June, 2012 | Plain Talk and Ordinary Wisdom

We humans are strange creatures in all sizes, shapes and with many weird comings and goings. In his “Fruitcakes” song, Jimmy Buffett, in good humor, suggests that maybe we need some more baking – some of us came out of the oven too early. Maybe it’s not so much Fruitcake people but more Fruitcake moments. I sure have had a lot of those Fruitcake moments in my lifetime and as I look around I see others perhaps having some of their own too.

My family does not like me to drive when we go anywhere – husband included. I don’t know why other than almost killing him one time when giving him a push start in my car onto a country road from around our horseshoe drive. We got a good head start that way. At the end of our drive, I stopped and looked both ways for traffic after giving him the final push – he was just hanging out there (luckily just a rural road) in a dead car. All I could see were his arms flailing and mouth going. Oops! I’d better get out there behind him and push! (You may be saying by now, “What dumb….”. I know but I need to be cut some slack here. I was newly married and barely 20.)

Another time, different home in the suburbs, I was backing our big orange van (vehicles again – go Denver Broncos 1977) out of our driveway and as I straightened out and moving forward, I noticed in my rear-view mirror my husband in the driveway jumping up and down, again arms flailing and mouth moving. I couldn’t hear him but knew something was wrong, so I stopped.

Apparently, I had run over the hose that was stretched across the driveway with the sprinkler attached and it had snagged when I backed up and caught up underneath. Only problem was that the hose was also attached to the house and stretching as I pulled out – I was house-attached with a long umbilical cord. When I got out on the street and started forward it had stretched so much it made deflating balloon-like gyrations before dislodging from the house. The neighbor across the street told us later he was watching the whole thing unfold from his picture window and chuckled all day at work with that sight firmly implanted in his brain.

Then there was another Fruitcake moment I remember when I was elementary school age coming home from school one day. I walked in the front door just ready to yell “I’m home” and looked up and saw legs dangling from the ceiling. “Mom – Is that you?” My mother had gone up in the attic for something and mistakenly stepped off the main floor board in between the slats and down she went. Luckily, it had just happened and she was able to hold on and wasn’t hurt.

I have a whole family with stories like that – guess I came from a gene pool with more than my share of Fruitcake moments. We’ve all done it and more than ever seen our fellow humans having the same brain lapses.

Maybe next time we can cut them or ourselves some slack and just say, “Been there – just another Fruitcake moment in paradise.”

Oops, there’s another one. I was so engrossed in writing this post and having fun with it that I was 10 minutes late for my dental appointment. As I was running out the door, my husband said, “Guess you’re having another one!” Making no excuses for being late but the dental office was kind and cut me some slack.

I’d love to hear what stories you have had or seen – please share.

(Thank you for coming to my new site – If you’re new welcome and if you’ve come from my old site I’m happy you’re back – I hope you resubscribe! Please be patient – it’s still a work in progress)

“When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” ~~ Alexander Graham Bell

One thing I’ve begun to observe in these new beginnings – changes are that they come in many package forms.Like many of you who may be experiencing life changes swirling around, in and out as if out of control hardly able to catch our breath, the changes presented to us can be good and some not so good.

But I’m beginning to notice how they are different not whether they’re good or bad but what opportunities they can bring in growth and reflection even if the package appears not too appealing.

Nobody likes changes because we find ourselves out of our comfort zone and forced to face things we’d rather put off for another day. But if we choose to step back and take another view, changes can bring not only something new but they can bring freedom – a break away from the old – if you dare to embrace them.

Let me explain some of my personal new beginnings – changes I’ve been experiencing in the past year. Near the end of last year 2011, I was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor. That will stop anybody in their tracks with all the emotions and thoughts flooding in at once. I realized with the ebb and flow of life that there are things people can do for me and with me and there are other things ultimately only I can do for myself when it comes to my body.

I was blessed to have loved ones supporting me along with a fantastic doctor team and medical technology but they can’t physically take over the task at hand and make the decisions I was pressed to make whether I wanted to or not. No procrastinating here.

I say that because of what my acupuncturist presented me with. He told me that the universe gives us choices and presents each of us with crossroads throughout our lives and he felt this was a gift and that I was, indeed, at a crossroads – I could choose life or I could choose death and either choice would be okay.

At the time, all I could think and feel was “I’m tired – tired of beating the wind”. But somewhere I must have made the choice to live because I started the radiation and chemo treatments and finished early November 2011 resulting with the tumor gone. Before this went down I should have gotten a clue earlier last summer when we lost our 30-year old horse to colic not long after our son-in-law had an emergency health issue in which he almost lost his life. Some big new beginnings and life catcher change packages not asked for but presented nonetheless and the universe finally got my attention.

A new year began and in March 2012 my youngest daughter had her second child. What a thrill to have another baby in the family and I observed the adjustments this new life was bringing into her family – another new beginning – change package.

I’ve been working full time in the corporate world, like most of you. But recently, at the end of April, that job took a turn and went out of state – another new beginning – change package. What do I do now in my ‘golden years’? When I took this job almost 4 years ago, I didn’t think I would enter the corporate world again. Before then, I thought I would explore my passions and personal interests and see what I had to offer the world but because of money flow situations it played a big part in the decision of getting back in the corporate world and taking another full time position.

Another new beginning – change package came also in April in losing my husband’s 93-year old mother and very much a mother to me as well. It’s a new beginning for her as well as for us realizing the emptiness left without her. This was a hard one and always is when you lose someone you love no matter what age. It brings up emotions you don’t want to feel and old-time questions we never seem to have answers for when someone dies. At the same time it takes us out of this world for a moment to reflect on the preciousness of life and take a review of our priorities.

Finally, last month in May, I was sitting with family in Richey Stadium at Denver University watching my oldest grandson’s high school graduation ceremony – I remember that new beginning – life package when I graduated from high school so many years ago. So many possibilities this graduation holds for him. It’s a day you look forward to when you get a bigger taste of independence shifting the focus from school, friends and having fun to first glimpses of the future – scary.

If we live long enough, life seems to bring us around full circle back to where I’m at now still lingering at this new beginning – change package of what I’m going to be doing now. I feel like I’ve been given my life back and I want to find ways to make it fulfilling, valuable and helpful to others. This will be my life beginning – change gift to you sharing my life stories whatever the package looks like with the hope you will be encouraged as we all make these journeys together on this big ball we call Earth. You’re not out there alone loving, laughing, crying and praying.

Don’t ever allow yourself to think this is all there is and life is boring. When new beginnings – changes come, whether they appear difficult or exciting, pay close attention and welcome them with openness no matter how uncomfortable. You may be at a crossroads about to discover the new found freedom you can have with the opportunities they present – something new and exciting never before dreamed. Let me know what new beginnings – changes you have in your life. I’m interested in how it’s going for you.

“When you are inspired . . .
dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive,
and you discover yourself to be a greater person
by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” – Pantajali

Pat from the ol’ kitchen table