Here’s a picture of my sister and me under the bright lights of a Broadway marquee:
That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing the last couple of years. Though not always under the theatrical lights. Or even outside. Or with my sister. Sometimes I’ve been floundering with glasses askew entirely on my own. Or with friends. Or my husband, Dave. Or our son, the previously nicknamed Fluffy, from here on, referred to as Tito. (It’s about time, right? How much longer would I insist on calling a human person, a tween-aged boy, FLUFFY?)
I’ve also been reading and eating and bathing, sleeping and laughing and crying, cooking and screaming and drawing, driving and talking and sitting, playing a bit of music, and watching a lot of TV. Jon Stewart, Colbert, a bunch of movies, TV. There’s so much good TV now. Have you been watching, for example, Lena Dunham take off her clothes in Girls? or Veep? Not that Lena takes off her clothes in Veep, but if they asked her, hey, I’m pretty sure she’d have her baby-girl top off before they finished the question.
I love the new, good TV! Newsroom, Breaking Bad, The Mindy Project, Game of Thrones, Downton Abby. And others I haven’t been able to see since we don’t get Showtime. Damn that Homeland.
Tito (again, the boy previously known as Fluffy) is good. We’re still homeschooling but things are opening up. More on that later.
Dave’s got a book coming out at the end of beginning of November. Siri And Me; A Love Story. About a guy named Dave (ahem) who falls in love with his iphone. You must buy many copies and give them to everyone you know. I’ll be giving away a copy later in the month, so watch for that. Again, later.
I’m doing the Weight Watchers, counting the points, and working my butt off with that crazy Tony Horton in P90X. And not because Paul Ryan does it. Though that might be the only thing he and I have in common. And if it is, then, yay! Let’s all celebrate commonalities! And then race out and vote for Obama, even though he laid an egg in the last debate.
I’ve been reading Byron Katie’s books. And doing The Work. Taking a closer look at my thinking. It’s part of my overall self-improvement project. It’s very interesting. Like the life drawing class I’ve been taking. It’s quite a thing to look at something. Really look at it. Not to see what you expect to see or want to see or even are simply accustom to seeing. But what is actually there, once investigated. It’s the same with my thinking. What’s there, under my thoughts? My fear, my worry, my annoyance, my insistence? What’s actually there, if I’m willing to investigate, to ask and listen to my own answers, not for the sake of being wrong or right, but only, as Byron Katie says, for the love of truth?
Elegance + Glamor — The Lovely Anderson Ladies
May you blog ever onward, dearest K; we are here.
I think at 60 at the latest we should all stop self-improving and accept ourselves for who we are. For instance. YOU, Ms. K, have always been a wondrous person and I think anyone who’s been lucky enough to cross paths with you knows that. After 60, maybe a LITTLE tweaking here and there, but mostly let ourselves be. That doesn’t mean don’t learn anything new, learning’s fun. But we should lay off ourselves and lay on someone else (Groucho moment).
tee hee. count on you, marian, to give us a groucho moment. i hear you. but i love me the self-improvement. i just can’t stop fiddling with myself. : ) now, i’ve given you a slightly different sort of moment…
Another special thing about a very special lady.
I’m so happy to see your face and your words, to feel your spirit in this place again. You’ve been missed, my friend. xo
If it’s something you enjoy doing, do it to your heart’s content. And if someone’s malfunctioning in some way that’s making them unhappy, they’d probably be happier if they work some of that out. But I think if you’re a reasonably good person, maybe there’s a time to finally just let yourself BE in the world.
I’m saying this badly – and hogging the comments section. This is one of those talk- until-the-wee-hours conversations. (Remember at Trinity we’d do that and the pile of smoked cigarettes would just get higher and higher?) I think I’m saying, it’s a time we can let ourselves enjoy being us in the world (and for you, part of that is your quest, although I already think you’re amazing) and not be weighed down by other people’s expectations (oh those teens and twenties). Because if not now, when? Someone came up a few years ago with the idea of the good-enough mother (and by extension, the good-enough dad), so I think it’s kind of cool if we’ve reached a life stage where we can accept ourselves as a good-enough us most of the time.
Last comment, I promise! And maybe that frees us up to also do whatever work we choose to do to hopefully make the world better before we go. THE END
I love whatever you say, Marian!!
What I mean by the phrase self-improvement is really, the on-going process of self-discovery and self-care. Xxx!!r
Great re-entry, my friend! I seem to remember, delightfully and joyously, a laughing, screaming girl doing some funny stuff with a top!!
So pleased to hear that you are back! I have all your notes re Fluffy/Tito from all those years ago. I can’t tell you enough how helpful they have been.
I love the awesomeness of this. And you.
Good to see you are blogging again
I am so happy to see you here writing again. Your writing is so very beautiful and I’ve missed it.
This makes me happy times 100!
So glad to see you back!
this all seems to coincide with the astrological new moon – a great time for new starts, beginnings, etc. i’m just sayin’….
Hi, Kyra,
I am glad you are back and also doing The Work. I do it too…mostly. Thank you for coming back.
(You may not remember me, I was the woman you recommended the Handle method to)
hi ines! yes, of course! i do remember you! so glad you are doing The Work as well. it’s quite an experience to slow down and look at my thoughts. wow. quite a journey.
did you pursue HANDLE?
Yes, we DID. And, my son did very well. He is still doing very well and being himself at the same time. He speaks more now, which is a good thing. This year has been big in many different ways. I am so glad you are writing again.
Reblogged this on Cubiyanqui and commented:
My amazing friend Kyra is re-launching!