Pieces of the Whole
Mimi loves to sit on the windowsill and watch the world go by. In the background you can see a car or two, not to mention the tree the squirrels run up and down on. The sun was shining pretty brightly when I took this photo, so the picture isn’t the greatest, except Mimi’s such a pretty girl (yes, I’m biased) any picture with her in it is special.
Image Credits: Cesar Cat © Belinda O; Paws In Heart © Bigstock Photos; Cats in Shades © ink drop–stock.adobe.com
I’ve written about this before, so forgive me if you have read it already. But the best piece of advice I ever got was actually not exactly advice, but an observation from which you can draw your own conclusion. When I was in my 20s, my dad told me, “whether times are good or times are bad, we always think they’re going to last.”
If times are bad, we may not see a way out. If they’re good, we naively believe the good times will keep on rolling. I needed to hear that back then because my life was on a rocky road and I didn’t see an end in sight. By the time I hit 30, things had changed and I thought I was set for life (talk about naive!).
While my life has been on an even keel lately, I know that could change in a moment. My mom is 89 and has outlived her parents by quite a bit. I believe she’s likely to die suddenly, perhaps a stroke, and I know it could happen any day. My dad is also 89 and longevity runs in his family, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he lived another ten years. He’s very active, his mind is sharp, and he’s going strong.
But we got a bit of bad news last week about my uncle, my dad’s brother, who’s 92 and was also expected to live into his late 90s, just as their two older brothers and father had done. He has lung cancer and has been given 12-18 months to live (FYI, he’s not a smoker). That breaks my heart, and my dad is crushed as well. I hope to see my uncle in April, but there are a lot of ifs about that trip.
So you just never know what the day will bring. Tornadoes, fires, hurricanes–all of these hit innocent people on a regular basis.
But eventually the good comes back. My dad has buried two wives, one who had cancer and the other Alzheimer’s. Today, while the pain of those events lingers, he’s doing well. His long-time friends stepped up and he’s made new friends as well. He couldn’t golf much while Jeanne, the one with dementia, was sick, but he’s back to that three times a week, as well as bowling twice a week, bridge whenever he can, and bocce ball. Oh, and he works out and rides his bike on a regular basis. Like I said, he’s very active. And happy.
Of course the news about my uncle knocked him for a loop. He knows what my aunt will be facing and that hurts as well. It isn’t the time to tell her the good will come back, but hopefully his example helps her.
All we can do is live our lives.
Image Credits: Balance © Jane–stock.adobe.com; Happy Kids © mediastok.ai–stock.adobe.com; Bicycle © Lucky Step–stock.adobe.com
I’m moving some furniture around and Walter doesn’t quite know what to make of it. These chairs are staying right here until I can figure out a better place for them, so maybe he’s found a new spot to nap in.
Image Credit: Cesar Cat © Belinda O; Paws in Heart © Bigstock Photo; Wondering Cat © aka-stock.adobe.com
I’ve noticed a trend, and it’s been around a few years. Mostly I hear it on the radio, but there are people at work who also use one word an alarming amount of times in any given paragraph. The word? It’s “right.” Repeated over and over.
Now, I don’t mind hearing it sparsely in a conversation. Sometimes it’s put to good use, emphasizing a valid point. That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s the overuse that bothers me. Let me show you what I mean:
Now, I don’t mind hearing it sparsely in a conversation, right? Sometimes it’s put to good use, emphasizing a valid point, right? That’s not what I’m talking about, right? It’s the overuse that bothers me, right?
You get my point.
I tried to think what word it’s replacing as the one that’s overused most in society. Remember when “like” was repeated over and over? The two words are used differently, but I think both are akin to nervous tics. Another word that fits the bill? It’s “um.” Okay, we’ll maybe never get rid of that last one. Toastmasters graduates aside.
I sought an expert opinion on this. I looked up articles written by linguists, but they were mostly more esoteric. I found strings of thought on Reddit (I don’t know what the correct word is for Reddit–is it strings?), but they weren’t helpful. Just people griping about how annoyed they were by “right.”
Other overused words? “Basically” or “literally.” A co-worker of mine uses “literally” to punctuate nearly every thought. I’m sure she knows the actual meaning, but that doesn’t stop her from driving me batty with her conversational choice.
We all have our favorite words. One of mine is “hopefully.” I’m trying to stop using it so much, but it’s darn convenient!
Hopefully I can break that habit, right?
Image Credits: People Talking (header) © Oksana–stock.adobe.com; Girl talking © Dzianis Vasilyeu–stock.adobe.com
Last time I posted a Caturday post, Walter had a big scratch on his nose. Okay, you can still kind of see it, being a big scratch and all, but it’s better. And he seems comfortable lounging on my sofa. As well as just plain pretty. So in case you worried he was getting wounded from too many scuffles, I wanted to show you he’s all right.
Image Credits: Cesar Cat © Belinda O; Paws in Heart © Bigstock Photo; Classic Cat © lily–stock.adobe.com
My World With Words 
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