The Facade

What you see, other people see. That is a statement, maybe a bit paraphrased, from my sister in law's father. Sometimes I feel that people do not see what I see, or are just hiding the fact. People that are too nice bother me as much as people who are too nasty. I like midway people. To me, too nice means you are trying to hard to not let people see the real you. I feel it is not genuine. I never liked "Ellen". She seemed too nice. People thought I was nuts not liking such a fun, happy, dancing around person. I just got the vibe that all the niceness was covering up something. I guess what I saw, other people saw, but they just kept it quiet. Now the floodgates have opened. She did nothing terrible. She just acted like a regular person with moods and crankiness. I respect her right to do so. It makes her normal. Now, what I saw, everyone is seeing.

Hang Your Hat

There is an old expression that you can "Hang your hat" on something. It means that an idea or situation is stable  and a sure thing. There is not much we can hang our hats on lately. You cannot hang your hat on the weather. Today was supposed to be raining with thunderstorms. Look outside. It is sunny with 0 chance of rain. The beaches were supposed to be open. Then the sharks came. Restaurants welcomed credit cards and we got back a % as an incentive. Then they decided to charge you their overhead fee so your % went to 0 and now you pay an extra amount to the establishment. You could hang your hat on going to school. Now that is in discussion. You could hang your hat on going to work. Now, maybe you go, maybe you work at home, or maybe you lost your job. Wait....there is one thing you can hang your hat on. When you call 911, the police will come, no matter who you are, where you are, or what the problem is. 

The Table

Years ago my Mah Jongg group started a saying "Throw it on the table". It meant to put a though out for other people to give their opinion and guide you. The table can be anywhere. It could be a kitchen or an office or even sitting at the pool. The table is invisible but the concept is real. If you have a good support system, the table is your therapy option. In all of the years I played Mah Jongg, the table never steered me or anyone else wrong.

Piglet

Who is your Piglet? I woke up this morning and read a post that my sister in law put on Facebook. It was a simple post from a Winnie the Pooh story. A post that serves the test of time. To summarize the story, it is about what true friendship is. Piglet is the friend. He is there when you need him, but also how you need him. If you need to talk about your problems, he will listen. If you do not want to talk about your problem at that moment, he will just sit by your side idly, swinging his feet, as moral support. Sometimes talking about a problem makes it worse as you are reviewing it in your head twice. Knowing that there is that one person, your one person, who will sit by you in your silence, holding you up with invisible strings, is the best support you can ask for. Who is your Piglet?

Free

There are many free offers and services out there if you just know where to look. If you do not know where to look, make sure you have a friend that does. Last week someone told me that the town department for the aged was sending free masks to senior citizens. I called their office and gave my name. Yesterday I got a pack of five white masks in the mail. Since I like to spruce things up and make them unique, I am coloring one of them tie dye. It pays to have friends in the know.

Take A Stand

Yesterday I took a stand. My office has been involved in a drug study for the past 18 months. We are doing the FDA study for a new medication. Every 6 months a monitor from the drug company is sent to review our books. After I got to work yesterday, I was told that the monitor was coming in. It dawned on me that she lives in Delaware and that is a state that has a 14 day quarantine for anyone entering New York State. I called my boss and voiced my concerns. If I am near a person from a "Covid" state, I could be jeopardizing my father's health when I see him. She gave me a few reasons why it would be fine for the monitor to be here. None of them were plausible. I decided to take a stand and protect my family. At 9:30am I gathered my things and walked out of my office. I demanded that a cleaning crew come at night and sterilize the office. The crew was called. I will return to work this morning, feeling safe. I will not compromise my family's health for any job.

Yin Yang

There has always been a yin to a yang. Balance has always been there. That is what keeps the universe spinning. It is when the yin and yang separate that things go wild. Up, down, in, out, high, low, happy, sad, large, small, hot, cold, black, white. The yin yang sign has conceptualized the meaning of the two as an intertwined, overlapped design. Where one side ends, the other begins. One color sits inside of the other in a beautiful blend. If you removed the black, the white would fade away. If you removed the white, the black would fade into darkness. Both are equally needed to have things perfect.