Fast and Loose, Feet Don’t Fail Me Now!

Greetings Friends!

In all fairness I need to warn you that I will be playing fast and loose with the English language today.

Yep. I will be using a noun as a verb. And not even a common noun, a proper noun!!!

You’ve all been warned.

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I just Marie Kondoed the heck out of my closet.

Yep, took bags and bags of clothes and shoes and extra hangers to Goodwill.

It feels really good to have a theme for my clothes. And what is that theme, you ask? Comfort and happiness. If it’s not comfortable to wear or it doesn’t make me happy when I wear it, it went in the bag.

I think I had at least six bags.

Ahhhhhhhhh.

But you know, you can’t do this purging unless you feel like it. And boy, did I feel like it!

The clearing of the closet energy has leaked over into the sewing room, except here it manifests as a clearing of of horizontal surfaces.

WHAT??????????

Yes, friends, I am known in my family as an inveterate horizontal surface decorator. And I say decorator with tongue in cheek. Some members of my family will call it clutter.

Let’s just say that I like to have my things around me.

They remind me of important people, happy times, little hugs when I look at them.

Yet, when I was in the clothes cleaning out craziness, I liked the space I was creating in the closet and that, as I said, leaked over into the sewing room.

So, now, I have all this horizontal space cleared of mementos and photos. Don’t worry; they were not part of the Goodwill bags.

No, they are in a memento box. On a shelf high up in the sewing room closet. I can take it down when I feel like it. I don’t feel disloyal to those people at all.

Hmmmm. Is this called maturity?

Whatever it is, I’ll take it.

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I found a new show on Netflix that I enjoyed: Extraordinary Attorney Woo. It takes place in South Korea , but the English is dubbed in so you don’t need to follow subtitles. The main character is a female who is socially challenged with being on the autism spectrum while maintaining genius level skills at being a lawyer. The storylines and the courtroom cases are intriguing and the characters are engaging. I highly recommend it.

I am also currently reading “Independence” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. The author teaches creative writing at the University of Houston, and let me tell you, it’s a joy to read her writing! This book is her twentieth novel. When I finish it, I will definitely read more of her books.

This novel begins in August, 1946 in Bengal, India with three young adult daughters of a doctor and his wife. Each chapter is told by one of the daughters, their lives unfolding around the unrest during India’s independence from the British and the resulting battles between Moslem and Hindu neighbors and friends.

One of the reasons I read is to learn about places in the world, their people, culture, and history. This book does not disappoint. I’ve had to keep my phone nearby to look up the delicious foods described on the Ganguly table, and to provide more background on Indian history. I highly recommend reading it.

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It was white on white as I was driving through Maple Grove this afternoon. Snow filled the air as a fog, trees were hoary with frost, the skies were just a different shade of cloud white.

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One thing that gets me outside this winter is to fill the bird feeders. As I was negotiating the backyard drifts while holding onto the porch for stability, I suddenly remembered just why it is that I am so careful not to fall on the ice.

Ages ago, when I was in my thirties and my kids were in elementary school, Skateland was a common place for our school to have an activity night fundraiser. I remember that I was wearing a pair of roller skates, on the rink, standing next to the concession stand, talking to a friend. I had my arm on the handy shelf there when all of a sudden, as my friend described it, I disappeared.

My feet had shot out in front of me and I hit the rink.

Yep, I fell.

While holding onto something.

And standing still.

So this is why I am ultra careful while walking on ice. If my feet can go out from under me while standing still and while holding onto a wooden shelf, who knows what sorts of mischief those feet will get up to while moving on ice?????

Have a Marvelous Monday, walk like a penguin on the ice, read a book about another culture, and hug yourself!!!

Love,

Janet