This last weekend my husband and I had a garage sale. We still have items from both of our mothers' houses that were sent to us or ended up in our possession. We are also looking forward to a big life change for ourselves in the next few years when we retire and possibly move to another state to be closer to our son and his family.
So in preparation for that eventual move I have been going through boxes and cabinets and setting aside items we don't use to sell. In most cases it is an easy decision. "Hmmm, French press coffee pot. I have never used that and am too addicted to my Keurig. Sell!" I have found stacks of serving dishes, bowls, glassware and other things that have lurked in the back of my cabinets for years. All were removed, cleaned and sold this last weekend.
In my search for items to sell I found a box of my mother's silver serving dishes. They were tarnished and dirty so I decided to clean them up and include them in the garage sale. As I was polishing the serving pieces I reminisced about the many times my mother used them.
She loved to have fancy dinners where she brought out all the good china, silverware and serving pieces and we would celebrate a holiday, an event or a special birthday. Everyone had to dress up and dinner was served formally. Of course she also had five daughters so she had a ready made labor force to clean all those pieces and polish the silver. Standing there alone in my kitchen polishing the silver pieces for sale reminded me of all the times my sisters and I would have clean up/polishing duty after a family dinner. Although in the grand tradition of all teenagers we complained about the work (just not loud enough for our mother to hear) thinking back it did not seem so overwhelming or like such drudgery as it did as I was working alone last week.
I am selling the silver pieces because I just don't entertain that way at all. For me a gathering is a buffet on the kitchen island with disposable plates and eating utensils. I would much rather invest my time in spending it with friends and guests than dealing with fancy place settings and serving dishes.
It was wonderful to have the time to think about the past but it is also time for me to move on. I know I am doing the right thing in re-homing these pieces with someone who will appreciate them.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
It's Always Something!
It seems like recently I have been either saying or hearing this phrase "It's always something!" I was talking to a work colleague late last week and we were comparing notes on the reorganization at the college where we both work. Although many of the changes will end up eventually being positive we were both unsure about what the changes would bring to our lives and jobs. Between the two of us it seems like that was the theme of the day, "It's always something!"
As I was telling my husband about this over the weekend he also agreed. No matter what is going on it seems like "It's always something!" Recently I had a check up with my doctor and even though everything was fine he reminded me I was overdue for two regular wellness check ups. So I left his office with referrals for two different doctors I need to see over the next six months.
It can also be something positive that brings up the phrase, "It's always something!" A few years ago we had a hockey player living with us who has a lobster business with his father. He and his father have a commercial lobster license and they tend about 100 lobster traps off the shore of Massachusetts. During his school breaks he works the traps, either selling or giving away the lobsters he catches. One spring his father sent us 8 live lobsters he had caught the previous day. He wrapped them in seaweed and sent them over night to our front door. Although we were thrilled to receive the very generous gift we also were extremely busy that day. Luckily I had a chef friend who offered to cook them for me so that evening we enjoyed fresh lobster for dinner!
So "It's always something!" can be something negative, like a work reorganization the results in stress and uncertainty about the future. It can also be something unexpected in the midst of good news, my doctor check up was fine but I needed to take care of some regular maintenance on my body. Or it can be something positive, a box of fresh, live lobsters on your front porch and a friend who helps to cook them for your evening feast.
As someone who tries to look at life as a "glass half full" experience I hope to continue to say, "It's always something!" knowing that something can be a transition to a positive experience or outcome.
What do you think? How do you handle "It's always something!"
As I was telling my husband about this over the weekend he also agreed. No matter what is going on it seems like "It's always something!" Recently I had a check up with my doctor and even though everything was fine he reminded me I was overdue for two regular wellness check ups. So I left his office with referrals for two different doctors I need to see over the next six months.
It can also be something positive that brings up the phrase, "It's always something!" A few years ago we had a hockey player living with us who has a lobster business with his father. He and his father have a commercial lobster license and they tend about 100 lobster traps off the shore of Massachusetts. During his school breaks he works the traps, either selling or giving away the lobsters he catches. One spring his father sent us 8 live lobsters he had caught the previous day. He wrapped them in seaweed and sent them over night to our front door. Although we were thrilled to receive the very generous gift we also were extremely busy that day. Luckily I had a chef friend who offered to cook them for me so that evening we enjoyed fresh lobster for dinner!
So "It's always something!" can be something negative, like a work reorganization the results in stress and uncertainty about the future. It can also be something unexpected in the midst of good news, my doctor check up was fine but I needed to take care of some regular maintenance on my body. Or it can be something positive, a box of fresh, live lobsters on your front porch and a friend who helps to cook them for your evening feast.
As someone who tries to look at life as a "glass half full" experience I hope to continue to say, "It's always something!" knowing that something can be a transition to a positive experience or outcome.
What do you think? How do you handle "It's always something!"
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Tony Awards, The Good Wife, Acting and Education
I have been a little absent recently from this blog. My only defense is that my work has been unusually busy and I'm also working on writing my dissertation. So between advising students, helping then get into classes for summer semester and getting data results from my research I just have not had the "umph" to think about topics for this blog. I will do a better job from here on out.
On Sunday night I watched some of the broadcast of the Tony Awards. I always like to do that because I really admire those actors who work in the musicals. I love watching extremely talented people who can sing and dance - AT THE SAME TIME! They can also act.
One of my favorite television shows is The Good Wife (on CBS). It's a great combination of powerful story lines, great characters and an strong female lead. One character on the show is Eli Gold (played by British stage and screen actor Alan Cumming). On The Good Wife he plays a buttoned-up political strategist and chief of staff to the governor of Illinois. It's a great role and he plays it well. When watching the Tony Award Ceremony on Sunday night Alan Cumming showed a very different side of himself. He is currently reprising his role as the emcee of the Kit Kat Club in Cabaret (the role made famous by Joel Grey). His performance is dead on outrageous and he seems to enjoy playing the part. Needless to say I will never look at Eli Gold the same way again!
That got me thinking about acting. I am an introvert according the the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. So for me the thought of putting myself "out there" in a role that is totally outrageous is about the same as me doing brain surgery. Probably won't happen. Yet in thinking about it further I realized that in my own way I do put myself "out there."
During the school year I teach an Introduction to Psychology class at a community college. I realized that for three hours every week during the school year I am performing. I tell stories, I do impressions, I cue up videos that make my lecture points and I put on a performance all in the name of education.
I want my students to first of know that learning can be fun - and what is more fun than using a clip from Big Bang Theory to illustrate a point about learning and classical conditioning. The second thing I want my students to know is that learning is all around us and can often be found in popular culture.
So in my own way I am an actor, treading the boards not in pursuit of the "theater" but conducting a class where psychology, acting, popular culture and learning come together in something that is lots of fun!
On Sunday night I watched some of the broadcast of the Tony Awards. I always like to do that because I really admire those actors who work in the musicals. I love watching extremely talented people who can sing and dance - AT THE SAME TIME! They can also act.
One of my favorite television shows is The Good Wife (on CBS). It's a great combination of powerful story lines, great characters and an strong female lead. One character on the show is Eli Gold (played by British stage and screen actor Alan Cumming). On The Good Wife he plays a buttoned-up political strategist and chief of staff to the governor of Illinois. It's a great role and he plays it well. When watching the Tony Award Ceremony on Sunday night Alan Cumming showed a very different side of himself. He is currently reprising his role as the emcee of the Kit Kat Club in Cabaret (the role made famous by Joel Grey). His performance is dead on outrageous and he seems to enjoy playing the part. Needless to say I will never look at Eli Gold the same way again!
That got me thinking about acting. I am an introvert according the the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. So for me the thought of putting myself "out there" in a role that is totally outrageous is about the same as me doing brain surgery. Probably won't happen. Yet in thinking about it further I realized that in my own way I do put myself "out there."
During the school year I teach an Introduction to Psychology class at a community college. I realized that for three hours every week during the school year I am performing. I tell stories, I do impressions, I cue up videos that make my lecture points and I put on a performance all in the name of education.
I want my students to first of know that learning can be fun - and what is more fun than using a clip from Big Bang Theory to illustrate a point about learning and classical conditioning. The second thing I want my students to know is that learning is all around us and can often be found in popular culture.
So in my own way I am an actor, treading the boards not in pursuit of the "theater" but conducting a class where psychology, acting, popular culture and learning come together in something that is lots of fun!
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