Patience...

 "Patience is a virtue-cultivate it!"     Nancy Vam  (Mom)

If I am not the most impatient person you know, I'm surely in the top two.

All my life I have struggled with this character flaw.  My Mother's words were repeated often growing up and I still hear her voice almost daily as my frustration is possibly mounting over one thing or another.  

But Jodi, aren't you a yogi and bang on about the benefits of meditation?  Yes, and yes.  I will also add that 'patience' has been part of my New Year's resolutions for about, say 55 years or so as well as almost a daily prayer request.  

And neither fervent petition has worked.  Not even a little.  I still hate to be kept waiting and stand there shifting foot to foot while snorting quietly out of flared nostrils.  It's embarrassing and does nothing to speed along whatever has me waiting.  And the look is not even a little cute....

My dear friend and cousin Dayna recently had an amazing insight to my efforts to grow or somehow be bestowed of the virtue of patience.  As a fellow impatient person, Dayna thinks that all my begging is futile and I should just accept the whole flared nostril effect as a part of my personality.  I was born with  it and hence, it's meant to be.  Hmmm.mmmmmm.mmmm

The 'virtue' part of patience is described as "behavior showing high moral standards."  Okay, I'm all about high moral standards, I think that part is easy.  But the patience thing?  Please pray for me...

Just do it QUICKLY!!   XOXO

  

Dream On...

 Consider Martin Luther King Jr. Day.... Yes, there is no mail or school and some of us have a holiday.  But it's important to remember his message.  His gentle and insistent message is still unanswered and relevant today.  I feel like we are still struggling for perfect equality without violence, prejudice and hate.  It says so much about our progress and lack of empathy and shows how very little we have progressed.  All the passion of Martin Luther King Jr. STILL has been unable to change that and make the world realize that we are all children of the universe and equal in all ways.

I have a dream, too.  That the world heals from division and hate and that we once again, realize that we all come from different places and have different views based on that.  Our experiences are not 'equal' and we have to look ahead to overcome old thought patterns that make us entitled to behave that we are somehow 'better' than the next person.  I dream of the day when those rough edges of prejudice are smoothed off and harmony persists-when our commonalities are more important than our differences.  When looking at homeless and addicts, that we understand they may have a disease and can't help their situation.  And then helping them.

I dream of a world where disease is minimized and efforts to advocate for our health is a top priority.  Responsibility for ourselves while displaying tolerance for those that don't.  Realizing that our judgement of others says nothing about them but everything about ourselves.  I dream of personally maintaining the optimism that things WILL get better and closer to the normal that we are comfortable with. My bubblehead wishes for a healthy Randy to go to work everyday while I hit up my gym classes and return to my quiet house of comfort. I dream of the phone call,  'put on something cute, we are going out for dinner!'  (it's the small stuff that I miss!)  

What's your dream and what are you doing to achieve it?  I would love to know!  XOXO

Jeopardy...

 With all that's going on in the jspot world, I have neglected to pay my respects to the loss of my long time crush.  After all, I rendezvoued with him five times a week for over thirty years!  This infatuation is no secret and Randy is totally comfortable with my ardent adoration.  Truly an affair of the heart.

 So lets talk about him...

Alex Trebek was the perfect man-in my opinion.  He's was the stunning combination of brains and good looks.  The 'Silver Fox' quality was set off by the gorgeous Armani suits that were tailored exactly to him.  Add all that to his confidence, and you've got the total package.

As long as I can remember, I have watched Jeopardy.  Dane shared my passion and we had many embattled nights competing for answers.  I loved to tune in to just discover how very little I know, but Alex never made me feel inferior.  I occasionally had to chide him for being a bit condescending and smug-after all he had the answers right in front of him!  I admired his perfect diction as he pronounced international words with ease and the proper accent.  He was charming and had a natural grace about him.  

So with a sad heart, I watched Alex's final episode on January 8.  Battling pancreatic cancer, he still handled himself with the style and class that I admire.  It's truly the end of an era for the world as well as myself.  There will never be another Alex.   R.I.P.  XO

P.S. What is a person unable to edit a screenshot called?  Answer: Thejspotjodi!

Safety Dance...

 I watched him walk out of the gas station.  He was minimally fifty pounds overweight and carrying a two liter of  Mt. Dew in one hand and a case of cigarettes in the other.  However; his mask was securely in place so he was being 'safe.'  Who's going to protect him from diabetes, heart disease and cancer?  Please.  Can you explain the logic in that thinking?  And you wonder why our health insurance costs so much.  

And why in the interest of keeping us 'safe' are people allowed to smoke three feet away from the door at Target and some restaurants?  I gag on the secondhand smoke as I approach the door while biting my tongue.  I guess my 'safety' doesn't matter on that account.  And we don't have to even talk about the litter on the ground and in the flower pots.  Buttheads!

Meanwhile, the lunch line at McDonalds circles the golden arches peddling the food with the highest fat and sodium content known to man.  And there are ten varieties of  'energy drinks'-you know, the ones that are banned in Europe-available at any store.  Who's going to keep those people 'safe' as they increase their odds of obesity and high blood pressure?

 And how about the house on my street that had up the most gorgeous Christmas light display the very day after Thanksgiving?  Well, now those lights are down and the lighted pink hearts are up in anticipation of Valentines Day.  Wow.  People like that both amuse me and and amaze me.   I am continuously impressed with their ambition and love seeing the creativity.  I just hope somebody was holding the ladder steady while the decoration went up on that third story!   'Safe'ty first!

So dear friends, now that you have endured my first rant of the new year, can I just say that I'm ready for a new buzzword?  How about 'use common sense!'

Happy New Year!   Much luv, xo