Senior Jeopardy

As we age, certain sensory functions change. We do not see as well, hear as well or walk as well. The seeing and walking affect the person who feels them. The hearing effects everyone else. It starts with the person telling everyone that they are mumbling. Then it turns into the "what" stage where every sentence that is spoken to them is answered with the word, "what?". When things get to a worse condition I call it Senior Jeopardy. In the game of Jeopardy, every answer has a question. In Senior Jeopardy, every question has a wrong answer. The question, "What do you want to eat" is answered with "My feet feel fine".

The Sandwich

My family dynamic has become a sandwich. I have a slice of bread on one side called parents. I have a slice of bread on the other side called children. I am the meat stuck in the middle being compressed and pulled apart. Macerated. The problem with the sandwich is that one slice of bread cannot see how the other side is doing because they are on opposite sides. The meat is in contact with both sides so it knows the situation. The meat sees what the bread cannot and it is hard to explain.

Off Duty

After many years of being a manager 24/7, I have decided to be the manager only during my working hours. Once I leave work, I am off duty. I have even gone as far as changing my ringtone to a specific one for my office and staff so that when they call me after hours, I will not even have to look at my phone. I will just ignore it. Lately I have been getting nonsense calls from my staff. If they don't find a box of paper clips, they call to ask where else they can look. If the heat is too high, they call to see if they can lower it. It is getting to the point where I want to hire a bunch of six year olds. A few weeks ago my boss called to say that she just got a speeding ticket and asked what she should do. I said, "Pay it". I am now separating work life from personal life and I will not turn back.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday was our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We go with my daughter in law's family and pick a new patch every year. This year we went to Brightwaters Farms. It offered many events. There were unlimited hayrides, face painting, magic shows, farm animals, pony rides and other small circus type games. There was a concession stand and a farm store with fresh baked goods. I would give it five stars except for one major problem. They served beer. We got there at 11:30am and for some reason, even with NY state alcohol laws, the beer was flowing. The majority of young mothers and fathers had a 16oz beer in their hand. It was disturbing to me on a few levels. First, who drinks beer at 11am? Next, if two parents are drinking a large glass of beer, who is the designated driver? Thirdly, no one was monitoring how many beers people drank, like a bartender does, so people could drink the entire time they were there. Why was it necessary to include alcohol in what is otherwise a family setting? Was it to make a larger profit? That is the only reason I could think of.

Enlightened

We have all had a defining moment in our lives when we have become enlightened. It is when the ability to understand has awakened our souls and we are open to change. It is the moment where what was, no longer is. It is a time when we can push old feelings aside and make room for new ones. It is freedom from ourselves. Sometimes it has been in the works for a long time and other times it just appears as if there was a divine intervention. It is a surprise to ourselves. That is the strongest enlightenment. Once we are enlightened we are at peace.

My Parent's Friends

When I think of someone being seventy five years old, I think of them as being my parent's friends. After all, aren't I still a kid? I think like I am in my thirties and in my mind have not aged at all. This afternoon I am going to a surprise party for a woman I originally met at my son's nursery school. Her son was one year older than mine but all of the mothers knew each other from pick up and drop off time. The celebration is for her 75th birthday. I cannot fathom that I have a friend who is turning 75. While I am 14 years younger than her, she is in my circle of friends. I am looking forward to celebrating with my friends this afternoon.

What I See

My sister in law's father had an expression, "What you see, they see". I am not sure if I have the quote exactly correct, but the meaning is there. After spending months trying to open my bosses eyes about what was happening with the new girl she was forced to hire, I finally gave up, sat back, and decided to let the scenario play itself out. Finally, what I saw, she now sees. While the girl is nice and very competent, she lacks focus and attention to detail. She was responsible for a government application that I normally fill out. She did it and when the confirmation did not show up, I questioned it. She seemed a bit defensive about being asked about the status. I let it go, emailed my boss that I was not responsible if the deadline was missed and went about my regular business. A week later when the confirmation still had not shown up, my boss asked me to make a call and track it. It seems that the application was not completely filled out and never submitted online. Pandora's box has now been opened for all the world to see. I will mop up the mess, because that is what I do, but now the girl will now know to never have an attitude with me again.