finishing up

           A week from today I will be on the sky way to Thailand.  From what I have observed, the stress of the trip is somewhat like childbirth....not easy but the arrival is worth it and when you think of doing it again, you forget what it is like to sit in a row of folks for 13hrs.  There are many ways to approach it, some take a sleeping pill and just wake up on the other side.  I do five movies and three meals and after a beer and massage...bed down and get ready for the first day.  
           Getting ready this time has meant trying to finish all the projects that I started this summer and fall.  I am down to only a few boxes to review and a little more shoving around in the basement and it will be as I hoped... a great place to come home to.   What I have learned about my shelter is that I love it what it is the way I want it and can tolerate for a short time when it is not "kept in place" but when it is out of control... I tend to think I am walking around on a sound stage that belongs in someone else's movie.
             When I discovered that my life was my movie and that I was the casting director,  I accepted that I could fire actors and replace them with the folks that I wanted in that role.   It is great, you get to have the mother that you always wanted and siblings.  Yesterday I got to do something that gave me terrific pleasure.  My "sister" Sheila has had a remarkable year.  She has taken back her life and and health and it is so wonderful to know that she is up and at it with her bottle wall project, creating a life space for herself in her home, returning to quilting and about to be a grandmother of twins.  When I discovered that I was going to be able to make two scarfs out of the wonderful blue yarn my godmothers helped my purchase, I told her that I would be making her a scarf like mine.   As I was wearing it this weekend.. I thought... the scarf will not have much of a purpose this winter sitting on the shelf waiting for my return in early spring.  We were meeting for lunch before we both take off to NYC and Thailand.  She will be mentoring her daughter through the early stages of motherhood and what better way to help her know I am with her in spirit, that to give her my first knitting.   So her blue scarf can go to NY and be of value.
               Being of value or having a purpose does not have to be some big deal it can be a thoughtful call to someone you have lost contact with over the years, shoveling the hydrant space, letting someone get ahead.  While we might remember to recycle and tend to the environment or earth, also be aware of the folks that pass you by and how many need a hug, smile, or a least a friendly face.  When we stand next to someone who is doom and gloom or looking at their feet, we feel the undertow... don't let it be... I have met the downer and it is me....