A New Year and a New Adventure

Four years ago my eyes were opened wide to how fragile and vulnerable the world around me really is when a coal fired power plant was planned about eight miles from my front door. The benefits have included trying new things like paddling, fishing, looking for slave graves deep in the woods on a hot afternoon with church elders  (I was lucky and walked behind my boss who spotted a large rattlesnake obscured by overgrowth. And yes, it was a large snake and he killed it with a stick).

These adventures have allowed me to see the world around me, and especially the world outside the confines of my house and car, with a new perspective. It has changed the food I buy, what I like to eat (fighting coal taught me to like egg salad sandwiches), who my friends are (and aren't), expanded my news resources, and made me a pretty decent social media user.

In an effort to dial back the work a little, I am posting a photo here every Friday, called The Friday Photo. The photo will be something that caught my eye, maybe the first time I saw it, or the 20th time. I hope it will encourage others to look at the world around them with fresh eyes occasionally, or better yet, a world you haven't ventured into before.

            

The Sandwich Generation Speaks Up

I am beginning to know first hand what the sandwich generation is all about. I am the second of four generations in my family, and my husband is the same in his. We are both dealing with aging parents, keeping the house and yard in almost respectable order, and doing the things we want to do (exercise, garden, cook, read, blog). Next week I have appointments with three doctors who have been involved in treating my cancer since the middle of December.

It could be worse; we don't worry where our next meal will come from, if the car will get us to work, or whether we can see a doctor. We have friends and siblings we can call in the middle of the night (and who will call us if we are needed).

Can I imagine how awful it would be without those things? I can try, but I don't think I can fully understand it. Knowing it first hand is scary.

With that thought, I am doing my part and telling the folks who represent me (I use that term loosely as I don't like the way they vote on most issues) to say that cutting Social Security, Veteran's benefits, along with Medicare and Medicaid aren't just decisions about money. Those are decisions about the very real issues of quality of life. I'm willing to spend a little more on taxes to make sure the senior citizens in my neighborhood don't worry about cutting pills in half, or that kids with asthma have an inhaler when they need it.

And if I can do it on my middle class income that isn't getting any bigger while costs go up, then it seems like the jumbo corporations making millions in profits could come off a little of their cash to help our too.

We have hard decisions to make in our country. We need to remember that we aren't just talking about thousands of people. We are talking about the guy whose cute kids, wearing pretty worn out clothes, beamed as they cleaned the windshield while he put gas in the tank at $3.60+ a gallon.

I'm doing my part. Are you?

Travel
by Chris Guillebeau

If we live truly, we shall see truly. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Prompt
Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?


Response

There are not so far away places on my "must see" list like San Francisco and Yosemite. There are places like the Sistine Chapel that I have seen but would like to see post-restoration and cleaning, or that I saw as a young adult and would see differently as a "mature" adult. Then there are the places that are awe inspiring like the Himalayas and Andes mountain ranges, and the Great Wall.

In some respects, the "everyday" travels are the most important, and ones which should be valued and looked for as most of us live in "everyday" mode.

With that in mind, I look for the nearby adventures like art exhibits, festivals, and new for me, paddling events (perhaps a good example of making the everyday new and fun).

One ongoing goal is to see a series of art exhibits which came about by the keen eye and collecting skills of Herb and Dorothy Vogle. I heard about them a few years ago, saw a charming documentary about them, and set about finding the 50 for 50 exhibits which are the result of their phenomenal art collection. Information on the Vogles and the exhibits is here.

With that in mind, my friend Kathleen and I celebrated out 50th birthdays with friends and family at the Georgia exhibit of 50 for 50 in April.

I'll get to some of the places on my "must see" list, but seeing, finding, and enjoying the less exotic are equally important.