Day 18

Well it has finally happened.  Our family has become a TV show.  I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find the best school for our kids.  Not just any school, a school where they will have every opportunity to discover themselves and learn THE most interesting things.  We have our eye set on a brand new school, in a district far, far away.  It’s a magical place where the principal knows every child’s name and wants to meet the parents of each student before they enroll in school.  Not only that but they begin to teach Mandarin in kindergarten.  That’s right, Mandarin.  This school is so special that 25% of the students are from a different district and there is a lottery that’s done to select which student has the privilege of attending.  Let me tell you I will do whatever it takes to get them enrolled.  I don’t care how elitist it sounds, they are offering a solid education and yes, some pretty great perks and my kids are going!  Thankfully, one of the moms who already has a child safely tucked into the walls of this “Harvard” of elementary schools, has given me some tips.  I plan to drop names and offer my grant writing skills ANYTHING to get them in.  A few years ago, I laughed at these parents, mocked them in fact.  I would see them on the TV screen fighting to get their kids into a special program and wonder if there were really people in the world that would act like that.  Well there are people like that and I am (not so) proud to say I am one of them!

Day 19 and 20

Where there is hope, there can be faith, where there is faith, miracles can occur.

That is a pretty profound statement.  The sort of thing you would find in an inspirational book.  Words you may want to pass on to a dear friend who finds they are struggling with a particular issue.  Do you know where I found it?  On the bottle of a face cream. It was on Oprah’s big giveaway. They gave away Philosophy’s “Hope” in a jar.  That’s what it’s called, Hope in a jar.  On the front of the jar is a picture of Oprah when she was little and the statement, Where there is hope, there can be faith, where there is faith, miracles can occur.   Considering it’s a face cream, I find it poignant when it says miracles can occur. What are they implying?? Goodness knows I want a miracle when I look in the mirror and see an older face with wrinkles and strange hairs poking from my chin, looking back at me. I am not sure when it happened.  I certainly don’t feel older well, not most days.  Most days I feel like my 30 year old self.  I want to laugh and play and try something new. I want to be loud and bawdy. I want to make love in the back seat, you know, kid stuff!  Why does that have to stop when you become middle aged?  My grandmother used to say the secret they never tell you about getting older is that you still feel young on the inside.  It’s just that damn mirror that tricks us into believing were old. Why do we cling to youth with one hand and say with our mouths I would never want to live through my 20’s again? Why don’t we embrace the wisdom we gain with age and not judge someone or ourselves by the wrinkles we see?  My daughter is convinced that white hair means you are really smart. That’s because her other mom told her that and she believes it.  She told me the other day that I was getting smarter everyday because my hair has more gray in it!  In America we spend over 12.5 billion dollars each year on beauty products. This number does not include plastic surgery.  Seriously, what are we afraid of?  Mind you, I want to look my best and feel my best, thus the reason I am on this journey.  But 12.5 BILLION dollars?  I see these women who have had things lifted and tucked.  Who have had botchalism injected into their faces, or had a school of hungry fish eat the dead skin of their toes and fingers. Some even use cow urine to keep young and beautiful.  How much do we spend on well written literature, beautiful art, or inspiring music? My little girl says listening to Susan Boyle makes her tummy feel like she is going down a hill.  Profound for a 5 year old.  Maybe the key to true beauty is to listen to something, do something that makes your heart skip a beat.