Hot or Hot

Years ago I was hot. Today I am hot. Two totally different interpretations of the same word. When I was in my twenties I was told that I was pretty. In those days the expression "hot" was born. Hot meant good looking, attractive and even sexy. There was a song "Don't you wish your mama was hot like me". As I got older the meaning has dramatically changed. Hot now means night sweats, flashes and clammy skin. I know that this does not sound too attractive but it is the truth. Once you hit 50, you yearn to be cool. Not the way you were cool in your 20's. This cool has nothing to do with style or attitude. It has to do with body temperature.

Snapshot

When I moved to Long Island, I was 25 years old and had an infant son. One of the fun summer activities was going to the town pool. Thirty years later, I am still going. One of the first pictures I have of me living in this neighborhood was taken at that pool. It was a picture of me and my sister sitting under an awning. Our babies were sleeping in their carriages but they were not in the snapshot. Last night I had friends over for our bi monthly get together. One of the girls brought a picture of her son and his childhood friends. Each of them was holding their child. It was a testament to long lasting friendships. I looked at the picture and had a flashback. One of those children was in a picture in my photo album. How could that be? The boy in the picture was only two years old. I went into my den, dusted off an album from thirty years ago and flipped through it. There he was. The same boy. It was a picture of his father at 4 years old. Same face. Same haircut. I showed it to my friend and made a copy for her to take home. When I teach my coaching classes, I tell people that they need to broaden their look of the world. I use the analogy of re-framing a picture to see the panoramic view. You never know what is hiding in the background of life. In this case, a picture of me, hid a picture of my friend's son.

Vacations at Work

There are two types of vacations. One where you go away. One where your co workers go away. Both of them are relaxing. The vacation that you actually go on is fun until you get back and have to unpack, do laundry, go food shopping and catch up on office work. In one day you need another vacation. Then, there is the vacation that happens when your co workers are not there. The office is quiet. No extra drama. Things get done at your own pace. No stress. All of that, and you do not have to catch up on laundry!

Happy 4th

Happy rainy 4th of July. I woke up this morning to rain. To me this is the official start of summer. Pools, beaches, summer concerts and barbecues. I see the sun trying to come through the clouds in an attempt to save the day for family gatherings. It is a day to celebrate Independence. The funny part is that we are not independent. We need to rely on others to have a fulfilled life. People that live a totally independent life, really have nothing to celebrate.

A Tale Of Two Dogs

This is a story about animal instinct and how humans and dogs have some things in common. I have lovely neighbors living on either side of me. Each one has a daughter and each daughter occasionally brings their dog over to have their parents "babysit". On the left side of the yard is Milo. A big black Lab with a mean temperament. When I walk Shelby, he bolts towards him, teeth bared, barking. Shelby frantically barks back and has a combatitive stance, even though he is only 17 pounds. On the right side is Fritzy, a German Shepard with a sweet easy temperament. She slowly walks over to the fence, silently and puts her nose near an opening. Shelby walks over calmly and meets her nose with his and both tails wag in delight. Shelby is the constant in the scenario. The other dogs set the tone. It is the same with humans. There is always one person that "barks" for no reason. I would rather live in a Fritzy world. It is a happier one.

Are You For Real

I am sitting at my desk looking out of the window, watching the traffic speed by. I work on a large boulevard with 5 traffic lanes. Two each way and one center turning lane. There are signs all over clearly stating that u-turns are prohibited. They are not written in words, they are picture signs. It is bad enough that we have demoted our expectations of drivers to question that they can read English. We now draw out our traffic information, like charades. Still, no one listens. I am surprised that in the nine years that I am sitting here, no one has driven their car into my lap. People make the illegal u-turn, on a blind curve at the height of traffic. Are they daredevils or just plain stupid. Once, I did not hire a girl because of her driving. At the end of the interview, I told her that she cannot make a left turn out of the parking lot, as it was not only dangerous, but also illegal. I said that I would be at the window watching her. She left and then proceeded to make the dangerous illegal left turn. I tore up her application.

Say It Again

Am I just getting old? Last night I went to a wedding and it was a repeat of almost every wedding I have been to in the past few years. The music was blasting. It was at such a high decibel that my ears actually hurt. My sister is smart. She carries earplugs in her "wedding handbag" just in case the sound gets overwhelming. Last night she had them solidly stuffed in her ears. I do not know why the DJ had to crank up the volume so high. It certainly would have been heard at three levels lower. Towards the end of the evening, most people over 50 had filtered out of the main ballroom into a side room. The younger generation had no problems with the sound and even stood right in front of the speakers when they danced. The groom's family is in the hearing aid business. Maybe they were trying to drum up future business.