A New Company

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Nutcracker ballet at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.  The tickets had been a gift and although I had no intention of taking my husband, I asked him if he wanted to go anyway, just to see the look on his face.  As I suspected, it was priceless so I asked my friend Dina and she was overjoyed to accompany me.   

This beautiful building, a Greek Revival structure that compliments the state capitol building of Raleigh, N.C., hosts two theaters, a concert hall and the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, which alone seats over 2200 people.  In the front of the building is a landscaped plaza complete with a large reflecting pool and sculptures.  Scattered randomly around the pool are small wire table and chair sets for resting, before or after a performance, or to just sit and take in the cityscape that spreads out in front of the plaza.   

Although Dina was familiar with the Nutcracker, I had never seen it before, or any ballet performance for that matter.  We found our seats and marveled at the size and decor of the auditorium.  Our seats were on the second terrace and we had a great view of the stage along with the orchestra.  It was not long before the lights dimmed and the curtain rose.

The backdrops used in these kinds of programs always amaze me.  They are nothing more than a sheer curtain with whatever background is needed printed on them.  I thought back to my high school days and drama club.  We spent just about as much time searching for props and making our humble stage take on the right setting as we did practicing our lines and rehearsing.  

The costumes were fabulous and the ballet itself was very entertaining.  I remembered why I had never seen it before and that was because I always thought the Nutcracker guy was creepy looking and unfortunately, I still do.  I was, however, very familiar with all the music and it suddenly dawned on me the reason for that was Looney Tunes.  I can still see Elmer Fudd searching for that waskely wabbit to the tune of the Sugar Plum Fairy.  Hey, sometimes the 'country' will just not leave some people.

What captivated me more than anything were the dancers.  I had never seen such graceful bodies and long limbs.  Later I began to do a search as to whether there were actually prerequisites for becoming a ballerina because most every girl, sometime in their life, wanted to be one.  Here is what I found:  They should be 5'3" to 5'8" and weigh somewhere between 85 and 130 pounds.  They should have a small head, long neck, long arms, long legs, a slender figure and the fortitude to put in long, long hours of training and practice.   The information also stated that in the USA, size could vary and that in itself, should be a celebrated concept.  That may be true, but there were no 5'2" dancers with short arms, short legs and no neck on the stage.

I wonder if there should be a new ballet company and the only prerequisites would be none of the above.  There would be no age limit either, thigh size would not matter, nor weight.  True, the grand jete' (those wonderful leaps) might not be too far off the ground and the pirouettes, one of which I did in the clubhouse for the staff,  may not look too pretty, but we could sure have some fun, for a day or two....Or, at least until we could no longer move. 

  

A Year in Review, Runtly Style

First, let me, Runtly, the ever so entertaining Jack Russell Terrier, start out by stating that if Mom said 'she would never be one of those people' once, she has said it 100 times.

It seems like my year started out with a lot of miles spent riding in a vehicle.  It was scary.  It made my heart go pitter patter and Mom had to give me some 'sleepy' medicine.  It did not really make me go to sleep, but it helped with the sound of the traffic roaring by.  I do not like traffic.

I like my new home and have made many friends.  I also have made some not friendly friends and as luck would have it, they all live in my building.....right next door.  Their names are Layla, Biggie and Claire and they would like to eat me for a snack.  Layla tried to the other day, but Mom had me on the leash and swung me around like a helicopter until Layla's mom got her under control.  It was fun, sort of and sort of not.  When Biggie and Claire are outside, I bark at them and show them my teeth.  I do this from the second story deck, I show them who is the boss.  I have more people friends than I do dogs and all the kids at the school bus stop think I'm really cute.

This year I have acquired a wardrobe.  I have a blue t-shirt that has the words "BOW WOW" in glittery sparkles on the back and a grey sweater that reads "woof".  I do not like them, but Mom seems to think they are great fun.  I might like the sweater when it is cold outside, but I'm not telling Mom.  She always tries to take my picture when I have the ridiculous shirts on.  I hide as soon as I see her reach for that picture taking thing.  I do not like it either, Mom spends way too much time looking at it.  Valuable time she could be spending looking at me.  

I take a big walk almost every day.  Mom and I walk almost two miles!  When I get tired of walking, I tap Mom on the back of the leg and she carries me.  Mom is nice.

I did my very first sleepover away from home this year and spent the night with my buddy, Franklin.  I did not like it, but I used his bathroom just like I do at home and Franklin was impressed.  Mom says I'm really smart.

Dad and I spent NASCAR season on the couch together.  It was a lot of fun and Dad is warm.  Now that NASCAR season is over, we like to watch funny videos.  Dad is fun.  Dad shares his chips too.

I've been trying really hard to not be afraid in the vehicle.  As soon as I hear Mom pick up the keys to the truck, I tell her I want to go.  I am very brave and stand in the passenger seat, at least until we pull out of the complex onto the busy street.  When I see all the traffic, I have to sit next to Mom.  But, as soon as she turns the truck back into our complex, I get very brave again.  Maybe next year I will be able to go farther than two blocks.  

I had a package under the Christmas tree this year and it was from my Grandma!!  Grandma is nice.  Mom said it was time to go through my toy basket and get rid of a few things.  Mom is mean.

Once this year I ate something I found in the middle of the road, when Mom wasn't looking.  It seemed tasty to me, but then I puked for two days.  Mom says she has been looking at muzzles.  Mom should pay better attention to me.  

My cousin, Boy, sent me a text message.  He said he and his dad watched the movie 'Goodfellas' together.  After it was over, Boy told his dad he wanted to be called Henry from now on.  I think Henry is a nice name.

It has been a fun year.  I have a nice place to live, food and water in my coffee cups on a blue place mat, toys galore and I get to sleep in Mom and Dad's bed. I always take up as much room as I want.  Mom says she has become one of those people.  I do not know what than means.

Mom says it is time for me to get out of her chair.  I hope everyone has a barkly and sparkly Happy New Year!!

The Forever Poinsettia

Tom and Lilly were soulmates.  The love they held for each other more than spanned the age difference between them.  Theirs was definitely a September-December romance that lasted for over two decades.  Tom and Lilly lived from one side of the country to the other and spent as much of their time together as they possibly could.  It was always rare to see one without the other.  They settled in a small mid-western town and were blessed with a son.  They named him Todd.

Tom loved his family and he loved to work in the yard and tend to his flowers.  His roses were the most beautiful anyone had ever seen.  Lilly had no green thumb, like her husband, but she admired the beauty Tom created around their home.  

Every Christmas season, Tom and Lilly would go to the local big box store and purchase poinsettias to decorate the house with.  Tom always cared for the poinsettias during the holidays.  This was a Christmas ritual, year after year.

Then one year, shortly after the Thanksgiving season was over, Tom fell ill.  Lilly went to the store without him and returned with two $6 poinsettias.  Two weeks later and fourteen days before Christmas, Tom told Lilly "good night" and peacefully passed to the other side.  Lilly's heart was broken.  How was she going to make it without him?  

Three years later, those two poinsettias are still alive.  All Lilly has ever done for them is to give them water.  They are at least ten times the size they were when she first brought them home.  They each sit on plant stands that are two feet high and the leaves are so dense that they nearly touch the floor.  This past March, the poinsettias were loaded with red leaves.  Shortly after summer, all the red leaves fell off both plants.  Then, a few weeks ago, Lilly noticed some of the leaves were beginning to turn red, again.  Todd told his mother that Dad was sending her poinsettias for Christmas.

This is a true story, only the names have been changed to protect their identity.  I have pictures of the poinsettias and share them often.  I also look at them when I'm feeling down because they prove to me that love never dies, that we are not forgotten and that those we miss are just beyond our fingertips.  Tom not only takes care of the poinsettias, he visits Lilly in her dreams.  He tells her he will be right there, waiting for her, so they can be together forever.

Love, it's what the season is all about.   

The Bearer of The Torch

Another year is quickly spiraling into oblivion.  As its end approaches, so does the most hectic time of the year for many people, the holiday season.  There are gifts to purchase or make, foods to cook that have not been cooked or baked since last year and endless activities and gatherings to attend.

For many, especially children, this is a happy and exciting time, but for some, it's the most miserable time of the year.  Celebrating the holidays, when there has been the loss of a  loved one who has passed through this veil of life, is not something the grief stricken look forward to, especially if that person was a parent. 

There have been many posts on social media platforms, that speak of how people have lost the Spirit of the season.  They say that they miss their parent too much to celebrate.  Things just are not the same with them gone.  

They are right, all these things are true.  It is not the same, it never will be.  Missing that person never really goes away, regardless of what time of the year it is and regardless of how much time has passed.  The spirit of any holiday can be lost.

Perhaps, what we have failed to see in the hopelessness, is the torch.  The torch of life that was handed to the very person we now are missing.  Most likely, if the living timeline was followed to the letter, they too had the very same feelings of grief when their parent passed.  The torch does not immediately make everything better, but its fire never dies.  It burns and waits for its new bearer to pick it up and put one foot in front of the other, to continue on.  It helps to light the way, even when we do not wish to go forward.  

The loss of any loved one leaves us with an empty space.  Pick up the torch this holiday season and let the light of that person's fire help lead you through the darkness.  Hang a strand of lights on the lamp shade or put an ornament somewhere.  Try to do something and if  this is too much, that's alright.  The torch will still be waiting, its fire burning bright, for the next day, the next week, the next holiday.

Because Of This

There is compelling and mounting evidence that civilized civilization has been around a lot longer than five or six thousand years.  Following this line of thought and if one takes the time to delve into this information, one will find there is a plethora of evidence backing up this claim.  

Searching for the real answers can sometimes lead a person to a point where they must take a step back and look at things from a distance, if only for a little while.  Not doing this, especially when going against the grain of everything we were told as truth, can nearly lead a person down the path of madness.  

We are told that, right now, in this time in history, humankind is the most advanced intellectually as it has ever been.  Many times my searches into this topic take me to places, via the computer, where people have the opportunity to post their own thoughts on whatever topic is being discussed.  Reading through these posts brings me to the realization that if we are the most advanced, smartest and wisest of the homo-sapiens, I would beg to differ.

It does not matter what the subject is, someone will throw in a comment that either deals with religion or politics and from there the entire discussion begins to disintegrate into a mindless mess of meanness.  During the quagmire of 'having the last word' posts, someone will ALWAYS toss in the "End Times" are upon us.  

People have been predicting the end of the world for a really long time.  One of the dates of end times found goes back to 66 CE, 
nearly two thousand years ago.  Following is a list of 5 of the most recent dooms day predictions:

5.  William Miller had quite a following back in the 1840's.  He predicted that Christ would return in 1843.  When that didn't happen, he changed the date to 1844.  This was known as Millerism.

4.  In 1910, the approach of Halley's Comet had so many people believing the end was near, that someone had the brilliant idea to sell bottled air.

3.  1988 was the year, according to True Way, that the earth was going to be destroyed.  But, people could survive the end by purchasing a ride on a UFO that would take them somewhere else, although that 'somewhere' was not mentioned exactly.

2.  A man by the name of Harold Camping, who strangely enough had a large following, predicted the end of the world.....12 times.

1.  The Mayan Calendar.  This is one of the most recent predictions of the Apocalypse and to  make a long story short, that didn't happen either.

What people fail to realize is one very important truth.  There is a Bible story that tells how one man talked God out of destroying an entire nation of people.  There are hundreds of thousands of people, all over the earth, who spend a great deal of their time in petition.  Meaning, they pray.  They pray for peace and for a healing of our home, the Earth.  They pray for the spiritual awakening of the rest of humanity.  Many do it silently and even though it is not plastered all over the evening news, it still goes on.  It is because of this, that I do not believe the end is coming anytime soon.  We have far too much to learn yet, and hopefully, if we look back far enough, we can learn from our mistakes.