Memory Makeover

I returned from my get-away weekend intact. I had a great time. I saw unparalleled beauty though in more unconscious moments I found myself attempting a parallel.

Yes, the Grand Canyon is the most beautiful.

No, Yosemite is the most beautiful.

Why can't I just STFU and enjoy where I am in a single moment? It's almost as if I need another person cracking me over the head with a stick. Oh, yeah, there was a time that I knew that other person. Hi, mom!

While on this adventure I saw my mom too. She looked great.

Unparalleled beauty.

Over the weekend there were some fun times and some cranky times (for me). Almost as soon as we arrived, I started to feel kind of sore-throaty. That feeling occasionally got me feeling cranky. We stayed at PK's friend's place on Friday night, moving on to my mom's house in Murphy's for the next day. Spending part of Saturday in Murphy's, then off to visit my brother and his wife in Angels Camp. Howard (newly dead) is my sister in law's father. We talked about Howard and Sherri of Howard and Sherri fame. We talked about Yosemite. We reminisced. PK grew up down the street from our family and vice versa, though she had not seen my brother in years. After the visit, we drove back to mom's, then out to dinner, saw another brother, tricked and treated Ann and drove back to mom's again. She had the most comfy bed, using fleece sheets - fleece sheets are not menopause-friendly though I may buy some of these sheets regardless. Very comfy for winter weather of which it is not today. It's in the high 70s here today, sun shining, warm breeze, no fleece.

While on this weekend adventure I needed gum for my heinous coffee breath so we stopped off at a small store where liquor is kept behind a glass case - a liquid Fort Knox in the center of the store. The guy behind the counter had one of those old-guy liquor-noses, bulbous, veiny, all-but-flashing the word "alcoholic" in neon. I couldn't get my wallet out of my purse easily so I told Mr. Liquor Nose that I was on the verge of an exciting invention. I was going to make a new kind of wallet, a locatable wallet so that when you own a huge, dark purse and a tiny wallet, well, with my invention you can find it easily (or painfully). I quickly called my invention the porcupine wallet. If you can't grab the wallet inside your huge dark purse after being stabbed, the wallet can jab into your flesh and you can pull the wallet out that way. I offered my not so secret idea to The Nose because I had plenty of time to discuss all sorts of crap while sifting through object's d'purse. LN laughed. We laughed together. My new best friend! He concurred on the wallet invention. Co-inventor? Perhaps. I told him, "One day I'll be famous!" He agreed, "And I'll say I knew you when." I replied, "Yes, and I will snub you." To which he responded, "That is so like you." In those few brief moments, Liquor Nose got to know me well. I snubbed him and left.

Then off again to PK's friend again and a trip to Yosemite for the day. Yosemite was breath-taking though I continued to breathe. We went to the Ahwahnee Hotel. I know why the powers-that-be named the hotel that name...Ahwahnee live there. We hiked a short trail to Bridalveil Falls; a young bride splashed while being photographed, holding a fake-flower bouquet. Some day she'll be reinventing herself. And hopefully, she'll use real flowers because she'll tire of inauthenticity.

On our way out of town and toward home, we stopped to meet Sherri, freshly widowed. We had a good visit with her, I wish I could have stayed longer. She cried. I cried. There will be times when she is alone and will feel as if she's gone insane with grief. PK coped with our shared widow tears. PK's aunt passed away Sunday evening - adding still more sadness.

Some of these weekend memories brought with them some new learnings. Appreciate people and beauty. Stop being judgmental. (Again) (Pretty please with sugar?) Be quiet and take notice. Stop thinking when it's not necessary. Be your own mother. And it's okay to take Jack Tone road if someone makes the request. It's not an affront. It's a short cut!

In fact -- it's fine to take any road home as long as you make it back to your true Self. Choosing this weekend to make new memories was part of the journey back to me.

(Special thanks to PK & mom for helping to make this makeover possible.)