Six months down …
My editors decided to put up this Game Plan column a little early, so here goes. It’s the halfway point of the year and, well, how’s it going? Check out Time to Give Yourself a Personal Progress Report.
Oh, that Universe
In my email box this morning from TUT.com (sign up, it’s a hoot!):
What if, Nancy, all that you had to look forward to were the things that are free, like sunrises, wagging tails, holding hands, and your imagination. Would it all be worth it?
Probably.
What if you could trade-in some of your free stuff for fabulous wealth, fulfilling work, gorgeous looks, or anything else that your heart desired? Would it all be worth it?
Does a bear sleep in the woods? Is the Pope Catholic? Would you like syrup with your French Toast?
Visualize, Nancy. Before the price goes up.
The Universe
In the July stars
Thank you, Susan Miller, for this part of my July horoscope:
July could well mark a key turning point in your life. The decisions you make now and in coming weeks will carry you forward through the coming decade, for you’re about to start a vital new cycle.
I’ll take it!
The corners of our minds
What will you be remembered for when you leave this life? The celebrity deaths and current political and financial scandals got me thinking about legacy. That’s the topic of today’s Game Plan called What We Leave Behind.
Memo to Mrs. Sanford
Dear Jenny:
I typically don’t presume to know what someone is going through and insert my two cents, but I am compelled to write this and it is coming from a place of compassion and empathy. I understand and admire your commitment to your vows, but for your own sanity and emotional well-being, please cut your losses from this marriage and run for the exit.
From today’s press conference with your husband, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford:
During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate but he’s trying to fall back in love with his wife.
This is so sad. It must be wrenching for you to hear because it cut right through me and I don’t know either of you. I can’t imagine going through it publicly.
Please set the divorce in motion so that you and your children can begin healing and living. I am sending good thoughts your way.
Warmly,
Nancy
The Aladdin factor
So yesterday I take a packed bus from the Jersey Shore to the Port Authority in New York. As we proceed on the Garden State Parkway, I am getting hotter and less comfortable because there is very little air coming from the overhead vents.
The more we ride and the more stifling it gets, I marvel at how most buses are way too air conditioned and that I’m on one that has the opposite problem. It clearly would have been better if we had the ability to open the windows.
About 30 minutes into the journey, a man gets up from the middle of the bus and goes up to talk to the driver. Within a minute there is cold air pouring from the vents around me. I tell the guy next to me that I can’t believe someone had to actually ask for what seemed like an obvious thing — air conditioning in June on a packed bus.
“Welcome to the world we live in now,” my fellow passenger said.
Hmmmmm.
An annoying lesson in ‘ask and ye shall receive.’
This life
Mortality is swirling around me these days. Friends and cousins who are losing parents. The passing of famous people both expected and sudden. It feels concentrated this past few weeks.
If I died tomorrow, what would I regret not doing? Hmmmm. Where’s that bucket list?
Boogie Nights & MJ
Never anticipated how poignant it would feel to dance like a wild woman to Michael Jackson’s music, but that’s exactly how it felt last night at Boogie Nights in Atlantic City. Dancing to music from the 70s and 80s tends to bring out the dancer in me anyway, but with the sudden death of Jackson it was electric.
After telling the “crew” I was with that I’d go crazy if the D.J. played Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough or Billie Jean, imagine the insanity when he played them consecutively after a moment of silence. Brilliant.
May he be at peace.
Enjoying Evanovich
I’ve been wanting to interview author Janet Evanovich for a long time and was delighted to get the chance as Finger Lickin’ Fifteen featuring Stephanie Plum hit the shelves this week.
Today’s Game Plan is Evanovich on Writing and Living.
When a man loves a woman
Just got around to reading The New York Times Style section from last weekend. Found this quote from the groom in the Vows column interesting. He’s talking about what was going through his mind when he was dating the 40-something, never-been-married, professionally successful woman who is now his wife.
“I wasn’t sure how hard to press the gas,” said Mr. Buckner, who said he struggled at first to figure out why she was still single. “I’m thinking there’s one of two possible explanations. She’s just getting around to it, and in the interim, she’s been dealing with a bunch of losers. Or maybe she’s got commitment issues.”
Love how insightful that is. And I guess we know the answer.
