Life Time Zones

I am new to the social networking and blogging scene.  I suppose that
I just never thought that I was that kind of person, but the older I
become I have noticed that geography and time have a way of scattering
those I know and care about across time zones.

And by time zones, I do not only mean which area of the country or
even world in which we find ourselves.  There are people still here in
Franklin County that I see only in a blue moon.  I have a better
chance of winning the Pick 3 than I do of seeing these people on a
regular basis.  The sad aspect of this is that when I do run into
these people, we will both exchange pleasantries and promise to stay
in touch… and then promptly real life will set in and the contact
information will be lost among the receipts for clothing that is not
the right size or is not the correct style for my children, doctor's
appointment cards, coupons, and chewing gum wrappers only to then be
thrown away with the absolute knowledge that I will run into said
person again… soon.

But it doesn't happen because we are on different life time zones.

Our children go to different schools, we shop at different times, we
go to different churches… we simply live in the same geographical area
but our lives are do not share the same life time zone.

Maybe, just maybe, social networking sites and blogging will close
some of these distances in time and space.  I hope so because not a
single one of us knows how long we have to be on this earth.  I have
classmates that have passed away since we graduated.  Terenda Green
was pregnant with her youngest son at the same time I was pregnant
with mine.  Our daughters were friends in elementary school.  Yet we
only saw one another in passing.  And I regret not taking the time to…
not making the time to have coffee with her or to linger when our
girls played with one another.  She and I had similar complications
after our sons were born.  After much fear and prayer, I am here with
my children.  Terenda passed away about two months after her son was
born.  I feel blessed yet still guilty because I did not make time.

Clifford Whitaker died suddenly, and I only knew of it after reading
the obituaries.  And I felt guilty because I had all but forgotten
him… and the friendship he offered me in school when I was an
underclassman in band and he was a senior.

There are so many others that I cannot even begin to list them for
fear of once more forgetting someone who touched my life, even in the
most minute manner, when I was the cocky teenager instead of the
worried mother.

So, what is the point of this melancholy, rambling post?  That I am
going to try to start writing again.  That I do truly appreciate those
people that God chose to come into my life no matter for how long or
for what reason.  That even though twenty years or more have passed
since most of us were together on a daily basis, maybe this
contraption that was not even around in its present form will shrink
the geographical distances and bring us all back into the same life
time zone.

My First Time

Wow. This is my first time attempting to blog. It is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Guess I will just jump right in and wonder if anyone will actually end up reading this thing.

I am constantly writing my thoughts down in notebooks that are scattered all over the house. Some people have doilies on every table... I have cheap notebooks from the dollar store. Actually, I was supposed to be a great writer one day... at least that is what my teachers always said. Though my grades were average, I did extremely well in writing contests and honor programs.

Then something happened... life.

My 20 high school reunion is coming up this fall, and I started thinking about all of the hopes and dreams that I used to have and how I have achieved none of them. Well, I do have three incredible kids... but the loving husband thing hasn't happened unless you count having two ex-husbands who were into loving themselves and other women over making a good family life for the rest of us. I am in the process of starting a business with my family since I never quite found that one job which fulfilled me. (other than motherhood and we all know how much that pays!)

And my health sucks! I know that there are other almost 40's out there like me who eat healthy, get exercise, and do not engage in overly detrimental activities yet still end up with health issues while other people we know do not do a darn thing healthy in their life except make sure there is lettuce and tomato on their triple cheeseburger and ketchup on their fries (vegetables you know).

But things could always be worse... and that is a statement that should never be made because just as we all know the sun will rise, saying that things could be worse will always ensure that things will get worse...

So, I ought to have an abundance of material for my rants...