Matchmaker, Matchmaker

I hate mean spirited people. In real life or on television. One television show that irritates me, is the Millionaire Matchmaker. The show stars a 50 year old woman who is a matchmaker for millionaires. The only thing that strikes me as being odd, is that this wonderful matchmaker has never been married. Why couldn't she make her own match. Even setting aside that issue, there is a more important one. She interviews men and women to see if they will be potential matches for her clients. As she interviews them, she berates them. Their hair is too long, their teeth are crooked, they are over weight, etc, etc. In the next scene, she tells a man that he is too picky and will never find love, if he scrutinizes every woman he meets. She needs to replay the video and listen to what she says. I ask myself if this woman has a mirror in her own home. Her hair is horrible and her make up is garish. What does she see in others, that she cannot see in herself. Charity and self help starts at home.

What's In Your Wallet?

I always love buying a new wallet. It is like having a fresh start. As soon as I buy it, I cannot wait to go home and fill it up. I take out my old wallet and empty it out on the bed. Now comes the decision making part of this procedure. What stays and what goes. As I rifle through each piece of saved paper, I wonder why I saved it. Why was this particular paper so important. Sometimes I find phone numbers and I have no idea who they are for. I look at the pictures I have and update with newer ones. I cannot believe how fast my children have grown. I check the coupons I have saved, for expiration dates and see that some of them expired years ago. How did they hide from me for so long? Then, I find a piece of paper that I had been hunting for and really needed at the time. I put everything in order and feel cleansed. Ready to start filling up the new one.

The Vehicle

For over twenty five years, I have been playing Mah Jongg, with a group of 4 women. When the game began, we had toddlers. Now, some of our children have toddlers. The menu has stayed the same for all these years. Chips, pretzels, m&m's, dip, veggies and seltzer. The only time I ever drink seltzer, is at Mah Jonng. I do not know why this is the preferred drink, as it was decided upon without me. We would never change it, because it just seems right. To us, this is more than a game. It is really a discussion group. If you need any advice, of any nature, bring the question to the Mah Jonng table. By the time you leave, the problem is solved, with sensible advice and warm concern. To be honest, we are still using the playing card from 2007. We do not pay that much attention to the rules, anyway. Our Mah Jonng game is not about playing. It is about relationships. The tiles are just the vehicle. They are the tiny bricks that have built a foundation for long lasting friendships.

Mind Over Bladder

In the nighttime game of Mind Over Bladder, the score is always the same. Mind 0, Bladder 1 or 2 or 3. We all have those nights when we awaken from a deep sleep and feel the need to visit the bathroom. The only thing that holds us back, is that we are so warm and comfortable under our covers, that we really do not want to move. That's when the game begins. We ask our mind to fight our bladder. We roll over, we try to go back into the previous dream, we curl up into a fetal position. We soon realize that our mind is no match for our mighty bladder. After about 15 minutes, we acknowledge that we have lost the game and are forced to get up and take the long journey to the bathroom. Once we are actually up, it isn't so bad. Even though, for some of us, this is a nightly event, we still need to play out the game, until there is a clear winner. Too bad the winner is always the same team.

The New Car

When I see new car commercials, I laugh. It reminds me of how times have changed from the 1950's, when a new car was a huge thing. There were only a few makes of cars in those days. Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Chevrolet were the big three. I remember cars that had the option of air conditioning for only a few hundred dollars more. Most people did not want to make that type of investment for a few summer months. They chose to stick to the burning hot car seat. When you brought a new car home, it was a neighborhood event. Everyone came out to stand in your driveway and look over the shiny purchase. The hood was popped open and the men gazed in to check out the motor. You felt like a celebrity for the day. Now, new cars are nothing special. We can buy them or lease them and replaced them every few years. Even the commercials are not the same. Fully equipped has changed to nicely equipped. The price of a car is now the price of a house in the 1970's. How the world has changed.

A Heartfelt Gift

Almost ten years ago, my son bought me the most beautiful birthday gift. It was a 14k gold, puffy heart. He went, alone, to the jewelry store, and picked it out. Just for me. I attached it onto a gold bracelet and piece by piece created a wonderful charm bracelet. You could always hear me coming, from the clinking sound of the charms. One day, I looked down, and saw that the charm was missing. My heart sank. I combed the entire house for it. It was not there. I looked outside. Still gone. It must have fallen off while I was out somewhere. I removed the bracelet and put it away. It meant nothing now, without the puffy heart. I never told him that it was gone. Each year when he gave me another thoughtful birthday gift, I would be a bit sad. I felt guilty that I did not take good enough care of the puffy heart. Last week, as I was lying in bed, I said to myself, the only gift I ever want again, is to get back my puffy heart.This year, I opened up my birthday gift from him and my daughter-in-law, a few days after my birthday. I had noticed that she was wearing a stunning Swarovski crystal puffy heart, that he had bought her for Christmas. After I opened a few great gifts, I came to the small box. When I unwrapped the paper, I saw the unmistakeable swan logo. I slowly opened the small box, and there it was. A red crystal puffy heart with a mini crystal butterfly, hanging from a black rope chain. I got exactly what I wished for, in a slightly different form. I put it around my neck, and that is where it will remain. I keep telling him how much I love it, and he doesn't know why. My heart is no longer broken.

2012

Happy New Year. 2012. I can't believe it. Where has the time gone? I remember being in junior high school, in 1969, reading the book "1984". That seemed like a lifetime away. Now it is history. I remember when we all anticipated the year 2000. Y2K. We all feared that the banks would close down and that all of our records would be deleted. We were told to stockpile food, have cash on hand and have copies of all important documents. That all seems so foolish now. As the years go on, everything changes and yet everything stays the same. We all ring in the new year with high hopes. People make resolutions that never come to fruition. We will still live our lives going two steps forward and one step back. No matter what the new year brings, human nature never changes. The most we can ask for, is for people to try their best to make 2012 better than 2011.