Introvert Is A Good Word
The leaves are changing rapidly in Little Egypt. My Birthday Week is usually the best time to go leaf-peeping. Autumn is especially nice for Woods Walking.
I am a card-carrying introvert, and I am proud of it. For many years, I have heard that introverts should leave their comfort zones and become extroverts. This is a bit like telling zebras to whitewash their stripes. We introvert love people. We love them better at a distance.
Introverts are watchers. Introverts are deep thinkers. We enjoy our friends who seek the spotlight. We prefer the shadows.
We walk on to the stage of life and often leave our comfort zones. We seek to help others. Introverts speak publicly and can not be distinguished from extroverts without close examination. Many performers and public people are introverts. In reality, we are waiting for Godot.
People’s pain troubles us. We seek solutions for suffering. Still, waters run deep is the term others use to describe us. Deep we are and unplumed by others who are busy focusing on extroverts.
A lie travels around the world while the truth is still pulling its pants up. Public utterances disguise reality. Rhetoric is considered truth when often said.
It is good to be the king we introverts are advised. Follow me and leave your comfort zone…I will make you rich we are admonished. The quiet man and woman go unnoticed.
The extrovert Christian proclaims God blessed them with their abundance. The introverted Christian labors in the shadows and although not rich feel protection from God.
Introverts marshall their strength for the extrovert arena. It does not come naturally to them. When they speak people listen. They think about what they are saying.
My Director of many years and I commiserated regarding are being both introverts and yet having extrovert positions. The secret to my being in the extrovert arena was my love of people. My management philosophy was to put people first and excellence of work product would follow. My philosophy for my department’s relationship with all departments at Southern Illinois University was we would make our enemies our friends and our friends love us.
G.K. Chesterton said, ‘We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.’
In Praise Of Women
I have an observation that I have developed over many years: Anything that men can do, women can often do better. I watched Neva J face daunting tasks as a single mom with wit and humor. She took classes in photography and had the heart of a saint. Although we had little, I knew she would always provide for me and her. If someone was in need, she always shared what she had.
MJ has always been smarter and more skilled than me. I owe my success to her. Her analytical thinking and problem-solving skills are exemplary. MJ taught in a church school for five years. Her professional services were donated. MJ taught Aaron and Jonathon at home for several years so that I could be with them during the day as I worked nights.
My friend Elizabeth is brilliant. The work that she has done at Southern Illinois University is worth countless more than she has been paid. Added to all of her duties she leads the Civil Service Council and has achieved many benefits for the Civil Service Community.
My friend Cyndy is compassionate and adept at administration. She cared for her mother for many years and she is a wonderful singer. Her glowing personality draws all who meet her.
I have watched sexism and misogyny all of my life. Men who think that they have more ability than women due to their gender. Men who do not trust women leaders. It is an abomination to marginalize the skills and brainpower of women. Many of them have forgotten more than we men know. Historically men work their eight hours and come home to put their feet up and enjoy sports and a beer. Their female partners know the first eight was half of their daily shift. Women manage their homes and plan their daily activities. And we hope they are not stressed…
My friend Margo writes blogs and books that I learn from. A caring person who does little more than smile when she encounters male hubris.
Women search for answers and then implement them. Women are doers, not talkers. Women create compromise which is the oil that keeps the engine of life running.
My sister Marcy has fortitude like a rock. She is brilliant and never brags. She speaks with a glance.
Let us think again about our outdated beliefs regarding women. They are the answer to many of our endemic problems. They do not seek to belittle but to lift up.
Four Days Until #67
Marcy was speaking of weaving this morning and I wondered about the speed of life likened to a Weaver’s Shuttle. We visited New Mexico and watched a weaver use her shuttle. The rapidity of the instrument can’t be measured by the eye. Such are the fleeting years of our lives. When young we are the Captain of our Ship and the Master of our soul. With aplomb, we start our journey with little thought of how long it will be. As we enter a new decade we mark the calendar about our achievement.
Many things about age keep you young. Morning is new every day. Listening to the trees talking to each other in the woods is calming. The look of thousands of leaves changes moment by moment and never the same way. The joy of Brock and Marcy’s visit.
Laughing is essential. I have experienced uproarious laughter twice this month. It has been fun! First with Margo and Jeff in Maine when I told The Massage story. Yesterday Marcy, Brock, MJ, Aaron Jonathon, and the Birthday Boy laughed until we cried! The hilarity and Joie de vivre of being with people you love and are in total comfort with is refreshing.
Laughter solves problems. Laughter is medicine. Laughter heals.
One foot in Heaven and one foot on Earth. Eyes for the mystical with a sense of place. The future can be seen through the windshield. Past can be seen in the rearview mirror. Get behind the wheel of the 57′ Chevy and put the convertible top down. Drive to the Orpheum Theatre then Pounds Hollow and a Maine Holiday. End the trip with your brother and sister from Tennessee. Laugh all the way as the road widens. What is next? More laughs more tears and more love…
Marcy & Brock Day
They’re coming…they are really coming! ‘The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.’ ‘Mom in her kerchief and I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.’ ‘When out on the lawn I heard such a clatter I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.’
Christmas in October is today. The Tennessee Brooks are coming. They will bring glad tidings of good cheer.
Finding Brock and Marcy was a great gift. Last year, we journeyed to Maine. We heard a ghost say hello several times and danced to the tune of Pudding and Big Girl. Puddin and Big Girl are characters we invented in Maine. We saw a sign in a yard that said ‘No Frigging Way’ and quickly adopted ‘Frigging’ as our go to word.
Jonathon has ordered a Movie Trivia Game that will be delivered this afternoon. Movie Trivia here we come!
Shakespeare said, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” It is nice to be with dear friends and family. No putting on airs as Jed Clampett said of Beverly Hillbillies fame. There is a rhythm and rhyme to knowing people well. Words are not required. A glance is sufficient.
In a lonely world traveling life’s road is more fun with others. We discover that we are more alike than different. Money, fame, fortune, really are artificial seperators.
Oktoberfest
Have you seen European Vacation with Chevy Chase? The segment in Germany is hilarious. Chevy attempts to dance with the Germans on stage. They take advantage of his lack of knowledge.
I adopted the Oktoberfest nomenclature to describe our active October. A seventh Maine adventure at the beginning of the month and a visit by Marcy and Brock tomorrow. It is my 67 birthday Thursday.
Old folks enjoy fun.
I recall the German Club members raving about Oktoberfest when I was a lad.
‘Oktoberfest is going to be awesome this year,’ Jane said. ‘We have the traditional German dress including the Lederhosen,’ Jane continued. ‘This year I am going to drink some beer,’ Jane laughed.
‘I have not witnessed such a large crowd for Oktoberfest,’ Chet observed. ‘It seems everyone has turned out for the festivities, he continued. ‘The military component is troubling but the pageantry is stunning,’ Chet said with concern.
‘Look at the sky…the leader is flying in to give his speech…he is coming from the sky to save us,’ Frau Heinz said with tears in her eyes. ‘Nations fear us now…we are no longer crushed by the terrible debt of the Great War,’ Frau Heinz exulted with a manic expression of adoration.
‘I hear concerning comments regarding the Jews,’ The Cobbler said. ‘My friend Aaron has not been seen for a month,’ Cobbler continued. ‘First Aaron and now perhaps me,’ Cobbler mused.
‘Hush now…don’t you want to be great again,’ Heir Muller said as he saluted the Leader…
Hello…Hello…Hello
So, I was musing on a good Halloween story when it dawned on me that I experienced one last year in Maine. We were there with Marcy and Brock. Staying in a home built before the Civil War, the chilling ambiance was ideal. This was our third of four Maine Holidays in a row. We were pumped, as the kids say. Arriving in the evening after dinner at Taste of Maine, MJ and I were the first to enter the ancient dwelling. To get to the Civil War House we drove down a winding road that was easy to miss. Hello…Hello, I distinctly heard. Then I heard MJ responding Hello…Hello. The first Hello did not respond. Then I called out Hello…Hello…Hello and MJ answered Hi. Where was the Property Manager I thought…that must be who was calling out to us…probably here to greet us as the new guests.
Silence.
The Civil War House had a strange basement. If you were not too tall, a trapdoor led to it. I was too tall.
There was no air conditioner. The doors did not lock properly. We opened all of the windows. As the eagle cried out from its nest on the river. We spoke of ghosts and ‘Hello.’
There were pictures throughout the Civil War House. You could see the kids grow from children and be photographed with their children. The Matriarch and Patriarch grew older. I counted 40 coffee cups with family names inscribed on them. The paintings aligning the walls looked on.
The disembodied Hello could not be found. It was with us during our stay. Just around the corner or perhaps in the basement…
Freeze Warning
I brought the hundred-dollar hose in because I did not want it to freeze and burst like the one it replaced. It is one of those flexible hoses, and it is easy to use. Cold weather has snuck up on me again. Yesterday we were perspiring, and today we need a coat and a good hat.
I have been searching for the scary shows. The time is right. TCM has the old ones. The Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man, and The Mummy I watched as a kid. They afforded me many hours of viewing pleasure. I recall my plastic Jack-O-Lantern I collected candy in Halloween night. It was upscale for my time.
This is the time of year I began to anticipate the holiday season. Thanksgiving was a fly by holiday in our house. Neva J was busy preparing for Christmas. I watched the Macy’s Thanksviving Day Parade. Thanksgiving Dinner at Grandma A’s house was a delight. It did not happen every year…oh but when it did it enhanced the Parade…
‘I love Thanksgivng at Grandma A’s,’ Chet said. ‘It seems that she has a Horn Of Plenty,’ he continued. ‘There is so much to eat I have to loosen my belt,’ Chet mused.
‘I had no where to go for Thanksgiving until Neva J invited me to your dinner Granma A,’ Rosie said with a wonderfull smile. ‘I do not get out much but stay at home until Neva J comes to take me to the grocery store…I often listen to my records of JFK’s speeches,’ Rosie mentioed. ‘President Kennedy is a wonderful leader,’ Rosie said. ‘He saved us from Nuclear War,’ she proclaimed!
‘I was afraid Kruscheve was going to use the bombs he sent Cuba to anhilaiate us,’ Jane said with feeling. ‘Dad built a bomb shelter and we did drills every night during the Crisis,’ Jane said. ‘When JFK said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country,’ I was inspired and wondered if Nuclear War was going to wipe out that opportunity,’ Jane said in a whisper.
‘Thank you Grandma A for inviting Jackie and me to your Thanksgiving Feast…we have much to be grateful for,’ the Leader said with a toothy smile…
Confidence
There are two ways to walk the journey back to Jerusalem. Unconfident or Confident. We are both. At times we roar like a lion and then purr like a kitten. Mylo’s moods change throughout the day. He is bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning and grumpy in the evening. Up for play and adventure during the day and bristling at touch in the evening before bedtime. I heard Jerry Seinfeld say that before he gets out of bed in the morning he feels unconfident that he is up to the challenge of the day. When he arises and begins to move about his confidence returns.
Life requires get up and go even when our get up and go has got up and went.
‘I hate to speak in front of an audience,’ Billy B said to Chet. ‘My hands sweat and I feel queasy,’ Billy B continued. ‘Speech class is not a good place for a person like me,’ Billy B mused.
Just get up in front of the class and forget that there are people watching you,’ Chet advised. ‘Pretend they are monkeys in a zoo and that you are the zookeeper,’ Chet laughed. ‘Once you begin your speech the joy of the story will flow,’ he winked.
‘I could not believe my good fortune,’ Billy B told Jane. ‘As I began to speak it was as if someone else took over and I became energized by the positive feedback from the class,’ Billy B exulted! ‘My fears scattered,’ he smiled.
‘Confidence makes the difference,’ Chet laughed. ‘Believe you can do it and it will be done,’ he continued. ‘Nothing succeeds like success,’ Chet proclaimed!
Writing For Fun & Life
It is fall weather today and cooler tomorrow according to the forecast. I love it! In Maine, I told Margo that I had been writing almost daily due to her inspiration. She mentioned my little characters. I did not realize she had been reading my blog.
So Maine causes me to write. Everything causes me to write. My years as a daily writer have been happy. Writing is good therapy for introverts.
I heard writers say that characters take on a life of their own. I have found that to be true. I experience writing ideas throughout the day and night. I am like many seniors I sleep in spurts.
Brock and Marcy are coming and I am excited! It is like two Christmases close together. Brock and I have matching tattoos and we look alike. I see our Dad when I see him. Dad was like many of his World War II generation. He fought for his country and then had to negotiate life. The latter was more difficult.
Maine has become part of my soul. It is magical and mystical to me.
Writing expands my vision. Life opens like a kaleidoscope. The possibilities are endless. Hope on steroids.
The future is more exciting than the past. We have just begun. ‘Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for them that love him.’
We live in a small box with high walls and no windows. Our voice resounds off of the walls. An echo chamber. If we kick the walls down, there is so much to see, feel, and comprehend.
Life is vast. It is complex. Understanding is attainable if we look and listen…
Soon I will be 67. I embrace it! At times I wondered if I would see 60. If you are depressed despondent or afraid you have had the plot hidden from you. Joy is the Journey. Hope is the motivation. Love is the guide…
Sunday In Maine
So it is a week from Margo, Jeff, MJ Aaron, and my search for leaves in Maine. Last Sunday we devoted the day to concerted Leaf Peeping and Antiquing. Two of my favorite pastimes. This is the day that we branched out and went inland from our coastal haunts to discover the secret of the leaves.
I identify with leaves and antiques. As the leaves are so am I in my Autumn.
In Hallowell we had lunch and I had a unique fish dish called a Napoleon. It was nice. The architecture of Hallowell was intriguing.
Sunday in Maine has a special feel. It was sweet to have our lifelong friends with us. I was transported to my youth. Jeff asked me when we enjoyed exploring Paris ten years ago, ‘Did you ever think we would be in Paris?’ I thought that for Hallowell, Maine as well.
The streets of the inland towns were quiet. Mainers were in their homes contemplating the upcoming winter and what it requires.
Aaron and I enjoyed a Maine Cigar. Jonathon joined us with a quality drink. The young lady who sold them to me in Boothbay seemed unhappy with life. I tried to cheer her up to no avail. I finally elicited a weak smile.
Maine reminds me of The Story. The Story of My Life. I began as a little kid from Chicago. My first memory is that we had a nice house this time. I had not known another house. Now I am an old man enjoying Maine with my dear friends and my loving family. The road has been winding. I have always known that I wanted those around me to be happy and secure. Love has been my credo. Treating others like I want to be treated is my goal. Life is like a movie that seemed long in the beginning and now is staging the climax.
Will the next home be nice…
The Happy Traveler 