The Waiting is the Hardest Part - Part II

Well the waiting is over.  I had applied to attend a rather prestigious artist retreat in Saratoga, NY called Yaddo where I was hoping to spend two weeks working on my writing.  The place offers residencies to professional creative artist to work on literature, film, choreography, musical composition, painting, performance art, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video.  I didn’t think my chances were that great because technical I’m not a professional writer (I’ve never had anything traditionally published).  Yesterday I got a form letter from the Admissions Committee saying I hadn’t been invited to attend.

It’s not my first rejection letter and it won’t be my last.  I am only slightly disappointed since I didn’t have high expectations to begin with.  But you can’t accomplish anything unless you try.

Letter to U.S. Congress

Dear Members of Congress,

You better shape up because you’re not doing a very good job.  I don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, your behavior has shown that you are more concerned with politics than with people.  If you were in any other job this kind of work performance would probably get you fired.

You seem to have forgotten who you work for.  You do not work for President Obama.  You do not work for Speaker John Boehne.  You do not work for the wealthy individuals or corporations that funded your campaign.  You work for me and the rest of the American public.  You are supposed to be working for our best interests and so far you have failed.

I think it’s safe to say that the American public is tired of your complaining and blaming others for not being able to do your job.  Stop it.  We all know the economy stinks but we are expecting you to take action to make it better.  We understand that it won’t happen overnight and compromises will have to be made.  But nobody seems to be making a real effort to accomplish that.  Buckle down, start communicating, and get the job done.  If you don’t, you’ll eventually be out of a job.

Sincerely,

One of Your Bosses

American Citizen

#2 Ain't So Bad

Gallup put out a well-being index score for U.S. states recently.  The data was based on daily surveys done from January to December 2012 calculating on a scale of 0 to 100 (100 being ideal well-being) areas such as emotional health, physical health, healthy behavior, outlook on life, job satisfaction, and work environment.

Want take a guess as to which state ranked #1?  Go on, I bet you can guess.

Yes, that’s right.  Hawaii.  I believe my well-being would be pretty high if I lived in Hawaii. 

But I shouldn’t complain because Colorado came in at #2, then Minnesota (#3), Utah (#4) and Vermont (#5).  At the bottom were Arkansas (#46), Tennessee (#47), Mississippi (#48), Kentucky (#49) and lastly West Virginia (#50).

Here’s a map of the U.S. and the rankings.  How is your well-being?

No pain, no gain, right?

According to WebMD, when you exercise your body releases endorphins and these endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain.  Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body (sometimes described as “euphoric”).  Regular exercise has been proven to reduce stress, ward off anxiety, boost self-esteem and improve sleep.

I must be doing it wrong.  I got a gym membership in May 2012 and have been going to the gym regularly (3-6 times a week, 45-50 minutes each visit) since then and I haven’t once felt “euphoric” after a workout.  I feel sore, tired and sweaty.  All those wonderful things that are supposed to be happening aren’t.

I still feel stressed and have anxiety.  My self-esteem isn’t any better and I’m not sleeping all that great.

The photo above had the caption, “Nothing beats that post-workout glow.”  Bullshit.  I have never, ever, had a post-workout “glow.”  I look like crap when I’m done working out.  My hair is all matted with sweat, my clothes are sticking to me and I usually walk funny because I’m sore.   I’m still waiting for those endorphins to kick (anytime guys).

THINGS that Matter

We surround ourselves with things, cars, furniture, clothing, electronics.  And if we are honest, we all probably have too many things, things that we don’t really need.  But there are things in our lives that matter, for various reasons.

Some of the things that matter to me have to do with memories of people and places.  I have photographs all over my home.  Photographs of my family and friends and places I’ve been, and all of these things matter to.  I have things that belonged to my father and grandparents that matter, a desk, a ring, a contact lens case.  Books are also things that matter to me and I have books cases filled will books I read when I was 12, signed books by my favorite authors, and classics that I read over and over again.

The window in the photo is another thing that matters to me.  It was given to me for my 40^th birthday by a very dear and close friend.  It hangs in my living room and it makes me happy when I look at.

The frames in the other photo are something I just recently started.  In those frames is sand from different beaches I’ve visited.  They hang next to my bed.  I look at them every morning when I wake up and every night before I go bed.  They remind me of happy times and that one day I want to live close to the beach and the ocean.

In the last couple of years I have really tried not to buy things that don’t matter and that I don’t need.  Yes, there are things that are necessities but what about everything else?  We all know we buy things to make us feel better; because we saw it in a magazine, or it’s the newest, trendiest thing, but do these things a really matter?

I recently saw an Nate Berkus interviewed.  He is the interior design who became famous after being on Oprah and who lost his partner in the December 2004 tsunami.  He wrote a book called “Things That Matter.”  He said a couple of things that stuck with me.  First, surround yourself with things that bring you joy.  Newest gadget may be entertaining but do they really brining you joy?  And second, stop a moment before you purchase anything, a piece of furniture, clothing, toys and think about whether you really need it.

Why do we hold on to so many things that don’t really matter?

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

As a child, didn’t we always seem to be waiting for something?  We waited for Christmas or summer vacation.  It seemed to take forever to arrive and then they were over before we knew it.  We waited for birthdays, especially the one that allowed us to see an R rated movie, get a driver’s license or buy a drink.

As we got older we still waited for things, things that seemed more important than movies, and over the years we developed patience as well the ability to deal with disappointment.  Sometimes that patience serves us well and sometimes it doesn’t, and some disappointment weighs heavier than others. 

I am waiting for something.  It is by no means a life altering event, just something I am hoping will happen.  I know, approximately, when the waiting will end and for now I just try not to think about it.  That is my way of being patient and not getting my hopes up.  If this thing I’m waiting for doesn’t happen, I will be disappointed but not devastated.  I know you can’t accomplish anything if you don’t at least try.  And if you fail you still learn from that failure.  I truly believe you can’t grow as a person if you don’t experience any failures during your lifetime.

My waiting will end sometime near the end of March and if the news is good I will share it.  In the meantime the waiting is the hardest part, and in this case, will be probably be harder to endure than the disappointment.

Hooked on a TV show

With some time off at the end of last year I've gotten hooked on a couple of new shows.  I say new, as they are new to me but have been on TV for a while, but without cable I don't get a chance to watch the original air dates.

Homeland - I know, I'm late to the party on this one.  Watched the first season on DVD over three days.  It's so good.  The writing is good, the acting is good.  The whole is "he or isn't he" kept me going along with other suspicious events.  Can't wait for the second season to come out on DVD.

Being Human - When I heard the premise for this show when it started a couple of years ago I was skeptical.  It's set in Bristol, England (yes, that's a draw) about a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf living together.  I kind of feel like the whole vampire/werewolf fad is coming to an end but I really like this show.  It's got some humor to it and somehow it works.

Lark Rise to Candleford - This a a BBC costume drama and I can't say no to those.  It ran from 2008 to 2001 (four seasons) and is about a girl from a small English hamlet at the end of the 1800s who goes into town to work with the postmistress.  It's very family friendly (think "Little House on the Prairie" but it's got some good actors that, if you've ever watched BBC or Masterpiece/PBS productions, you'll recognize.  Just first the first seasons and got season two and three from the library today.

Merlin - Okay, this may not seem like a likely show I would pick but I actually got hooked on it when the first season aired.  I just finished watching season four and am waiting for season five.  That will be the final season and the Internet has spoilers all over the place about how the show ends.  Of course, I couldn't resist taking a peak but I won't share what I found out. But I am still looking forward to watching the last season.

So it looks like I'll be busy for a while...