Looking Back

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
Dr. Seuss

Standing at the stern watching Catalina sail away.

The boat ride from Catalina to the mainland was quick. Getting back into the swing of things, well that didn’t take long either.

But, driving around today taking care of all my errands, I’m reminded how courteous and friendly everyone on Catalina is: It’s such a contrast to the Angeleno lifestyle.

So, I’m already planning my next return trip to captivating Catalina. Hopefully, my husband will be able to join me, and am looking forward instead of looking back.

Shine On

How’s That ?

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“People are always so boring when they band together.
You have to be alone to develop all the idiosyncrasies
that make a person interesting.”
Andy Warhol

Hows That

Everybody has their own idiosyncrasies. Some people bite their nails. Some people twist their hair. Some have a particular way they speak. And some have sayings that they always use.

A common idiosyncrasy of a young person is using the word “like”. Like they say it all the time. Like when they are telling a story, or like when they are quoting something someone said. I remember using this word in every sentence when I was young. It took a great deal of effort to break this habit of mine.

The last few years I’ve noticed that my husband has a saying he uses quite often. He’s an Italian native New Yorker, so he has a repertoire of sayings such as: fugeddaboudit, how ya doin’?, boombots and stuppiad (these I hear quite often when we are kidding around). He has been using, “how’s that?” at the end of most of his sentences when he’s telling me a story.

So this post is dedicated to my husband. How’s that?

Shine On

Time to Yourself

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“We all need empty hours in our lives or
we will have no time to create or dream.”
Robert Coles

Pirate style sailboat sailing past the Esplanade.

I don’t care who you are, we all need time alone. It can be as short as ten minutes or as long as a week.

This concept is really driven home after guests have visited.

Don’t get me wrong, I love having visitors and cooking, cleaning and playing Martha Stewart, but it sure is nice to have my time and space back. Especially when you are used to having lots of your own time alone.

Some people hate having alone time. For me, I have so many hobbies and things I like to do that require alone time, that I’ve always enjoyed my space and time alone.

Going for walks, visiting the library or just siting in the park can be a great way to allow yourself alone time. It not only clears your head, but can give you a fresh look at the world around you when you get time to yourself.

Shine On

Hooting in the House

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“When cats run home and light is come,
And dew is cold upon the ground,
And the far-off stream is dumb,
And the whirring sail goes round,
And the whirring sail goes round;
Alone and warming his five wits,
The white owl in the belfry sits.”
Alfred Tennyson

The California Great Horned Owl

Late every evening, for the past two months I hear the sound of an owl hooting. To hear the owl clearly, you must be outside the front door. The calls from the owl are coming from the roof and echo and bounce off the outside walls of our nine story building.

Like a well tuned clock, the owls hooting begins at ten o’clock each night. Unfortunately, because I have night blindness and have no access to the roof, I have not actually seen this owl.

Being the owl fan I am, everyone I know has heard about this owl. They all look at me like I’m nuts and tell me “that’s nice.” My husband just thinks I have bats in my belfry. (That’s another post at another time.)

Last night when my owl buddy began to hoot, I turned to my husband and asked.

“Can you hear it? Can you hear it?”

“I don’t hear anything.” Said my husband.

I grabbed my husband by the hand, led him off the sofa, away from his car show to the front door and opened the door. We stood at the door for a few seconds, and then the owl gave his distinguished hoot. We both listened as the owl hooted several times.

I was excited as a school girl that my husband had finally witnessed the hoots from my visiting friend. Excited that we had shared the sounds from one of natures most majestic creatures. On the other hand, my husband didn’t share my excitement and just replied “that’s nice”, and returned to the sofa and his car show.

To me its the little things in life that make me happy and give me hope. I love nature and all its wonder. Why has this owl chose our building? Is it because it is the tallest spot facing the ocean? Is it because his hooting echo’s and carries farther for other owls to hear and find him?

I’d like to believe the arrival of this owl and his hooting every night is a sign. A sign of hope. A sign of all the good to come. A sign of wisdom and what knowledge can bring.

But, that is the never-ending romantic in me. For whatever the reason this owl arrived at our building, I’m enjoying all the hooting in the house.

Shine On

Truly Living

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.”
Lao Tzu

I love this NYC apartment with its clean uncluttered design.

Some people’s lives are cluttered with possessions to the point where their possessions are taking over their life.

I’m a minimalist, so I don’t have lots of knickknacks, magazines, books and papers in my home. I’ve been a minimalist since sixteen years of age.

At sixteen years old, a friend of my grandmother’s died. He didn’t have any family or friends, except for my grandmother and my family. There was no one to contact about his death, so my older brother and I were elected to dispose of his belongings. This was my first experience with losing someone I knew.

As I sat there looking through his photo albums, clothing, books and knickknacks he had collected over the years, I felt very sad. All of these precious items he had for over eighty years. All of his belongings and items he treasured, were left behind with no one to continue his memories. Sadly, we emptied item after item into the trash. Furniture, clothing, books, kitchen items, and electronics went to the Salvation Army.

Since that day, I stopped hanging on to items that I felt were nonessential possessions in my life. This allows me to simplify my life and also allows me to live in the present. When it comes right down to it, the only important moment is the present moment.

If you can only live one moment at a time, you might as well make it the present. Because choosing to live in the past or the future not only robs you of enjoyment of today, it robs you of truly living.

Shine On