Ever since I can remember summer was my least favorite season.  The opposite is true, I believe, for most people.  Even my birthday is in summer which ought to mean something positive.  A birthday is positive any time of the year.   So of course, it’s meaningful, but it’s only one day out of 365. 
 
Due to the conditions of the pandemic and being home more than usual, I’ve had lots of time to ponder how this summer might go.  As I considered the possibilities, something popped into my mind.  The something was a recollection of a children’s book by Judith Viorst entitled The Tenth Good Thing About Barney.  I read the book to my daughter when she was young.  It was a wonderful story about helping a child deal with the death of a beloved pet.  What does this have to do with summer, you ask?  I will tell you.
 
Instead of rehashing and ruminating on the miseries of summers gone by, I thought, “Why not come up with 10 good things about summer instead?”  It seemed that focusing on the good things just might establish a template for having a better summer.  As I’ve written before, recalling joyful experiences increases well being.
 
I posted this list last summer. As I’ve been especially bothered by the heat this year, I was looking for some positives.  The list still holds true.

1. Maybe the weather is hotter than is comfortable for me, but there is also no snow or ice on the walks, no bundling up in layers of bulky clothing.
2. Linden tree blossoms are my all time favorite scent.  (That aroma might be neck and neck with fresh brewed coffee.)  Lilacs and lilies of the valley  are runners up.
3. So many species of birds return singing their beautiful songs.  I always enjoyed stopping just to listen.  Their songs always lift my spirits.
4. There are fresh fruits and vegetables aplenty.  Love the seasonal berries and melons in particular.  I also look forward to that first tomato sandwich when the new crop arrives.
5. There are more hours of daylight.  (I still wish they would do away with changing the clocks.  Choose either standard or daylight savings and stick with it.  Either way we get more daylight hours.)
6. Love those day trips to see summer stock theatre including stops at farmer’s markets along the way.
7. Then there’s nothing like a day at the ball park.  Peanuts, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, hot dogs taste better there than anywhere else.
8. Picnicking on a screened in porch during a summer rain.
9. Visiting the ice cream truck as it makes it’s rounds through the neighborhood.

Similar to the boy in the Barney story, it took me awhile to come up with number 10.  Finally, here is my tenth good thing about summer.

   10. Reliving some of my childhood rituals with my grandkids like making chains from Dandelion stems and holding Buttercups under our chins to determine if we like butter.    Seems I like butter.  But then, who doesn’t?
 
Okay.    Those 10 good things are still true this year.  However, I must add number 11 which might be number 1 for many.  The 11th good thing about this summer is that the lock-down is over and we are gradually returning to normalcy.    Even the Blue Jays will finally be back home on the 30th.  Whether you are a sports fan or any other kind of fan , let’s not blow this.

​Comments are welcomed. 

Do you remember the old nursery rhyme, "Sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never hurt you?"  The truth is that words an cause us great pain which can last longer than it takes for a broken bone to heal.  In current times this is more true than ever before.  In fact, there has been a proliferation of unkind, unsavory, reprehensible words, phrases, ropes thrown around and at people.  here is an old Jewish folktale that illustrates the harm of unkind words and gossip.

"The words we use can hurt as well as heal... yet there is more to kind speech than saying nice things.

There was once a man who loved to gossip.  He loved the attention it brought him, and could not stop himself from speaking about others, sometimes sharing the good they did, but most often sharing the mistakes they made.

In time, however, he realized the harm his speech was causing, and he sought to make amends.  He went to his rabbi and explained the situation and asked how he could make amends.

The rabbi thought for a moment and instructed the man to go to the marketplace and purchase two of the finest feather pillows he could find.  He should then take his pillows to the top of the mountain overlooking the village, tear them open, and spill the feathers into the wind. 

The man was surprised and pleased at the rabbi's advice.  He thought repentance would be much harder than this.  So, he ran to the marketplace, purchased his pillows, and within an hour had scattered their feathers into the wind.

He returned to the rabbi all aglow.  he was ready to be forgiven for his gossiping.  Not just yet, the rabbi told him.  there was one more thing to do.  he had to return to the mountain and repack the pillows with the feathers he had scattered.

"But that's impossible," the man said.  "Those feathers have gone everywhere, there is no way I can take them back now."

The rabbi nodded solemnly and said, "What is true of feathers is true of words.  Once spoken they can never be retrieved.  The harm caused by gossip cannot be undone."

What is the antidote?  One idea that I recently read about involved going back over our lives and making note of everyone that helped us, was kind to us, cared for us.  With that acknowledgement we give thanks to each one.  This can create a perspective shift to focusing on others' good qualities and helps us let go or ease some of those 'word hurts.'  For our own part it might help us to keep the feathers inside the pillow casing.

Comments are welcomed.

What is the first response to a news alert about an impending disaster, catastrophe, pandemic or an alien invasion?  The numero uno course of action is to jump into cars, don running shoes, fire up devices and head to Cosco, Walmart, supermarkets, Amazon to participate in the toilet paper panic hording games.  The origin of this  bizarre phenomenon was the result of a joke that ran amuck in 1973.  This was not unlike that famous radio broadcast of the reading of the War Of The Worlds when people freaked out thinking they were under an alien attack.
 
The situation in 1973 began with legitimate concerns that the country might experience  a shortage of gas, electricity and onions (Yes, onions).  A congressman issued a statement that there could be a shortage of T.P.  After reading that statement, Johnny Carson, then the host of the Tonight show did an opening  monologue about toilet paper.  The snafu was people took him seriously and started to run out to stock up on toilet paper.  The Hording Games were on!  The higher levels of anxiety and panic, the greater the stockpiling.  Those who were slower to react and found empty shelves, must have suffered a different kind of anxiety and panic.
 
Here we are almost 50 years later having repeated the same madcap behavior with the initial outbreak of Covid 19.  Why am I writing about this?  A recent  poll asking people what they would do if learning aliens were visiting planet earth.  The number one answer?  You guessed it, stocking up on toilet paper.  When I heard that, I went tumbling down a rabbit hole lined with Charmin, Cottonelle, Cascade, et al.    I couldn’t help myself.  I had to do a deep dive into the wild and wacky world of T.P. brands as well as the psychology of panic buying.  
 
Here is what I learned in 25 words or more.  According to psychology, panic buying is, in part, due to need for control.  When everything around us is uncertain and chaotic, the tendency is to stockpile proportionately to the perceived disaster.  Having assorted stockpiles seems to provide a semblance of control in an untenable situation.
 
Moving on.  One final item.  Did you ever wonder what the brand or type of T.P. is best for your bum and the plumbing?  If you are like me, the answer is, no.  During my research I stumbled upon that information.  In another 25 words or more, here are 2 items on the researchers’ check list which determined top tissue.  One, was the feel of the stuff on skin.  Another important factor for plumbing longevity was how fast the T.P. disintegrated.  The bottom line is Charmin Ultra Soft came out on top.  You also cannot go wrong with T.P. made from recycled paper,  It disintegrates the fastest.  And, no worries, the recycled paper is not previously used toilet paper.  Okay, now, I’m done.  Go out and enjoy some retail therapy.

Comments are welcomed.

The other day I heard someone compare the pandemic to a marathon.  Metaphorically speaking there is something to it.  The person was a radio talk show host and recently had a conversation with a promoter who sets up marathons throughout North America.  Part of their conversation was about those who quit before finishing their run.  Let’s take a 27K marathon, for example.  Most people who find they have reached their limit are likely to quit around the 20K mark.  If they’ve made it to 26K they  are not likely to quit.  When people can see the finish line they tend to complete the run.
 
Back to Covid and the pandemic.  The longer this goes on the more difficult it gets to hang in.  We are all so weary and fatigued from the past 16 months.  I know there are people throwing caution and their masks to the wind.  Many are finding it harder and harder to stay the course.  Yet, this is not the time to go astray.  From what we are told, it would seem we are well beyond the 20K mark.  The end is beginning to appear on the horizon.  If we can get that second or third or fourth wind, continue to follow the science protocols, I do believe we’ll cross that finish line.  The grand prize will be reclaiming the lives we once knew.  So worth it.

Comments are welcomed.