32 degrees this morning. I thought it would be warmer, so I was a little surprised, but it is supposed to warn up later.
Sometimes there is a sense of unreality as another day starts. Years of "making things happen" are suddenly changed to "waiting for something to happen", at least as far as major life changes go. I can only go so far and then I have to wait for a decision by someone else. However, meanwhile, I do have plenty to do, catching up on organizing etc.
I still have items from my Mother to review and it has been 16 years since she passed on. However, that isn't a matter of procrastation as much as just having to face the emotion reaction I get from seeing my mother (and some degree my dad) from the perspective of them as young people full of dreams and knowing how it ended. Somewhat of an "Our Town" reaction. Not that my Mother and Dad didn't have an enjoyable full life, but I don't think it is what the envisioned when they were in the 20's, 30's, 40's, or even 50's. Of course, who am i to judge? When I went to visit them after they retired in AZ, I always had a good conversation with them, perhaps until the old parent/child relationship returned. I think it is seeing them age that bothers me as much as anything when I look at their papers from their youth. Maybe it is best to not look at the papers, just give them to my brothers and sisters, but then I would miss knowing about a major part of my heritage. Dilemmas in the middle of life.
Reading Khaleo Hosseini "And the Mountains Echoed". At first i had a hard time getting into it and I almost quit, but now i am really into it. I really enjoyed the "Kite Runner", in fact it helped me get through skin cancer surgery, but i never did get into the second book at all and quit reading it.
Because of time limitations, I have gotten a lot more selective in what I read (and watch or listen or whatever). I have pretty much quit reading the "boiler plate" fiction and are basically the same plot. I have too many "things to do" hanging over me to waste time reading something that isn't meaningful or even entertaining. (I make an exception for Lee Child and Jack Reacher)
My Dad started reading light reading when he was in his (I believe) early fifties. I discussed it with my Mom a little and both of us were puzzled, but we both figured if he enjoyed them, he deserved it. He had worked hard and maybe found something that he enjoyed. I owe my love of classical music to my Dad, one of my memories is him listening to "Music from the Masters" on WIBW redo on Sunday afternoons, and later his record collection.
Oddly enough, I used to hate Country Music. In fact, I joke (only partly) that the reason I moved to Oklahoma City (when I took the City Manager position at Harrah) was because the only radio station in town where I was played ply Country Music. There was a restaurant next to City Hall called "Maggies Kitchen" and a cafe about a block away called "Country Kitchen". I would take a break and get some coffee and they were always playing Country Music, so I gradually developed a liking for Country Music that developed into a deep appreciation for most Country Music. Of course, I always liked fiddle music of any type, so maybe I just had to experience some Country Music to really enjoy it. I remember going to a meeting (it was the last snow of the winter) and turned to a Country Music station and realized I really liked it. I've liked it (for the most part) ever since.
