April 7, 2003

From the Inside Out
DANCING
ON POTATO CHIPS

Not too long ago I had "one of those days". I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged.

I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine.

By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner. Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store.

Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed a Tupperware from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned.

My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars. Really frustrated, now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again.

Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty.

It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"

My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within seconds he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage — an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips.

My husband then did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process! I stared. I fumed.

Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced.

Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.

So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has the Universe ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping an angel would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess I've made of things.

What often happens, instead, is that my hopes are often answered in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in a manner that is actually best for me. Sometimes I can see right away that it was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand.

Do I trust in the Goodness of Life? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of a new dance when it pops up? I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former ... even when the chips are down.

~ Author Unknown

Yes You Can!
FIND SERENITY IN COLOR

Like a quiet fire, low-key color schemes radiate energy and intensity without alarm. Their drama lies in the discovery of fine details that are, above all, discreet.

Designer Paige Rockett in New England says, "The quality of light is my inspiration for a space full of neutral colors, natural textures, and gold accents".

Artful arrangements that make the eye wander add essential interest to a room designed in soothing neutrals. Choose a piece of furniture flush against a wall as a focal point, then build an arrangement around it.

For a table, desk, console, or sideboard, place a piece of art atop it, and allow it to lean against the wall, or mount it low on the wall just above the tabletop. This unexpectedly low height grabs the eye. Then mount other pictures on both sides above it to lead the eye upward.

To balance high ceilings and to prevent the eye from becoming floor-bound, arrange the upper pictures higher than expected — more than halfway up the wall. Or, if there's a chair rail, center the paintings on the wall above it.

Framing art in ample white mats and delicate gold frames keeps the wall uncluttered. Don't forget diversity of scale; include a large object, such as a floor-length mirror, to offset a wall of smaller pieces. The mirror's reflection enhances the space to create an even airier look.

Designer Justine Sancho in Washington, D.C. took this concept in two directions: a creamy neutral scheme to update and brighten the space, and sculptural forms to create energizing yet subtle visual rhythm.

"It's a very easy, serene kind of a wandering," she says. "It can be very slow — your eye catches from one corner to the next and just gradually moves over. There is always something that can stop your eye."

The neutral palette gains variety from variations in texture: the golden sheen of a polished wood floor, the soft folds of linen drapes, and a glint of golden art leads the eye smoothly from point to point.

A pleated linen panel can fill the space between narrow windows, joining them into a single visual element. To hang the panel and maintain its pleats, install grommets in the fabric's header and slip the grommets over brass nailheads.

~ Better Homes & Gardens.com

Photo: Webshots

New Zealand's scenic icon is the picture-perfect
view of Mitre Peak mirrored in the glassy waters of Milford Sound. Milford Sound’s majestic grandeur is symbolized by this incredible scene of sheer rock walls, 5,600 feet high, plummeting into the black depths of the fjord. No wonder author Rudyard Kipling described Milford as the Eighth Wonder of the World, and Arthur Michener thought of it as ‘the most stirring sight in the Pacific’.

LINKS
THAT SHINE

"Write a Senior Citizen"

The goal of this remarkable website is that
Senior Citizens be neither ignored nor forgotten.
They provide an opportunity for people of all
ages, from around the world, to become
pen pals with Senior Citizens.
www.WriteSeniors.com


CLICK FOR LINKS

Fascinating Facts
THINKING MAKES IT SO ...

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" — Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2. Apparently Shakespeare was right, because researchers today say that older people can literally think themselves into the grave by feeling bad about getting old.

People who said they had more positive views about aging lived an average 7.6 years longer than those with negative perceptions, the researchers report in the August issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

How one feels about getting old is more important even than having low blood pressure or cholesterol, said the researchers led by psychologist Becca Levy of Yale University.

"The effect of more positive self-perceptions of aging on survival is greater than the physiological measures of low systolic blood pressure and cholesterol, each of which is associated with a longer lifespan of four years or less," Levy's team wrote.

"It is also greater than the independent contributions of lower body mass index, no history of smoking, and a tendency to exercise, each of these factors has been found to contribute between one and three years of added life."

The researchers looked at a survey of 660 Ohio residents aged 50 and older who took part in the Ohio Longitudinal Study of Aging and Retirement as far back as 23 years. Some of the questions, which have a yes or no answer, included, "As you get older, you are less useful."

"Our study carries two messages. The discouraging one is that negative self-perceptions can diminish life expectancy. The encouraging one is that positive self-perceptions can prolong life expectancy," said the researchers, whose work was funded by the National Institute on Aging.

~Reuters.com

Is Pluto really a planet?

Click for Answer

Laughing It Off
SLOW OR THOROUGH?

When I take a long time...
— I am slow

When my boss takes a long time
— he is thorough

When I don't do it...
— I am lazy

When my boss doesn't do it
— he is too busy

When I do something without being told...
— I am overstepping my boundaries

When my boss does the same thing
— that is initiative

When I take a stand...
— I am stubborn

When my boss does it
— he is being firm

When I overlook a rule of etiquette...
— I am rude

When my boss slips a few rules
— he is being original

When I please my boss...
— I am apple polishing

When my boss pleases his boss
— he is cooperating

When I get ahead...
— I am lucky

When my boss gets ahead
— that's hard work

~Top Greetings.com

Untangling the Web

WHAT A SITE!

Travel Safety Suggestions...
Experienced travelers often pay less attention to in-transit hazards and zero in on safety at their intended destination. The U.S. State Department issues travel warnings from time to time, but it doesn't back them up with meaningful numbers. Look beyond the US official line on travel security. The Canadian government offers country-specific travel reports, as does Australia. Of course, the most important ingredient to take along on any trip is Common Sense.

COMPUTER-EASE

Returning Home ...
If you are surfing the web and want to return to the home page you've set up, simply clear the url address space and type: .. (two dots). This will automatically take you "home."

Look at THAT!
ANCIENT ROSEBUSH

 
Photo: "Millennial Rosebush"


"Tausendjähriger Rosenstock,"
the 1,000 year old rosebush, symbolizes the prosperity of Hildesheim, Germany. On March 22, 1945, when the city was bombed, its cathedral crumbled. The collapsed ruins of the majestic Dom sheltered the roots from flames, and eight weeks later, 25 buds were growing strong. There is a local tradition that as long as this rosebush exists, so will the city of Hildesheim. Today this remarkable bush sends its branches to a height of 24 ft. and a breadth of 30 ft., and is trained to interlace one of the windows. ~Contributed by Candy Pfau

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"The intent of Inspiration Line is to show What Is Possible … By choosing new perspectives,
we can change ourselves from the inside out and improve our relationships, our community and our planet."
Editor . Chelle Thompson ~~~ Associate Editor . Geri Merrill
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