Picking the Wrong One

On many occasions I have purchased the one item that was broken, had missing parts or had a rotten core. Out of masses of perfect products that are ready to be plugged-in, turned-on and good-to-go, I picked “the” looser.

For instance, last week it was thirty minutes to party time at my home. I rushed to the store to get the one product needed to complete preparation for the family lunch gathering, a topping for the dessert. Once back home, I grabbed the whipping cream carton out of the brown grocery bag and was beginning to add it to the mixture when I got a whiff of rancid, sour cream. I had checked the date and it was good. So, why was I the one person to get the bad carton of cream? And, when I needed it immediately! That’s what I mean when I say I have a talent for picking the one wrong thing.

In the past, I’ve chosen the one toy kitchen set to assemble for Christmas morning that was missing the pink Barbie sink that was critical. How could a pretend homemaker wash the purple flowered plastic plates without a sink? How could I explain that Santa made such a mistake? Where was “inspector # 8 when this toy made it out the manufacturer’s door?

Then there was the time I picked out a darling sky-blue empire-wasted dress that fit perfectly and looked great at the store. I found the flaw the first time I actually wore it when the garment began to fall apart and off my body. Each seam disintegrated because this silk beauty had been sewed together with tiny stitches, so tiny they cut through the fabric. This might not have been quite so horrible if I hadn’t been at work where fellow workers began pointing and laughing as my skin and underwear became visible. I had to borrow a housekeeper’s uniform to complete the day without being arrested for indecent exposure.

I’ve chosen the one dried up toothpaste tube out of the hundreds available. My home is full of aerosol cans that can’t spray, batteries that were dead within minutes, a paper shredder that won’t shred but one piece of paper at a time, a vacuum that spews dirt out instead of in and a brand new shirt that has a hole under the arm. We won’t even discuss the new Mercedes I was so proud to get. It had a gasoline tank that collapsed from pressure in the fuel system. Now that I think about it, there have been two husbands who might fit into this scenario also.

None of this would be so bad except for the hours of time and emotional strain it takes to return, exchange or repair items. I’ve learned to use a variety of stress reducing systems to deal with these situations. I use Yoga breathing, listen to soft music and always take a good book to read when waiting for customer service personnel to decide what they will do to fix the problems. Probably the most important remedy is to tell myself, “out of all the people in the world, these orphan products like me.”

Morning Walk Along Bob Jones Trail

What a great life! This morning I enjoyed a yoga class that was held on the hill at Sycamore Springs Resort. Then I walked the two mile trail into the small beach town of Avila for a cup of tea and pastry. The peach orchards, a view of construction pilings that looked surreal, wild plants of all descriptions, glorious birds bathing in the sun and golfers trying to get their ball down the green fairways on the nearby course provided multitudes of beautiful images.

Vacationing

Can you believe this load of carrots....yes, carrots. On our way to Avila, on the California coast, this truck passed by. At first it was hard to tell what was on the truck bed, just a big mass of orange. It was a pretty sight. Harvest has begun and it's interesting to see the miles and miles and miles of farms covered with a variety of veggies....all getting ready to make it to our tables.

Healthcare Press Conference

Doncha’ just love the news media! The latest news on every media outlet concerns President Obama’s news conference on the subject of healthcare. After a brief introductory speech (at least for the President, brief) the various media representatives asked questions that were supposed to give them, then us, updated information on the progress of a healthcare program working it way through the Congress and Senate.

Every question was supposed to be crafted to result in some miraculous revelation about this complex issue. We’ve seen this scenario repeated over and over in media interviews. ‘Who can be the cleverest media person?” None of this process is aimed at getting facts, or truth, but in evoking something sensational that will get that news source more fans than their competition. (Yes, fans, not fellow-citizens searching for solutions.)

Each news source has a bias. Oh! They say they are “fair and balanced”, but only if it suits their purposes for attracting folks who are on a certain side of an issue. Each newscast or newspaper or on-line journalist (using the term “journalist” lightly) interviews only people who will support their side. The occasional “enemy” interview is aimed at trying to embarrass or trap the person into saying something that can be used to undermind, not to better understand, the pros and cons of the issue at hand.

The general public is getting tired and bored of this technique. It takes time and energy to research the facts and then decide what you want for yourself and your community. Delving into the “other side’s” views is especially difficult. It’s far easier and much more fun to watch reality TV or go to a local bar than to read or listen to news.

This recent News Conference did produce some new information thanks to the President’s very long and articulate answers. However there was no final, definitive answer because the folks in congress that make the rules are still arguing among themselves in committees and in the hallways of the capitol building. This gave the media something to report. The left could be critical that the President didn’t dictate the “rules” and force the bill into existence. The right could be critical because he was biased (meaning he wasn’t on their side).

The real truth is that our elected officials always have their own jobs at stake and will always do whatever it takes to keep them. They certainly do not want to jeopardize their great healthcare and retirement plans. They would much rather criticize the opponents than take the risk to compromise and think of ways to work together to find a solution. They make their money by pleasing a multitude of lobbyists representing every insurance company, hospital organization, medical employee and from a few wealthy citizens.

This healthcare crisis is exactly that, “a crisis”. There is no perfect solution. It will only work perfectly for a few and be okay for the rest of us. Every segment of the healthcare industry, from doctors to insurance companies to us, the patients, will have to sacrifice to make it work.

Finally, in this news conference, the media got their sensational, news-show worthy, ratings-making story with the last question asked. The question was directed at one of our country’s emotional issues, race relations, which was certain to up their ratings for days. The question asked the President what he thought about a renowned African American Harvard Professor breaking into his own home after loosing his keys and being arrested by local white police. Regardless of how the President would have addressed this question, his response was domed. After all, it was aimed at an African American who understands all to well, about racial profiling. He made the one personal observation the media was waiting for.

Now, instead of trying to find ways to get a fair healthcare system in place, we’re twittering, e-mailing and writing about the age old question of racial prejudices. These issues should be long gone, over, finished! Of course, they are not long gone, over, finished, but are very much alive and well. The issue of racial profiling and prejudices deserves an open dialogue from every section of our diverse country every day. Unfortunately the discussions are overshadowing, interfering and even influencing the healthcare issue.

About the healthcare issue……………….it’s time to get some teamwork going, to overhaul the medical system. Surely if we could figure out how to get to the moon together, we can figure out a healthcare plan and surely those folks who are stuck with prejudices can take a “time out” or work on two issues at once!

Medicare Paperwork Challenge

ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE…..approaching 65.......

Today I received another large packet of Medicare Insurance information. My knee-jerk impulse was to make a quick call to the 800 number telling these well-meaning folks that I know I’m going to be 65 in a couple of months and I don’t need a reminder. Leave me alone while I pretend I’m still 40. I think the whole Medicare paperwork nightmare is really one gigantic test designed to punish baby boomers for using up the nation’s wealth.

It takes the nerves and patience of a brain surgeon to sort through the stacks of insurance information arriving daily in my mailbox. There are pamphlets from companies like Blue Cross, Blue Shield and AARP which I keep in one stack. The envelopes from companies I’ve never heard of, like Northwest National Heritage Association and Homeland Health, land in the garbage. I have to wonder how this many companies found out I have “the big birthday” looming in my immediate future.

The myriad of letters and booklets offer information designed to tell us seniors (that’s the nice word for old folks) how to prepare for the onslaught of medical expenses on the horizon. These complicated insurance plan catalogues are designed to prove we are no longer functioning adults. They are full of undecipherable charts, graphs, and statistics reminding that now is the time for me to spend all my savings; not on the trips I had imagined, but on bedpans and pills.

Thinking of the old codgers up in Congress who want to add even more government regulations, makes me shutter. I worried about having early Alzheimer’s, and after reading through a few pages of the government’s plan, I am sure I have symptoms. Did plan J include a hospital stay deductible or was that Plan I? If my ears go out would a hearing aid be covered on Part A or was that Part B; or, would supplement C kick-in if surgery is necessary? I double checked on the mental health coverage. I suspect I’ll need to be committed soon, due to the stress of working through the mass of forms.

As I take a break for my lunch of salad greens and chopped veggies dotted with vinegar and a touch of olive oil, I reminisce about the hamburger, fries and malt days. I remembered the times my mailbox was full of fashion catalogues and Reader’s Digest Sweepstakes, not promotions for preplanned funeral arrangements.

SPRING CLEANING

The best way for me to get my house sparkling gleaming clean is to plan a party. It's not that I don't keep things in order, but underneath the neat façade lurks some nasty stuff. I am not admitting I have little or no self-discipline or that I am lazy, but I put off scrubbing corners and straightening cabinets until dirt and grime reach a critical point. It should be shameful enough to know my family’s health might be compromised by the dreaded e-coli germs advertised on the Lysol commercials, but without outside influence I am not motivated to scrub, scour and polish. Martha Stewart would be horrified at my lack of interest in house cleaning.

When I see that cobwebs have become friendly spider hotels looking like Halloween decorations scattered with whole communities of creepy crawly families, I know it’s time to invite a few people over. When the stairs are piled high with stuff needing to be transported upwards or downwards creating an obstacle course as dangerous as climbing rocky mountains, it’s time to be thinking about menus. When opening closet doors is as hazardous as an earthquake, I pick a date for the event.

In my party invitation guest list I always include my feared picky neat-nick friend. She is the super motivator. I know her eyesight is 20/20 and mouth the size of CNN News. It may seem like backward organization but my process is to invite everyone first, then begin the arduous task of cleaning. In the past I tried cleaning first and then inviting, but it produced disastrous results. It was a year and a half before I completed the cleaning project, the guest list was obsolete and the spiders had moved back in.

So, while I don’t want to offend any friends that are invited to my next dinner party thinking they are only an excuse for house cleaning, I do want to extend a big “thank you” in advance for their motivating presence.

SENIOR ADVANTAGES

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Being a senior has its benefits. It seems the public has taken pity on our wearing out bodies, diminishing abilities and waning pocketbooks and has rewarded us with “Senior Discounts”. These are usually small monetary credits for making purchases of various products or services.

Just last night I went with my boy friend to the movies. First of all I’ll mention having a boy friend at my age sounds peculiar but using the terms “significant-other” or “life-partner” are just as strange. Anyway, we went to the neighborhood theater and after standing in line with a row of baggy-jeaned teen age boys, we made our way to the ticket agent. I shamelessly asked for two “Senior” tickets. My friend, with the speed of the youths in front of us, said, “That will be only one. For her, not me.” Although he is exactly my age he has rejected all mention of “senior” anything, even discounts. He believes if you think and behave like you’re younger, then it will be so. I laughed out loud and gave him a major eye-roll and shoulder-shirk. Who does he think he’s fooling? The twenty-something ticket agent gave us both a disgusted look and handed out the two tickets, one senior and the other, regular adult. He didn’t even ask for my driver’s license to be sure I qualified.

Our local grocery store has Senior Day each Tuesday and we get a full ten percent off all purchases. They do not volunteer the discount to older looking customers, but wait for us to mention we want the discount. One of the cashiers told me they are trained to act surprised when asked for Tuesday’s special. They don’t want to offend anyone and never ask a customer if they’d like the “Senior Discount” only to find out the person is several years short of the fifty-five age requirement. The young store employee readily admitted that most of them don’t know a thirty year old from a fifty year old because we all look alike to them.

It’s true that for several years I was in denial and completely avoided asking for an old-age discount. That was until I found out the airlines extended such a perk. Now, that is big money and well worth fessing-up to what is already evident to the general public; that I’m no longer in the middle age group but have advanced to the “I might be leaving here before too long” faction.

Now I brazenly ask any cashier, waiter or clerk to tell me about their “Senior Discount”, being confident they will feel sorry for me and extend a bit of economic relief. While there is no compensation that will erase joint aches, sagging jaws, or the inability to replenish my stock portfolio, I appreciate the thought. Someone out there realizes Seniors are people, too, and that someday each of them, if they are fortunate, will also be receiving Senior Discounts.