Category: On Life

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In Oz After Being in Hometown Parade

 

After a three-week absence from home and work, I feel a bit like I am in Oz, but am hoping that I will find my way, perhaps more expediently than Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz.

Lots of work overdo, including reporting the fantastic news that one of my short stories, The Coloured Girl, adapted as Guess who is coming to lunch, was published in Love Sunday, magazine of the Sunday People, on November 23. A paper of the Trinity Mirror Group, the Sunday People has a wide readership.

How about that! Watch this space for the pdf of the story, in case you missed it. Think of it as a Christmas treat, if you will. But still, there is time to bag The Seasons for Christmas or gift it. So I am told it is a fast and exciting read. Actually, I think so, too.

In the meantime, I must take the opportunity to publicly thank the Leary, Georgia, Christmas Parade committee for inviting me as their special guest this year. As Grand Marshal of my hometown’s Annual Christmas Parade, I had the opportunity to speak at a breakfast and lead the parade. Equally as exciting, I interacted with both familiar and unfamiliar community members. How very exciting.

It was an emotional yet fun event for me as I rode through the streets of the small town, remembering Leary when I was a youth. Like most small towns, Leary has had its ups and downs, evidently so in the population and other areas. On the upside, the town now has a library and yes, yours truly has three books in it. How about that!

Appropriately, after the parade, there was an opportunity to sign books. Many thanks to those who visited and supported!

Again, thanks to the committee and everyone who came for sharing your day with me. Having been back in the place where I grew up, if only briefly, I learned a valuable lesson about holding on to who you are, even if it means letting go of the past, so often necessary to spring forward.

Now to go forth and find my way through Oz; wish me luck in meeting the old Wizard, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Celebrating Different Types of Friendship

As far back as I can remember I’ve had friends, whether they were the kids next door or cousins living in a nearby town. In any case, friends are a huge part of life, whether we are young or old or somewhere in between.

“I feel like true friendship (is not to dissimilar to marriage) where  through the ups and downs, a commitment is in place for the duration,'” says my BFF.

So, so, so true, isn’t it? Still, sadly some friendships don’t last, aren’t necessarily true friendships perhaps, at least not forever. They come and they go, depending on the situation. For my latest Huff Post blog, I reflect on situational friendships, what they are, the importance of acknowledging and celebrating them and then letting them go and allowing them to rest well in the history books of life, your life.

And in the meantime, celebrate those lasting friendships too, even if it is only now and again. After all, it is the effort that counts when it comes to sustaining a friendship, the conscious effort that is. Read more here.

 

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Poppies Appeal to Millions at Tower of London

Today, November 11 marks Armistice Day here in the UK and Veterans Day in the US. Both holidays, if you will, honour those who have lost their lives in the many battles fought over the years and celebrate the retired and present service men and women who represent both countries.

Here in London, thousands gather at the Tower of London to admire the sea of poppies on exhibition in the moat. Constructed to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of World War I, the installation began on 5 August and will be finalise today with the last ceramic poppy planted at 10.52, totalling 888, 246 poppies altogether.

Though the extraordinary exhibition, created by Paul Cummings and staged by Tom Piper, will be dismantled starting tomorrow, more than 4 million visitors from around the world are projected to have seen it when it is all said and done. Fortunately, Paul and I are amongst them.

Last Friday, after seeing Speed the Plow with Lindsay Lohan, (alright if you ask me but not great) we caught a taxi to the Tower and joined hundreds of other late night viewers, to enjoy the exhibition under floodlights.

So popular during its final weeks, the Mayor lobbied to extend it to no avail, but instead the organisers agreed to keep it illuminated at night. Though I had suggested we go early Saturday morning, Paul thought it would be wise to make the trek at night.

It was well worth it—the poppy exhibition, that is. For Londoners who haven’t seen it and are willing to brave the crowds, I can highly recommend. As for the play, I wouldn’t bother. But the extraordinary poppy display is hauntingly moving, even if under giant spotlights.

In the meantime, let us celebrate and honour our men and women of service on both sides of the pond, on this special day, and always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What Does Brain Fog Have to do With It?

For years now, I have asked myself this very question and haven’t come up with a satisfactory answer. Sure I’ve understood for a long time that food has a real impact on organs such as the liver, kidneys, the heart. But, not the brain. Honestly!

Lucky for me,  I have found some answers now,  even if searching took me through a dramatic experience or two. Read more about what I discovered about brain fog in my latest Huffington Post blog, and also how to manage it. Thank goodness, the fog has lifted.

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Seeing what’s in the Timing

As a local, I often look at what meets the eye, nothing more.  And now and again, I don’t even do that. I scan areas and attractions, rather fleetingly. But recently in keeping with the running with sense theme, I thought I’d pay more attention to my surroundings and how wonderful it was to discover new characteristics of the Thames Path.

But surprisingly, I found it hard to focus without interruption from my other senses, so instead of banging out a blog after one running session, I gave it three. Not to mention the backlog of work for my new website and latest book, The Seasons, both coming soon! Watch this space.

Anyhow, the most distracting of all of the senses was hearing. Having ditched the iPhone to listen up sensibly, all I could seemingly do was hear the sounds of helicopters, airplanes, buses, cars, even people humming away.  To this end, I shut my eyes briefly, thinking I could block them out, but only made the sounds louder and also nearly lost my balance. Thankfully, I recovered quickly, even if I was dizzy.

Thus on the second morning, I stayed wide-eyed, no matter what, and lo and behold I made an interesting discovery. It was all in the timing.

By 8 o’clock London is pretty much wide awake and in this state, the city is noisy, but still sleepy in the earlier hours, London is serene and far more noticeable by sight, at least the distance I run on the Thames Path whether towards Putney or Battersea.

While the sky, even in its greyness, seems calm, so does the river, even if it is rushing and swirling. Meanwhile a single bird flies low and speculates, too. And cyclists, runners and walkers move easily.

The commuters seem more polite to one another, mimicking you first, I insist while approaching the river bus, the bus, the train

And the beautiful luxury houseboats on The Thames look picture perfect, too. Even the skyscrapers in the distance look inviting and not steely as they can in the midst of the day.

This morning, I noticed a cat scampering about in silence. Imagine! Also, I saw a dog or two prancing and smiled to myself, understanding the phrase puppy dog eyes. And then tick tock went the clock and cyclists came tearing down the path, tooting their horns, and mothers and fathers scrambled to keep up with their scooting children, and runners tried to stay out of the way, me included.

Finally at the finish line, I stopped to stretch and take in the fresh air and realised that I was distracted, already getting ahead to feeling. Thus, I fixed my eyes on the river. Captivated by its life, the water looking like silk flesh as it ebbed and flowed, a lone duck riding it, I couldn’t help grunting when I felt a pain in my leg. Thrown out of the scenery, yet again, I gave in to feeling. That’s next week’s assignment. Stay tuned.

On Life/

Summer Weddings Underway: Time to Invest

While June continues to reign as the most popular month for weddings in the US, August has pipped it at the post in the UK. Perhaps it’s something to do with the weather, but that’s another blog. Watch this space.

In the meantime,  US statistics show that in 2012, some 17 per cent of the thousands of weddings that took place happened in June. In the UK in 2013, only 10 per cent of marrying couples chose the traditional month. Here, 15 per cent married in August.

In both countries, however, trends  show that weddings are on the rise. How wonderful! And that’s all the more reason that it makes sense to invest in marriage, not just the wedding.

In a recent Huffington Post blog, I spoke to an expert about the matter.

According to Sila Lee, co-founder of Holy Trinity Brompton’s (HTB) Marriage Preparation Course with her husband Nicky, investing in marriage beforehand is one of the best investments that any couple can make because every couple will inevitably faces issues owing to different backgrounds and life experiences.

But for one reason or another, this notion is not necessarily the norm. The Lee’s  want to change this.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Read  Investing in Marriage for a Change in The Huffington Post UK.

On Life/

Your Legacy: What do you stand for?

Often when tragedy hits home and sometimes at a distance, depending on the scale of it, we are forced to think about our own mortality.

This was certainly the case last week for Britons upon hearing about the untimely death of heroic teenager Stephen Sutton, who raised more than 3 million pounds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Stephen’s untimely death got me and many others thinking about legacy.  See my thoughts in my latest Huff Post blog on the subject and do share yours, too.

It’s a sensitive subject but one well worth considering.

On Life/

What do Children Have to do with Care?

By 2030,  there will be more elders to care for in England than there are people to care for them, says a recent Institute for Public Policy Research  study.  The main problem, the study surmises, has to do with no children living nearby.

I ask what about when there are no children, at all, or children that don’t see caring for their elders as their responsibility.

Check out my latest  Huffington Post blog: Who is Going to Take Care of You in Old Age?

Big question. What is your answer. Comment here on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or on the Huff Post directly.

On Life/

Age-old Secret out of the Bag

Shush! Never ask a woman her age. And certainly don’t expect her to volunteer it. In my grandma’s day, this was definitely the case.

And while there are women now who still prefer not to talk about the matter, many of us are happy to let the cat out of the bag.

I have my say on the subject in my latest Huff Post blog. Not only am I happy to talk about my age, but also happy to tell why.

Check out the full blog here and do have your say or keep quiet. It is a woman’s prerogative, irrespective of age old beliefs or new ones.