Cee Neuner has all these great “challenges” to get us talking with each other, sharing photos, flowers, personal history, etc.
Today I am participating in her Share Your World challenge, four questions she poses (and answers herself) each week.
What did you or did not like about the first place you lived without your parents?
I loved having the option to go live with my aunt, uncle and cousins when, at 15 years old, I basically ran away.
But, having fled my childhood home to escape oppressive responsibility (way too much for my age), and ending up living with a completely different set of restrictions was really difficult.
Oh, and the complete culture shock of leaving the casual and delightful beach life of San Diego,
only to find myself in Natchez, Mississippi…well, that was a huge adjustment.
Talk about Culture Shock!
What is your most favorite smell/scent?
the ocean………..
Would you prefer snowy winters, or not, and why?
Absolutely NOT. Yeah, yeah snow is pretty and all, and it provides the means for one of the world’s most popular sporting activities, but as Steven Wright, the comedian, used to say if we were meant to go barreling down snowy mountainsides, god would have designed us with boards nailed to our feet…well, that’s not the right quote, and apparently I am very easily distracted because I just spent 40 delightful minutes listening to old Steven Wright comedy routines…looking for that quote.
I don’t like snowy winters…
What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
I had a great week, appreciating life so much and capturing some pictures I really like! Here’s a slide show:
All along the boardwalk in Mission Beach (San Diego), apparently to prevent the REAL “owners” of the beach from hanging around, the buildings have been topped with these scary looking Seagull deterring apparatuses.
Poop prevention, I suppose…but what the heck is the beach without seagulls??? I think this is actually for the Tourism Industry because the locals learn how to dodge a dive bombing gull about to let it fly when they are just kids.
I bet in the Northwest, we would have actually cleared the tops of poles like these to provide nesting platforms for Osprey…poop or not!
OK, this one might be another of those “stretches” I am apparently so fond of, but I had a date last night with my “husband”. First one in a while and I am back in love.
Helen’s note to us is what inspired me to address the theme today of Numbers with the following song. Feels like Home by Bonnie Raitt. I consider it my song with James, our song if you will…although there seem to be several of those. (He is pretty sexy playing the base with his band on Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell!)
Here’s the connection to Helen’s story…the shortest version I can come up with.
My son was also fascinated with like numbers showing up places, but for him it was always ONES. 111111. Any place he saw them…digital clocks, bank temperature signs, score boards, car mileage, etc. Any time he spotted all ones, it was magic, and of course, had to mean something. For most of his life we had talked about doing something special on the date 11/11/11. As he got older, establishing his own life, and I experienced some measure of financial success, I decided we could do something really big on that date and started dreaming and planning for it. I wanted to take us all to Fiji. What a great place to be on that momentous calendar date.
Ah sigh. You know how life is. And as that time got closer, I realized a dramatically paired down version of the original 11/11/11 dream needed to happen. So now, with James, my son, his wife and their two sons, and my sister, it became a trip down to Southern California. Not exactly Fiji but Disneyland for the boys and staying in condos on the beach in Oceanside was not a bad second. As the time for the long awaited moment drew near, we went to the perfect spot. We went to Mount Soledad which is one of the highest little mountains in San Diego (La Jolla actually), very significant in my childhood as it was a favorite spot to visit for the spectacular view. (Really interesting Wikipedia article about Mount Soledad below)
So on the morning of November 11th, 2011, we were on top of the world, amazing 360 degree view of San Diego (reaching almost to the border of Mexico). We were gathered in a group hug, poised with our camera phones ready, waiting for our digital clocks to click over to 11:11 on 11/11/11.
And THAT’S when James asked me to marry him!! What a wonderful mush head!
Oh and by the way, we’ve been together eleven years!
Something in your eyes, makes me want to lose myself,
Makes me want to lose myself, in your arms.
There’s something in your voice, makes my heart beat fast.
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life.
If you knew how lonely my life has been,
And how low I’ve felt so long.
If you knew how I wanted someone to come along,
And change my life the way you’ve done.Feels like home to me, feels like home to me,
Feels like I’m on my way back where I come from.
Feels like home to me, feels like home to me,
Feels like I’m on my way back where I belong.A window breaks down a long dark street,
And a siren wails over my head.
But I’m all right, ’cause I have you here with me.
And I can almost see through the dark there’s light.
If you knew how much this moment means to me,
And how long I’ve waited for your touch.
If you knew how happy you are making me —
I’ve never thought I’d love anyone so much.Feels like home to me, feels like home to me,
Feels like I’m on my way back where I come from.
Feels like home to me, feels like home to me,
Feels like I’m on my way back where I belong.
Feels like I’m on my way back where I belong.
Normally, a song immediately pops into my head when I read the theme for the week.
All I got this morning was Earth Angel by the Penguins from the 1950’s. Not the right mood for me today so I kept thinking and finally gave up and Googled. I found a U2 song I thought I had never heard of. Since I am a huge fan, I couldn’t wait to hear this new (to me) song!
Turns out, it is Peace on Earth combined with my all-time favorite U2 song by this amazing group, and I have not only heard it before…I even saw it on TV the night this version debuted….right after September 11, 2001.
AND, I have even posted this exact song before. Not in the context of “earth” but rather about power and escaping danger. It’s a song I have used in my practice for years, especially to inspire someone working to extract themselves from domestic violence.
Featuring Dave Stewart and Natalie Imbruglia. From the “America: A Tribute to Heroes” telethon, which aired live on 35 broadcast and cable networks on Friday, September 21, 2001. The original versions of both songs can be found on the 2000 album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.”
Heaven on Earth – we need it now
I’m sick of all of this hanging around
Sick of sorrow – sick of the pain
I’m sick of hearing again and again
That there’s gonna be peace on Earth
Where I grew up there weren’t many trees
Where there was we’d tear them down
And use them on our enemies
They say that what you mock
Will surely overtake you
And you become a monster
So the monster will not break you
And it’s already gone too far
Who said that if you go in hard
You won’t get hurt?
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
Tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
No whos or whys
No-one cries like a mother cries
For peace on Earth
She never got to say goodbye
To see the colour in his eyes
Now he’s in the dirt
Peace on Earth
They’re reading names out over the radio
All the folks the rest of us won’t get to know
Sean and Julia – Gareth, Ann and breda
Their lives are bigger than any big idea
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
To tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
Jesus in the song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on Earth
Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won’t rhyme
So what’s it worth?
This peace on Earth
Peace on Earth —
And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage that you can bring
Not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can’t leave behind
And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it’s a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no – be strong
Walk on – walk on
What you got, they can’t steal it
No, they can’t even feel it
Walk on – walk on
Stay safe tonight
You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly – only fly for freedom
Walk on – walk on
What you got, they can’t deny it
Can’t sell it or buy it
Walk on – walk on
You stay safe tonight
And I know it aches
How your heart it breaks
You can only take so much
Walk on – walk on
Home – hard to know what it is if you never had one
Home – I can’t say where it is, but I know I’m going
Home – that’s where the hurt is
And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
You can only take so much
Walk on
Leave it behind
You’ve got to leave it behind
All that you fashion – all that you make
All that you build – all that you break
All that you measure – all that you feel
All this you can leave behind
All that you reason – it’s only time
Love in a fever – no, not mine
All that you sense – all that you scheme
All you dress up – all that you seem
All you create [fades]
We hear you’re leaving, that’s okay
I thought our little wild time had just begun
I guess you kind of scared yourself, you turn and run
But if you have a change of heart
Rikki don’t lose that number
You don’t want to call nobody else
Send it off in a letter to yourself
Rikki don’t lose that number
It’s the only one you own
You might use it if you feel better
When you get home
I have a friend in town, he’s heard your name
We can go out driving on Slow Hand Row
We could stay inside and play games, I don’t know
And you could have a change of heart
Rikki don’t lose that number
You don’t want to call nobody else
Send it off in a letter to yourself
Rikki don’t lose that number
It’s the only one you own
You might use it if you feel better
When you get home
You tell yourself you’re not my kind
But you don’t even know your mind
And you could have a change of heart
Rikki don’t lose that number
You don’t want to call nobody else
Send it off in a letter to yourself
Rikki don’t lose that number
It’s the only one you own
You might use it if you feel better
When you get home
Long distance information, give me Memphis Tennessee
Help me find a party that tried to get in touch with me
She did not leave a number but I know who placed the call
‘Cause my uncle took a message and he wrote it on the wall
Help me, information, get in touch with my Marie
She’s the only one who’d call me here from Memphis Tennessee
Her home is on the south side, high upon a ridge
Just a half a mile from the Mississippi bridge
Last time I saw Marie she was wavin’ me goodbye
With “hurry-home” drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye
We were pulled apart because her mom did not agree
She tore apart our happy home in Memphis Tennessee
Help me, information, more than that I cannot add
Only that I miss her and all the fun we had
Marie is only six years old, information please
You got to put me through to her in Memphis Tennessee
Many of us have pets who are or have been Beloved…but my experience is there is usually this one who works his or her way deep into our soul, our memory, and our “inner child”.
I love animals…most all of ’em. I had a favorite dog and a wonderful snake and as a kid, even a pair of rats, one black and one white. I used to smuggle those rats to elementary school inside my shirt! I have even had BUGS…Giant Australian Leaf Bugs that I care deeply about. My very first pet was a DUCK, that at 7 years old, I house-broke, because I didn’t know you couldn’t. (read about Fluffy here)
and those bugs, just go to my blog (and search for Bugs. I post about them more than most anything…https://chosenperspectives.com/
Though I am fairly allergic to them, I’ve almost always had cats…maybe 15 of them over the years.
But there is this one rascal, Zorro, that is my Beloved heart animal, above all the others, my inseparable companion of 17 years now. Named for the “Z” he slashed in the back of my hand the day I got him (at 5 or 6 weeks old). I’d show you a photo of my hand now but the original “Z” has been embellished with countless slashes over these years together…some from anger but mostly from play. It’s more like an abstract pencil drawing these days.
I know everyone has a favorite pet even if we don’t want to admit playing favorites. I have three cats right now and I wouldn’t want Phineas the Terrorist or Lucy, the Wonder Cat to be jealous of my Zorro, the Grey Blade.
His story is unfortunately, not unheard of. He was left in a box with 5 littermates at the back door of a county animal “pound” at the beginning of a three day weekend. By the time the box was discovered, all had died but my Zorro. Tiny “Z” was put in the cages in the lobby of this Animal Shelter where all the “last chance” animals were displayed…last chance before death!!
Apparently, he did not stop yowling for the three days they had him and the folks at the front desk were driven to distraction by his inconceivable volume.
We arrived literally in the nick of time. They were so relieved, they all cheered.
Zorro brand new, my best friend (don’t tell Lee) Linda in the back ground
The short version of the back story here is that about 2 years before, I had lost all three of my long-time pets (an 11 year old cat, a wonderful 16 year old purebred German Shepherd, and an amazing, impossible 23 year old cat) all within two months of each other.
Joy and Bandit
Boom, boom, boom…all gone!
Oh and in this same 2 years, my then husband had blown up our marriage as well as my therapy practice, AND there had been 11 deaths in and close to my family…all culminating in the 9/11 tragedy our country suffered. I was a hot, depressed mess!!!
My two very best friends did a Love Intervention with me for which I will be eternally grateful.
They sat me down and said “OK, that’s long enough. We like you better when you have pets.” And then they drove me to the pound for a cat and said “Pick one…NOW.”
I knew immediately it was that screaming gray and white kitten hanging by all fours on the screened in kennel.
My best friend Lee (don’t tell Linda) holding our new Zorro
I have already confessed many times in previous animal posts that I am the Queen of Anthropomorphism, but that kitten knew me instantly. In our 17 years together, he has never screamed like that again. Oh, we have our regular conversations. He’s very talkative. But only with me. I’m the only one he has ever trusted. If you are not me, you must tread very lightly in his presence. No reaching out your friendly hand for a sniff or a pet. Nope. You’ll be branded, just like me.
With other cats and kids, Zorro is so nurturing and protective
Though he will tolerate almost any handling from me, he has never been a lap cat, no snuggling except on my feet at night…oh, and if I say “Zorro, wanna take a nap with me?”, he will come running and assume his position in out napping spoon, his back pushed into my curled-up tummy. And a wonderful, weird addition to our relationship is I have NEVER been even slightly allergic to him. No itching, no asthma, nothing. I tell people he is my first intimate relationship with a cat.
Nap Time, right up next to my face
He will look straight into my eyes for long moments and we will “talk”.
Having a long discussion here…
He is protective of the other cats we have, both joining our family as tiny kittens. If Zorro thinks you are hurting them, he will lunge at you like a tiger, growling, teeth bared, and claws out. He’ll draw your blood without batting an eye.
And if Phineas, who is our escape artist, finds a way out of our house, Zorro will run to me just like Lassie, (Timmy has fallen down the well!!) proclaiming danger, and will lead me right to the open door or window. (Our cats are always indoor cats as we have packs of coyotes running through our streets!)
Lucy had gone missing for too long so Zorro went looking…Zorro, tolerant of anything from the other cats..
Zorro has a much longer story than this, but I want to get this post done. Just think of him as the Sean Connery of cats…a real warrior in his day and still gorgeous to the end.
Zorro has advanced kidney disease and will most likely be moving on soon. We spend a lot of time together these days. I know we are getting close to the end because he wants to be on my lap whenever I sit down. He is awkward at it, having never practiced this kind of connection before now, but I love it.
Hard to see but he spends a lot of time on my lap which shocks those who know him…
I love him. My beloved best pal for so many years….
The questions posed by Cee Neuner in this innovative challenge:
List 2 things you have to be happy about?
Have you ever owned a rock, pet rock, or gem that is not jewelry?
Are you a hugger or a non-hugger?
What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
My Answers:
List 2 things you have to be happy about?
I am so happy that James is home. He’s been in this 2 weeks here and 2 weeks gone cycle. It is a little hard on us because we both do really well being alone so there is a big adjustment on both ends of his travel: when he leaves, remembering the comfort of solitude, and when he returns, adjusting again to the joys of sharing the everyday life again.
2. I am relieved and blissed out (oh, it is too a word!!) that my 17 year old “Heart-Cat” is still alive since I was told back in October he might only have days to live. He definitely has kidney disease and has lost a ton of weight, but he is still here and as ornery as ever.
Well, maybe not. This is a cat who, for 17 years, has let no one pet him but me. And even that never included him being on my lap…but these days, he accepts pets from everyone and will sit on my lap for a whole hour if I let him.
Have you ever owned a rock, pet rock, or gem that is not jewelry?
I have been a “rock hound” since I was a small child. My Dad, in his quiet genius, got us a rock polisher. We would find rocks on the beaches and from the mountains and everywhere in between. Then we would wait…literally for months. Opening that polisher was a miracle every time. I learned so much from that experience, especially about delayed gratification and memory and anchoring experiences. I could write a book about all the lessons from this amazing, covert teacher. (Oh wait, I AM writing that book. My Dad is who taught me about choosing perspectives.)
Early in my therapy practice, I learned that some clients really needed concrete reminders of the things they were leaning, so, being my father’s daughter, I gave them Quartz, Lapis, Hematite or Amethyst hearts….and over the years, hundreds of polished rocks.
And, I have a basket of what’s left of a really old collection of pieces of polished petrified wood, from long before it was illegal. Not exactly rocks, but in my mind they qualify as “gems”. (There is a great story there, too long for today’s post but this has reminded me to write about it.)
Are you a hugger or a non-hugger?
Oh I am definitely a hugger. You might even say I have hugged for a living for more than 40 years.
I’ll just let that sit there and see if you have any questions.
What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week?
David Letterman’s new Netflix show, called My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. His first interview was with President Barack Obama. I laughed and I cried, and I longed for more of the intelligence, humor, depth and light these two men bring.
I love my son…more than anything else…in the way only the single mother of an only child can understand.
He and his sons live with me now. They are here to help me out.
I imagined his moving in with me would enhance our relationship…we are both old enough to be true friends now. He is 45. I am 69. I thought we would talk all the time, every day!
But his life as a single Dad is packed!
So it is loudly silent around here sometimes.
Music has always been a bond for us and one day, when I had almost become dissatisfied with his silence, he sat me down to share a music video with me. He told me the first time through I should be very patient, keep my eyes closed, and wait for it.
I did.
By the second run through, we were holding hands and crying, both so f-ing moved by this amazing performance.
You may well have heard it before. I have even posted about it before but if you haven’t, treat yourself to a listen, with an open mind and heart (and your volume cranked up!!!)
Ironic to be posting a song when the theme this week is silence, but how could I not share it?
Here is “Sound of Silence” by Disturbed.
Remember, don’t judge, just wait for it….It is everything BUT Silence!
I love the deafening roar they produce as they fly over during a performance. Even the most self-conscious among us can scream, yell, whoop, yeehaw or swear at the top of our lungs without drawing attention to ourselves. It is a rush, for sure! Better than the loudest Rock Concert ever!
But my favorite part of the show is when you can see the Angels before their sound arrives!
Those short moments of silence are the loudest thrill of my life!
Right over my house!not even a whisper…yet!Performance at Naval Air Museum, Pensacola
