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Lee's Senior MomentsYou have not lived a perfect day unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you. (Ruth Smeltzer)
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My MemoirsMy Memoirs
What a dilemma I'm in!
The first thing is - I never expected so many people (friends) would be interested in my memoirs. I am so honored. Thank you dear friends. I'm so amazed that I haven't gotten past the 'awe' yet. My life has not really been all that interesting. Or maybe it is best described as boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror. The problem is, I'm really unable to elaborate on much of the 'sheer terror'. It's just best that way.
In my 'Forward' I pointed out that there are things or incidents that are best left unsaid. I think most everyone has one or two of those (or more). I'm no exception. Memoirs should be nothing short of the truth, and not a fiction novel. I strove for that - as I saw it. And that is as it should be. An incident viewed at the same time by several people will produce several different viewpoints. (I wonder how the police sort that out after interviewing several different people. The newspaper reporters don't seem to get it right.)
When writing a book, memoirs, or any article, you are directing it toward a specific reader. Memoirs are usually directed to one's family, and perhaps lifelong friends, and, of course, your offspring. This was the course that I took because of the references to incidents that occurred years ago that only family/close friends would remember or be interested in.
However, I do want to point out that I have posted some of the funnier, or more notable incidents in this blog , or that of my other 'space' you can reach by clicking here , (and then just scroll down). Remember I've been working on my memoirs for about two years so you will need to go back a ways. As soon as I get organized, I'm going to transfer some of the blog posts from my other 'space' to here.
In my other 'space' I wrote a post about about the incidents incurred when I moved my girlfriend (now wife) from Chicago back to Beaumont, Texas that I think would be interesting. For clarification of the 'back to Beaumont, Texas, this is where I lived when I met her while she was finishing college. I do want to thank "Kimmie" for confirming my memories of an incident in 'her town' on that trip. (See Kimmie in 'friends' list.)
I also thank and acknowledge Cathy (friends list -" Everyday is Wednesday") for the beautiful poetry that she wrote for me and I included. Cathy has been one of my very best virtual friends for several years. I'm always in awe of how wonderfully she can translate everyday into beautiful poetry.
So, at this point, I'm just taking a break. I'm also checking out resources for getting this thing printed up. I have used my own office equipment to print up two copies for my own use. (Wow, does that ever use up the ink!)
Secondly, I may have to wait until I win the lottery before I can have my memoirs printed up - or else I'm going to have to take out all the full color pictures and clip art . Wow, does that ever run the price up! Also, I may have to print up two versions - one for family, and one for friends. But, I'm not certain that will work.
Thanks to all my many friends. You have really made me sit up and go - WOW!
Lee
Forty-Five Lessons of LifeEvery so often, I receive something in my email that arouses enough interest in me to research it . . . or the person that wrote it. When I researched this lady, Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, I discovered a lot more than I had ever expected. This lady is nothing short of awesome! Among many other awards, she was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Several of the columns that she writes for The Plain Dealer have also been submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration. I'm sure we all will hear more of this lady in the future.
So, what follows was written by her, Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio.
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the forty-five lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 in August, so here goes:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks!
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. All that truly matter in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
And there you have it, with all due respect to Regina Brett. What insight this lady has.
I invite you to visit her website where you can read of some of her accomplishments: http://www.reginabrett.com/
Further information can be found at email: library@plaind.com Or you can contact her direct: rbrett@plaind.com
Oh, and did I mention that she is also a breast cancer survivor?
Enjoy, my friends, and Blessings all.
Lee Memoirs - Finished At Last!Memoirs - Finished At Last
I'm not really sure when I conceived the idea of writing my memoirs, but I know that I have been working on them for at least two years (off and on). I suspect that my sister planted the idea several years ago when she kiddingly commented that maybe I should write a book about my life. Seems she thought it would make interesting reading. Personally I don't think so. I've just tried to take each day as it comes and handle it the best I knew how.
Not having done anything like this before, I did some research in to 'how' 'why' etc. that I should write about. Then after I started writing it, I went back and researched a lot more. Perhaps if I had done more research before starting, I might not have started in the first place. But, once started, and with encouragement from my daughter-in-law, I made the determination to complete it. But, you say, how does one complete their memoirs - and still be alive? Well, that determination wasn't that hard to make. When you can't think of anything else to write about, you just type "THE END" ! LOL.
So, for anyone contemplating writing their memoirs, let me pass on some tips - information that I gleaned from research that I found to be right on target!
"Be prepared for a complex journey of self-discovery and soul-searching. Memoir writing can be a therapeutic and beneficial experience, but it is emotionally exhausting. And it will demand emotional honesty and bravery". I found this to be very true! You really have to reach deep within you to find that interesting aspect with which to write about. There are any number of things with which to write about. It's a perfect time to make amends with someone. I read of one person who had had a very difficult relationship with the father. That person couldn't write anything of the father while he was living as it probably would have been too intrusive or impertinent. But, after his death, and the heart was healed or right, that person could and did write of the father.
Your memoirs are not an autobiography, in fact they are pretty far from them. Also, one cannot imagine how different it is to write about the real . . . and the unreal. You are, in effect, communing with your significant dead, and this is a very exhausting thing. Not unpleasant, but still hard work. Once you stray from the real you may as well call it a novel rather than your memoirs.
Unfortunately study material is difficult to come by as memoirs are usually of most interest to family, relatives, and close friends - people who you have known, and have known you for large part of your life. You are not going to be able to go to your local library for much reference material.
If you are truly interested, you might start with this site.
Don't be the least surprised if you re-write every chapter several times. One of the first things that I did was to go back correct facts as best I could. Even later I added more material that I would remember. One of the last things that I did was to go back to correct my English and punctuation (in case my old English teacher was still around!). And my wife proofread it a couple of times.
I haven't printed it up yet but my daughter-in-law has said she is first in line. But, I have a great niece that has known that I've been working on this since the beginning, and she also has spoken for the first complete copy. Actually, I've been kidding my sons that I just might wait until I have CRS (what? you don't know what that is? It's "Can't remember s _ _ t" before I distribute it.
Enjoy, friends. Before long I'll be back to normal! LOL
Blessings to all
Lee
ANOTHER BIRTHDAY !
My first impression might be to think "My God, another one"! On the other hand, considering the alternative, I have to think "Thank you, God! I'm very much obliged"! I am so grateful to still be around to count the years. Truly. Several years back (18), I seriously had my doubts whether I would still be around to count birthdays much longer. I was in as poor a health as one can get. Way too long doing all those things that, in your mind, you just have to do. And, actually, I'm not saying all of it was wrong. One just has to learn that life isn't meant to be all work. So, yes, I was working far too much and ignoring family, kids, God, . . . . and my health, mental and physical. I had a very successful business back then. Really at the top of my form. I actually had more business than I could handle, from only the best clients, and I couldn't turn enough down fast enough. I was working day and night, even some weekends. So, yeah, I was overworked and over stressed . . . far too long. I was at my peak and afraid to let go. But, you can only do that so long before God gets your attention - in a big way! As he did me in 1991. So, after a series of heart attacks starting in 1990 (first one diagnosed as a hiatal hernia!), I had open heart bypass surgery early in 1991 followed by recuperation. Two months after surgery, I received a 'friendly' letter from the IRS asking if I would be so kind as to bring all my files for specified year (and a year either side) and have a little chat with them some 90 days from then. Now, mind you they weren't about to tell me what it was they were interested in! And having always operated my business 'by the book', it weighed very heavily upon me as I had absolutely no idea what I, or my accountant had overlooked. (It turned out to be something very minor - something the accountant had overlooked). Oh, and I nearly forgot, due to a hail storm that same year, I was also concerned with finding a reliable and reputable roofing company to re-roof my home! There were two other incidents that occurred that year that also have a bearing on my mental health that same year, and without going in to detail, I'll mention that one of my offspring got hooked on illicit drugs, and the other incident is so personal that this blog is not the place to mention it. With all that was happening, and my Cardiologist telling me "Lee, you really need to change your ways"! (Or maybe that was God. . . I forget), I really didn't think I would still be around by the end of the year. (Actually, while discussing the things that I need to do, or change, my Cardiologist confronted me with "Lee, how long do you want to live?" It's amazing how that gets your attention! So, here I am, eighteen and a half years later. It's been really tough, but I'm probably in the best condition that I've been in for a very long time. And, you bet! I stop 'to smell the roses' every single day. I don't understand how I could not have noticed them before. So, now I'm convinced that I'm going to live to be one hundred! Maybe. My wife asked me if I wanted to do anything special this year. I told her "no", not this year. But, maybe next year, when I'm seventy, I want to have a live band (out in my back yard), dancing girls, and all my friends. You are all invited! I'm going to have to put a fence up around my storage building. I don't want any my 'older friends' sneaking out back there and making out! LOL Cheers to all, my good friends And God bless you Lee
Whitewater RaftingWhitewater Rafting
You probably couldn't help but notice the whitewater rafting pictures above, and I want to impress upon you that if you haven't done it, you really don't know what you are missing! My kids and I (when they and I were younger) used to go hiking/camping/backpacking quite a bit. We've hiked/camped some of the most beautiful areas of this country, and will have those memories forever. Quite often we camped/hiked near a river where whitewater rafting was popular. In the back of my mind was the thought that I really wanted to try that one day, but kept putting it off for one reason or another.
About twenty years ago, my family, their spouses, and all the kids and I started going out to a resort near Almont, Colorado (between Gunnison and Crested Butte). WOW! This place was awesome! You could really go all out in any outdoor sport that you wanted. I've never been much in to fishing, so after those who wanted left to go fishing, several of the rest of us would go hiking, or just sightseeing. Or, we could just sit out front of our cabin and watch the kayakers and whitewater rafters pass by (and the occasional empty kayak! LOL). For one week we were in bliss!
I don't remember ever mentioning that I wanted to try whitewater rafting , but I apparently I did at some point. So, since my birthday falls in July, and specifically during the time we were there in Colorado, my boys made reservations for me to go rafting! They knew that I was apprehensive about going - you know - doing something that I had never done before.
So, I went whitewater rafting for the first time. My sons and DILs came along 'to make sure I went!' It was awesome! I had more fun and enjoyment that I wondered why I hadn't done it before. Since then, we have gone every year. We even go whenever we go out to West Texas. (They whitewater raft down through the canyons on the Rio Grande River on the West side of Big Bend National Park. If you go there, they put in at a town called Lajitas, Texas which is right at the mouth of the canyons.)
I have always enjoyed hiking and backpacking, but then I could add whitewater rafting to that. So, yeah, if you ever get the opportunity, don't pass it up. It is so much fun. But, go with a river guide. He/she will keep you out of trouble. Up on the Taylor River in Colorado where we used to go I saw a family that had purchased a large raft and attempt to raft down the Taylor on their own. They only made it about 300 yards before rupturing their raft, and having to swim to shore. And let me tell you, that water was snow just a couple of days before.
They are mostly memories now. But, oh, what memories!
Cheers to all, my good friends
Lee
(Oh, yeah. I'm not in this raft pic. Someone had to take the pics! lol. But, my grandson is seated nearest the left leg of the river guide)
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