Better Late Than Never

"You are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything."
~Oprah Winfrey~

I absolutely love a New Year! I compare it to the quintessential Monday diet, but on a much grander scale, in that, we are not afforded fifty-two Monday's, but rather one lousy chance per year to "get it right." As I headed out from Georgia to Colorado on New Year's Day, I began getting my resolutions in order; crossing all my T's and dotting all my I's, as in, "I" promise to do this and "I" promise to do that! Thus begins the journey down the path paved with the best of intentions and the most righteous resolutions. I have chanted the same mantra every year since 1980...."This is YOUR year, Robin!" Yada, yada, yada. And make no mistake, it always is "my year" right up until about the 15th of January, that is. Big sigh!

Somehow I just feel differently about 2009. I am older, boy am I older, and far more wiser. With that being said, perhaps 2020 will be "my year," as in "hindsight is 2020." I will be a few months from age 60, probably about to give birth to my third child. I seem to have a child every 20 years and have dubbed it "Robinetics," the ability to make life much harder than it was meant to be. :0) God, I am like some sort of prehistoric animal that you would think would be extinct by now. I am referring to the "dumb blonde." Do you think there is an exhibit at the Smithsonian yet? I am changing my drivers license to read, "Dumb Blonde Donor." In the case of death, please forward (good hair day only) worn out shell to Smithsonian.

Aside from resolving to be a better mother, friend, and human being, good health is going to be a priority for 2009. I am vowing to stress less and laugh more. And trust me when I tell you, I am my own dinner and a show. Front row tickets anyone? Oooops, sorry, already SOLD OUT! Do I care that I have friends who will laugh at me instead of with me? Not on your life! If I can't set a good example at least I can be a horrible warning. I have certainly given new meaning to the phrase, "Do as I say, NOT as I do!" I preach it to my children on a daily basis...at least to the one that calls me!! I won't mention any names, but he still lives with me.

I studied hard preparing for 2009. I read a plethora of books that promised to "show me the way," and point me in the right direction, if you will. Yeah, that's not working for me. I am completely "zenned" out and my ying is butting up against my yang. Is life really that complex? No, of course it isn't! I finally found the answer in the last book I picked up, not for $19.95 at Barnes and Noble, but . 25 at a garage sale. The book was titled "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten." The title piqued my curiosity and I happened to have a quarter in my pocket (and yes, I'm glad to see you). The book turned out to be worth its weight in gold. The author, Robert Fulghum, a genius in his own right, imparts his Credo, as follows:

"All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life-learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup-they all die. So do we. And then remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you learned-the biggest word of all-LOOK." Amen, Mr. Fulghum

So there you have it people. Life is your value meal; BIGGIE SIZE IT!! Have a glorious New Year. Be safe, be healthy, be wise and be yourself, you are the only one that you have to spend the rest of your life with.

Peace Out!
The Paper Whisperer

Hello "Dalia!"

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."

~Dalai Lama~

Prior to last weekend, I knew little to nothing about the Dalai Lama. As a habitual “quote junkie,” a few of his quotes have made it into my quote journal, period, end of story. The irony is, I found his words profoundly enlightening, apparently just not enlightening enough to investigate who and what the “Dalai Lama” was. Now I am ashamed. While at the library last weekend, I spied a DVD entitled, “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama,” I picked it up, read the back cover and decided it looked interesting. I added it to my fast growing armful of items to check out, as I am always open to the impartation of free spiritual advice.

I popped the DVD in on Sunday morning and began the “journey” into the Tibetan world which was so brilliantly “guided” by travel filmmaker, Rick Ray. He did the most amazing job capturing the candor of His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. Since I did not know what to expect, given my minuscule knowledge of this man and his country, I was taken aback by his inherent charm, sense of humor and most infectious giggles. In all his greatness, he is just a simple, down to earth man whose greatest convictions seem to be peace and self-discipline, something I have long aspired to achieve.

Rick Ray begins the documentary with the perception that the happiest people, during his travels, seemed to be the poorest people and that he saw more smiles in the slums than among the rich and privileged. (Now I know why they call me Smiley). The Dalai Lama’s explanation was simple, “If you have very little in life, you have very little to worry about. On the other hand, if you have a lot, you have a lot to lose.” Wow! It puts things in a whole new perspective, doesn’t it?

Ray goes on to say that, “greed is a source of problems; a source of suffering.” And that, according to the Dalai Lama, “makes a person very poor…mentally.” At this point Ray cites an old anecdote, “A Priest was once asked if he would rather counsel the rich or the poor and he said, ‘the rich, because the rich know that having more money will not solve their problems.’” (I had to process that one for a bit).

The Dalai Lama lives in Dharamsala, India, where he was granted political asylum when Communist China invaded his country and massacred over a million of his people. His home is a very modest structure, far from the extravagant palace he once resided in. The Potala Palace, located in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, has now been forcefully turned into a museum by the Chinese. And according to Ray, the city of Lhasa has been converted into a Disney Land, of sorts, for Chinese tourists. Sad, isn’t it? Not only was the Dalai Lama forced from his home; his country, but the Chinese have even gone so far as to ban any photos of the Dalai Lama from the Tibetan culture. “Over the years, the Chinese have jailed, brutalized and tortured anyone proclaiming independence from Tibet,” according to Ray’s documentary.

Through all of this hate, the Dalai Lama has remained true to his peaceful beliefs and continues to “encourage peaceful resistance in an attempt to shame China to its senses,” documented by Ray. The Dalai Lama admitted, however, that it takes an immense amount of self-discipline to watch what China has done to his country.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born July 6, 1935 to a farming family. He was discovered by Monks at the age of two after being recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, which is the Tibetan tradition when searching for a successor. He was only 15 when Communist China invaded his country and forced him into exile. He has remained steadfast in his efforts to preserve his culture. In 1989, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his continued resistance to use of violence. His Holiness cites Ghandi as one his greatest inspirations.

A new Panchen Lama was chosen in 1995 at the age of 6 and within a couple of months of the announcement, he and his family were taken prisoner by the Chinese and have never been seen or heard from again. He is considered to be the youngest political prisoner in history. I thoroughly enjoyed “meeting” the Dalai Lama and learning about his beautiful culture. The documentary was heart wrenching at times and just when I felt the tears well up in my eyes, the Dalai Lama would giggle, smile or let out an enormous guffaw that would bring instant peace to my heart. He is truly an inspiration and a newfound hero in my most humble existence.

The words, "Free Tibet" will never sound the same to me again and I will forever be inspired by his wisdom. I urge you to view this documentary for yourself. It is a beautiful story and the Dalai Lama is a beautiful human being.

Namaste,
The Paper Whisperer

Me, Myself and I

ME, MYSELF AND I

On the path of least resistance

I didn't know my name,

Remote controlled emotions,

My head hung down in shame.

My journey to tomorrow,
My exit yesterday,

Rejoicing in the moment,

the future, who's to say.

My color back to normal
My soul up from the grave.
My peaceful, warm demeanor,
A past I no longer crave.

Pages full of promises,
Contracts I have made.
A simple wish to live a life

My dues forever paid.

My spirit shone so brightly,
That dark and dreary day.
Magnetic kindred moment,
Dark clouds drift slow away.

Youth is gone forever,
Good-bye, please don't come back.
I made my peace an hour ago,
Foundation back on track.

My body is my temple,
My heart is all my own.
You did not get the best of me,
Just look how I have grown.

I love you from the inside,
I'm glad you let me out.
Stay true to all your glory,
Don't whisper, time to shout.

Take my hand and walk with me,
I'll show you how to live.
I'll teach you how to love yourself,
I've got so much more to give.

The Paper Whisperer
10/26/08

"Write" Down To It

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." ~E. L. Doctorow~

People are always so utterly amazed when they find out I am a writer. I chuckle every time. They always say it with so much awe in their voices as though I save lives or am able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. We are really all writers when it comes "write" down to it. We all have a story to tell or a point to get across and some of us are just better at the written word than others. I have a wicked hard time vocalizing my feelings, even standing in front of the cashier at McDonalds. I sound like a, well, a dumb blond. But give me paper and pen and I am free at last.

As far back as I can remember, I have loved to write. When I was about ten years old, I wanted my own newspaper. With pen and paper in hand, I started knocking on doors and begging for stories from the neighbors. Lucky for me, most were accommodating and eager to share. However, I did have to politely decline Mrs. Smith's story about Mr. Smith's new girlfriend. I was ten, after all, and not at all interested in her "scoop." After gathering my "newslets," I ran home and began to pummel the keys of my blue/gray plastic, and extremely manual, typewriter. It had been a Christmas present from Santa. A Smith and Wesson, Smithsonian, Smith Brothers or something like that. (Help me out here people!)

I hunted and pecked out my first and very last, Neighborhood Newspaper. The task was arduous and at ten, I wasn't about to burn the midnight ink....there was kick the can to be played and boys to be crushin' on. The good news is, I sold all five papers that I managed to tap out. If my memory serves me correctly, they went for a nickel a piece. Twenty-five cents; not bad for a beginner. Here I am, 444 months later, a lot older, a lot wiser and the proud owner of a kick ass computer (an acute exaggeration) AND my very own blog!

I am even working on a second blog for my alter-ego who adores sharing healthy eating tips, recipes, and great finds. I am a habitual researcher and have grave difficulty keeping a "secret." Before I discovered blogging I would run to my computer and type up my food revelations and send group e-mails. I quickly became an e-mailevangelist, Church of Health and Well Being.

Like every other writer, I dream of getting a book published someday. It's just so hard, what with the likes of Paris Hilton and now Marcia, Marcia, Marcia (Maureen McCormick), releasing their memoirs. How can one compete with that? I'm probably going to spoil it for you, but it seems that poor Marcia, Marcia, Marcia hit "rock bottom." *GET OUT!* I am so pleased (effing flabbergasted) that she is able to get $25.95 for that "SHOCKING" information. Winning Celebrity Fit Club and going on to appear as a complete "train wreck" on CMT's Gone Country just wasn't convincing enough for me. Bless her heart.

And to think I wanted to be a Brady when I was young. Those kids were destined for dysfunction; think about it. Six kids (not related), raging hormones, a gay dad, an enabler for a mom and a housekeeper who was in denial about her own sexuality while "pretending" to date, Sam the butcher. These, my role models through my pubescent years. And what the hell is so wrong with "Rock Bottom" anyway? I never understood why it gets such a bad rap. It usually means a book deal...at least in Hollywood. I think I'll get the book when it lands at the Dollar Tree just in time for Christmas. Ouch! Do you realize the bad karma I just imposed on myself? I think I just hit ROCK BOTTOM! That's a good thing, right?

Peace Out,

The Paper Whisperer