I thought I would give an update on the state of my “running amuck” life. It has been going pretty well, not really running amuck lately. There have been a few problems, you know bumps and bruises and major emotional breakdowns and some minor disasters, but going pretty well all in all. I have planted lots of flowers. I love flowers. Some just planted in the ground, quite a few in pots. I really like having flowers in pots, big pots, little pots. They look so pretty sitting on a patio or a deck or porch. They just brighten things up! It is like all the sweet, good things that happen in your life that really brighten it up. Well this morning I decided that I would look at my life with a thoughtful eye, see how things were going, you know. First I looked out the window at my life and it was just standing there staring into a corner. Hm, this worried me a little so I went out side to look at my life more closely. At first it just looked golden, as usual, maybe a bit scruffy. Then I noticed some nice brown soil scattered on it. I began to get suspicious, but I didn’t see anything alarming so I went back into the house. I kept peering out the window though. Somehow I just don’t trust my life. Then I saw it! Good Grief!! There was my life digging wildly in the pot on the patio. Dirt and broken flowers flying everywhere! I ran outside (actually it was more of a hobble) and scolded my life. “No!” “No!” “Stop that at once!” My life looked at me benignly as ever. As far as it could see it wasn’t doing anything wrong. It just stood there, half in half out of the pot looking puzzled at all my yelling. I had to yank it out of the pot and then of course I sent it straight to its room. Before I left I gave it a lecture. “Now please don’t be so destructive!” “Can’t you just leave things alone?” “Do you have to go around causing so much trouble?” My life didn’t pay much attention to me. It just stood there calmly and started to drink out of its very own swimming pool.
Why do people get married? Should people get married? Do you have to find the perfect person first? People who get married should be madly, wildly in love. Is that true? Well, here is what I think. I was reminded yesterday that Elizabeth Bennet once said, “Nothing but the deepest love would ever induce me to enter into the state of matrimony.” Or something like that. But, you know she did not like Mr. Darcy at first, and he didn’t like her either. They detested each other. They were both prejudiced, you see, by what they thought the other one was like. After time, they did give each other a chance and look what happened, a lovely wedding between 2 people who grew to love each other deeply. I think people should get married. I think we need each other. Now about the perfect person, there is not a perfect person, just a lot of imperfect people running around. That is one of the reasons we need to get married, so we can help each other become better. As for being madly, wildly in love I remember a quote from Anne of Green Gables. She said something like; “ I would rather have one person in his right mind love me than a bunch of guys mad for me!” I think it is okay to be madly, wildly in love but it is not requisite and I think it is nice to have people in their right minds. Albus Dumbledore used to say that he thought it was wonderful when “there was a little more love in the world”. That’s the important thing. I think we need to give people a chance and have a little more love in the world.
This morning I stepped outside to see how my life was doing. It looked like it was doing very well, golden actually. It seemed happy to see me, jumping up and down, smiling. Everything was going splendid in the beginning. I had a firm grip on my life and we were spinning around in circles, laughing. I was getting a little dizzy, but I was in control. Then all of a sudden it happened. My life just took off! Zip! Gone! Of course I ran right after it. Where was it? Where was it going? Oh no! Why was this happening again? My life is always running amuck! Why won’t it just stay where I put it or go where I want it to go? Anyway, I kept running, trying to catch up and then I saw it. It was just up ahead. My life had hesitated and was looking back at me. “Life, come here” I yelled, and I firmly walked towards it. It stood there for a few moments looking at me benignly. I was the pack leader! I was the one in authority! My life will do what I want it too, I thought. I know what is best for my life, don’t I? I kept walking, and just as I was almost close enough to grab it, just as my fingers were reaching out with grim purpose, there it went. Zip! Zoom! My life was off again, running nimble and capricious as the wind!
Here is another comment from “The Wisdom of Big Bird and Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch”:
“Try adding more feathers.”
“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I think that’s how lots of us people tend to be, “timid and squeamish” about things we do or want to do. I don’t think that is how we started out though. Babies don’t seem very squeamish or timid about anything they do. It is the growing up that changes things. Full, well-rounded burps are appreciated and even hoped for after eating, when you are a baby, but not very much when you are 32, at least not in this culture. That might be a good thing, but what about other things? Little children start out excited and willing to see what they can do. Play music and they spontaneously dance! Give them paper and crayons or paints and they create wonderful pictures. Young children sing with enthusiasm and they are not afraid to. I remember once when Jessica and Chelsea were little kids; they went to Primary with their cousin Kaelene. During singing time they were sitting on the front row right in front of the chorister. The song was “I am Like a Star” and they were singing lustily in opera voices. I can only imagine the chorister’s face. I heard from witnesses that she looked alarmed, but the girl’s didn’t notice, they thought they sounded gorgeous! As we get older do we lose interest in trying out new things? Are we afraid that we will fail? Are we worried about what people will think or even say? I think that maybe life is an experiment. If you want to learn to play the piano or the violin or the Uilleann pipes, why not do it? If you want to draw or paint or knit why not learn and try it out? If you wish you knew how to sing or write poetry, why not take a class, or get a book from the library that you can learn from? There are probably a lot more Picasso’s and Jane Austen’s out there, but they just don’t know it! I think we should try being less squeamish and timid and try things! And when people are tying to do things I think it would be good if we could all be nice to them. If someone crochets you 5 hats and they all look like woolly bladders, you could wear them anyway. If someone plays the violin for you and it is a bit screechy don’t plug your ears, just smile encouragingly. They might get better!
Guess what? This morning I found stuff! I found 3 pink bouncy balls, 2 little green tennis balls and 1 big green and purple ball, all belonging to our dogs, (the little darlings). I discovered some of them in our yard and some in various other yards! I am wondering what else we might find under all this melting snow? Anyway, I was really excited to find the pink balls, but the excitement has turned to dismay. They look much worse for the wear. I think getting frozen has taken all their bounce out. They are hard instead of squishy and rather ragged looking. When I tried to bounce them they just clunked! Well, this is a dismal occurrence. I hope we can find some more. If anyone knows where I can buy these little pink bouncy balls will you please let me know?
Oh where have all the pink balls gone?
Bouncing off, thither and yon.
Slimy and slick,
They disappear quick.
Squishy and soft,
They squelch right off.
Bright pink orbs of gooey delight,
They drip out of jaws, sticky and bright.
Then oozing along the ground they roll,
But, where do they go?
I really don’t know!
This morning I was thinking about something a very illustrious person once told me. Actually, he has said this to me on a number of occasions. He said that he would like to throw cans of pork and beans at a certain group of people. Now I know that not everyone likes pork and beans, but still if someone was hungry they might like a snack to come their way. I think that I would, but I don’t think I would like the snack to come my way being thrown at me, especially if it was in a can. That could cause some serious harm. Also, it is not very dignified. Now here is what I think. How about if we poked the cans of beans in skeins of nice soft yarn? That way if someone got smacked with the can of pork and beans it probably wouldn’t hurt. Then, they would also have a skein of yarn to knit with! I love yarn! I love all the wonderful colors and textures it comes in, and knitting is very relaxing. You know, people get pretty grouchy when they are hungry and most people are pretty stressed too. This might be a good idea, but I still don’t think it is very dignified to throw snacks at people. Other than that think what a better place this world would be if people were better fed and more relaxed!
Last night I was listening to The Night side Project on KSL. They were talking about Global Warming and one of the guys observed that this winter has been much colder than usual and he thinks we are actually experiencing Global Cooling, not Global Warming. He said that the other night his feet were so cold that he could not get them warm. Then he called this professor in Florida and explained his observations. The professor said that he was an expert in the field of Global Warming, having studied it for many years. He said that it was not a good argument, that your feet are cold so we are experiencing Global Cooling instead of Global Warming! He was quite adamant and it just made me laugh! “Just because you are having cold feet does not mean that we are experiencing Global Cooling instead of Global Warming!” It was such an absurd conversation that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now for the advice; if you are wondering what to get your little sweetie for Valentine’s Day, how about a new toilet seat with tropical fish on the lid? Quite romantic I would say.
Besides lying under a tree, singing the “Frito Bandito” song while other people are running around doing important and ambitious things, here is some more good advice:
Be a grouch!!
“Always start the day with a smile-that way you get it over with-“
Oscar the Grouch
From “The Wisdom of Big Bird and Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch”
By Carroll Spinney
This quote and others forthcoming are thanks to Matt, who got me this book from the library, bless his heart!