Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
-- Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5
Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year
Monday, February 06, 2012
QOTW 02-06-12 FANTASY OR REALITY
Question Of The Week 02-06-12
How has your life been different than what you’d imagined?
Absolutely....I never dreamt I would be a competetor, writer, publisher, secretary, traveler or enterpreter and wife, mother and grandmother were dreams some true.
Good question. I don't know what it would have been, just what life and choices have thrown my way. My husband and daughters are total gifts, never understanding before them what love truly meant.
There were many things I would "never" do and wound up being stretched and doing them. I said I would never move to Oregon yet here I am and life is good.
I take really good care of myself, usually. Eat right (with a little sweet every day) with lots of veggies and fruits, exercise, yada yada so it was a surprise that I would have the lesion/seizures. Those were beyond my control and no matter how well I took care of myself, it didn't matter. I never imagined I would have these issues.
The other difference for me is aging. When I look in the mirror and see a 55 year old face, I'm always surprised. I don't know why because the changes are so gradual.
LL Cool Joe -- You express the most astonishing and almost equal levels or happiness and sadness. I am glad that overall your life is a good one. At least your birthday celebration seemed very nice. I love that chain. It looks like a fancy bicycle chain.
Tabor -- Your expression, "I just sort of lived day to day and seem to have lucked out" was excellent. That's a lot the way I feel too. Hope you are getting a lot of response to your picture give away. That is such a generous prize and adding the charitable contribution is very cool.
Changes in the wind -- You are certainly living proof that variety is the spice of life. Guess that makes you spicy. LOL Loved your tales of the mounted shooting competition. I did not know such events happened in this day and age and it must have been a real thrill.
Marla and Steve -- Marla, you do so very well with every step of your life. It is difficult to imagine you have health problems. Certainly none of us put those in our futures when we were imagining. I look in the mirror too and am surprised at the 65 year old woman I see. Maybe there is an age where all mirrors should be removed from our lives. Now that would definitely be finding the fountain if youth -- denial. LOL How did the movie night/potluck party go at your friends by the way?
Bonnie (BIZ) -- You certainly do seem to have a very busy and very happy life. Loved your newest photo shoot with the dogs. Can't believe they behaved so well for the sitting.
Scarlet -- How strange that you did not dream about the future. I would have guessed that you are living your dream and come to find out your whole existence is a serendipity. I knew it, I just knew it! Your advertisement for Florida on your blog today sure caught my dreams. You make me terribly jealous.
I never did help much around the house because I was "the baby". However my mother would sometimes ask me how I would manage someday if I didn't learn to take care of myself. It was very difficult convincing her that I would marry a rich man who would hire people to do all our work and I would simply sit back and be pampered. Who would have thought how happy I would be someday because that fantasy didn't come true. (Though it's pretty close to true since Ron came into my life -- at least the pampered part.)
It's different in many more ways than I have room to write here, but the biggest for me is the thought that I would develop a physical disability. I never imagined myself developing MS. I thought I was invincible to illness and would work until a ripe old age and still be going strong even after that.
Wow - good question. Yes, definitely. But mostly for the better. Although there have been hard things, I never imagined I would have a job I love, and a partner I love, or another set of siblings, whom I also love.
I'm like that guy portraying a house while standing ankle deep in mud in that tv ad about flood insurance. "Do I look like I had a plan?" Actually I'm more than blessed and always have been.
What an intriguing question, Annie. Hmmmm...I guess the parts that were surprises were also the parts I always wanted...like knowing I wanted to be married, but not knowing who he would be (32 years later, I'm still delighted by all the layers of marriage), like wanting children but not knowing who they would actually be (and they turned out to not only be interesting people, but they taught me so much). I feel truly blessed. I did think by now I'd be a best-selling novelist on the New York Times Bestseller list, but I figure I still have a little time :)
I sure never thought I'd live 35 years in the Chicago area before returning to Hawaii. I am grateful for my children and my husband. I'd hoped for something like this and can hardly believe my luck in having them.
Granny Annie -- And you still are "the baby". Yes, oh yes I am.
Rae -- Medical twists and turns impact us all. It is doubtful any of us plan ahead for things like MS. You seem to be quite a champion regardless. And of course there is always "Mom Spit" to help us all get through everything. LOL
Riot Kitty -- You sure got a lot o' lovin' in your life because you are someone who is so loveable:) Still laughing at Mr. RK's appliance guide for dummies.
Cliff --I picture you more in political commercials but in those you definitely "have a plan". Unlike the (misguided) plan to send Marilyn out to clear the snow from the satellite dish. For some reason I believe you really didn't disclose the rest of that story. Won't you ever let her tell her side?
G -- Sounds like you are a "make lemonade" kind of person. Every trauma in my life too has simply led to another path that took me somewhere I wouldn't exchange or be left with regret. The cyber world played in major role in finding my Prince Charming so I'm with you on loving this place.
Chatty Crone -- You sound pretty certain about that. Oh my goodness that lion eating meat off the hood of the jeep was astounding. I wondered why the people in the jeep seemed so happy to be there. Yikes!
Talon -- Oh yes we're going to see you on the New York Times Bestseller list, of that I have no doubt. Hope you get to feeling better soon. We have all looked like Charlie recently as we experience cold and flu season.
Kay -- You have to love Hawaii after having lived in Chicago Is there anything you could possibly miss about Chicago? It is obvious on your blog that you love life to the fullest. It is also obvious how much you love family. You mom must share her recipes for her delicious food so someone can carry on the tradition and take the load off of her. My mother too showed her affection by feeding the hungry hearts in our family.
Oh yes! There's so much about Chicago I miss very much! Absolutely! I love the city. It's such a beautiful place with fabulous zoos, parks, things to do, cultural events, etc. There's always something to do.
I miss my daughter and her family and all our friends of the past 35 years. Uh oh... I have to stop before I tear up.
I love the spring. I love the first snowfall. I love the fall colors and all the urgency of enjoying everything every summer... sigh...
As a young teen I dreamed I'd own a huge horse breeding farm n train them too, in Wyoming. I was never going to have babies! Then I met folks from here n the whole plan went *poof*!
On the bright side, think of all the manure I didn't have to shovel-
I was one of those little Bohemians who said, "I'm not the domestic type," but I've ended up spending a lot of my life on home and family, with no regrets. I've also gotten to travel and have many adventures that I never expected would really happen. So although my life hasn't turned out as I planned, I'm not complaining.
Shionge -- As much as I pictured myself to grow up a pampered princess, I always imagined myself with babies and loved my two dearly. Hope your Bibi's 18th was spectacular.
Kay -- Wow, sorry I awakened such a sensitive issue for you and made you "tear up". From the outside looking in, Chicago seems to be a horrible place full of smog and traffic and graft and corruption, but obviously it was a wonderful home to you. It is to many of my family members as well and growing up, some of my fondest memories are of our visits to Chicago and those who live there seem to love it passionately. I only know that every time my sister visits her grandchildren that live there, she returns with some horrible illness.
Snaggle Tooth -- Shoveling manure is definitely a drawback to country living. LOL
Whitemist -- What a great attitude!
Susan Adcox -- I still am not the domestic type. I anticipated I would be in the workplace well into my 70's but meeting and marrying Ron when I was 52 put me in the home where I could be a stay-at-home grandmom and learn to enjoy that family gatherings in our home. It still amazes me that I can cook food and have people actually marvel over the results. I cannot complain about a day of my life either.
Oh yeah, totally, almost everything about it. :D And the things that turned out as I imagined they would, are the parts that suck.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know, because I didn't really have an idea of how it would be. I just sort of lived day to day and seem to have lucked out, thus far.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely....I never dreamt I would be a competetor, writer, publisher, secretary, traveler or enterpreter and wife, mother and grandmother were dreams some true.
ReplyDeleteGood question. I don't know what it would have been, just what life and choices have thrown my way. My husband and daughters are total gifts, never understanding before them what love truly meant.
ReplyDeleteThere were many things I would "never" do and wound up being stretched and doing them. I said I would never move to Oregon yet here I am and life is good.
I take really good care of myself, usually. Eat right (with a little sweet every day) with lots of veggies and fruits, exercise, yada yada so it was a surprise that I would have the lesion/seizures. Those were beyond my control and no matter how well I took care of myself, it didn't matter. I never imagined I would have these issues.
The other difference for me is aging. When I look in the mirror and see a 55 year old face, I'm always surprised. I don't know why because the changes are so gradual.
Soooo different from what I imagined. But, you know what, I love my life the way it is. I have been so blessed in ways I never imagined.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even dream about the future, but I can say it's better than anything I could've imagined.
ReplyDeleteLL Cool Joe -- You express the most astonishing and almost equal levels or happiness and sadness. I am glad that overall your life is a good one. At least your birthday celebration seemed very nice. I love that chain. It looks like a fancy bicycle chain.
ReplyDeleteTabor -- Your expression, "I just sort of lived day to day and seem to have lucked out" was excellent. That's a lot the way I feel too. Hope you are getting a lot of response to your picture give away. That is such a generous prize and adding the charitable contribution is very cool.
Changes in the wind -- You are certainly living proof that variety is the spice of life. Guess that makes you spicy. LOL Loved your tales of the mounted shooting competition. I did not know such events happened in this day and age and it must have been a real thrill.
Marla and Steve -- Marla, you do so very well with every step of your life. It is difficult to imagine you have health problems. Certainly none of us put those in our futures when we were imagining. I look in the mirror too and am surprised at the 65 year old woman I see. Maybe there is an age where all mirrors should be removed from our lives. Now that would definitely be finding the fountain if youth -- denial. LOL How did the movie night/potluck party go at your friends by the way?
Bonnie (BIZ) -- You certainly do seem to have a very busy and very happy life. Loved your newest photo shoot with the dogs. Can't believe they behaved so well for the sitting.
Scarlet -- How strange that you did not dream about the future. I would have guessed that you are living your dream and come to find out your whole existence is a serendipity. I knew it, I just knew it! Your advertisement for Florida on your blog today sure caught my dreams. You make me terribly jealous.
I never did help much around the house because I was "the baby". However my mother would sometimes ask me how I would manage someday if I didn't learn to take care of myself. It was very difficult convincing her that I would marry a rich man who would hire people to do all our work and I would simply sit back and be pampered. Who would have thought how happy I would be someday because that fantasy didn't come true. (Though it's pretty close to true since Ron came into my life -- at least the pampered part.)
ReplyDeleteIt's different in many more ways than I have room to write here, but the biggest for me is the thought that I would develop a physical disability. I never imagined myself developing MS. I thought I was invincible to illness and would work until a ripe old age and still be going strong even after that.
ReplyDeleteWow - good question. Yes, definitely. But mostly for the better. Although there have been hard things, I never imagined I would have a job I love, and a partner I love, or another set of siblings, whom I also love.
ReplyDeleteI'm like that guy portraying a house while standing ankle deep in mud in that tv ad about flood insurance. "Do I look like I had a plan?"
ReplyDeleteActually I'm more than blessed and always have been.
Absolutely.
ReplyDeleteAnd believe it or not, it all stems from the worst possible thing, short of losing a cherished family member, that can happen to a person.
I was laid off from work in the spring of 2003.
That one cruel blow started me on a wild and wonderful journey that for now, as I type this, has me here typing this comment on your blog.
I daresay that if I hadn't been laid off in 2003, I simply wouldn't be here.
In the cyber world that is.
Y E S ! sandie
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing question, Annie. Hmmmm...I guess the parts that were surprises were also the parts I always wanted...like knowing I wanted to be married, but not knowing who he would be (32 years later, I'm still delighted by all the layers of marriage), like wanting children but not knowing who they would actually be (and they turned out to not only be interesting people, but they taught me so much). I feel truly blessed. I did think by now I'd be a best-selling novelist on the New York Times Bestseller list, but I figure I still have a little time :)
ReplyDeleteI sure never thought I'd live 35 years in the Chicago area before returning to Hawaii. I am grateful for my children and my husband. I'd hoped for something like this and can hardly believe my luck in having them.
ReplyDeleteGranny Annie -- And you still are "the baby". Yes, oh yes I am.
ReplyDeleteRae -- Medical twists and turns impact us all. It is doubtful any of us plan ahead for things like MS. You seem to be quite a champion regardless. And of course there is always "Mom Spit" to help us all get through everything. LOL
Riot Kitty -- You sure got a lot o' lovin' in your life because you are someone who is so loveable:) Still laughing at Mr. RK's appliance guide for dummies.
Cliff --I picture you more in political commercials but in those you definitely "have a plan". Unlike the (misguided) plan to send Marilyn out to clear the snow from the satellite dish. For some reason I believe you really didn't disclose the rest of that story. Won't you ever let her tell her side?
G -- Sounds like you are a "make lemonade" kind of person. Every trauma in my life too has simply led to another path that took me somewhere I wouldn't exchange or be left with regret. The cyber world played in major role in finding my Prince Charming so I'm with you on loving this place.
Chatty Crone -- You sound pretty certain about that. Oh my goodness that lion eating meat off the hood of the jeep was astounding. I wondered why the people in the jeep seemed so happy to be there. Yikes!
Talon -- Oh yes we're going to see you on the New York Times Bestseller list, of that I have no doubt. Hope you get to feeling better soon. We have all looked like Charlie recently as we experience cold and flu season.
Kay -- You have to love Hawaii after having lived in Chicago Is there anything you could possibly miss about Chicago? It is obvious on your blog that you love life to the fullest. It is also obvious how much you love family. You mom must share her recipes for her delicious food so someone can carry on the tradition and take the load off of her. My mother too showed her affection by feeding the hungry hearts in our family.
I never imagine I would be a mommy :D
ReplyDeleteOh yes! There's so much about Chicago I miss very much! Absolutely! I love the city. It's such a beautiful place with fabulous zoos, parks, things to do, cultural events, etc. There's always something to do.
ReplyDeleteI miss my daughter and her family and all our friends of the past 35 years. Uh oh... I have to stop before I tear up.
I love the spring. I love the first snowfall. I love the fall colors and all the urgency of enjoying everything every summer... sigh...
As a young teen I dreamed I'd own a huge horse breeding farm n train them too, in Wyoming. I was never going to have babies!
ReplyDeleteThen I met folks from here n the whole plan went *poof*!
On the bright side, think of all the manure I didn't have to shovel-
i am not sure if i had an imagination of what i would be or do when i was young, but i could not have asked for better, even the difficult parts
ReplyDeleteI was one of those little Bohemians who said, "I'm not the domestic type," but I've ended up spending a lot of my life on home and family, with no regrets. I've also gotten to travel and have many adventures that I never expected would really happen. So although my life hasn't turned out as I planned, I'm not complaining.
ReplyDeleteShionge -- As much as I pictured myself to grow up a pampered princess, I always imagined myself with babies and loved my two dearly. Hope your Bibi's 18th was spectacular.
ReplyDeleteKay -- Wow, sorry I awakened such a sensitive issue for you and made you "tear up". From the outside looking in, Chicago seems to be a horrible place full of smog and traffic and graft and corruption, but obviously it was a wonderful home to you. It is to many of my family members as well and growing up, some of my fondest memories are of our visits to Chicago and those who live there seem to love it passionately. I only know that every time my sister visits her grandchildren that live there, she returns with some horrible illness.
Snaggle Tooth -- Shoveling manure is definitely a drawback to country living. LOL
Whitemist -- What a great attitude!
Susan Adcox -- I still am not the domestic type. I anticipated I would be in the workplace well into my 70's but meeting and marrying Ron when I was 52 put me in the home where I could be a stay-at-home grandmom and learn to enjoy that family gatherings in our home. It still amazes me that I can cook food and have people actually marvel over the results. I cannot complain about a day of my life either.