I Need A Map

I long for a roadmap. I want some warning of what's ahead--a hint so I can be better prepared for the unexpected.

Most of the world nowadays--due to the instability--would probably like a roadmap as well.

The reality is there are no such maps.

Instead, we rely on gut instincts, our heart and as a last resort--logic.

I am catching a plane this morning for Texas to retrieve Miss Jessica. I understand she's being hospitalized for "observation." By the time I arrive, I'm guessing she'll be released and we can begin the process of gathering up her toys to return to Virginia.

My heart tells me this is the right thing to do. My gut instincts tell me this won't be an easy task. And more than likely, logic will surface a bit later as I hop from one plane to another today to reach her by dinnertime.

Anything Worth Doing...

I've come to realize just here lately--via my Abnormal Psychology class--that I may possibly be borderline obsessive-compulsive.

Friends and family members have casually thrown out the OCD acronym at various points throughout my life...

but it was meant as a joke, right?

Of course, there has been quite a bit of snickering when I mentioned this revelation to a few individuals...


I just feel like anything worth doing is worth doing right. I give it my all. I'll even redo, if necessary, to get the desired results. Does that make me obsessive? Or just conscientious, perhaps?

Okay, you decide:

• I have kneepads so I can clean the tile on my kitchen floor correctly. You know, wipe the baseboards and get the corners clean while I've got all that at eye level. But, in my defense, I alternate the hands-and-knees routine with a sponge mop cleaning every other weak.

• I have coasters to accommodate beverages for all wood surfaces. If you don't see them or understand what they're for, I'll clue you in.

• I have to clean the cap on the toothpaste tube, ketchup bottle and mustard bottle. It should look newly opened for each use.

• I have a mirror facing all windows and doorways to keep negativity OUT.

• I have to have all my chores done before I can even think about playing.

• I file everything.

• I intentionally own automatic-shut-off appliances.

• Every time I visit the in-laws, I find myself picking up the stray bits of catfood on the rug beside the cat's dish before I leave.

• It bugs me that JB doesn't unfold his dinner napkin before use, so I have taken to shaking it out and putting it across his knee before I sit down to dinner.

• I'm one of those people who feels compelled to straighten the clothes on hangers when I'm out shopping... and it drives me nuts to go in a dressing room and see a heap of clothes on the floor from the previous shopper.

• I always hit publish and revise two or three times after that. Doesn't everyone?

• I always notice a typo, misspelling or grammatical error when reading anything.
  

Am I OCD or just a bit of a perfectionist?

Suck It Up & Get It Done

I faced the music, so to speak, yesterday and did placement tests so I could make my third attempt at completing my college education. The results were as I had expected. The majority of my classes will transfer. But I still have to do 4 maths. I hate math.

My other half told me math would increase my capacity to learn. No doubt. Anything that you have absolutely no interest in--when tackled--is a real brain challenge. We're programmed with our likes and dislikes. We know what excites us and what disgusts us. And the bulk of the time, we are the boss and make the decisions. Maybe I'm put out because someone else is running the show and telling me what classes I must have in order to complete my degree.

I'm not even sure why, at this point in my life, I feel compelled to finish. I just feel like this is what I need to do.

Inspired by a sense of outrage, Jane Stillwater, a 64-year-old self-described "flower child, 4o years later" ate peanut butter sandwiches for months to save for a ticket to Kuwait. She then convinced a small Texas newspaper to help her secure press accreditation and boarded a troop transport to Baghdad.

This grandmother, with no formal journalistic training, reports from Baghdad via blog. (You can see all posts here.) Her local city councilman had this to say,"Having know her for many years and seen her do things that nobody else would think of taking on... she's a pretty irrepressible force of humor and passion."

I can't think of any better compliment.

The Winds of Change

Here's one of my "big dogs" adapting to the cold wind.

She's usually sprawled out on the hillside looking like she's just killed over for her morning nap.

Yesterday, when Mother Nature decided to trade our 80 degree temps for something closer to 45, Lucky felt more inclined to take shelter from the wind behind the remnants of a stump.

Absolutely, Positively

The persistence of negativity is a constant in human life. Just when you think everything is fine--up it will pop again-- sprouting through some crack in the pavement of day to day living. Garden-variety lies and deceit are the most common and persistent, but should be rooted out just as diligently.

You must be resolved against negativity - whether in your social or professional life, or in your own soul. In either case, definite rules must be followed for the struggle to succeed.

The first rule: Do not attempt to compromise with evil. Negative actions must be identified openly for just what they are, and immediately discredited.

The second: You cannot resist negativity on its own terms. New, positive alternatives which lead away from the source of the problem are generally more successful and appropriate, than to counter negativity with raw power.

The third rule: The means used to counter negativity must be consistent with the end to be achieved. You can't stop the bad behavior with knee-jerk responses. Take a breath and think before you react.

I tend to think of negativity in terms of weeds in the garden... Weeds are inevitable. But with preparation and planning, you can keep them at bay, ensuring growth of the good things you had planned.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Trust your gut instincts and you'll never go wrong. If something just doesn't feel right, it generally isn't right.

Always pay attention to those red flags your mind throws at you.