Saturday, June 30, 2012

I see some iiiiinnnnterrresting things while running or hiking my favorite mountain trail.  Wednesday was no exception.  I headed up on the trail mid afternoon, during the heat of the day.  The temperature was 92 degrees, perfect for a strenuous hike and for eliminating a lot of people clutter, since most don’t like navigating the mountain in extreme heat. 

I’d only gotten about a mile and a half up when I became aware of footsteps off to my side and less than eight feet away.  Aware, I noted that whomever the footfalls belonged to wasn’t trying to pass me, but instead, they were giving me a wide birth yet keeping quite close to me. 

Hmmm….

I looked over my shoulder and noted what appeared to be a giant chiseled god-like man who was obviously as into physical fitness as I am.  He smiled and, taking my noticing him to be an invitation, struggled to close the distance between us, commenting, “Darn, and I thought I walked fast!”

I chuckled.

He continued, “I’ve been trying to catch up to you for the past mile.”

Again, I laughed and said, “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

He asked if we could hike together and I agreed.  Turns out, the man I shared my mountain hike with was a stunt man who played the stunt double for Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile! 

Wow!

What a great guy he turned out to be!  Both around the same age, we enjoyed talking about how things have changed from one generation to the next.  And how we wished more of yesteryear mentalities and sense of self-responsibility would return to infuse today’s youth. 

We kept an incredible pace, both enjoying the rare company of someone to work out with and also someone who could talk while keeping pace.   A couple of miles after meeting up, we passed a woman of whom we both did a double take.  Having to stop and turn to see if what we’d seen was reality, we both shook our heads when we realized that yes, the Asian woman was wearing a Von’s plastic bag that she’d slid over her midsection in between her sports bra and running shorts.  It was complete with its sheer handles flapping as she walked.

Hmmm….

About another mile along, we stumbled upon a man who was running downhill towards us.  Both of us tried not to smile at the man who appeared to be wearing a pair of BVD whitey tighties stretched over his head in true bank robber fashion with nothing but his eyes and nose showing through one of the leg openings.  And…as if that wasn’t strange enough, the man had bundled the excess fabric of the BVDs into a makeshift gag that he held tight between his clenched teeth.

What the heck?!

Like I said, between actors, new versions of bag ladies and running BVD ads, I see some pretty strange things while navigating my mountain. 

Friday, June 29, 2012

Thought I’d keep things light and simple for today.  : -)  Rolling into the weekend….  Great place to be….  Here, the skies are blue, temps are hot, there’s a gentle breeze blowing and air quality is good.  All are signs of long, lazy, summer days meant to have every last bit of essence absorbed from them as we attempt to rejuvenate from our busy week.  It’s my sincerest wish that where ever readers are, whatever is going on in their lives, that they’re blesses with a relaxing, fun and fulfilling weekend that will charge up their reserves for the upcoming week!  : -) 

Thursday, June 28, 2012

 When does asking for help cross the line of what’s appropriate?  None of us manages to navigate our lives without a little help from time to time.  Nothing wrong with that.  But the finesse of when and from whom and how much help to ask for…that’s a delicate dance.

Here’s an example.  If a person is a mere acquaintance, is it appropriate for them to ask another to spend five hours or more in traffic, driving to and from the airport to pick said person up?  Especially if there is a readily available bus and shuttle system at their disposal?  In this scenario, does the person have the right to ask?

In my humble opinion, this is crossing a line of what assistance and from whom it’s appropriate to ask.  But there are those, especially those who feel inclined to impose on others, who will go ahead and ask anyhow.  I suppose that’s their right….

But what about when they take it a step further.  Already having crossed the line, IMHO, of what’s appropriate and not, when they’re politely told that it’s too much of an imposition, the person who’s asking then has the audacity to protest.

What?!

What gives them the right to argue when they’ve asked an over-the-top favor and been turned down?  Why do some people feel entitled to get what they ask for, no matter from whom or how excessive, just because they’ve asked?

I’m all for helping others.  Go out of my way to do so when I can.  But…there’s a point when I have to say I can’t help or indicate something that’s been asked for is too much—for any number of reasons.  I believe that I have the right to stand that ground.  After all, I am being asked a favor, instead of something I’m obligated to do.

So I’m curious.  How do others feel on this topic?    

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Yesterday, I blogged about how Californian public schools are anything but cost free.  Based on some of the comments I received, my squirrel brain began thinking more on the subject.  I thought I’d share one of my biggest ponderings.  How do officials expect our schools to turn out anything other than plain Jane carbon copies of students where no one’s innate abilities are nurtured to fruition if the officials’ only goal is to provide the barest educational requirements?

The way Californian schools have been conducting themselves since 1992 when the No Child Left Behind program was instituted, disallows for overachievers to excel.  And those who are already in the middle of the line are also left to their own devices, instead of being encouraged to do more.  Seems the only students who benefit from this program are the ones who were struggling.

Not that I’m opposed to kids who are having trouble getting an extra helping hand.  But to do so at the cost of initiating an insatiable thirst in already over achievers….  Or the ones who display innate abilities of art, music, creativity, etc….  Or to maintain the already middle of the line students at the status quo rather than encouraging them to become over achievers.  It…just…seems…wrong!

Have the lawmakers of our country so easily forgotten just who set us apart from other countries?  How it was the Thomas Jeffersons, Henry Fords, Benjamin Franklins, Abraham Lincolns, Thomas Edisons, etc with their outside-the-box mentalities who helped forge this country into the once great nation it was?

And what about the rest of the world’s vast contributors?  What of the Picassos, Motzarts, Einsteins, etc?  Where would our world, culture and thirst for excellence lie had it not been or these individuals who were encouraged to rise above, stand apart and have their contributions recognized?

No child left behind?  Bah humbug, I say!  Though the intent of the concept was a righteous one, its execution has failed and is annihilating any hope of children recognizing their unique abilities and nurturing them to fruition!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Is public school free and affordable any longer?  I’ve been in the parenting game a long while, my oldest being 25 years of age.   As such, I’ve seen plenty of changes in the public school system, least here in California.  One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is how it’s impossible for a student, who is excelling and wants to be on tract to go to a good four-year university, to get the promised free education public school claims is a possibility.

My youngest son, who will be a junior in high school next year, is a member of the IB, International Bachelorette program, at his local high school.  So what does this mean, the IB program is an accelerated program that allows advanced kids to be challenged and also proves to prospective universities that the student is not only serious about attending their institution, but is qualified to handle the work load, as they’ve had to do similar while in high school.  But there’s a problem….

In order for these students to prove that they’re super serious about attending a four-year university and are capable of putting in the dedication to fulfill all educational requirements, they’re unable to pull that off without having to attend summer school.  That’s where my question comes in.

In order for these students to get the classes they need to complete the IB program, they must take advanced courses not offered through the free regular summer school program.  As such, we, as the parents, are gouged with high priced classes.  Now I ask, is this fair?

To me, this type of so-called free public school education is anything but.  And I have the payment receipts to prove such.  In addition, it gives me that squeamish feeling I get when I realize that a program has become elitist, meaning that only those who can literally pay an above-and-beyond price ticket are entitled to participate. 

Yes, I’m aware this is the sad truth of the world.  But when it comes to the education of our children—the future makers, shakers, artists and creators of our future, I don’t agree with this being a mode of operation.  Something has gone terribly amuck when children are no longer able to get the education they deserve…unless they can pay for it…and that’s with so-called free education.  Don’t even get me going on the pitfalls of private education.  Been there and done that with my oldest child a lifetime ago.

So back to my original question…. Is public school free and affordable any longer?  The answer is a resounding no!  What a sad state of affairs this is.  How tragic for current students.  For those who haven’t even begun school yet….  What will education be for them?  How will those future children be guaranteed quality education?  Unless they can pay for it….  It would appear, at least in California, that lawmakers—the majority of whose children do not attend public school systems—care little if at all about how current and future children will become educated.  If they will be educated.  Perhaps those same lawmakers should rethink this cause, as it is those very current and future children who will hold the lawmakers’ futures in their hands as they age….

Monday, June 25, 2012

I must say that the prospect of handling my blog myself without further assistance from my Webmaster was a bit daunting.  But, ya know, I’ve discovered it’s really quite simple, even for someone like me who makes no pretenses of pretending that I’m any kind of techie.  I like the format of this new site.  Also, I appreciate being able to upload posts as soon as I’ve written them rather than having to wait.  Figure I’ll play with the site a bit, make routine posts for a spell, before I get into fancier things like trying to redesign the site or rewrite the about me sections, etc.  But fear not, my mind is whirring away on hyper speed with all the possibilities this new site has to offer.  Just a matter of time before I’ll begin to implement some of them.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

For those of you who have just stumbled upon my blog, welcome!  I’m a published writer who posts a blog each and every day.  So what do I write about?  Whatever’s on my mind.  Sometimes it’s thought provoking or profound.  Other times, its humorous.  More times it has to do with experiences I’ve had.  And every once in a while, I come up with something witty.  But no matter what subject I blog about, one common thread binds all my blogs together—they are positive based.  Today, I thought I’d share a saying I came across….

May you have

Enough happiness to keep you sweet,

Enough trials to keep you strong,

Enough sorrow to keep you human,

Enough hope to keep you happy,

Enough failure to keep you humble,

Enough success to keep you eager,

Enough friends to give you comfort,

Enough enthusiasm to look forward to,

Enough faith to banish depression,

Enough determination to make each day better than yesterday.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Ever notice how a certain area can calm you—to the center of your core?  How just driving through the area, your breathing deepens, your anxiety level drops and a deep-rooted calm washes over you, cleansing away the ill effects the world may have on you?  I’ve found several of those areas throughout my life and treasure them for the healing aspects they provide.  One, in particular, is an area I’ve frequented over the past thirty years, falling more in love with it every time.  Each visit has revitalized my soul. 

The activities I engage in there don’t have to be anything fancy.  In fact, most often, they’re not.  Instead the simplicity of the area, accepting nature of those who opt to call it their home and abounding natural wonders envelope me in an experience no high-ticket activity could buy.  A day trip to a theme park doesn’t compare.  Nor do going to the movies, eating out or any of a thousand other things I do. 

To me, this locale is pivotal to my being.  Guess I have a lot of my father and grandmother in me, for they were the same way—drawn to specific areas that fed their souls, making them…content…whole…fulfilled.  Ironically, their special locales mirrored my own….

It’s as if this locale is my Zen.  The one place that centers me, no matter what the world throws at me.  Also, it’s a simpler place, almost as if entering it, one transcends a time warp that delivers them back thirty years to a more balanced, accepting and whole California, not the fragmented keep-up-with-the-Jones’ rat race whose disease has affected most aspects of the state.

Living where I currently do, though there are mountains to explore and trails to run, I feel claustrophobic.  As if the very air around me chokes off my ability to take cleansing breaths.  Instead, what I manage is shallow breathing.  Though this allows me to gain enough life oxygen to survive, the wear and tear the effort puts on me eats away at me.  That’s when I flee to the sanctity of my special place.  To be rebuilt.  To have the scars the world casts on me purified, in a sense, so their lasting impressions will be minimized.

I suppose that’s what makes special locales so…magical…their ability to calm, heal and minimize the effects of the world on a person’s soul.  Like my father and grandmother before me, I’ve found my Zen on earth and will endeavor to plant myself firmly in her bosom where I feel safe, accepted and reborn.      

Friday, June 22, 2012

Beginning today, readers will view a different look to my blog.  Why?  Because the server I was using became unavailable.  In addition, my Webmaster is no longer a part of this process.  As such, this is the simplest blog set up that I can use while endeavoring to teach myself more the technical end of things.  Once I have a better grasp of how all this works, I’ll be switching over to a more presentable blog whose layout will mirror more what I used to have.

What do readers need to do in order to continue viewing my blogs?  If they log into my blog through the main address of cindyhanna.com, then nothing else needs to be done.  If, however, a reader had my old blog bookmarked, then they will need to re-bookmark the new blog just as they would bookmark any other website.

In the meantime, I hope folks will be tolerant of these changes and know that I’m doing the best I can to keep my blogs up and running on a daily basis.  In advance, I thank those who will continue logging in to read my blogs. 

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Here’s something I wonder over more and more.  Why is it that obtaining quality work is like trying to resurrect the dinosaurs?  Case in point…a number of months back, I had to have the motor to my house heater replaced.  That process turned out to take longer than had been quoted, but…the job did get done and I had heat this past winter.  So, silly me, I thought everything had been done the way it should’ve been, cause, ya know, I did hire a professional after all.  But, seeing as quality work is becoming more rare, quality is not what I got.

Today, I had another repair company out to take a look at our air conditioning unit that decided to stop blowing cold air.  In short order, it was determined that it needed a Freon charge.  No biggie.  I authorized the work and the repairman set about his task.  About a half hour later, he returned from my attic, a puzzled look on his face.  He then asked, “Did you recently have the motor to your heater replaced?”

When I told him I had, his look became even more perplexed.  “By us?” he asked.  It was obvious by his tone that he hoped the answer would be no.

I explained that the work had been by another company.  Relieved, he then told me how that individual had put the motor in—backwards. 

“Backwards?!” I asked, shock punctuating my remark.  “How could it have worked then?”

I was told that it would work, though at only about half power.  Thinking back and now grateful that I hadn’t had one of our more bitter cold winters, I shook my head.  Today’s repairman then shared how he’d fixed the problem—no charge—and implored that I never use the other company again.  I thanked him for the no-charge repair and assured him I’d lose the other company’s name and number.

So, back to my question….  Why is it so hard to find quality work…the first time?  Why must things get done half way, or in a manner that’s completely wrong, only to have to be corrected later by another?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Here’s an interesting question I’ve always wondered over.  Why is it that we endear some of the most violent animals to our children by depicting them as cuddly stuffed animals that look anything other than their potential for violent behavior?  Bears, tigers, lions, Kuala bears, zebras, hippos, etc…they all possess potential for high violence, yet by immortalizing them as cuddly stuffed animals, our children, who clutch them tightly, are led to believe these same animals are tame.

When I was a little girl, I loved my stuffed animals.  The ones I found most appealing I later discovered were amongst the wildest of the real animal kingdom.  When I became a mother, aware of this, I let my kids pick and choose which stuffed animals they liked best.  Why?  I was curious which ones they’d gravitate towards.  Almost without failure, the ones they selected were also the wildest animals.

Hmmm….

When I first discovered how violent some of my beloved childhood stuffed animals could be in real life, I was stunned.  How, I wondered, could a cute “cuddly” Kuala bear, for example, be so vicious?  And a zebra?  Come on, now.  Lions I understood.  But adorable teddy bears?  Again, how could something that looked so innocuous represent something that, in reality, could be a ruthless killer?

Course, me being me, I had to turn the thought over and over in my head, trying every which way to come up with a probable answer.  Couldn’t imagine that the manufacturers of those same stuffed animals wanted to intentionally mislead children into believing those animals were worthy of going up to in the wild and offering a big hug.  That would be silly.  But why then are those particular types of animals most often depicted as stuffed animals? 

Not many adults I know still have stuffed animals.  But then, I freely admit that I’m a bit unusual.  I still have some of my original stuffed animals, a number of which were passed along to my own children who still have them.   In addition, I’ve acquired a few additional ones over the years.  And yup, you guessed it, all the ones I have fall into the category of potentially dangerous animals.

Hmmm…imagine Freud would have a field day with this….

Or, would he be more interested in what causes the masses to gravitate towards potentially violent animals?

Monday, June 18, 2012

Carrying on…it’s the only way I know how to be.  I’ve never been one to quit—no matter how tough things got.  Guess it’s just not part of my nature.  Perhaps I’m too competitive…. Know that I am when it comes to bettering myself.  So, I suppose that when life throws challenges my way, I don’t view them as obstacles capable of crippling me.  Well…I am aware that some could.  But I don’t give into that mentality.  Instead, I maintain that challenges are meant to be overcome.

I’ve always been intrigued with phoenixes.  Dragons too.  A number of years back, a Chinese girlfriend explained how the phoenix is viewed as the female version of the dragon. 

Hmmm….

That made me smile.  To think of the wonderful winged phoenix as kin to the mighty dragon.  For as long as I can recall, I’ve been inspired by stories of how a phoenix, though battered and struggling, would dig deep within itself to rise above the very ashes that threatened to bury it. 

Throughout my live, I’ve taken great solace in that visual when I’ve fought to overcome things placed in my path.  Events meant to test me.  Yes, some could’ve broken me.  A few did….  But the fighter in me wouldn’t allow myself to wallow too long in the trenches.  Instead, my mind would conjure that image of the spectacular phoenix rising out of the ashes, wings flapping in a blaze of glory, and I’d find the courage and strength needed to pick myself up, dust myself off and carry on, moving forward with a positive attitude.  This is the only way I know how to be….

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Skype allows folks the ability to be up-close-and-personal with one another.  Nothing drove this message home more securely than speaking with a friend over the past two days.  This friend is originally from Holland, their whole family still located there. 

My friend got a call two days ago that their mother had been diagnosed with bladder cancer.  Add to that how my friend’s father was already on the last legs of his battle with emphysema.  Enter Skype….

My friend was able to work though their emotions by connecting with family members via the wonders of Skype.  Siblings were able to work out details.  Parents and kids were able to connect and come to terms with the bum hand they’d been dealt.

 

Hearing my friend talk and being able to see the relief on their face when they shared how Skype had made this tough ordeal more manageable, made me more appreciative of the benefits of being able to Skype.  Then came today….

My friends and I met up this morning, one of which is the individual from Holland.  They were a bit arriving, which is unusual for this person.  The moment I saw my friend’s face, I knew something was wrong…yet…not as much so as it could’ve been.  My friend explained how they had been on Skype with family members since 5:30 this morning.  Why?  To talk with their father.  What a wonderful treat, I thought. 

A short time later, as we all drove in the car, my friend’s phone rang.  The rest of us, sensing the gravity of the call, fell silent as my friend answered the phone.  We tried not to listen, but hard to pull that off while contained in the same small vehicle.  When my friend hung up, they explained how that the call was to inform them that their father had just been removed from life support….

Ah, geez!  And on Father’s Day….

Though my friend was understandably upset, there was also a level of contentment as they expressed how grateful they’d been for the opportunity earlier to talk, via Skype, with their father.  How their father hadn’t been coherent enough to speak over the past few days.  But today the two had been able to share their last thoughts, express their love for one another and connect in a way that only Skype allowed. 

For the second time in two days, I was beyond impressed with the many benefits Skype could provide.  For the peace of mind it offered my friend.  For the opportunity a family had to “gather” with one another and connect “up-close-and-personal” to say their final goodbyes.