AIRSOFT 101
1. Listen to kids go on and on for about a week about how they want to go airsofting on Saturday.
2. Listen to kids make plans with 5 other kids to go airsofting on Saturday.
3. Listen to kids talk for the entire week about how much they could save if they just bought all of their gear at the pro shop on Saturday.
4. Explain to the kids, for about a week, that the pro shop has elevated prices and if they buy their gear there, they'll be ripped off on Saturday.
5. Talk to moms about picking up their kids to take them airsofting on Saturday.
6. Listen to kids ask if there is any way we can squeeze more kids into the car on Saturday.
7. Explain to the kids that we would have to strap people to the roof and the mirrors if we brought any more kids with us on Saturday.
8. Double check the free-play times for airsofting on Saturday.
9. Tell kids to go to bed before 2am because they have to get up early on Saturday.
10. Wake the kids up on Saturday.
11. Follow them around like a crazed raccoon trying to get them out the door for airsofting on Saturday.
12. Pick up friends on Saturday.
13. Arrive at the airsoft place on Saturday.
14. Find out they changed the times for free play that Saturday.
15. Get gouged out of $40 more dollars so kids can join current free play time on Saturday.
16. Wait in the car for 4 hours writing this ridiculous post, on Saturday.
17. Surf the web for airsoft gear on Saturday.
18. Repeat steps 1-16 next Saturday.
19. Make a point that I know airsofting isn't really a verb, even on Saturday.
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Friday, March 2, 2018
OH MY GOD, BECKY, LOOK AT MY BUTT!
Yes, I changed the words a little from Sir Mix-a-lot's song, but it's that voice and the message that comes to mind whenever I peruse through social...I mean 'ME' media. I'm dumbfounded by the complete and utter lack of self-awareness despite the over-abundance of selfies. Recently, I came across a post by someone I have known for a very long time. In this vlog, she lied about herself, pumped up both herself and her work history, and feigned sadness over an incident that didn't actually take place. I was stunned and I wondered why on earth she would be motivated to create such an outrageous, albeit, unnoticeable lie for those who haven't known her as long as I have. I was saddened and angered by this post; saddened by the thought that something in her must have felt 'less-than' thus prompting her to pump herself up into someone she actually wasn't. I was angry that she duped so many people who took what she said to heart. They trusted her words and her earnestness despite the fact that, unbeknownst to them, the advice she doled out was nothing short of contrived and manipulative. Sadly, in a world that once valued honesty and integrity over self promotion and superficiality, things like this used to be the exception. Unfortunately, now this type of deception has become quite commonplace. What saddens me the most, is that the children of people like this are being raised to base their self-worth on the number of likes and views their images/ blogs / vlogs garner. They are subconsciously taught that how other people judge their lives is more important than living a life of substance and authenticity. Children spending hours to get just the right trout pout next to a contrived peace sign is a sad reality of today's youth and in an attempt for middle aged parents to feel valued and respected, they've jumped on the same band wagon of narcissism and self absorption. It's a perpetual cycle between the youth and the middle aged. Pictures of their lunches and dinners, pins of what interests them, selfies with dog ears or whiskers doesn't make a middle aged person whole nor should they. If people could just take stock of what they have in their lives, they'd realize the ridiculousness of wasting energy on trying to impress people, who in all honesty, don't really think of them when the screen is powered off. People would probably be a lot happier if they spent more time enjoying their own lives than trying to compete with fake lives posted online. I remember a post by a friend many years ago. She was on the verge of divorce, in fact just a few weeks away from it, and yet she was posting pictures and stories of how wonderful her marriage was. She posted how lucky she was to have her spouse, how romantic their decades long marriage was, and how truly awesome her life was. To those reading her blog, she lived a charmed life. It was straight out of the pages of Pinterest wins. She was one to be envied and copied. However, the sad reality was that she was neither happy nor felt lucky or blessed. She was deeply troubled but only those closest to her knew that. It bothered me that she lived a very duplicitous life and felt compelled to do so. She had one bright shiny contrived life online, and another life filled with depression and drug use offline. I often wondered how exhausting that must have been; to keep the lies straight, to orchestrate photo-ops and events to support the online delusions. It makes my heart sad that so many people, young and old alike, waste valuable energy in creating fantasy lives online. Really, has the world lost its collective mind? Can humanity's self worth really be whittled down to whether or not Jane Schmoe likes an image that he sees while sitting on a toilet? If it can be, the world is in trouble.
Yes, I changed the words a little from Sir Mix-a-lot's song, but it's that voice and the message that comes to mind whenever I peruse through social...I mean 'ME' media. I'm dumbfounded by the complete and utter lack of self-awareness despite the over-abundance of selfies. Recently, I came across a post by someone I have known for a very long time. In this vlog, she lied about herself, pumped up both herself and her work history, and feigned sadness over an incident that didn't actually take place. I was stunned and I wondered why on earth she would be motivated to create such an outrageous, albeit, unnoticeable lie for those who haven't known her as long as I have. I was saddened and angered by this post; saddened by the thought that something in her must have felt 'less-than' thus prompting her to pump herself up into someone she actually wasn't. I was angry that she duped so many people who took what she said to heart. They trusted her words and her earnestness despite the fact that, unbeknownst to them, the advice she doled out was nothing short of contrived and manipulative. Sadly, in a world that once valued honesty and integrity over self promotion and superficiality, things like this used to be the exception. Unfortunately, now this type of deception has become quite commonplace. What saddens me the most, is that the children of people like this are being raised to base their self-worth on the number of likes and views their images/ blogs / vlogs garner. They are subconsciously taught that how other people judge their lives is more important than living a life of substance and authenticity. Children spending hours to get just the right trout pout next to a contrived peace sign is a sad reality of today's youth and in an attempt for middle aged parents to feel valued and respected, they've jumped on the same band wagon of narcissism and self absorption. It's a perpetual cycle between the youth and the middle aged. Pictures of their lunches and dinners, pins of what interests them, selfies with dog ears or whiskers doesn't make a middle aged person whole nor should they. If people could just take stock of what they have in their lives, they'd realize the ridiculousness of wasting energy on trying to impress people, who in all honesty, don't really think of them when the screen is powered off. People would probably be a lot happier if they spent more time enjoying their own lives than trying to compete with fake lives posted online. I remember a post by a friend many years ago. She was on the verge of divorce, in fact just a few weeks away from it, and yet she was posting pictures and stories of how wonderful her marriage was. She posted how lucky she was to have her spouse, how romantic their decades long marriage was, and how truly awesome her life was. To those reading her blog, she lived a charmed life. It was straight out of the pages of Pinterest wins. She was one to be envied and copied. However, the sad reality was that she was neither happy nor felt lucky or blessed. She was deeply troubled but only those closest to her knew that. It bothered me that she lived a very duplicitous life and felt compelled to do so. She had one bright shiny contrived life online, and another life filled with depression and drug use offline. I often wondered how exhausting that must have been; to keep the lies straight, to orchestrate photo-ops and events to support the online delusions. It makes my heart sad that so many people, young and old alike, waste valuable energy in creating fantasy lives online. Really, has the world lost its collective mind? Can humanity's self worth really be whittled down to whether or not Jane Schmoe likes an image that he sees while sitting on a toilet? If it can be, the world is in trouble.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Alone in a quiet house.
The solitude breached by the whisper of air flowing in from an open door.
The hum of a fridge working diligently.
A dog barking in the distance.
A cat rolling in the dirt outside; soaking in the joy of freedom.
Another cat hopping the wall to an unknown adventure.
A jet shuttling worker bees and skinned knees.
A moving world, breathing, rolling like ocean waves.
A commotion. A living breathing giant. A monster of joy, toil, serenity, fear, anger, sorrow and depth.
Watching the world.
Not a part of it.
Not acknowledged by it.
The duplicitousness of wanting and not wanting.
A bystander on a hilltop.
The ripples reach me.
But mine, they always stop short.
Friday, January 5, 2018
I came across this image on the internet and was taken in by its beauty. So much was captured in the click of a shutter.
love.
protection
comfort
youth
age
hope
hindsight
new
roots
learning
knowledge
strength.
weakness
learning
knowledge
strength.
weakness
sleepy
weary
sheltered
sheltered
weathered
spring
winter
nap time
exhaustion
rest
joy
love.
It is amazing to me that it has been over 7 YEARS since I last wrote into the void. I know no one really catches these words as they float through the internet, and that's OK. It really is. It's nice to be back in this quiet little space by myself. I've missed coming here. So here I am visiting once again. It is amazing to me that it has been this long, but it's not surprising. I took a break from being online and after a while, I kind of forgot about this little spot. I got busy with life, and kids, and work and before I knew it, weeks had turned into months and months into years. When I finally remembered and decided to check in on my little corner of the web, I realized that I had not only forgotten my user name and email, but also my password. I remember several attempts, that took place a couple of years apart, in which I tenaciously inputted a myriad of potential email addresses and passwords, always to be locked out, but tonight, much to my amazement and amusement, I remembered an old notebook I kept out in the garage. I ran out there and after sifting through a pile of old boxes, I found it. Why I had written the password and email address in that notebook is beyond me, but like manna from heaven, there it was, an email address I honestly didn't even recognize but was so grateful to have found. I logged in and like Moses parting the sea, The Worded Wisp opened. It was a Christmas Miracle, albeit a couple of weeks late! Pretty sad to get excited about something I barely used, but like an old cottage that has sat empty by the lake, I was excited to get inside, dust off the furniture, open the old curtains, and let in the light!
Now, the big question is now that the cottage is open and cleaned up, will I come back and visit?
Now, the big question is now that the cottage is open and cleaned up, will I come back and visit?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Country Road
In my quest to figure out exactly what nourishes my soul, I've become more keenly aware of what I have been missing. Quite simply, my life is sorely missing natural aesthetics. At my very depths, I have always been a country girl. I would take a night under the stars, laying next to a crackling fire on a blanket, over a night out in the city. The thought of sitting in a grassy meadow surrounded by pines takes first billing over a front row seat to the ballet. I'm a simple girl, with simple tastes. Given this, one might find it odd that I am living my life and raising my beautiful children in the desert. I know I find it odd and quite frankly, the disconnect between who I am at my very core and where I live has been steadily growing over the last couple of years; and while I am grateful for the many sights, smells, and wildlife only afforded by the desert, I can't help but yearn for something greener. I dream of playing in the leaves with my children in the fall and building cliched snowmen with them in the winter.
I miss this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
