Pic Collage 1982-84

I originally planned to do this series of posts last spring. After realizing I need to focus back to the happy times, and put aside the sad memories of this year, I decided to move forward on this idea.

The year 1993 was a life-changer for Jim and me. That June, a disc in his back blew out and he had to have surgery. This created a precarious situation. We had just built a new house two years prior, and we relied heavily on his income. He ended up on disability, and many things about our lives were forced to change.

This year reminded me a bit of 1993. I had to pull myself together in ways I never had to before. I had to live with underlying fear of where things were heading.

That Christmas we did not have the funds we typically had to spoil each other. I decided to go meaningful, and created a picture collage of photos I felt represented our years together to date. On the back I assigned a word that applied to each picture, and a little note on why.

Today I share the first three years. In subsequent posts I will share the rest.

CONFIDENCE

Jim took this photo of me standing on a large rock by Coe Lake which was behind my studio apartment. It was a beautiful autumn day in 1982, and I was feeling deeply confident about my life and direction. I note that confidence came from what Jim did for me when he came into my life. It’s amazing how we can get beaten down by others and not even know it until someone comes along and does the opposite.

HAPPINESS

This photo was taken by his sister Diane on my 28th birthday in 1983. Our first year together was full of all the happiness I could possibly imagine. We were making plans and setting a direction together. It was wonderful to have a partner like Jim. 

FUN

I have already written about the summer of 1984 on this blog on June 7. This was the first year of my life I felt good enough about myself and my body to wear a bikini! We had lots of weekend parties, and I learned to golf. I was succeeding at my job. It remains in my mind a very positive and exciting time.

For Example, Friday

I’d been wanting to write a poem all week, and finally got inspired by David Kirby’s poem “The Rhetorical Device Known as What-Aboutery.”

…it takes a while to get from where

you are to where you want to be, especially 

if you don’t know where you’re going in the first place,

which you shouldn’t, as the scientists

 say, if you know what you’re doing, it isn’t research.

Discovery

What if I was to truly open my mind 

to what could be discovered each day 

without judgment on my part?

For example, Friday.

A routine eye appointment for Jim turned long

Hemorrhaging in the eye

Causing an afternoon at another doctor

Trying to get it under control

And I stayed focused on what mattered.

I discovered I could 

read my book 

relax into just being

I had been contemplating what fun is in my life.

So I decided picking up a book 

I’ve meant to read for years would be fun 

and making dinner — a joy.

I’m discovering a moment holds a lot of mini-happiness.

In a book I just finished there was a great line:

Happiness is circulatory.

Someone else said fun leads to happiness, not the other way around.

Fun being playfulness + communication + flow.

So there is the recipe.

Will I ever say the day Jim’s eye 

hemorrhaged was a FUN day?

No, probably not.

Will I say I flowed through it 

and discovered a calm around it?

Yes, that I can say.

It’s my own research into the 

art of being.

2023 Year In Review Photos

 2023 had some very special moments. For the fourth year in a row, I have gathered my year in review. It always proves to be a worthwhile activity, and this year is no different. It was particularly hard this time to just stick with one photo, but honestly, this isn’t about tyranny. I can make my own rules, right?

Feeling Connected

I love my time spent with friends. There were wonderful meals and conversations spent with friends like Annmarie, Laurie, Pam, and Angela which have no photo representation. No matter. I feel connected anyway.

Many fun events with Kara. Always!

A long overdue dinner with Susan and Natalie

Picking up where I left off with Bobbi Jo

Make Me Smile

A visit to Ohio is never complete with a meal at my favorite Colombian restaurant with the world’s best grilled shrimp arepas. This time Margie and I were joined by Scott, Brenda, Braydon and other family members. It was a wonderful evening. I also had an enjoyable lunch at Fatheads with John, Gail, Martin, Nettie, Cheryl, and Brandon — but somehow we failed to get a photo.

Feeling Relieved

In March I was able to return to Bunche Beach, my favorite walking spot, which had been closed since the hurricane in October. It felt like a special kind of grace to be there again after so much trauma.

Meaningful Moments

Wayne and Kim were able to visit in April, and given the state of Wayne’s health, it was the most meaningful event of the year. We enjoyed our time together, which included a trip to Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island.

Highlight of the Year

My friend and classmate Pat Schlosser takes on the awesome task of getting people together. She is responsible for the annual Florida lunch meeting, and she was behind the SJA Class of 1973 Underground Reunion which I cheerfully attended on June 3rd. It was a night of reconnecting with friends, many from the earliest school days. What a night it was! No class can surpass SJA ‘73!

I knew her as Patty from Kindergarten & beyond

Pat—the one who connects us all

My dear friend Laura. Simply the best.

Moments Shared With Loved Ones

It came time to begin putting together my ideas for this year’s review, and lo and behold, I found I had no pictures with Jim. I decided this needed correcting. I suggested a beach trip on Christmas morning, even though the weather was not too promising. We weren’t there long, but it was worth it just for the pictures. Later we would have our waiter at Courtney’s take more photos. It was another very special Christmas together, and I’m grateful for every moment with this guy.

Word Play

 This year I want to be more focused on WORDS -- vocabulary, roots, prefixes, suffixes, commonly confused words, and of course, parts of speech that elude so many of my learners.

Much to my surprise, without any prompting from me, my learners have taken on wordle type games. We are using a website called WordPlay that has unlimited wordle style games. It has become the favorite way to end the class periods, especially in the afternoon.

I doubt this would have been as successful if I had tried to impose this on them. As it is, they have a lot to learn about figuring out the puzzles. I gently prod them along, but sometimes leave it to them. All in all, most puzzles have been getting solved.

I am grateful for this technology which has made this simple thing possible -- a class builder and a learning opportunity disguised as fun.