talked to each other. He must be leading a life somewhat like mine at the moment.

But, I'm a big believer that humans largely do what they want to do. So, I must like my life being this way because I keep living it this way.

I do let things go by the wayside at times. I pretty much gave up on our psuedo red hat group. I say psuedo because we stopped wearing hats almost as soon as we started. We really just liked to get together. But, that seemed to become more and more difficult for all of us so I just gave up blocking out that evening. It probably makes more sense to just set a time to get together for dinner.

I've been asked to join two other boards and they are both things I'd like to do. I was recently accused of "building my resume" by being on various boards. I have never sought out a board, nor have I ever agreed to be on one that I didn't believe in the cause, and intend to devote some energy to it. Oddly enough, years ago I was asked to be on the board of the organization I now head, and turned it down because I was overwhelmed with board commitments at the time. I'm not sure how being over committed with boards builds one's resume, but I'm well aware that my sense of the business world is very skewed.

In leadership class they have us read about Richard Florida's book on the Creative Class. I've read some articles before, but if you haven't I recommend it. It will be interesting to discuss this. The first day of leadership class my henna tattoo was pretty visible on my hand and I actually had three different people roll their eyes and shake their heads in front of me. Obviously, we have some work to do to attract creative class people in this community.

Geographic Therapy

I'm never quite ready to come home from vacation - wherever I have been.

I call it "geographic therapy" when I'm at a crossroads in life, or need to regroup, or am having a difficult time. Being away from our standard surroundings is a great way to get a new look at things. Plus, when you're taking a road trip, all that time driving is good for some right brain activity.

Some of the most memorable moments of my life have been while traveling.

I will always remember the first night we were in Paris. We arrived after a long day of travel from London - taxi-train-ferry-train-taxi - and were exhausted. But, we walked down to the Louvre, a few blocks from the hotel. We had spent so much time planning the trip, poring over maps and reading books that we wanted to see if things were where we expected them to be. They were. We stood on the plaza, with the pyramid at our side and looked across the Seine. It is a moment that is crystal clear in my mind. I remember the breeze, the slight chill in the air, the sound of the traffic and the glow of the clock at the Orsay. It was completely and totally magical. And I knew it was a turning point in my life.

Although I had been out of the US before, that was my first trip to Europe. And, even though I'd been in England for a week prior to that and enjoyed it, it had not had the same effect on me. It was Paris where I had been meant to be. And it has been Paris that has drawn me back multiple times since.

There are places we feel "at home" and Paris is one of those for me. I can get irritated being in big cities - the people, the noise, the traffic, etc. - but when I'm in Paris it all seems effortless. It is a place I'm comfortable.

That night as we stood there, looking out on the scene we'd only imagined before, I knew that my life would never be the same. I knew that travel would always beckon to me. I knew there was something inside me that could only be satisfied by travel.

As I traveled more, other cities called to me as well. When I arrived in Cairo less than a decade later, I knew another era of travel had arrived in my life. I was already changed when I got on the plane, much less at the end of the trip. It was the first major international trip I had taken on my own and it came at a time when I seriously needed some geographic therapy for a multitude of reasons.

Cairo felt at home, too, but in a very different way. It was a place I needed to go. I needed to sink my toes into the warm sand of Sakkara, to be part of the masses in Cairo, to wander the temple in Luxor, to meditate inside tombs. Until I was in Alexandria, I hadn't even realized how much I had longed to breathe the air blowing across the Mediterranean. But when I was standing there on the rocks, the wind whipping my hair, I knew it was something I needed - something that was an essential in this lifetime - something that had to be done.

There are times when we know we are meant to be in a particular place at a certain moment. It's why we are drawn to places and people at various times in our lives. It's also why sometimes we're not attracted to the same people over time - we handle our business with them and then we have no need to repeat the experience. It doesn't mean we don't want that person around anymore, but our relationship is changed because we have taken care of what we needed to do.

I sometimes wonder if those of us who are driven to travel have a lot of unfinished business and therefore must seek the others we need to communicate with. When we're travelling we're much more open to those encounters that might slip by us at home. We are all circulating, meeting those we are destined to meet, handling what we need to do, and moving on to the next event.

Every trip offers some of these things, some just more intense than others. But I'm always mindful that the experiences we have are never happenstance. It is all meant to be.

Home Again

I returned home at 4:30 a.m. from a few days in Seattle and Portland. Greg and I had a lot of fun. I got to see my friend, Jim, who lives north of Seattle. He came down one day while Greg was whale watching so we could spend the day together.

We didn't have nearly enough time in any place we were. But, I did manage to have tea the Empress Hotel in Victoria, Canada and do tons of other fun things. Obviously, you can expect blog posts and - because I was travelling with a photographer - many pix!

This was taken Monday, Sept 25, ten days after having the henna tattoo applied. It has faded considerably. Parts of it are completely gone now.

Diana had an open house at the Dancing Grouse on the 22nd. There were some people doing Reiki, a couple of us doing readings, and other sorts of fun stuff going on.

This was my little table where I was stationed. I went in at lunchtime that day and helped set up the area. We brought in the screen and draped the fabric over to give it some color.




Afterwards Greg and I went out to get a bite to eat and he snapped this photo. I'm looking a little tired in it - it was a busy week.

This is the henna tattoo eight days after it was done.

Leadership

We did a lot of different activies during leadership, including a timeline. Kris went to the trouble to illustrate it for us and it was really cool. It had that cool look of collage.




We had a number of activities involving different groups, which was nice because we got to meet a number of folks. Our first group activity was carpooling. The next thing was to come up with a way to introduce our group to the others, without just telling it.

For our group, Don wrote a poem. We made little stick figures of ourselves to illustrate his writing.

Mark

Mark came down for the last weekend of the fair. Before he had to leave on Monday we went out to The Dutch Kitchen for lunch. Greg got Mark laughing about something and Mark was what we would call "incapacitated with laughter."

I, of course, had a camera handy. My friends all love that.

Well, few things get my weekend off to a good start like news of the resignation of a Republican Representative. I am sorry that a young person had to be involved in this, but aside from that huge issue, I'm thrilled we have one less republican in congress.

A congressman who supposedly represents family values is talking dirty to a 16 year old boy online. Nice. And you know what, I don't care if you ever acted on it, or intended to, teling a 16 year old you want to slip his shorts off is inappropriate. And "inappropriate" in this case means I'm refraining from saying exactly what I think - I know, not like me, but there are some young people who read this blog.

Who knew this is what "family values" really meant all this time? I think it's also what "hypocricy" means.

Mark Foley's sexuality has been questioned for some time, just because he has never married. I always think that's a bit unfair. I haven't been married either. Of course, to my knowledge, no one has ever questioned my sexuality because I've had a number of very public relationships with men. If you don't have public relationships with the opposite sex, and you're in the public eye, the questions are going to arise.

However, I don't think anyone assumed he was interested in children, particularly given his position as co-Chairman of the Missing and Exploited Childrens Caucus. Who would have guessed that while he was advocating for children's rights to be free of sexual predators that he was one? I guess he knows of what he speaks. Those who protest the loudest are often the biggest offenders on any of the "sin issues." For the record, I'll confirm I am NOT a closet republican. Unlike Foley, who when asked about his orientation said, "I like women," I'll go further and say, "I like some republicans, but I am not one."

When asked by "The Advocate" in 1996 about his sexual orientation, Foley said, "Frankly, I don't think what kind of personal relationships I have in my private life is of any relevance to anyone else. I know one thing for certain: When I travel around the district every weekend, the people who attend my town meetings and stop me on the street corner certainly are a lot more concerned with issues like how I voted on welfare reform or whether or not Medicare is going to be there when they need it -- not the details of whom I choose to have a relationship with."

Well, Mr. Foley, I can guarantee you they would have been if they'd had any inkling you were interested in children. Many, many, many people don't give a flip if you're gay - me included - but we care a great deal if you have a penchant for using children for sexual pleasure. And, let me state for the record, in case there is anyone left in the world who doesn't know, who might stumble across this blog, there is NOT a relationship between homosexuality and a desire for children. Most sex crimes against children are committed by HETEROsexual men. OK... 'nuff said.

I hope the young man in quesion is doing OK.

Henna Tattoo - Six Days Old

This photo was taken the evening of Thursday the 21st, so, it's six days old at this point. I should state for the record that I spent a lot of time in the tub on Wednesday evening and that probably accelerated it's fading.

Monolithic Domes

When we went to Arlington Kansas for tea recently, we drove around town a bit and spotted these unusual structures.

Justin, a local guy, told us they are monolithic domes, which are great for energy efficiency. He had tried to convince his wife to get one, but she wanted a house with real walls and all.

There were three of them in a row - two finished and one they were working on.

I guess they are fire, earthquake, tornado and hurricane resistant.

Playing Lego

One of our tasks at Leadership was to duplicate a creation made from Legos. We got a ziplock with the same kind of Legos for our group. We could go - one at a time - to the other room and look at the creation. Then we had to plan how to make ours look just like it, but we couldn't build until we were all done with the planning.

This was the creation in question.




As soon as the project was announced, I knew I would suck at it. I am not good with spatial relationships. Fortunately, we had a construction guy on our team - Curtis - smiling in this photo.




Curtis instantly started making a diagram to plot out how to recreate the legos. Dan and Teresa were also very good at this task.




I'm a big believer in letting people who are particularly good at something do it. When we get to a word game, I'll jump right in. I decided the thing I could do the best in this task was keep someone in there looking at it everytime there was a question. It's easy to get caught up in discussing it when you can just go look and answer the question.

If it had been a task I had to do myself I would probably still be there.

Chicks and More

Tonight was Chicks and it was an exceptional gathering. I almost forgot because I was really busy, running around today. Thank goodness I didn't. It was a really good gathering.

Sometimes there's lots of news, and sometimes we just touch base - tonight was full of important things.

Always fascinating to gather with people.

I was thinking earlier today that one of the best parts of the leadership class is going to be getting to know these other people, people I would probably not meet just going through my days.

We need to find new ways to foster those connections in people.

I'm going to be sharing more photos and tidbits from the leadership class in the next few days and doing some general catching up on the blog. I can get a bit behind - witness that Puerto Rico hasn't been blogged and that was over a year ago!

Last night I got some podcasts in the bag. I'm making an effort to get things under control in my life.

Henna Tattoo - Four Days Old

I promised regular pix of the henna tattoo I had done on Friday evening the 15th. This photo was taken the evening of Tuesday, the 19th. So, it's four days old at this point.

Dyck Arboretum

Our leadership class retreat was at Dyck Arboretum in Hesston, Kansas. I took time on our first break to walk the trail and snap some pix.













Dyck Arboretum is about 25 years old and is owned by Hesston College. I was so glad I walked the first day because the second day it was raining and there was no opportunity.

Past Life Regression

Saturday morning I spent time doing a past life regression. Karen, pictured here, was one of the other participants. I asked if it was OK for me to use her photo.

Diana had this gentleman from Arkansas, Steven Summers, come up to the store for a session. You could book individual ones, or a group one. Since I'd never done it before, I decided to do the group experience.

There were nine of us in the group. He hypnotized us using a technique specifically for past life regression. We did two sessions, and he used two different techniques to hypnotize us.

The first thing he had us do once we were in the past life was look down at our shoes, and see what they looked like, and then our clothes. It was a curious thing to do. He also had us describe our dwelling and what was in it and the people around us. It was a really unusual thing to be doing.

Someone asked him before we started if we would recognize people who are in our lives today that were also in our past lives. He did put that suggestion into the induction, but I did not have that recognition. A couple of people did, but I didn't.

Many people believe that we come through time in "soul groups" so it would be natural for us to have some of the same people in our worlds each lifetime.

The first time I had a really pleasant experience. It was beautiful in many ways and as I wrote in the journal afterwards, "it was a good death."

Others in the group did not have such a good time with it. He said it's common that people have a variety of experiences. One woman was hesitant about doing it again because she didn't want to do that same thing again. He said he had never had that happen - that someone went back to the same life.

One of the suggestions he gave us under hypnosis was that if we were touched on the shoulder that we were to become an observer of the experience. That was to protect people if they got overly upset. But he said he thought tears were healthy and he wouldn't stop us only for that. I did cry a few times the first time but not the second time. They weren't bad tears, they were just "appropriate" tears.

The second time he put us under he used a different techinque that put me much deeper under. My experience was not unpleasant but it was not as "rich" as the first one. However, he told me that there were always messages to get from each experience and to not discount that. He said people tend to have more revelations for about 72 hours afterwards.

It was a really interesting thing to do. Frankly, I went into it not really sure if I would experience anything. But, I did, even though in one case I was fighting having that particular experience. But, the experience went right on anyway.

I will probably do it again if he comes back.

Past Life Regression

I spent the morning doing a session on past life regression. It was quite interesting. The gentleman who was doing it was very interested in the experiences we all had. It was a group of nine of us who were doing it. Some got nothing from it, and others experienced a lot.

I will share more but at the moment I'm off for a nap to see what I dream!

Journalling Class

Thursday night I taught a journalling class. I had six people, which is a good size. There were more people who registered who didn't show up. But it was a good group.

I do some chatting about types of journals and also some writing exercises in class. I also gave everyone a little bag with a lot of prompts in it they can use for writing in the future.




It was a good group. I invite people to share if they want, but don't make it a necessity. It's always enlightening when people share because you see completely different approaches to the same thing.

I took in a number of different kind of journals, most of which were "in process" but these were some of the completed ones I took. I use a number of different kinds of journals but do have some favorites. I adore those Claire Fontaine notebooks. I'm so glad I stocked up when I was in Paris last time.

I'm going to be going to Canada soon. Maybe I can get some more there. Although I don't recall seeing them there on a previous trip. My supply is running low.

Home Again

I just returned home from an overnight retreat for a Leadership Class I'm doing. It was an interesting experience and I'll have more to say about it but this is just a quick note before I go off to teach the journaling class scheduled for tonight.

I decided to not take my laptop, and go without email and blogging for a day. So, if you are waiting on a response from me, that's the deal - it will come tonight or tomorrow.

This will be an interesting time for me. I could tell some of the people in that group were a bit annoyed that there was this woman in their midst with a henna tattoo on her hand and a ring on her toe, but I think most of them felt a little different about me at the end of a day and a half together.

I don't try to be an oddball - it just seems to happen naturally.

Creative Sisterhood

Monday night was our Creative Sisterhood group and it was interesting. We had a lengthy talk about many things, touching on religion and belief systems. For the first time in three years, I felt like I could not communicate with the group. We weren't speaking the same language, so there was no way I could explain my views. And without a lot of background they wouldn't make sense anyway.

It was a very different Creative Sisterhood experience for me. But it was good to have this insight into others. I finally just determined it wasn't important that I share. No one is really that interested in anyone else's background, and I'm not sure I could explain it anyway. I quickly figured out I didn't even want to try - and certainly not in a limited time - so I just chalked it up to a learning experience.

I should not involve myself in such conversations. My views are so very different than anyone else I have ever met that there doesn't seem to be much common ground for communication. And I'm a big believer that religion should be a private matter anyway.

My spirituality is something I've devoted many, many, many hours to over the years. I've written about it in more journals than I can count. I've pondered it on long drives. I've had a lot of a-ha moments. I've had a lot of confusion. I've found some answers and even more questions. I've come to my own conclusions, which are from multiple faith traditions, with a healthy mix of things not tied to any religion that I'm aware of. I sum up my spirituality with the phrase, "Your Life is Your Prayer."

At the last place I lived, I painted that on the wall in one of my rooms. It was interesting to hear what it meant to other people, if anything. No one ever thought of it in the same way I do, and I guess that means it would be a poor thing on which to base a religion. But, I'm not interested in starting the Church of Patsy anyway, so I don't suppose it matters.

My original topic last night was that I have no sense of the norm and it was all the more clear to me by the end of the evening. As always, it was enlightening.

Art of Gracious Living #39 - Defining Our Fears

Humans work harder to avoid what we fear than we do to seek what we desire. This means that our fears have tremendous power in our daily lives.

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in 1960 in her book, "You Learn by Living" that, "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." She said, "You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

Defining our fears is part of leading a gracious life.

Hear more about it by listening to the Art of Gracious Living Podcast #39.



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Hummingbird!

Coming into the house at lunchtime today, I was looking at the flowers and spotted something buzzing around. It was a hummingbird!




Well... that's what I thought, anyway... Nine-ah tells me it's a hummingbird moth, which explains why Greg kept saying it was a moth and Mark and I kept saying, but it acts like a hummingbird. There are two of them in my front flower bed. So, there you go... I learned something today!

Political Joke

One of my board members sent this to me and I thought it was too good to not share. I rarely share such things, and feel free to skip it if you've heard it, but it gave me a chuckle this morning...

Al Gore, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush were in an airplane that crashed; and believe it or not, initially they all end up in heaven. The three are led to meet God who's sitting in regal splendor on a great white throne.
God addresses Al first. "Al, what do you believe in?"

Gore replies, "Well, I believe I won that election, but that it was your will that I did not serve. And I've come to understand that now."

God thinks for a second and says, "OK, very good. Come and sit at my left, Al."

God then addresses Bill. "Bill, what do you believe in?"

Clinton replies, "I believe in forgiveness. I've sinned, but I've never held a grudge against my fellow man, and I hope no grudges are held against me."

God thinks for a few seconds and says, "You are forgiven, my son. Come and sit at my right, Bill."

God then addresses Bush. "George, what do you believe in?"

Bush replies, "I believe you're in my chair."

Tea in Arlington Kansas

Today I went to one of my very favorite events - the fundraiser tea at the Methodist Church in Arlington, Kansas. This is the third year I've been and it's just wonderful. These five ladies who organize it do an amazing job.

They transform their church basement by bringing in dishes, furniture, pictures, and all manner of decorations. I'm always amazed by the work they do. Everything is beautiful.







These ladies also do a great job with food. It's tasty and very pretty - just like tea food is supposed to be.




They had new tablecloths this year, and the settings were more streamlined. I have liked all the ones I've been to, including this one, it was just a little different.










The program this afternoon was about aprons. Interestingly enough, the lady giving the talk was Susie Haver. I know Susie from way back - she used to be involved with the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas - and I interviewed her when I was with the radio station.

Since then I've bumped into her at various times at various things. I guess we move in some of the same circles. She's also a Kansas Explorer, so that's another connection.

She had a number of aprons as examples of various sorts, but this was one of my favorites - one that the lady on it was wearing a little skirt that you could lift and see her pantaloons.




Teresa (yellow shirt), Susan (black) and Jan (beige) and I went today. Peggy was supposed to go but couldn't at the last minute. I asked for a take away plate for her and took it over to her and Gary tonight. We chatted for awhile and it was an interesting talk.