It's a crapshoot...

I had the pleasure yesterday of attending a matinee performance of the 1950 Broadway musical Guys and Dolls which was performed at the Algonquin theater in Huntsville. A wonderful production and many in the audience humming along to familiar melodies and lyrics!

Being of more recent vintage, I found myself recognizing crooned tunes such as “I’ll Know”, “If I Were a Bell”, “My Time of day”, and “I’ve Never Been in Love Before”. The freshness and wonder of new love likely touched everyone in the audience!

The ongoing ups and downs of Adelaide and her fiancé Nathan Detroit hold true in today’s world – some things never change! A few quiet giggles and murmurings as people there related personally to the throes of romance.

Sinatra made “Luck be a Lady Tonight” his signature song! Whether we peer through rose-coloured glasses, swoon with anticipation or, conversely, are more matter-of-fact; love and loving can sometimes feel too fickle!

Whether the subject is gambling either with cards or your heart, “it’s a crapshoot”!

Magnetic Appeal...

Last night was one of those “tossing/turning, up and down” sleep interrupted nights for me!  And for this I blame my father…my brother does too! We all suffer(ed) often with those charley-horse leg cramps that make you roar out of slumber.

My grandmother (hmmm, maybe it’s her fault…) would stagger into the bathroom and put her knotted foot onto the surface of the cold floor. My brother’s relief is acquired by sitting on the toilet seat cover and applying his soles, with great athleticism, to the outer sides of the toilet bowl.

A colleague’s eyes opened wider when I was discussing my short sleep and how I invariably roll a cow magnet over my cramped tendon or leg muscle. It may not be scientific, but seems to bring relief for me.

If you aren’t familiar with a cow magnet, neither was she! These are readily available at a farm supply store – farmers use them to prevent cattle from digesting metallic objects the animals swallow while grazing. Google™ this for your own info and interest!

However convoluted the transition may feel, I reflect as always on the parallels to doing business as a professional REALTOR®. While foraging, it should be noted that I don’t habitually swallow nails, barbed wire or the like – though the “gut” feeling may be similar from time to time.  A tried and true remedy to “make the pathway pleasant and smooth for my clients” is extending magnetic appeal.

The Bear Went Over The Mountain...

This morning, when I noticed how the snow had shrunk quickly on a nearby ridge,

The chorus and melody of this group sing-along song came zooming to mind.

 My thoughts weren’t particularly of a bear visitor – but I did wonder how soon there would be meanderings with advisories in the still of the night by my muttering dog!

Childhood days for many of us included “campfire songs” sung in rounds – remember “Row, row, row your boat” and how we learned to pick up the lyrics at just the right moment so there were three or four voices in progression!  These memories from long ago are still clearly etched – and relate to the present as well!

The renditions were predictable and sometimes tedious, like everyday tasks that seem to go on and on; then begun anew! Even particular days of the week were sometimes allocated for washing, housework, baking, airing out the house or changing bed linens.

If we continue the traditions, maybe it would be fun to change things up and get out of the rut!

Too much time reminiscing about days of yore can render us foolish from others’ perspective if we are overheard humming about 100 bottles of beer, ants wearing rubber pants, and too many in the bed - “roll over!” .  Humming a cheery tune though  give us smiley faces and happy feet – a great way to get through any grey day.

What a fun experiment to see how many of our current friends or acquaintances would and could easily sing out!

It may be, as Spring comes, that  when people mingle  in social groups giggles will abound wherever “the bear went over the mountain”

Seeking Validation...

I recently viewed on TVO the classic 1987 movie “Moonstruck” which starred Cher and Olympia Dukakis, to name just a few. A favourite quote for me was when Rose (Olympia D.) spoke directly to her philandering husband, Cosmo -

“I just want you to know no matter what you do, you're gonna die, just like everybody else.”

Each different chapter of our life spans offers new experiences and opportunities for both growth of character and acquiring increased knowledge.I think that if we stall out it’s because we have chosen to, either subconsciously or consciously. Retiring from life and living is not age-dependent. Conversely, running from the inevitable is fruitless, and acting out or dressing inappropriately is attention seeking.

In the March 14, 2013 issue of the Toronto Star, columnist Bill Taylor has penned a great and truly appropriate read. Thanks for permission to include an excerpt.

            “I am officially an Old Person.

            It’s “official” because I have just turned 65 and qualify for Old Age Security — “the        cornerstone of Canada’s retirement income system ... provides you with a modest pension,” says Service Canada.

            But let’s just call it OAS, shall we? Let’s not rub my nose in the undisputed fact that I’m on a steadily steepening ski slope and I’ve lost my poles.

            That doesn’t mean I’ve lost my balance”.

When our hair colour is naturally silvered and our skin and/or body tone is not as firm or clear, we are not diminished, nor does it does not lessen the value we bring to others! 

Whoever we are, or wherever we may be, eliminate from your recommended list of daily “health supplements” the words “Seeking Validation”.

Smelling the Roses….

Attendees at a recent gathering of men and women who are members of a special interest group sparked an animated discussion surrounding a handout quiz measuring personal Stress Index. Some people preferred to complete the questionnaire at home while others scrambled for pen or pencil promptly.

Everyone knows somebody, possibly themselves, who is laboring under an intense pressure where relief or solution is neither immediate or within the foreseeable future. It may be illness and prescribed treatment, it may be financial, or any number of other possibilities.

Poet John Donne’s famous “No Man is an Island” excerpt from Meditation XVII applies to each and every one of us.  A too singular effort to resolve personal issues can render anyone to deep feelings of isolation or “aloneness” – yearning desperately to find a way to resolution.

Common expressions such as “thinking outside the box” are not easy to put into place when you’re boxed in to circumstances not of your own making – an example might be as caregiver of child or children, spouse, or parent. The journey is along and the road unforgiving. There is no visible “light at the end of the tunnel” and the burden is weighty. The options are few and the sense of obligation irrefutable. One woman I know doesn’t want to be crammed “into the box” – feeling apprehensive that she will be suffocated and lose her own identity – respite is, for this lady and most others, a dream.

Regardless of the source your stressors stem from, click on the link and find out what your Stress Index score is. If the light goes on for you a good move is to seek some participation that removes you to collaborating and benefitting from the fellowship others in similar situations can gift to you; and you to them!

http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/whats-your-stress-index/#.UUH2hVdXqjM

In a Jiffy…..

This is an expression that some may remember from several decades ago!

If you have sufficient years under your belt, like me, you’ll be part of the one of two generations - known as either Veterans (1922-1945) or Baby Boomers (1945-1965) !

The insights and expertise of cross-generational marketing experts advises that Veterans “value authority, loyalty, and expertise” and Baby Boomers are “results-driven, trendy and technologically adept”.

For each and every one who lives in or near the District of Muskoka, I’d like to recommend a local service provider that offers appeal and fulfillment of any customer-service needs you find ideal.

The parts warranty on my vehicle has expired, but I’ve been faithful to the brand and continued to have my scheduled service at the dealership. Last week, after a couple of appointment glitches on my own part, I decided to visit a local garage for a slightly overdue oil change.

As a REALTOR®, my motto of “making the pathway pleasant and smooth for my clients” is synonymous to a mission statement. As a consumer, I value the expertise of others, offer loyalty when it is earned, and anticipate results-driven client service.

So here’s the parallel – my first visit convinced me that I’m a customer for life. The service providers at the Jiffy Lube franchise on Taylor Road in Bracebridge wowed me with their integrity, personable manner and up-front, on the line quality of performance.  Plus, you’ll be in and out in a jiffy!

 jiffy lube Bracebridge

“Pitter-patter, let’s get at ‘er”…

In early spring when we’re either deluged with rain or buffeted by wind and snow, it still feels like the waiting time will be long for better weather! Even the old adage “April showers bring May flowers” isn’t much consolation when it’s grey!

My high school motto was “carpe diem” – otherwise understood as seize the day; it’s a perfect lead-in to sunshine and flower time! If you’ve been toying with thoughts of make some lifestyle changes it can be an excellent exercise to review, refresh and ratify your ideas.  

Hand print a single idea on an old-fashioned recipe card (if you have any) or on a piece of stiff paper. You’ll need one card for each idea, each cut to the same size. It’s unlikely you’ll have enough to shuffle together, nonetheless, arrange them face up on a surface where you won’t have to disturb them. Over the next few days, arrange and rearrange the cards until you have them in a step by step order or priority. Voila – your plan now has form and substance!

If you’re thinking of downsizing, for example, make up cards for:

1)  Clear bedroom closet

2)    Clear other closets

                                  Set aside what you don’t want, need or use anymore.

3)    Get some packing boxes from grocery store, liquor store,

 UPS or FedEx stores.

4)   Service club or churches

                     Is there a winter coats/boots or other clothing collection services?

5)  Workshop

                          Too many tools or equipment? Sort and set aside, give away

6)  Garage

7) China Cabinet

                    If you aren’t entertaining on a large scale keep only what you use

8) Good china/dishes

                        

9)     Furniture & Linens

                   Consignment shops, new and used stores or Habitat for Humanity,Salvation Army,                   other family households, neighbours

These are just a few of many ideas you’ll come up with.

“Pitter-patter, let’s get at ‘er”…