Getting Anxious About My Empty Nest

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Coco

Now that we have flipped the calendar page to August, I can no longer ignore the fact that my nest is about to be empty. I know it is a time to be happy for my son as he starts his next adventure. 

I know my husband and I will figure out how to fill our weekends now that we won’t be watching his football games or wrestling matches–at least until spring when we hopefully will be watching his college lacrosse games.

But right now I am anxious.

I am trying not to be sad.

I am relishing these last few weeks together.

I am cooking. I am baking. I am back-to-school shopping.

I am stealing more hugs than I usually get away with.

I know August 22 will be here before I know it.

Are you facing any big changes this fall?

Posted in Life | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Almost Wordless Wednesday (Tiger Lilly’s Shoes)

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Coco

This is where we collect the shoes that we find scattered around the house,
The shoes that Tiger Lilly dropped after giving up on pestering us for a walk,
The shoes that we have taken out of her mouth as we put on her leash,
The shoes that we will carry upstairs and put away,
The shoes that she will greet us with another day.

Posted in Fitness, Life | Tagged , | 7 Comments

An Armed Citizenry?

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Coco

In the wake of the Aurora shootings, I was horrified to see a Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post saying that because “gun control does not work,” we should instead “encourage the carrying of personal weapons.” In the author ‘s view

An armed citizenry would give pause to anyone intending to do mass damage, since he or she would know that there would likely be someone shooting back, rather than helpless people waiting to be slaughtered.

Right. Because “anyone intending to do mass damage” is thinking rationally, and carefully weighing the consequences.

My first reaction was that this person must be kidding, but I would be deluding myself if I didn’t acknowledge that there are people in this country who do believe that if only more of us were armed, fewer of us would be victims of gun violence.

The idea of living in a country like that terrifies me. I hate guns. I hate that they can accidentally take a life in an instant. I hate that they can take the anger of the heat of the moment to a point of no return. I don’t want guns in my house. I don’t want guns in my neighborhood restaurant. I don’t want to go to the movies and sit in a dark room full of people with guns in their purses and pockets.

When my kids were younger, I was that Mom who asked if there were any guns in the house before letting my children visit for a playdate. I even was that Mom who confiscated the plastic guns from the action figures. Maybe my concerns were irrational, but just last week a 4-year old boy fatally shot himself with a gun he found in an unlocked truck outside his house. I don’t know people get through that type of tragedy.

Doesn’t the Travyon Martin case show us how “an armed citizenry” can go horribly wrong?

Posted in Venting | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Skipping Church

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Coco

Going to church is an important part of my week. I enjoy seeing my church family, singing hymns, hearing the Bible readings, and listening to the messages in the sermon. For me, going to church is as important to my spiritual well-being as a healthy diet and regular exercise are important to my physical well-being.

But this weekend I skipped church to spend time with a friend. Sunday morning was the only time that she was free, and it had been so long since we’ve seen each other that I decided that making time to see her was more important than going to church.

Sometimes indulging is important to maintaining balance in your diet. Sometimes sleeping in is more important than fitting in your workout. And, yes, sometimes spending time with dear friends or family members is more important than going to church.

Posted in My Faith | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Gold By Chris Cleave

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Coco

This is the first book I read because it showed up in a friend’s list of books on Goodreads, which I just joined because I am having a hard time finding books that I want to read.

Gold by Chris Cleave

While the story revolves around two Olympic athletes, I would have enjoyed it even if I wasn’t reading it during the pre-Olympics hype, and while the athletes are velodrome bicyclists, I would have enjoyed it even if I wasn’t reading it during the Tour de France.

I don’t like the summary on Amazon and think it may reveal too much, but I pretty much agree with this Publisher’s Weekly review on the author’s website:

Cleave goes for the gold and brings it home in his thrillingly written and emotionally rewarding novel about the world of professional cycling … Cleave expertly cycles through the characters’ tangled past and present, charting their ever-shifting dynamic as ultra-competitive Zoe and Kate are forced to decide whether winning means more to them than friendship … Cleave likewise pulls out all the stops getting inside the hearts and minds of his engagingly complex characters. The race scenes have true visceral intensity, leaving the reader feeling breathless … From start to finish, this is a truly Olympic-level literary achievement.

I found the book to be well-written, fast-paced enough to keep me turning the pages (or swiping them on my iPhone Kindle App), and engaging enough to make me care about the characters and what happens to them. The main “conflict” between the two athletes was intriguing—on the one hand, they are (nearly) life-long friends, while on the other hand they are fierce competitors in the same Olympic event. Instead of asking if a man and a woman can be “just friends,” this book explores whether two women can compete and be friends at the same time. While my work is more collegial than competitive, I do know women who work in more cut-throat environments and feel that their female colleagues are their worst enemies.

Have you read any good books lately?

Are you on Goodreads?

Posted in Life | Tagged , , | 9 Comments