jo burgess hannon

fit for today, fit for life

Mood rings, corn dogs & plans for 2017

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When I see New Year’s resolutions, goals for 2017 and other posts about the months ahead, they mostly make me smile.  I love seeing a work in progress, progressing. One made me pause.  I think my old mood ring would have turned a little blue reading it: “be my best self in front of my daughter.”

I grew up on the outskirts of Seattle. We were about a 20-minute drive on I-5 to the downtown Sears.  My mom would call in a catalog order from the Big Book. I almost always went with her to pick up the packages. Sometimes there would be a promise of a hand battered corn dog from one of the store’s upper floors. Side note: probably good that I don’t have a deep fryer because I still love ’em. On one trip, I can remember my mom being rude to a clerk at Will Call because our order wasn’t ready as promised. Probably that wasn’t her best self. Because it’s 2017 I should probably insert the smirking smiley face emoji here…and hashtag #reallife

Mammas, it’s ok to let your kids see you BE YOU: not perfect, maybe a little sad, maybe hot mad, maybe overjoyed or overcome with emotion. Yes, your family needs you to be the rock on solid foundation.  Yes, your people need to be able to depend on you being steady. Emotional stability can bring a lot of comfort to a home: people like knowing what to expect when they come through your door.

I get this mamma’s ambition. Still today, I want to be a positive role model in my adult daughter’s life. Fact: I am not always. However, wouldn’t it serve her better if I worked to be my best self in front of everyone?

Wouldn’t it serve her better if I worked to be my best self, for myself?

And back to Sears: next to the corn dog stand was a big glass vending machine with a claw that let you grab a plastic bubble holding a prize.  I think it cost a quarter, which was a lot when I was 5. (Yikes, that would have been 1968.) I wanted the one with the mood ring in it, really bad.

Fly Birdy Fly

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flybirdychaulk

My first airplane flight was for my 21st birthday. Dad was firm that I needed to spend that May date with brother Scotty who was living in Las Vegas at the time. As a truck driver, my dad bought a motorhome and we drove EVERYWHERE for vacation.  Anybody that knew my dad knew this was a strong position for him to take in the Burgess household. He was convicted that I was going to win big on the quarter slots.

 

Remember hand written boarding pass folders?
Remember hand written boarding pass folders?

 

Thinking about that very first plane ride makes me speculate: have you ever wondered what you might tell your younger self if you could offer a little advice? As a college student, I was convinced that there was no way I could spend a semester abroad. I was minoring in French, all my classmates by my senior year had spent time there and I KNEW I was at a disadvantage having never been to France.

 

college-graduationme1985

 

In 1984 the slot machines in Vegas were manual. You actually put the quarter in the slot, grabbed the big silver ball at the top of the handle and pulled. When you won, all around knew you won as hundreds (hopefully) of coins plinked loudly into the metal tray.

 

Heads or tails? Did you collect the state coins?
Heads or tails? Did you collect the state coins?

 

Go, now, risk. That’s what I would say to that 20-year-old woman. My today self knows that woman could have absolutely made studying abroad transpire.

I would tell her to figure it out, make it happen, seek help and advice.

Courage. Yes.

 

How large is your life?

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I am feeling a little sentimental today as my short-lived term as a grandma has come to a close. Don’t get too excited. It’s not my daughter who blessed my life with young ones. Nope, it was a pair of chickadees. I had mamma bird build a nest in the flowerpot right outside my kitchen window. It was kind of surprising as I am often around my patio taking care of the garden, watering the pots, deadheading flowers and generally keeping the yard tidy. Gardening is one of my great pleasures. I can spend hours outside moving from one small project to another.

I thought I had scared her off as I was checking every few hours to see the progress. It’s fascinating to watch a bird carry sticks and grass twice their body size and then to watch those bits of debris turn into a round 4-inch deep nest built among my geraniums.

There might be a lesson or two I can learn from this little bird. I admire her tenacity to get the job done, her ability to make something special out of something discarded. Over the course of two weeks she sat on those eggs keeping them warm. The hours of boredom she must have endured. What patience she showed. I have trouble sitting still for 10 minutes. Side note: my first yoga class was torture, as I had to lay still and silent on my mat.

The birds have already flown the nest. They have been well fed, protected and are ready to be on their own. I think my last peek was the final push they needed. Mamma rousted them all up and, in a flurry as my shadow darkened her home,  out mamma and her 3 offspring came, flying into the surrounding trees. I raced into the house to announce our birdies were flying. Honey and I watched as they clacked loudly and flew from lawn chair to branch, to fence. They haven’t been back. In the course of 3 weeks a house was built, used to raise a family and abandoned for a life larger.

Though it may take a lifetime, what kind of home will you build with the resources you have? And, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There is always someone in your life that probably can’t wait to lend you a hand. Just ask Honey: he spent time each day making sure our little outdoor family had fresh worms within easy reach.

PS: if you happen to be in our backyard over the next few weeks look out for the student drivers. They are a little shaky on their new wings.

 

071016newbirdie

 

 

Hello, hello can anyone hear me?!

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Have you ever yelled that from the top of a cliff or hill to have it echoed back to you? As kids we tested the echo factor of the sand pit by our house.  Since The Pit was horseshoe shaped we never heard our words bounce back. (More HERE on The Pit) as a childhood vacation to the Grand Canyon I remember shouting through the chain link fence at a look out point. The summer I worked in Yellowstone National Park we would often give a shout at the highest peak on our 2 and 3 day hikes. Sometimes I wonder if anyone hears what I say on this blog or if my words are just bouncing back to me.

Which brings me to the echo chamber we can often surround ourselves with.   Don’t get me wrong: I love to be in a crowd where we all voted for the same president. However, I have a collection of friends that on the surface would indicate I probably would not fit in.  Our original source of connection was fitness classes. Now, we often text as a group to check in with each other as well as meet up when it works. This is a company of women I have come to cherish.

Here’s the thing: we don’t have the same religious or political beliefs.  Our choice for TV programming varies widely.  Outside of fitness our other common denominator might be that we have all been married over 25 years.  We don’t choose the same foods: one hates Mexican style, a couple don’t eat meat. Well, except one veggie girl eats bacon. And is Jewish. You might ponder that later. As a side note I really like bacon.

So why does the friendship work?  We respect each other. There is value in being different. It has  to do with us absorbing what we hear, and not just bouncing back answers in agreement. Love of Jesus doesn’t over shadow a lack of believe in God. Meditation is accepted as prayer.  There is value knowing that a contrary opinion might be spoken.

A broader perspective can be gained when we listen to others who think differently. That’s a good thing, right?

And back to the bacon, it can be just as controversial as Trump.  Nitrites, no nitrates.  Cured, uncured. Turkey or pork? And, can we really call pressed turkey meat bacon?

keepcalm
just saying