Real Lives In The Middle...........

Hi!

Okay okay, I know that that is a lot of me going on there in this week's photos.

 There is a point.  All of the photos were taken within the last 24 hrs. The first two are of my grandbaby and I on our date night. His Grandpa and I took him to see Jungle Book, and out for ice cream. But, that's not the point. (pretty awesome movie, though)

The third, is courtesy of snapchat. It reminded me of the advertisements on tv where  60 year old super models schlep their magic wrinkle cream. The filtres they use are so potent they could turn cow poop into coffee.

My point is this. Anybody can look pretty close to the societal definition of perfect with enough filtres. 

I really wish they would show us what they actually look like. If you want me to buy your magic potion, assuming you actually use it, show me your real face. If not, I'll save my 200 bucks and use snapchat. It's free.

************

For some strange reason, lately, I've been in the mood to watch superhero movies. Maybe watching things blow up and watching the good guys always win is my way of dealing with day to day frustration. Who knows.

Whatever the reason, they got me thinking that there is room for more female superheroes. 

For one in particular.

Here's my idea.

She will be a perimenopausal woman in a constant state of PMS.

- she's unpredictable

- she swears like a it's an Olympic sport

- her mode of transportation is a pimped out 1984 caravan

Her superpowers would be:

- she flashes- now, not like "the flash" so marvel or DC or whoever the flash belongs to, relax. No, she flashes. She has the ability to produce enough heat to cook a small chicken and, at times, this heat is accompanied by enough moisture to water a community garden. This defeats most enemies by simply making them extremely uncomfortable.

- She has the innate ability to remember absolutely everything except where she put her keys or why the hell she went into the kitchen.

- she has the ability to produce symptoms of puberty, pregnancy, and dementia simultaneously.

- she is awesome.

As for her costume:

The under armor consists of a push up bra and the best spanx money can buy. We then add a red leather corset that would make Scarlet O'hara feel like a wimp. Add booty shorts, thigh high stiletto boots, a cape, an emblem of a cougar and her silky hair blowing in the breeze, and voila!

Hahahaha, yeah,....no.

The real  costume, A giant tshirt, yoga pants, a ponytail and bunny slippers.

I think I'm gonna give the guys at marvel a call, this is the REAL wonderwoman.

Real is always better than what shows up through the illusion of a filtre, whether it be an over-flattering filtre on snapsht or the over-harsh one through which we see ourselves. Real lives in the middle. 

Well that about does it for another week! Have a good one!

Until next time:

May we learn to celebrate the imperfections time brings, for they help tell our story.

May we forgive ourselves for not living up to impossible ideals, you are awesome, steep in your glory.

May we teach those that follow that they are treasures, as is, without alteration.

May we teach them that the images forced upon them are merely a digital mutation.

May we make them to put no stock on how many likes they get for their selfie.

May we get them to feel their value, so they can grow from the filtred photo and set themselves free.

Until Next Time...

www.margyreidbooks.com 

When They Open The Door......................

Hi!



You know, it can be a jungle out there, so sometimes, you just have to put on your cool dude shades and keep going!




Okay, so I'm having a little too much fun with snapchat. I blame my daughters, after all, they introduced it to me.
You should never give someone a toy, and then expect them not to play with it. That's just mean.


It's like not taking advantage of a joke that is handed to you. When you come from a family in which "smart ass" is the first language, these "open doors" all but demand to be walked through. It's very tough, at times, to bite your tongue and withhold remarks your brain is screaming are inappropriate, but your funny bone is saying, "that is frickin' funny! Say it, say it!" You have to translate from you native tongue to something that won't put you on the receiving end of "those looks" which indicate that maybe you shouldn't be allowed in public.



Politicians, and certain celebrities, in particular, seem to take pride in opening these doors at lightning speed. I mean, Donald Trump pretending to be his own publicist in more than one interview?  Kanye West.....well Kanye and pretty much everything he says in any interview.......it's bait, really.

Do they honestly expect the Seth Myers, Jimmy Fallons, and Stephen Colberts of the world not to walk through those wide open doors night after night?!

The disturbing part lies in the fact that one of these door openers is basically just a mouth, and the other wants to be leader of the free world. I'll let you decide which is which.

***********

In the past few days...........

Was able to spend some time with some baby granddaughters...........


It's been another wonderfully busy, crazy week at the shop..........


Did some writing...........


Found out our lawn mowers need some love...........


Did a bit of visiting...........




As for the next few days.............




Work the shop............


Squeeze a grandbaby or two, or three, or four...................


Hopefully get some grass cut................


Write!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Well that about does it for this long weekend. See you next time!


May you sip a coffee in the sun, kick back, and soak it in.
May you smell the sweetness that follows a rain, breathe it in.

May you invite opportunity, be open to change, bring it in.
May you discover peace, know it, attract it, pull it in.

May those who fill the news with overblown bravado, reign it in.
May those who walk through the open doors provided, play it in.


Until next time.........


www.margyreidbooks.com

And Cancer Claims Another, But Not Without A Fight!

Hi.





This week, our family lost another uncle/brother/father/friend.  Unfortunately, due mostly to proximity and circumstance, I didn't get to know this uncle as well as others.


But, this is what I do know.


He was a fighter. He fought his way through life. He fought more than his share of demons. He fought, most furiously, against the monster that claimed him in the end. Cancer.

He was passionate. One look into his eyes, especially when he was fired up about something, to told you he could barely contain it, at times.

He will be missed. He will be missed by his brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, his long time love, his sons, his grandbaby girl, and grandkids that are yet to be.

He took full advantage of the pain-ridden, torturous time he had left on this earth, to say his good-byes, mend fences where needed, gain peace. He recognized this distorted blessing as one that those who leave suddenly simply do not get.


His, marks the loss of the fourth of Mom's eight brothers,(the second photo) three of which have been within the last two years.


I know that with a family as big as ours, which covers four and five generations, this is an expected part of life. Just like birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, and birth announcements, the joyous things, we, perpetually, have to brace ourselves for the tough announcements, as well. I know I'm not even close to being alone in hoping that this is the last tough one for a very long time.


Rest in peace, Uncle Willie.







As for the rest of the week...........


We are crazy busy at the shop.....it's awesome!


We had a visitor from up north ( our sister-in-law,which I missed as it was on writing day)


Ran errands, schlepped a few loads of laundry up and down the stairs.....


Went for a bike ride for the first time this year........


Put another dent in the novel I'm working on.............



As for the upcoming few days............


Tonight is date night! Off to the movies!

Tomorrow, our daughter and son-in -law are entrusting us with their children for the day......hehehehehehe

Things will be hopping at the shop............

WRITE!!!!!!!!!



With that, I will leave you with this wish................




May we say what needs saying without looking death in the face.
May we throw aside grudges,instead, forgive and embrace.

May we say what we really mean, not allowing it to be translated through a filtre of anger or fear.
May we get it all out in the open, have peace, life is but a heartbeat, tomorrow may never get here.

May we see each other for who we really are, not through the eyes of our expectations.
May we accept without condition, for others' scripts are not ours to write, to edit or offer adaptations.

May we accept that we all see things differently, my right may be your wrong.
May we embrace the quirks of our variations, and in the end, all just get along.



Until next time......

www.margyreidbooks.com

From The Belly Of The Beast.................

Hi.


My fingers feel weighted as I write, today. These photos, which I pulled from different sources, so I'm not sure who to credit, are a sampling of the tragedy that is currently happening in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.

This past week, over 80,000 people have had to be evacuated from their homes, as the flames began to swallow their community. This beast of a fire has gotten so huge it has begun to create it's own weather, a phenomenon usually reserved for volcanoes.

As far as I know, as I write this, through all of this, miraculously, only one human life has been lost. I don't say only because this 15 year old girl was insignificant in any way. I say only, because a monster this size is much more likely to take so many more.

The citizens of this community are unique. Where they live is unique. Because of where they are situated on the globe, it becomes a necessity to become well skilled in survival and first aide. These skills are probably a good reason why this fire hasn't taken more lives.

Convoys of supplies are on their way to those in need as convoys of those in need are making their way to safety. There was such a swift change in circumstance, that so many only had time to leave with little more than the clothes on their backs.

They are still trying to slay this dragon. It is far from dead, as of yet. With any luck, it will rain, and by rain, I mean pour, and by pour, I mean soak the earth for a week, until every last ember becomes a muddy memory.

Then the real work will begin.


In comparison, the events of the rest of the past few days seem kinda trivial.

The shop remains, gratefully, very busy........

I had my first experience as a witness in court.

About that.........

My daughter and I were served subpoenas regarding an incident we witnessed back in November of last year.

In our eyes, it seemed pretty simple. We saw what we saw. Done and done. The trial, and all of the information it provided,  showed both of us that what we saw was but a mere pittance in the drama that was the whole story.

What we saw was but one piece of a much larger puzzle.

In the end, I think justice was served, for the most part. My take away from the whole situation? I felt sad for all involved. Here, once again, is a monster. This one has many forms, but can all go by the name of addiction. It's generally easily recognized by everyone but the person it tortures. In this case, there are small children involved. Little people, once again paying for the choices made by the adults who are supposed to have their backs. How will they view the world as they grow up? Yeah...........


As for the next few days.............


Spend some time with a friend..................

Work in the shop.............

Squeeze some grandbabies............

Write!!!!!!!!!!!!




Well, that about does it for now. Until next time......

For those in Fort McMurray...........



May you break free from the belly of this beast, and rise like a phoenix from it's ashes.
May you escape the heat, the walls of flame, the cinders, like snow falling upon lashes.

May you discover comfort in the kindness of others, gain strength, rest your body and mind.
May the efforts of strangers make their way to you, may the more you need, the more you find.

May those who are fighting this beast in the trenches, stay brave, stay safe, stay strong.
May these heroes and the unsung others, continue to make us proud of this human race to which we belong.

May the skies break wide open and release a days-long, soaking, pouring rain.
May the winds calm, and temperatures cool, so lives can rebuild and be lived happily once again.


Until next week...........


www.margyreidbooks.com