It's not politically correct to say this, but..

I was at a women's lunch last Wednesday when a woman at the table at which I was seated prefaced her comment with this statement:  "It's not politically correct to say this, but......."   I cringed.

What distinguished us at this table is that our homes are part of the same neighborhood within a very large retirement community. Our homes, arranged around a circle - actually an oval - with a block of other homes in the middle, share the same street name. We have a Board that deals with common interests and concerns. We have organized social events. Among them is the monthly women's luncheons.

Among the women attending last Wednesday's luncheon were those who were good friends with each other, acquaintances and (like me) strangers. Seven or eight women sat at each of the two round tables. At my table, the conversation was of the getting-to-know-you type as well as of updates on the health of absent neighbors and of topics of the day. Nothing particularly controversial. Nothing particularly deep. 

 I don't remember the context of the woman's comment, but it seemed to change the tone and course of the conversation. That could be the subject of another post. 

For now, a few thoughts: It seems to me that the preamble "It's not politically correct to say this, but.....," is an invitation by the speaker to join him or her in disparaging people of different races/religions/ethnicity/life styles/sexual orientations, etc, it is a prelude to hate speech portraying itself as honest plain speaking. The implication is that "political correctness" is a pretension that overly sensitive people use rather than stating the obvious. It seems to me that whenever someone begins a statement in this way, he or she is about to say something obnoxious. 

Later this same woman said that she wished that celebrities would keep their politics to themselves. I didn't say that I wished instead that she would keep her toxic opinions to herself, but I sure thought it.

From the Jane Goodall Institute and Disneynature

Chaos

The bookcases around the fireplace were to be installed today.  Before they got 
into hammering, the men who were here to install it discovered that the way 
it was designed did not take into consideration the two electrical outlets on each side.  The bookcase needs to be modified or the electrical outlets on each side need to be moved before more work can be done.  My 16+ boxes of books will remain in their boxes.  The disruption of the building process will be pushed down the line.  Chaos.

 Meanwhile the contractor and his worker (two different people) have been working on the outside dealing with dry rot and woodpecker damage on the siding and front of the house. Today, they were rebuilding the fence in the rear.  Next week they will be in the kitchen installing "candle lights" to replace the ugly fluorescent tubes.  After that, the laundry floor will need to be replaced.  Chaos.

Yesterday, besides the contractor and his worker, the electrician and his helper were dealing with electrical issues.  This included switching a chandelier from my old house to the new one.  Chaos.

Chaos.  Disruption   I have a huge problem dealing with this.  (At least I've gotten a handle on the garage mess - with some of it ending up on my kitchen table). 

I find it hard to focus on what I need to do in the midst of this chaos.  It is hard for me to prioritize.  It particularly hard for me to do what is in my long term interest.  It is easy for me instead to choose instant gratification.The chronic pain with which I live, especially the acute flare ups,  have a significant multiplier effect.  It is in this confluence of these horribles that I am trying (again) to make healthful food choices and  exercise consistently.  

Not A miracle

I just wrote a long post and accidently erased it. The blogging program on the IPad doesn't automatically save what is written. I have a headache and am angry. Grrrrrrr.

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

Today was my birthday.

I spent it with the most important people in my life.

I am so blessed to love and be loved.

Nope.  I don't live on a hill . . . but this was the best of the photos.

A Miracle Just Happened

And this is not an April Fools Joke..... My Internet failed this morning. This meant no wireless connection for my iPad.....which later would mean no Netflix for the evening. It also meant that I could not access the wild and wacky world with my hard wired computer either. Since my iPhone has access to 3G or 4G (whatever that is), I wasn't entirely unconnected to the rest of the on-line world, but its screen is small compared to the other options and I'm spoiled. I unplugged the router or modem or whatever it is called. (It has about seven lights in a row that show if the thing is working.) That didn't fix the problem, so I tried it again and a third time. And then gave up because I wanted to deal with the continuing saga of my moving-in chaos. I worked in the garage at a good pace, but felt gloomy and anxious. I couldn't shake off that nibbling sensation of my world being off kilter. And then the miracle began. I took a break and called AT+T. The computer program that has the voice of a very nice man asked me a few questions. (Usually I end his spiel with insistently saying "operator.") Today I answered the questions. After a few interchanges he told me that he'd reboot my connection. I hung up when the silence that he told me to expect came. A few minutes later the blinky blinky router or modem or whatever it is called blinked happily along. AT+T fixed the problem. (I won't ponder whether or not they caused the problem in the first place.) AT+T got it right and it only took a few minutes to do so. That feels to me like a miracle.