The Olympics have seduced me.  I am not sleeping; I don't care about celebrities' love lives or press conferences; I have even forsaken reruns of favorite television shows.  Who knew snow boarding could be such a spectator sport?  And I don't even like snow.

Wait. I do not personally have anything against snow.  I just don't like to shovel it, or drive in it, or have to walk a dog in it.   If I can just enjoy the fire, watching the flurries, sipping hot tea, and reading a good book, then snow is wonderful.  And as a device in plotting, snow is good. Characters can get trapped in a snow storm.  Snow can slow the action down, can be used to enhance romance, intensify suspense, or provide humor.   And don't forget the conversations characters can have regarding how each flake is unique.  Why, snow, in this case has even provided me with a subject for today's ramble.

Last week, a friend taking a quick trip was delayed a due to snow.  She had to chortle a bit at the inane behavior of her fellow passengers when the airport they were traveling to closed due to blizzard conditions.  Everyone seem so upset that the airport had closed due to bad weather and low visibility (de-icing delays might have been foreshadowing).

While everyone else was yelling at the customer service agents (because apparently they should possess the power to control the weather), my friend sauntered over a cozy corner, dialed reservations, gave the res agent the pertinent information and got booked on the first flight for the  morning.  She then popped into the news stand for some snacks and a drink, then returned to her cozy corner where she set up the cot that the airline had provided for the passengers.  

When her fellow passengers questioned her about why she wasn't in line at the desk, she told them.  While they were foolishly yelling at the agents who had no control over the weather situation, she had taken care of business like a responsible adult should.  Their amazement was no doubt compounded by the fact that she had gotten one of the last seats on the first flight the next day.  No complaining.  No yelling. No problem.  She was ready to pull out her  laptop and watch "hulu" for the next few hours until she fell asleep.

Ironically,  she was probably one of the youngest travelers on the flight (in her mid-twenties).   Her parents raised her right... life is an adventure, not a tantrum waiting to happen.

Despite the fact it was Valentine's weekend, and she hadn't seen her husband in weeks, and he couldn't drive the four hours to meet her at her connection airport because roads were closed, she found the good in her situation.  A warm, quiet space.  A moment to reflect (she wasn't trapped in a ditch, she wasn't trapped outside in the cold).  Just like life--she reasoned--snow happens.

For those wondering how her story ends, she made it to her destination the next morning.  Her husband was thrilled to see her, and they had a wonderful (albeit short) weekend together. Most importantly...everyone remained safe.  

As for me, I am grateful that these days the only snow I have to worry about is the kind I get on the television.

     

A Pocket Full of Change~

In the past couple of weeks, I have been reminded just how a little change can make a big difference.

   Following the earthquake that ravaged Haiti, everyone started collecting money, including a small school in Tampa.  Though the student body is small (around 150 students), their hearts are big.  The kids were challenged by Student Council to create a dime line; the classroom that yielded the longest line of dimes would win the accolades of their efforts, and a small prize (like a free dress day, or a pizza party).  

   With less than a week's notice, the students rose to the the challenge.  Even the local media turned out to document their efforts.  Spirits soared with a "spirit day" attire as parents, staff, and students laid dimes side by side.  When all was said and done, the students managed to raise more than three thousand dollars.    Most importantly, they did it not so much for themselves as for others.  All from a coin that used to have a store named after it .Remember the "Five and Dime"? Go ahead, look it up.

   The second example of change appears in this week's TIME magazine which features an article about a man who hopes to foster a small change, himself, by opening a coffee house and used bookstore in Cairo, Illinois.  Although Chris Johnston is not a native, he hopes to help become part of a solution for a town that has dwindled over the past several decades.  The "Ace of Cups" might be a small step in the right direction.

   Think about it.  Coffee, books, conversation.  If communication is a pathway to change, why not offer an opportunity to grab a cup, and a chair, and engage in something that can bring people together.  Stories shared.   A history preserved.   Something so simple could help build bridges in the community.

   Admittedly, I have fond memories of Cairo.  Since my grandmother and grandfather and assorted other relatives lived there (some still do), I spent many muggy summer afternoons strolling along the sidewalk in front of my grandmother's porch, playing with cousins. Occasionally Grandma would take us to Woolworth's, where she worked, and we would be allowed to choose something from the "five-and-dime" bins.  

   Once, when I was about four years old, my grandfather bought a sack of tomatoes from a roadside market. For about fifty cents, we got a large paper grocery bag filled with juicy red fruit balls only slightly  larger than my four-year-old fist.  Grandpa and I sat down on the stoop, and he showed me how to eat a tomato  and thoroughly enjoy it, sprinkling it with a shake of salt for flavor, and giggling as the juice ran down our arms.  The messier it was, the better it tasted.

     As cited in the article, there were many reasons that this small river town (immortalized by Mark Twain's scamps, Tom and Huck),  began to fade as a center for commerce.   And yet, there may be just as many reasons to try to reinvent the sleepy town that rolls up its sidewalks as the sun begins to sink. 

     Cairo is a testament to history, both the good and the bad.  It is the first city one passes through when crossing into the state, heading north.  It sits cradled between Missouri to the west, and Kentucky, to the east.  Just across the river is a significant archaeological excavation.   The "City of New Orleans" train stops in Cairo around midnight to let weary college students off, before continuing on to the Crescent City.  

Most importantly, Cairo is where the mighty Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet.  Standing at the "Point" park just south of the town, one can see the dark murky waters of the Mississippi as it blends with the current of the Ohio.  And it is an amazing thing to see.   There is a fantastic sense of force, of nature, and of  time flowing incessantly as the currents combine and continue toward the Gulf.

Remember, I mentioned that Huck and Tom visited Cairo in Twain's books?   I can very well imagine their adventures.  I think my uncle and my dad used those tales as a guidebook for adventure. My daughter just finished reading Huck's adventures.  She had no problem envisioning the river.  She'd been there often enough.

Magnolias, hydrangea bushes, front porch swings, and Shemwell's pressed barbecue sandwiches  are all part of the Cairo I grew up enjoying. 

Change helped transform a school's spirit; it promises to help a nation irrevocably changed by tragedy; and change might help save a town struggling not to fade into history. 

Ah, to revisit childhood and once again know  that sense of wonder that a small bit of change can inspire...That would definitely be worth the price of a cup of coffee.  

Procrastination, productivity, and Python (sort of)

   Hello everyone!  

  

   I hope your week is starting off peacefully and productively~although the two concepts seem mutually exclusive.

   At least in my life they seem to be.  I prefer peaceful for a time, yet it is when I exist in a swirl of chaos that I am my most productive.  If I am working on a production, three projects at work, and trying to coordinate my schedule with friends and family, that is inevitably when I will produce some of my best writing.  This is no doubt the power of the adrenaline that surges through my veins pushing me toward the deadlines, denying me the opportunity to even consider not meeting them.

   Yes, I am a procrastinator, in the purest sense.  It is not laziness that motivates me to push things to the very last minute, but the subconscious awareness that often my best work comes from that adrenaline rush.  As absurd as it sounds, that cerebral panic to finish in time, seems to make my brain edit, focus my attention, sharpen my words.  

   I do not advocate procrastination for others.  Goodness knows I often wish I could get things done immediately and just sit back and observe chaos from afar, sipping lemonade, "tsking" at others as they scramble.  The moment I attempt to do it, I forget things.  I leave things out.  I make mistakes.  

   Once a year, I create an ornament for a social gathering I attend.  I brainstorm and collect pieces to use for the ornament, and draw designs, and line stuff up.     Invariably, I am burning my fingers with the glue gun an hour before I am supposed to walk into the party, ornament in hand.  When I have made the ornament in advance, it turns out drab and I end up redoing it the morning of the party.  If the glue isn't quite set, and the ink isn't quite dry, it's a winner...

   Enough about procrastination.  On to genius.

   This weekend, I saw "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", Terry Gilliam's newest film.  For those who may not recognize the name, he was a member of the Monty Python troupe.  

   What might our world be like if we had never been touched by the humor and genius of these performers?  

   Luckily, we don't have to wonder.  Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Life of Brian, Time Bandits, Brazil, The Meaning of Life, and The Brothers Grimm are all examples of the brilliance that Python spawned.

   Remember the Seven Faces of Dr. Lao?  How about Something Wicked This Way Comes? Now add a dash of Dante, and sprinkle with special effects and a stellar cast (Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, and Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell).

   ...I know!

   Mortality, faith, dreams fulfilled, and wishes wasted are all brought to life in this dark, magical tale.  Though there are truly funny moments, this one is more a drama.  Faustian in its concepts, Imaginarium challenges us to look at the choices we make, and at how we perceive happiness.   Gilliam is a master storyteller, and uses that gift to once again focus on how important stories are to our humanity.   

   Have you guessed that I truly enjoyed it? 

   I deliberately waited a couple of days to let its magic soak in before I commented on the film.  Dark comedy, poignantly philosophical, and psychodelic parody all packaged in one large decoupage box~a truly decadent treat.  Like so much of Gilliam's work, wonderful crumbs of the story linger in the viewer's imagination, long after the ride home, tempting us to ask, "Please, sir, may I have some more?"