Mr. Wesley

So today I went to get my mail and I spotted my neighbor across the street in his doorway. He waved, so I waved back. Then I grabbed my mail and walked indoors. A few minutes passed and then I felt guilty. I wondered why, I had waved back! It's was because of my retreat. I have never had a problem with the elderly, I actually enjoy visiting with those who have seen and done everything I'm going to go through. Their wisdom is priceless. The problem is (from my perspective) Mr. Wesley is 92 years old. He is from Ohio and he has a daughter in New York, who is my parents age.

I don't know how to relate to him. The only topics I feel are common ground are the weather (HOT) and our days (mine=monotanous, his=boring). There isn't much there. He loves talking about his experiences and I love listening, but I only have sparse furniture so it's hard to accomidate, and I have nothing to offer in the way of snacks or drinks.

I guess my newest goal to add to my list is to make time to make conversation with him. I mean how hard can it be to find something he'd enjoy talking about?

Puppy Playdate

So my friends and I had a puppy play date last night...needless to say, I was up late. I do have to say though, that was a fun experience. Janet has a rescue puppy (black lab) named Champ, and he is tiny. Kujoe, my killer-security-attack dog, is about the same age and is easily three times larger. While Champ and Kujoe seemed to have a splendid time, Rico (Samantha's full grown Yorkie) seemed a little peeved by the biting and noise. He showed jealousy and just plain grouchiness. I hate to get mad at a dog, but, if he ruins my dogs fun I'm gonna ruin his...

I think the best part of the night was watching the puppies chase each other. When they hit the tile in either the hall or the kitchen, they would slide out of control until they consequently crashed. Catching this all on video or even film would have been great; unfortunately I forgot about my mother's camera in my closet and didn't even think to pull out the video camera.

Having puppies and friends in my life helps remind me that I am young and I can have fun without it ruining my plans for the future. Just because I have classes to attend and a job to work and hospital test being run does not mean I have to act like a crotchety old woman! So there. That's my challenge for myself: fulfill my obligations and have fun doing it!

Beginning

So I'm giving this a shot. I feel like I can make a mark if I just know what to say and when to say it. My main reason for blogging, at the moment, is so that I can become a better writer. I also want to find others who think like me and who write like me. That being said the search starts now!

To me blogging has always been about spewing thoughts out into cyberspace and not getting much in return. I have since learned (from my sister) that blogging can be helpful, gratifying and relieving. She blogs about anything she deems important or relative. I read one of her posts the other day and was suprised at how deep and thoughtful it was. I mean, she can be moving, but to me she has always been the vague, mysterious sibling.

My hope is that someone will be suprised by my blog. Maybe they'll realize I'm not as shallow or ditzy as they always thought. But my biggest desire is that this experience will help me be better in not judging those around me. If I can be suprised by my sister, then I should expect to be suprised by mere acquaintances and I should never take anyone at face value.