Day 2: filling in the cracks

Day 2
Progress.

I awoke to gunshots today. This is not the same as waking up to an alarm clock.
My house is adjacent to Cicero Swamp and my neighbor was back there shooting squirrels who dare to cross the Target/ Dunkin border and I feel like I am in the Wild ,Wild West.
I thought about being one of those squirrels. Ousted from their cozy home when Target moved in, and pushed back even further with construction of a Verizon store. If it were not for bad luck those squirrels would have no luck at all and they can’t even text!
Yes, I am feeling pretty lucky today.

Progress comes in many forms and having low expectations is key. I am up and dressed. I am washing the Bailey’s stain out of my bathroom and taking control of my life’s goals.
I have been thinking about the 5 things that I loved to do as a child (as KittyKatMartini suggested in her book): dancing, sewing doll clothes, doing a Lily Tomlin impression (remember Ernestine and her phone operator routine?), hanging out with my grandmother and writing plays for the dolls to perform (although they were not very good at remembering their lines).

I am not sure if any of that translates to a life purpose but I’m working on it.

I can see that things like “trash day” will take on a bigger significance now. What was once an interruption to my “getting ready for work” day has now become a legitimate activity.
It is the same with the mail delivery. People hang out in their driveway, waiting for their copy of “Celebrity Hairstyle” (thank you Lynne), then call across to their neighbor who is also waiting. Most likely a conversation will start up about the candidates (or the squirrels- they are interchangeable at this point except for the texting) and before you know it, it is time for Oprah.
Oh! I’m running late (for what I don’t know but I have not said that in a while).
My bathrobe should be almost dry and all is right with the world. I guess that IS progress.

Cracking Up: Day One

Oh YEAH! No more work for awhile. I am on self imposed sabbatical – finding myself or finding new things to do.
I have been reading books under the cloak of darkness that are approved by AARP. Even though I am chronologically old enough for “all of this” I have not yet come to terms with it fully.
All of the books say that when you are” home” (meaning not working) you must set a structured schedule for yourself or you will find yourself drinking pumpkin “Bailey’s" in the morning (thank you NJB) and watching Tim McGraw snippets on the internet.

I have always admired my neighbor who left her job with the phone company years ago. She is up and dressed with full make up raking leaves at 8:15 A.M. She looks perky and the smell of a delicious crock pot meal is wafting from her kitchen (organized retired people have already shopped and KNOW what they are having for dinner as the day begins). Probably many of their meals are planned and actually originate in their own kitchen. As a working single person I have never worried much about dinner. I (had) a booth with my name on it at Nestico’s and when I enter “Panera” people call out my name like Norm on “Cheers”.

A great book on this very subject is, “Thank you for Firing Me!” by Kitty Martini. I am not sure if Kitty arrived at her last name before or after she was fired) but Kitty talks a lot about maintaining routines and structure as you are looking for meaningful work or trying to find your bliss.
Kitty does not believe that going to the dentist or to Target constitutes a “day trip” on your schedule. You must find meaningful activities- things that will enhance your life goals. She talks about “avoiding rebound work” – just like rebound boyfriends (remember JOE?), as these things are good for a few laughs but will not stand the test of time.
Kitty does not encourage the unemployed to wallow in self pity or indulge in hard liquor to soften the blow. She is a demanding task master who suggests donating your designer suits to charity and rewashing plastic sandwich bags while making mental lists of the 5 things you most liked to do as a child (as a means of uncovering your true life’s calling). She also suggests making your bed as soon as you crawl out of it so as not to drift back in there during daylight hours.

Luckily I will have to return Kitty’s book to the library soon. Since I no longer get special dispensation for fines, I will join the huddled masses of library patrons who actually have to bring their books back on time. No more 8 -12 week loan periods for me! My staff/trustee status went out the window with my last bite of cannoli cake.
All of this is making me incredibly tired (too bad it’s still daylight) and I am doubly confused about my true life’s calling. I only wish I had a leftover piece of the cannoli cake (it goes so well with the Bailey’s) that I could eat for my dinner tonight as it is getting too late for the Crockpot.

Oh YEAH! Day One and counting…