Party On!

Being the bold, brash gal that I am, with more care about direct communication than standard convention, I put a notice in this week's Bryn Athyn Post inviting "close buds, good friends & friendly acquaintances" to join the two of us as Shanachie, the Irish pub owned, in part, by Gerry Timlin. Keeping my fingers crossed, prayers said, candles lit that we have fair weather that evening, because even if the only folks who show up are the two of us, it's a slam dunk it will be a grand night for singing!!

The celebration will mark both my big 6-0 and the launch of my biggest, best biz venture yet - Cyber Access for the Technically Timid.

Let the good times roll, right on to forever!!

Hey Diddly Dee!

The sugar-free life for me!

Wondering HOW one really & truly can avoid sugar, which seems to be everywhere.

Mayhaps I'll have a better idea after reading Steve Nash's article in Men's Journal on living sugar free. One thing's for certain sure - have to start reading labels!

June & July 1969

It amazes me the Stonewall riots erupted on June 28, 1969. Up to that moment, open discussion about homosexuality was basically non-existent. 06/28/69 changed all that.

Actually, although homosexuality per se wasn't discussed in our family, its existence was tacitly acknowledged. We had homosexual friends - they didn't flaunt their sexuality, but it was there. While most of their friends & family turned a staunchly blind eye to their reality, in our house their sexuality was a non-issue, just part of who they were, like having brown hair or being talented muscians.

Since 6th grade, I'd experienced openly gay couples. That's when I first hung out with my sister in Greenwich Village, where she was in a summer theater workshop at Circle in the Square. It wasn't unusual in the Village to see two guys holding hands. No one ever pointed it out or made any sort of big deal about it, it just was out there.

All of which served me in very good stead in July 1969, when my adored brand new sister-in-law informed me that SHE (being infinitely more worldly than I) could recognize what I didn't even suspect ~ that I was a latent lesbian, a fact that SHE (and apparently others in my hometown) knew would make me toast as soon as I ventured out into the larger world.

I was 17. The Stonewall riots were less than a month past.

Thank goodness I knew what lesbian meant - such terms weren't in common usage back then. And thank goodness I had the down-to-earth grounding to immediately think to myself, "She's bonkers!" rather than take what she said to heart. And that I immediately discussed it with the family friends I was staying with (had been asked out to Pittsburgh to help my brother & s-i-l pack up to move back East - she was pregnant) rather than brooding over it.

Fast forward to the new millenium ~ ~ One of the three certifiable miracles I've experienced in my life was the opportunity about eight or so years ago to discuss that time with my brother, in the presence of a faciliator.

Illuminating, not surprising.

Per my brother, my s-i-l had plucked out of thin air her comment that others in my hometown felt the same way about me - "oh, she just said that as back up."

He has not, to this day, apologized for backing her up, for agreeing with her when I asked him point blank (good girl!), "What do YOU think?" He says Dad chewed him out so soundly, he never wanted to bring it up again. And, he continued, it didn't require apologies, since the two of them hadn't brought me out to Pittsburgh to clue me in; it "just came up."

What shabby, dangerous actions from two supposed adults!! Imagine the potential damage telling someone "you're this way, but don't know it" - actually, it's unimaginable. 43 years later, my brother was just as clueless in a scary way as ever he was.

But >I< am incredibly proud of that level-headed, well-grounded, self-aware 17 year old who instead of taking their caveat to heart realized they were crackers. I celebrate her, as I inch ever closer to raising the curtain on my 3rd act.

Three Bowls

Mega blessings on Karen for the gift of the Three Bowls Cookbook!

When I consider the remarkable people in my friendship circle, am awed - and feeling like I'm filled with stars!!

I want to be FABULOUS...

Not flabuous. Yet, I am, at this moment in time, decidedly unfit & flabby!

There is no easy solution, although there are simple ones. All that's needed is the courage & personal investment to make a change.

WHO KNEW? (01/17/12 B.A. Post notice)

Who Knew? 
Turned out, it was the Universe that stepped up to  
the plate & made it possible for Deev to get her yearned-for 
laptop off her own bat, on her own dime. At 40% off, 
payable in five installments with great back up! 
(To the Doubting Thomases out there  – it really is 
much more effective to let the Universe know what you 
need rather than carp about lack.)  To all my friends, 
wonderful supporters, and an endlessly bountiful Universe 
that provides lavishly for me & all humanity 

– I am grateful! 

 

Bryn Athyn Post notice, submitted for this week's newsletter

WHERE BETTER?

Where better than Shanachie - Gerry Timlin's wonderful Irish pub in Ambler - to celebrate my 60th birthday ~ AND ~ launch Cyber Access for the Technically Timid!!

Even if Gerry's not there, I'll sense Mom's presence, along with so many wonderful memories connected to so many unforgettable people from my shockingly distant past.

Here's hoping that some of my present circle of friends intersects with one from long ago, all of us looking to a bright & incredible future!!

Blessed 24/7/365

Sometimes challenging to remember that, but is SO true - am always blessed, even when life seems its bleakest. Keep moving! I am always surrounded by bounty & abundance, no matter what the mere circumstance.

Didn't get discouraged & downcast when only a few folks were able to lend $ aid back in October - in the current economy, it's an utter marvel that anyone could. What was & is important is all the friends who, then & now, come to my aid with encouragement & belief & "You go, girl!" attitudes!!

Must admit that it's easier to bear the uncertainty, to move forward with the sure belief that life sure is amazing, when an HP laptop literally shows up on my doorstep, it's $1200.00 'original' price lopped down to $700 - paid off in five installments!! Mere coincidence? Simple happenstance? I think not!!!

Am so utterly grateful that my stars were in the right alignment so that I could take advantage of opportunity when it showed up on QVC. Wouldn't have mattered how great the bargain, how advantageous the payment plan - if I'd been at my usual "just below the max" limit on my credit card, it would have all been impossible to make so. But there was over a $200 surplus - unheard of, recently - so happen it could. And did!!

The beautiful, sleek, beckoning laptop showed up on our doorstep last night. Exciting! Now, to figure out how to open it!!

Inspired to go in & write some copy for my gatefold biz card - "Since the mid-70s, Deev's opened the eyes of kids & adults of all ages to the wonders of computers. Today, Deev makes opening ujp the brave new worlds of cyberspace ~ Internet, e-mail, Facebook, Skype, blogging ~ as easy as a simple chat."

Will roll out Cyber Access for the Technically Timid on the same day as my 60th birthday, combining a b-day celebration with a launch party. Let the good times roll, indeed!

Organic

One of the great lessons learned over the past 10+ years has been the importance of understanding what I really want, setting clear intentions, yet letting go of expectations ~ of living an organic life.

Even when it feels like I'm performing on a high wire far off the ground without a net, one's always there.

That basic realization - that there's always a net - freed me to be ME in each moment. That's what we're each meant to be: our deepest, truest, most fabulous self, whether that's an over-the-top persona like my own, a quieter, more introspective personality, or any of a zillion other types.

We're meant to respect that otherness in all we meet, from family & friends to merest acquaintances & flat-out strangers. That requires a willingness to perhaps have our experiences take off in unexpected ways.

Makes sense in an organic life, which experiences true manners as embracing kindness & a desire for compassion rather than using artificial niceties to maintain a superficial balance. Much like gardeners who opt to hand pick beetles off plants & enrich their soil with sometimes smelly compost, rather than relying on chemical sprays & additives.

The people I respect the most, who seem to me to have accomplished the most within their families and the larger worlds, embody this very organic quality - they've succeeded by being who they are & helping others do the same. They seem to see the presenting next steps in front of them & take them, apparently without fear.

Which is not to say it's easy, this organic life. Just like in gardening, it takes a lot of time & often intensive work. We're called up to develop fertile ground & plant seeds suited for that soil. To prune away the dead parts, winnow back areas to let the sun get through, split apart clumps of & replant in new areas for fresh growth.

Not easy, but rewarding.

Grateful for GRANDS & GREATS

The day before the day before yesterday was the FIRST Monday morning that I baked at the Cairnwood Village kitchen. The goal is to be there every Mon a.m. baking goodies to take the next day to the college, with a kettle on the boil for hot tea or cocoa (with mini marshmallows) for any C.Villagers interested in stopping by the kitchen for a bit of a visit.

It is so much fun to rub elbows with all the grands & greats living there, to play catch-up with so many people who've been part of my life since FOREVER! Looking forward to baking the goodies for their 02/13/12 Monday Minister's Tea - will combine a celebration of my 02/07 60th & Valentine's Day. Am hoping that the Monday Morning Bake will be an opportunity to see more of them - gals AND guys are welcome - in a more personal, slow-paced setting.

Hoping that some of them offer recipes from their own treasured collections. What fun that would be, baking their best nibblings for the Bryn Athyn College students & staff!!

It is an honor to do things with & for the greats & grands in Cairnwood Village (and working on ways to involve the many who live throughout Bryn Athyn!!). We youngers have much to be grateful for from the men & women who helped direct our feet on life's path. Doing things for them is a privilege, an opportunity to return, in some small measure, blessings received.

Back - at last!!!

My computer crashed.

Took me a while to get enough $$ to have it restored ~~ and I lost all my documents when the tech restored Windows. (it's a royal pain to back-up docs on Windows XP)

But here I am - BACK blogging & feeling sooooo good.

Not at all downcast over losing my docs. If anything, it feels pretty darn awesome to have the curtain up on my 3rd act refreshed, with all I've learned yet literally link-free from the past.

Molly - you're sooooo right!! It's clear an ab fab Universe does, very much, love me, is here to serve me, delights in nurturing me, and utterly wants me to win!!!