WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM MY FRIENDS

Have no fear of perfection. You'll never reach it. - Salvador Dali (Eddie F)
There is no better feeling than to accomplish the impossible. (Lawrence D)
Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you. - Carl Jung (Michael M)
Eighty percent of success is showing up. ~ Woody Allen (Jessica H-P)
To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are. - Muhammad Ali (Ian R)

NEIL DIAMOND - (Coming to) America - Close Encounters Inspired

MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2010

SEPTEMBER 1
What crisp and cool days of Fall? It feels like Summer:The Sequel to me!

SEPTEMBER 2
I always look at this month as the countdown to my birthday. That used to screw up my thinking for years. As I entered September, I would start thinking that I was already a year older. I would become so convinced of it that, by the time I reached my birthday on Oct 1, I would add another year to my delusional age. It was always a pleasant surprise to find out that I could instantly de-age by the sudden realization that I had gotten ahead of myself. What a gift! Poof! One year gone.

SEPTEMBER 3
One bad thing about writing a blog is that I catch my friends discussing the way my life is going, according to my daily blog entries, and referring to the already written months as "episodes."

SEPTEMBER 4
I was planning on selling another couple of days (see August 7 and 8), but the Better Business Bureau slaps me with a "Cease and Desist" order and tells me I absolutely can't sell two days of the year! (You do know I'm kidding, right? No? Have I got a sweet deal for you!)

SEPTEMBER 5
A friend tells me that she likes my blog because it's so funny due to my "weird and wonderfully twisted thinking." Thinking? Is that part of blogging?

SEPTEMBER 6
I make a list today of all the places I didn't go to this summer. I shove it in front of my van's headlights with an accusing 'Where-were-you-when-all-of-this-didn't-happen?' glare. But, I can't stay mad. I'm grateful that it's running at all!

SEPTEMBER 7
(Que the song "Perfect Day" below.) Fill this day with laughter and joy. Everyone needs to celebrate a day now and again, so pick one and make it special. I have, and it's today. I have my reason why.

One aside: there is no such thing as 'perfect' just like there is no such thing as 'normal'...not in earthly terms. In God's realm, everything and everyone are always perfect. And, that is the kind of day I celebrate, with all its lows, highs, and magical, wondrous chaos.

SEPTEMBER 8
I try not to drive anywhere today. Starship overheats within five minutes, and there's not a lot of places I can drive to within five minutes (and my coasting record isn't legendary). I just tell myself I really don't need food. Three meals a day is over-rated anyway. Besides, I'm not a lover of grocery shopping. I'm an impulse buyer, and my financial demise is usually in the comfort food aisle.

SEPTEMBER 9
I finally take Starship into Space Dock (I'm hungry!). As I hand over the key, I wonder if the end has come. Knowing very little about the internal workings of a tempermental van, I have visions of engine destruction bordering on an Extinction Level Event. I keep telling myself that my van is 13 years old, and, logically, it should fall apart any minute now. Hold on! I'm a lot older than that, so I better change my thinking immediately!

SEPTEMBER 10
Starship survives to flight another day! (Only kidding about the "flight" - I don't drive that fast!) My van's water pump sprang a leak, and $450 drains out of my wallet as a result. Even the growling has been silenced - the exhaust pipe's, not mine. The real damage is to my confidence in this vehicle - when I'm mad at it, I call it a vehicle. Then it knows it's in the dog-garage with me.

SEPTEMBER 11
I would rather remember this date for my sister-in-law's birthday than for one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in history. But, I have to remember both - one happy and one sad. I write, "Happy Birthday, Marion!" then I bow my head and say a prayer for all those who lost their lives on 9-11. And, to those who are fighting for their lives because of lung injury suffered in the aftermath and to the families who will never be the same because a loved one is gone forever, my heart goes out to you all.

SEPTEMBER 12
I've been shaking my head a lot lately. I can't believe what I'm thinking in context to what is happening. I'll write more about this once I figure it out.

SEPTEMBER 13
(This blog entry is written in retrospect to the retrospect. My humor is returning...a good sign!) I've been fortunate to have lasted this long. I think back on my life and ponder the number of times I've survived merely because of a sudden, impulsive decision - albeit the right one for the circumstances - or the presence of the perfect person (i.e. having a heart attack in church, sitting next to a cardiologist). It boggles my mind how it all comes together.

SEPTEMBER 14
(This blog entry is written in retrospect.) I was nearly killed in Albany, New York, over two decades ago. My life was saved by the amazing capabilities of a woman named Elaine Kaiser (she has since passed away). I miss you, my dear friend. Tomorrow, I will think of you and wonder if you helped me again, through God's grace, from beyond.

SEPTEMBER 15
I've got a new grip on life, and I'm holding on tighter than ever! Life is sweet, and I cherish it. Why? Because I almost lost mine today.

SEPTEMBER 16
Don't ask me what happened yesterday. The fact that I have a 'yesterday' is solely due to being enfolded in God's blessed hands and enveloped in angelic protection. Thank you, Elaine. I felt your presence. I need to forget. I need to move on...

There is nothing more for this month.

Miriam Stockley - Perfect Day ((HighQuality - rare version))