Story Library

Things On My Desk

Backstory

The notion that a clean desk means a productive worker is an artifact of the mid-20th century. Historically, geniuses were always pictured with a cluttered desk. I’m not sure where that puts me and the things on my desk.

Things On My Desk

I look around at the things on my desk. There are many of them. A blotter in the center is sort of the no-nonsense zone. That’s where I put my papers of the day, the bills that need attention, and the documents that match the first five things on my priority list for the day.

But beyond that sacred zone, there is room for the stapler, the weighted tape dispenser, and the cup of pens & pencils.

Then somehow, other things drift in – the photos in picture frames, each bringing back special memories. The all-important OUT box that seems to give me a pat on the back every time I place something in it that has been DONE. The Rolodex where the importance of people doesn’t matter. All those personal and professional contacts are mixed in, with no level of honor other than the alphabetic order of their last name. There is a stack of sticky notes that will be greatly reduced by the end of the day. There is the scrap paper. The bowl of stamps and the basket of earrings and rings that I forget to take off before sitting down at my desk. Soon, the morning cup of hot coffee will take its place of honor, always within reach.

What a conglomeration are the things on my desk, each representing another facet of my life. How pleased I am not to have a clear, clean, and joyless desk. This one looks loved, lived in, and happy. I like it that way.

P.S. Albert Einstein once asked, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” Has anyone ever responded?

[#340]

Get Close to Amenities

Back Story

Amenities or country – Seems that’s a choice you have to make in these parts. Our charming little town has never seen much action beyond a country music artist on the way up or on the way down, at the county fair or the long-ago scandalous hoochi-coochie girls at the annual carnival. Yet they tell us now that amenities are important. Hmmm.

Get Close to Amenities

Where do you live? Does it make you happy? A new survey reported by The Atlantic says that living within a short radius of amenities can change your life.

Live near facilities like parks, libraries, coffee shops, and gyms and you’ll do better, according to the report. Best is being no more than 15 minutes away.

This study is of particular interest here in the Shenandoah Valley, where there is concern about isolation, especially among the elderly in outlying rural areas.

Living closer to amenities encourages social interaction. More access to all-important low-stakes friendships. Neighbors tend to trust each other more and folks become more involved in local activities.

Bill and I lived for years at the foot of the mountain in Toms Brook. We loved the ten-mile trip to Woodstock along Back Road. Incredible mountainscapes everywhere, but no amenities.

Recently, we moved to a small, charming community just off Hisey Road. As Bill says, we’re now three minutes away from a hamburger. It’s convenient. We like it. We sure did not realize, however, that the move was actually adding to our happiness.

Hope you, too, are close to game night at the courthouse, poker at the Moose Lodge, Rotary meetings at the Brew House, and weekly non-profit fund-raisers, so you too can enjoy the amenities of life in our beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

P.S. Still sound like we’re lacking the gourmet restaurants, concerts with $500 tickets and nights on the town? For those of us retired from the fast track, we’ve been there, done that. Your turn.

They Kept the Look of Youth

Backstory

The way he looks at her, you can tell immediately that this is a couple deeply in love. We’re discussing dreamy-eyed newlyweds, right? Nope. A dreamy-eyed couple ready to celebrate nearly a half-century of wedded bliss. High school sweethearts who’ve spent their entire lives together.

They Kept the Look of Youth

How fortunate are those who find the one they love early in life and keep that loved one throughout the years.

In our youth, each of us so beautiful and handsome in our fit, eager bodies. So full of hope and belief in the future.

And when that love has seen us through the years, and we are old, how magical that we can look at each other and not see the years mirrored as others see them.

Behind the gray locks and wrinkled cheeks, each of us can still see the essence of what attracted us decades before. The twinkling eyes . . . the slender neck . . . the laughter at silly humor and private jokes.

Your friends see an old man telling stories of how things used to be. I see a high school jock scoring the winning points. My friends see a woman beyond her prime, fighting gravity and wondering where the years have gone. You still call me beautiful and touch my face with a gentleness that speaks volumes.

How wonderful to find that the best part of young love is the joy and fulfillment of old love.

P.S. Take a picture of it. Don’t hesitate because they are old. Love and joy shine through. The photo will be treasured.

[Show #05]

As Summer Moves On

Backstory

After two years of canceled events and empty beaches, it’s been nice to have a summer that feels more like what we’re used to. We also had the gift of perfect summer weather in late June, which led to promises of the summer days to come. July and August wound down fast, and here we are, ready to jump into autumn. It got me thinking.

As Summer Moves On

Summer always seems to end too soon. We’re watching flowers blossom and bloom, birds and bees are doing their thing, and suddenly one day we see that an early tree is losing its leaves. The deep shades of green on the landscape are fading, the grass is taking on a golden tone. It seems to be Mother Nature’s reminder that nothing lasts forever.

No longer can we head out the door barefoot and jacketless. Now the autumn weather requires preparation and thought to keep from being caught somewhere cold and damp. The autumn breeze that cools things down also sets the scene for other changes. New teachers, the new schools, new subjects to study, new wardrobes, and new political or philosophical considerations. New friends require rethinking. Some of the values you carried in light of their newly expressed values.

Organizations restart up their activities after the summer hiatus. And you have to choose where you will volunteer and what next year’s passion will be.

And then there is the big issue of balance between work, family, church, community service and your own social life. There may be a new love in your coming winter or a new hobby, or a new favorite haunt.

So much to look forward to that you almost forgive summer for moving on.

P.S.

Whether your autumn participation is in person or Zoomably, our work continues, our interests expand, our community service increases. We figure out how to make it work. Be kind. Keep loving. Above all, take steps to stay safe.

[Show #539]

Boys Know How Things Work

Backstory

In an era where gender stereotypes are being significantly challenged, certain inalienable facts remain. That “boys know how things work” is one that I’ve found to be true, over a lifetime. They seem to be predisposed to this ability innately, without ever being taught. Let’s explore my thesis.

How Do Boys Know?

Boys seem to know how things work. I have noticed that all my life.

I don’t know how things work. Wish I did. But somehow my interests have never led me to find out. The lights go on when I turned the switch. I don’t need to know how or why. The house sits up straight on its foundation. I can believe in that without knowing the physics behind it.

But boys are not satisfied with that. From an early age, they have to take it apart, see how it works and put it back together again. Sometimes they get good at it; sometimes not.

I used to be amazed at how my husband knew how to fix a drain or wire a lamp. I am still amazed at how my son can operate all the lenses and filters and stuff on his professional cameras. They know how to change tires, how to put furniture together, how to make broken things work again.

I don’t remember seeing his father teach those things to his son, or his father teaching them to him. Yet somewhere along the way, the boys all learned.

I’ll bet I could learn all those things if I really tried. I once installed a door lock, just by following the pictures on the packaging.

But if I knew how to do those things, then they would expect me to do them. Well, that would not be smart. I will just let this tradition or illusion remain on the books

Hey guys, look what needs fixing. Come to my rescue!

P.S. Thank goodness I have a husband who does show up when something needs fixing. Lately, it’s been bottle and jar caps that won’t unscrew or pop off. They seem to be delivered, hermetically sealed. He’s also great at opening cans – bypassing my fancy electric opener to drag out that 50-year-old 19-cent manual tool that works just fine.

[Show #479]

Do Not Promise

Backstory

Over time, as maturity took hold, I learned to step back and take a moment before responding to a statement or question. So much wiser to consider the reaction to my response rather than blurting out something I’d regret. What trouble I could have avoided by learning that earlier.

Do Not Promise

Don’t promise when you’re happy, reply when you are angry or decide when you are sad. What wise guidelines to keep us out of trouble.

#1 – Don’t promise when you’re happy.

Doesn’t mean you have to wait until you’re sad, of course. It’s just that you don’t want the euphoria of your son’s graduation from high school to lure you into promising him a new car, if you can’t afford it – or he does not deserve it.

Wait until emotions have returned to normal, and then decide.

#2 – Don’t reply when you are angry.

How many of us suffer for years over words spoken in anger. Once said, you cannot take them back. They’re more permanent than Egyptian hieroglyphics on a tomb.

Words can stay with you for a lifetime; especially angry words. Calm down first. Then create quiet time to continue the conversation and reply.

#3 – Never decide when you’re sad.

Moving away because someone broke your heart; quitting your job because of a run-in, choosing a new dress when you’re in no mood to shop – very different levels of importance but the rules apply to them all.

Don’t promise when you’re happy,
Reply when you are angry
Or decide when you are sad.

You’ll have much better outcomes if you follow those wise rules.

P.S. I’ve found that lists are a good resource in making decisions. A list of those things that are positive about the decision and those that are negative. Which list is longer? Which has more priority? Which things do you enjoy or prefer to do? What things must you do? Review the lists, honestly and factually, and the decision may evolve on its own.

[Show #521]