It Happened Today

“Don't wish me happiness
I don't expect to be happy all the time...
It's gotten beyond that somehow.
Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor.
I will need them all.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Thank you Nora Ephron

I am sad to learn that Nora Ephron has left this earth. I am sad the way you are sad to hear a friend has gone. No, I was not friends with her nor did I ever have the chance to meet her but I am grateful for her life and feel her loss.  Nora Ephron was brave enough to speak the truth and talented enough to make us laugh.

We have recently been told we cannot have it all, in case you have been living under a rock check out Atlantic Monthly. Well Nora Ephron was a writer, director, mother, wife, there didn't seem to be much she couldn't do - and if she made a mistake doing it she seemed to try again, and again until she got it right, until she excelled at it, and some say she revolutionized and set the bar for many directors, screenwriters, essayists and novelists. She well may have had it all, at least she gave it her all.

She made me feel "normal". Her books and movies kept me company in lonesome times and on rainy Saturday nights.  I would be embarrassed to tell you how may times I have seen When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and Julie and Julia.  I have seen them so many times, not because I am crazy or have a lot of free time on my hands, or simply always procrastinating,  but because the dialogue is so good I never tire of hearing it and the characters are people I could see myself being friends with, just like Nora Ephron.

Tom Hanks wrote, "She lifted us all with wisdom and wit mixed with love for us and love for life." Listen, if you don't believe me, you know Tom Hanks doesn't get it wrong. She overcame adversity in her life and made something of herself. She had spunk, and heart, and wasn't afraid to go for it, and to laugh at herself along the way.

In 1976 she told Newsday, I have always thought it was a terrible shame that the women's movement didn't realize how much easier it was to reach people by making them laugh than by shaking a fist and saying don't you see how oppressed you are."

Thank you, Nora Ephron, for making me laugh.

Magda
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/06/nora-ephron-1941-2012.html
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/e/nora_ephron/index.html

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Dog Days

Summer is one of those times when everlasting memories are made. It is a time when a person can return to things or places they may only experience in June, July and August.

"Dog Days" is used for the most sultry period of summer. The origin comes from earlier times and was used by observers living in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea to describe the period of time that was 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius, the dog star, and the sun. And here I just thought it meant the time when the dog was the laziest because it was too hot to do anything in all that fur.

Here are some things that I love best about summer. Think of this list as a User's Guide to the Dog Days of Summer. Jump on in - relive the simple pleasures of your past or try something new - the water is cool.

1. The Beach -The smell of the tar on the boardwalk and French Fries, playing beach volleyball or beach bocce,  diving into the waves or riding them and the ding-ding of the boats at Funland.
2. The Pool - For floating on a raft, dunking in to cool off, doing handstands underwater, playing Marco Polo, or swimming laps - It's like a party everyday.
3. The County Fair - Two words - Funnel Cakes - Blue Ribbons - Fruit Pies - Monster Jam - Pick your poison.
4. Jigsaw Puzzles - All shapes and sizes.
5. Board Games - Even Chinese Checkers.
6. Lobster Rolls - Best and cheapest if eaten in Maine.
7. Summer Blockbuster's - Too hot to be outside - put on your favorite sweatshirt and catch a flick.
8. Hammock's - Under a shady tree with the birds chirping and the wind blowing.
9. Summer Reading - Trashy novels, wish lists, or school books - there is lots of time to sit and get lost in a good book.
10. Afternoon Thunder Storms - When you can see the steam coming off the street and maybe catch the glimpse of a rainbow.
11. Car Games and Sing A Longs - The Alphabet Game, Aunt Sally Went to the Market followed by a round of On Top of Spaghetti and 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.
11. Cool Treats - Ice Cream, Popsicles, Snow Cones and Clay Boys.
12. Maryland Crabs - THE BEST!
13. Rainy Day Movies - At home or in the theater.
14. Sprinklers - To water your garden, lawn, children and even you.
15. Time with family, friends, a good book, or alone - Hopefully, just a little extra time.

What's on your list?
Magda

Friday, June 15, 2012

It All Comes Back to Springsteen

Lately I have been thinking if I had the opportunity to write a letter to someone who had a big impact on my life to whom would I write, or is it who would I write to? (I have never mastered my who's and whom's).

Parents are the most likely choice of course. I was blessed to be able to spend time with both of mine before they passed away and I am confident that I left no words unsaid. Next up is the teacher who mentored me. I am actually friends with said teacher, who is hopefully reading this, and I am confident she knows. I am ninety percent on top of my thank you note writing - I think I even write thank you notes to people who send ME thank you gifts and notes. I could thank my husband - if I were taking to him - just kidding! I thank him every day for merely putting up with me. I take time to thank God every day for my life, for life in general, for everything really. Plus I am saving Him for the big Oscar thank you, in case I ever get around to pursuing that acting career. I counted yesterday how many times I said thank you - 105! Those thank you's were for the door holder, bag packer, salad maker, water glass filler upper - I was thirsty so he got 6.  But these thank you's were to people who did not have a big impact - they just made my day better.

No, I have narrowed it down to the fact that I would send my thanks to Bruce Springsteen. I thought for awhile maybe I would write to Harper Lee or Jane Austen for writing my favorite books, or to Bill Cosby for making me laugh out loud as a kid. Why is there air anyway? Why did Fat Albert's friend wear that hat over his face? I thought I should write to one of my sisters. I have 3, well 5 since I like to include my sisters - in - law, and I know I can never pick one of them because they have all impacted my life in very different but significant ways. I have fabulous friends and they all deserve more than thanks for being my friend  - no easy task I am certain  - but I feel confident they too know how grateful I am for their friendship. So I am back to Springsteen.

Why the Boss? As long as I can remember his songs have been my favorite, the words poetic, the concerts epic. Most of my favorite memories are relived whenever I hear one of his songs. It seems silly to say his music is the soundtrack of my life - well then call me silly because it's true. Sure I listen to and love other genre's of music and other artists and groups, but none as much as him. I still go to his concerts, still blast his songs in my car and still remember all the fun times I have had with his songs playing in the background.

So here it goes:

Dear Mr. Springteen/Dear Bruce,

Thank you for your decades worth of music that have been the soundtrack of my life. Thank you for giving your all at every concert. Thank you for writing Rosalita so I could sing it at the top of my lungs all through High School. Thank you for singing Pete Seeger's songs for a new generation of listeners. Thank you for putting Nils Lofgren in the E Street Band. Most of all thanks for continuing to write meaningful songs that make us think about something other than ourselves.

You Rock!

Forever Your Fan,
Magda K. Mooers


To whom would you write? (Or is that who?)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

If Everyone Jumped Off a Bridge

Did you grow up in a house where your mother or father used the phrase, "Well if everyone jumped off (Insert name of local bridge) would you follow them?" In our house it was my mom's way of saying, "Do you really always need to be a follower, stand up and think for yourself!"

This is one of those phrases I have repeated to my own children. I am certain a younger version of myself swore to never repeat it but my older self realizes the value of the lesson. I have to admit I still use it to check my own choices.

My most recent jumping off a bridge experience has to do with the little known (Ha!) book, "Fifty Shades of Grey." Just about everyone is reading this book, or has read it, or is planning on reading it. Everyone it seems but me.  For some reason I have no interest. I know it's steamy and naughty and if I want to be a part of conversations I should read it but I want to start a different conversation. My disinterest in the book is a gut feeling I have because I really didn't know that much about the story line - and I think I am using that term loosely.

I am usually one to jump off the bridge, metaphorically speaking of course, and not only when I was younger - In my adult life I bought beanie babies, stood in line for Harry Potter books and movies, have waited in lines and payed $2.75 for a cupcake and have wasted far too much time watching silly You Tube videos of people singing "Call Me Maybe."

But I cannot bring myself to read this book.  I am not adverse to reading steamy novels but I read a review that made me believe the relationship between the young reporter and Mr, Grey was obsessive, possessive and unhealthy. Who needs to read about that? So I am listening to my gut feeling along with my mother's voice inside my head and walking right past the bridge.

Feeling brave enough to join me?
Magda



Friday, June 1, 2012

Recharging


In daily life a person spends time recharging things. Recharging their cell phone, computer, IPad, camera batteries, etc., we even have the ability to recharge cars. How much time does the average person spend recharging themselves? Aren't we more valuable than our phones?

Daily life demands so much of our electronics that we sit them at bay for a period of time so they can reboot. Shouldn't we do the same for ourselves? As adults we demand so much of ourselves and our lives demand so much from us that we should take the time, daily, to recharge. It seems obvious that this would be ingrained in every person and we shouldn't feel guilty.

For most school aged kids summer is their time to recharge. It is their time to relax and switch gears from the grueling schedule of school and activities. Summer routines hopefully slow down the frenetic pace of life, or at least switch things up a bit. I think this is one of the reasons I chose to become a teacher. It's not all about shaping young minds...if I were being totally honest it's also about the schedule.

But it doesn't seem quite right to have to wait until the summer to recharge. If we make the time daily then summer, or vacations, would be bonus recharging time rather than a complete replacement of one’s batteries. Anything or anyone will burn out from overuse. I would rather learn to take it easy, recharge every day, and hope to make it past my warranty.

Magda