what's YOUR name?

Under the title RIVERLIGHTRIDER I told of the experience that led to this "name". The Native Americans named individuals based on something unique outstanding about them, which I always found interesting. Many times last names came from such things as where a family lived or their trade. Most of us were named by our parents and take the last name they passed on to us, and while we might like them very much, or be comfortable with them at least, if you could name yourself, what experience... or outstanding trait or skill... would you use, and what would your name be?

I was just wondering ....

A BEND IN THE RIVER

Norrie Point looking north... and around the bend in the river is Kingston

I don't know who reads what I post here, but if you would FOLLOW me and post comments back it would be nice to hear what you have to say too!

It's nice to know that I have this window to the world ( this computer ) through which I can speak to people I know every day when I wake up, and throughout the day when I have time... and in some ways it's nicer to reach people this way rather than making phone calls because we can all respond when we have time to... and neither of us is interrupting what the other may be doing at the time. It's nice to know that there is always someone there to talk to when I feel I have something to share, whatever it might be, and to hear what they have to share back, even though at the time I write, the person I'm sending a note to might be busy... I know they will read it at some point and respond when they can... such is the joy of having this form of communication... which reaches around the world!

Although I started out here mostly posting things I'd written, along a rather poetic line, and I will continue to do that, I'd really like there to be more dialogue because sharing thoughts, opinions, ideas, hopes and fears and whatever comes to mind is always refreshing, and enriching. We all have a lot we can learn from one another, and I don't want this to be just words that I write for others to read because I want to hold center stage or something. It's not all about ME... and I would welcome comments.

The Flow of Life is like a RIVER ... and it is through sharing our thoughts and feelings on a variety of things that we grow in understanding. Communication is more than simply discussing the news or things on TV or something like that, although that certainly has it's place too ... we are people with things within ourselves that tend to go without a voice, or without someone listening, and I'd like this to be a way for you to do that too. If you were to send me something, in my personal E-mail, that you'd like me to post here, I would like to do that, from time to time, to share with others as well.

I know there are places such as Facebook to keep in touch with a lot of people all at once, but that seems to be more of a place for posting little comments, pictures or links, things that are like a personal news page, and I wouldn't post comments with any length to them there since it would tend to clutter up the NEWSFEED where a number of people are trying to enter their comments. I'd like this to be more along the lines of a conversation about things that aren't particularly newsy ( i.e. the new house, someone's trip, or the latest on the new baby ) but more from the heart and soul ...

If you have a question, thought, idea, or whatever, and post it in the comments here, it's like putting a messege in a bottle, and the more people this blog reaches, the more it can reach back to you as well.

The Postcard

So how are things with YOU ?? ... I've been keeping busy... and then dropping... you know how it is... one extreme or the other... but I'm finding little things to make life more fun when I have the motivation! It's been cloudy and rainy here for days and days, but here and there the sun peeks out for a while every other day or so. It's not really bad, just keeps me drowsy... nature's tranquelizer...

Jay and I decided to go on a little adventure last Thursday. We were doing the usual errands and noticed this big thunderhead moving toward the valley. Well at about that same time we both had a yen for Oriental food, and the only place where there's good oriental now, is out on Rt 44... Sooo...with rain beating on the windshield making it near zero visibility at some points, we trekked there, dashed thru a lake sized puddle to get into the place, and got soaked with a torrential downpour... dripping like we just got out of swimming in the ocean or something, we ordered... laughing. It felt like being on vacation ... and the best part was it was so warm that the clammy feeling was just a bit uncomfortable afterward, not chilling... and after a nice warm sweet meal, the only thing left to do was nap > so I did!!

Ah ... MINI-VACATIONS > save on gas and motel rentals!* = )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ride the River of LIGHT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

making friends

I remember making friends when I was a child...

sometimes it was through my parents,
or in school,
sometimes the kids were far away so we didn't see one another much,
but there were the kids I met on my street
some of whom were not the nicest people on earth, but
there were always those I felt akin to...

we'd walk and talk, or sit and talk at first...

then came exchanging bits of a picnic lunch with one another...

usually it happened when the weather was beginning get warm...

summer was that time to explore new things
and to get to know one another as well...

there were hours in a day to do it
and noone interrupting...

I think, sometimes, about
how as I got older
it got harder to do that...

to really get to know someone

hard to make friends in school because of the time limits
and the "no talking" rules
and the attention needing to be on the job...

Hard to get to know someone
only seeing them in controlled places...

if I got to know someone from school
it was because I went home on the bus with them
and they did the same thing...

and we went off somewhere to talk
and share things
and were always interested
as we got to know one another
and did little things together

as an adult,
most of the time, I'd meet people in certain settings
like at work,
or a club of some kind
sometimes just passing in the supermarket,
or doctor's office...
only seeing one another in that one particular way
in a controlled setting

except when I was a homemaker and mother
back when there were still a lot of other women who were too
and we visited one another at home
when we had time
but even then
usually there were the time limits,
other people demanding attention
important matters to think about at the time
and interruptions when wanting to hold a real conversation...

you know,
sitting in a public place with another person
just wanting to get to know them
as a person
and maybe sharing lunch
before heading back to work,
isn't at all the same thing as sitting on a rock by a pond
exchanging half a tuna sandwich for half a PBJ
in your swampy sneekers and fagged out jeans
where there's noone else around
only nature watching and listening
as you share your secret hopes and fears
and laughing for stupid reasons...
with the only interruption being when there was a skinned knee
or the dinner hour beckoned...

back when I was a kid

and there was summer break

time out

for life