What's on My Mind

1.  Mean Girls.  I was out of town last week on a little vacation and so I missed a good bit of the mean girls in Florida coverage.  It’s a relief, really, that I missed it because news stories like that make me nauseous for days.  We need to counteract this desire in our young people to blow up.  They are all so oversensitized to the ways that they are being wronged that they can no longer distinguish their own wrongs.  We have to quit parenting with indulgence.  We have to quit condoning bad behavior by demonstrating it ourselves.  We just have to be better. 

2.  Vulnerable Girls.  I also missed the blast of news coverage on the raid of the polygamist compound in Texas.  I read Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakuer last month (it details the rise of this fundamental Mormon sect) and was overwhelmed by how little was being done to protect these girls from rape, abuse, and incest.  I am hopeful that this case will reveal the tragic circumstances these young women are facing and stove a desire in our law enforcement and government to protect them.   

3.  Brave Girls.  The raid on the polygamist ranch came after a secretive phone call for help from a 16 year old inside.  I love that she had the courage to make that call.  There are brave girls out there doing amazing things to save themselves and others every day.  Their courages inspires me.   

4.  Gardens. Winter has held on too long here.  I am over it.  So over it that I want to go out and weed and plant bright things and then breathe the fresh air they produce.  I have never felt like weeding in my life.  Clearly, I have cabin fever. 

5.  Kitchens.  We have a tiny galley kitchen in our little cottage.  I love the cottage, but am dying for enough counter space that I do not have to use my stove top as a work station. I am absolutely convinced that I am accidentally going to ignite my cutting board (and worse) one day.  Here’s to dreaming up a little kitchen renovation to make the room a little more user-friendly.     

6.  Birthdays.  I am at the height of family and friend birthday time in my annual calendar.  Yesterday, I gave my sister-in-law the funniest birthday card with her gift, and I am still laughing about it today.  It had a dog on the front of it and said- roughly- “some people say that dogs can smell fear.  That must mean that a lot of people have fear coming out of their butts.”  It’s one of the Fresh Ink cards by Hallmark.  Buy it for your loved one today. 

7.  Magazines.  I am a voracious magazine reader– part preference, I just dig magazines, and part job hazard, I need to read them to know who is publishing what– and usually have anywhere from 30-50 magazines waiting for me to read them at any one time.  Except I have been working my way through them very deliberately, and I am down to having less than 10 on deck. 

8.  Tetris   I go through cycles with my before bed rituals.  Sometimes I am a Sudoku kick.  Other times, I am into crosswords, reading a book, or reading a magazine.  This week, I am into playing my handheld Tetris (sound off) before bed.  Something usually holds my attention for about 3 weeks and then I cycle onto the new bedtime ritual.  Tetris is just in its first week.  My fingers itch for it all day.