Things I Saw Today

I spent the day walking in the woods with an old friend. At the risk of sounding too philosophical, I like the metaphor displayed in the first picture (of me).

Confronted with the vastness of the universe, we are truly small (and possibly insignificant) yet our individual struggle to be ourselves (depicted by my choice of a bright red sweater) stands out in the dark wilderness as a beacon of our uniqueness.

Time and Fear

We think of time as an absolute concept, measured in ticks of a clock. But, even putting aside the vagaries of quantum physics, our perception of time is relative. A good example comes from sports.

Baseball players say that when pressure mounts (like the bases getting loaded), time speeds up for them. Anxiety causes their heart to pump harder. Because time is passing more quickly, they're prone to making stupid errors they'd never make when relaxed. Coaches tell them to SLOW DOWN. Slowing down their body's perception of time allows them to relax and return to normal performance.

The same thing happens to inexperienced car-drivers and motorcycle-riders. Encountering dangerous situations, some panic -- and that's exactly the wrong thing to do. Panic causes our brains to race, depleting us of normal skill. For example, instead of steering away from an oncoming vehicle, panicked operators close their eyes and crash. Their minds fearfully let external factors determine the outcome instead of trying control it.

I've learned to ride my motorcycle in a relaxed state, even when situations are risky. In risky traffic where a millisecond can mean the difference between life and death, I never panic. On the racetrack, sweeping through sharp curves at 120 mph, I stay calm. It isn't easy but this is a trait you can learn. Nobody is born eternally calm; it's a mental tool you develop.

Have you ever felt time "speed up" in a moment of panic?

Canadian Expressions

I love Canada, our friendly neighbor up north. I've been there twice in the past two years and plan to return this Summer to visit Suzanne.

You may not know this but the Huffington Post (which you should read) has a special Canadian edition. It teaches me a lot about Canadian politics, culture and other stuff, plus it's fun to read.

An article just published notes that there are many expressions Canadians use which Americans won't recognize. For example, do you know what any of these phrases mean?

Double Double
Two-Four
Beaver Tails
Caesar (a drink)
Canadian Tuxedo
Toque
KD
Mickey
.CA

You can check 'em out here.

Sentimental Objects

Are you sentimental? Do you save objects from your past as mementos of special times?

I am and I do. In fact, I'm extremely sentimental about my life's experiences because they are the most important things I'll ever have. Let me report from your future that you will become MORE sentimental as you age. I look at objects from my youth and struggle to hold back tears.

I was cleaning out the basement yesterday. I opened boxes that haven't seen light and fresh air in 30-50 years. Wow. What memories they stir. For example, I saved the ceramic knob that was the top to the stick-shift of my first car, which I cradled in my hand when learning how to drive. It's all that's left of my beloved 1964 VW bug. Shortly after I gave the car to my little brother, he totalled it. (He was okay but the car was irreparably wrecked.)

My first job was part-time work as a stock-boy at a women's clothing store named Loehmann's. They sold "Designer Clothing For Less." The store was close to my high school and I walked over after the school-day ended. I chose to keep a few plastic rings that went on clothing racks to indicate dress sizes.

During college, I returned home for Summers and worked delivering auto parts to gas stations. I kept a few matchboxes advertising my employer (Roadside Auto Parts). We had the "2% rule" -- if a customer paid cash, we'd instantly drop the price two percent and nobody paid taxes on the sale.

I could go on. Seeing tangible objects that connect me to my past, now so long ago, touches my heart.

Do you keep objects for sentimental value?

How To Bee Happy

In the nadir of Winter, it's easy to be blue. It's cold out, days are short, and there's lots of illness going around. I was suffering these seasonal afflictions until... my friends rescued me. My close friends Hollie and Megan just pulled me out of a blue funk.

I met both gals through blogging which isn't a surprise since they live so far away. Hollie resides in Texas and Megan lives in Tennessee, places that are over 1,000 miles away from New York.

By coincidence, both just sent me gifts -- and both gifts are socks! How funny is that?!

There's nothing sweeter than an unexpected gift. No holiday or birthday occasion, just a thoughtful gesture from big-hearted women.

I recommend everybody make the effort to lift up their friends. A simple pair of cute socks can make the difference between glum and glee. These certainly gladdened me!

The white heart socks are from Hollie; the bee socks are from Megan.

A Donut Dress

Fashion Week sometimes has interesting designs. Consider these from designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and tell me if you'd wear any of them...

Friends

The term "friends" is used loosely these days. When I was young, friends were people you knew and interacted with in person. There was no Internet enabling you to claim friendship with people you'd never met.

Today is different. Social media lets people believe they have hundreds, even thousands of friends. Relationships with online acquaintances, however, are categorically different.

I'm curious about your experience with this subject. If you don't mind discussing it, how many friends do you have in real life versus online? Do you consider people you've never met in person to be friends? How much do you trust online friends?