1st World Problems

 Let's talk about misconceptions.  Today (the day I am writing this) is May 5th. You may know it also as Cinco De Mayo.  Until my kids went to Spanish bilingual schools I thought this day was meant to be filled with tacos and margaritas. Any reason to have tacos and margaritas is ok by me. And to be truthful, I didn't really do any research into what the day meant. I just bought into the general thought that it was simply what it seemed to be on a superficial level.  When they hit school and started learning about the histories of different countries and what days are important to them, we hit the truth about May 5th.  On May 5th, 1862, a group of vastly outnumbered (and under-armed) Mexican soldiers fought and beat a force of French soldiers at the Battle of Puebla. Outside of the city of Puebla, most of Mexico barely recognizes this day. Eventually, this day gained relevance in other places, and instead of a day to recognize a wartime victory, it has become a ...

When was the first time you traveled on a plane? I don't remember the first time, I was very young. It was sometime in the early '80s. Flying when I was a kid always seemed like such a luxury to me. Most of the flying I did was as an "unaccompanied minor". So I got to board the plane first, the aircrew took amazing care of me, and except for the one time they forgot about me between flights even the security people took extra time to make sure I was ok.  Flying for me has always meant that I was on an adventure. Lately, it is a cramped adventure when all there is to look forward to is a bag of pretzels, being way too close to strangers, and for some reason Ginger Ale that tastes like manna from heaven. Covid has even removed food for purchase on flights unless you're in first class.  I think as planes have crammed more seats onto planes, and some of the nice touches (food, space, not feeling like cattle) have faded away there has been a shift in how flying is perc...

Have you heard about bones day and no bones day? On one of the many social media platforms, there is an adorable 13-year-old pug named Noodles . If he has a bones day it means that the day is all good, get out there and kick bum. If it is a no-bones day then you get to take it easy on yourself. Maybe stay in bed a little longer, or allow yourself to wallow in sadness for a few minutes extra. Apart from the silliness of letting a dog on the internet tell you what to do with your day, I think this comes with a good message about mental health. Frequently we don't let ourselves fully feel the bad things, heck even the good things. We tamp down and feelings and get on with it. For me, that leads to it all breaking through at the most inconvenient time. When I was laid off it took me a really long time to not feel guilty about letting down my coworkers. As though my being let go was my fault. As though the very toxic person I was working for actually thought about or cared about anyone ...