Friday, October 31, 2014

WHAT A TREAT!


How sweet it is... 
We arrived home late yesterday.
The transformation of the Passion Pit
during our five week absence has been
BEYOND AMAZING!

We can't wait to greet our trick or treaters today.
Hoping you and yours
have a wonderful day.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Make someone happy?!


An exercise in futility
The longer I'm on this earth the more
I question whether the statement that
entitles today's blog is possible. Many
of us spend our lives doing everything
possible to make other's more pleasant.
As parents, partners, family, or friends
all we want is those we care about to be
happy. However in many ways whether
their outlook is rosy are blue is none of
our business. You see try as you might,
nobody can truly impact or change the
way somebody else feels deep within.
So why do so many of us keep trying?!

Drink the Kool Aid
There is no magic pill to life's problems.
The reality that you can't fix somebody
else is an elusive fact at best. How many
have spent years in relationships where
something totally beyond your control
was wrong? Even odder, how many spent
years trying to counter balance another's
ill will? It never works and yet most of us
never figure that out. Instead we bother,
fuss, hover, and fluff their pillows. Rarely
do our attempts at fixing someone else
have any impact. That's because self help
is exactly that... self help.
Who's to blame?
Most Baby Boomers have spent their
adult lives blaming others for their
problems. The drive to figure things
out may have backed many of us into
a corner. Sometimes there just aren't
answers to our questions and hence
one must move on. Yet creating the
inertia required to arise from a self
induced coma is beyond challenging.
And while Jesus was able to make
Lazarus arise from the dead, chances
are few of you have a miracle hidden
up your sleeve. You are not God!
Face time
I've come to the conclusion that if
somebody is unhappy, it's their own
fault. The only person who can make
life better is the idiot looking at you
in the mirror. We each bear the full
responsibility for our lives and every
aspect of them. If you hate your job,
grin and bear it or quit. We all make
mistakes but if yours sits across from
you at the dinner table nightly, cancel
your reservations and move on. Misery
may love company but those invited
rarely stay where they're not wanted.
Wake up
Wallowing in the muck of life can be
much like attempting to rise out of
quick sand. Our actions only cause us
to sink deeper into the abyss until we
are finally sucked under. And often
the person standing on the edge with
an outreached hand trying to help is
pulled down with us. This foolishness
simply has to stop. At some point one
grows up and must take responsibility
for their personal fulfillment. Nobody
ever said it was going to easy except
for some delusional bestselling author.
Self help
Just get on with it. By "it" I mean
life. If something is bothering you
either face it head on or... forget
about it. Either way is better than
allowing life to bubble, boil, or
fester. Cancer rarely cures itself
and feeding angst only ends in
disaster. I know it's hard but most
of us feel the same. That's why it's
important to take care of yourself
and you alone. You've got enough
problems so leave fixing others to
others and go ahead... be happy!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

IN A NEW YORK MINUTE


Neither here and there
I don't know why but somehow the
flight back from Europe is always
harder. Maybe it's the timing given
you leave and arrive on the same
day rather than sleep through most
of it. So for hours upon hours we
ate, drank, watched movies, and
occasionally napped from Rome to
JFK. After a brief dinner at Sarge's -
our favorite deli - we quickly fell
into a deep, semi comatose state.
My theory is the longer you force
yourself to stay up - the less lag.
Shut up or get up
Jet lag is bothersome at best. But the
fact is that after a full month in Italy,
we're majorly maladjusted. Slowly we
each in our own way will get back to
normal - whatever that is! Meanwhile
it's nice to do it in a hotel where one
has the freedom to hang a sign on the
knob and escape from the world no
matter the time! While we enjoyed
both of our apartments, it's lovely to
have somebody else make the bed.
We'll make the most of it given soon
reality will hit us like a Mack truck!
Falling in love again
While everyone seems to have enjoyed
a rather warm October, it wasn't until
our last week in Rome that it started to
feel like fall. So we'll enjoy autumn in
New York and seeing whatever foliage
may be still clinging to the trees. We
didn't shop much in Italy beyond gifts
and other tidbits. If there's time we may
hit the two B's (Barney's and Bergdorfs).
And if anything is purchased, it will be
shipped as I'm NOT cramming anything
into my suitcase! The last souvenir one
wants to bring home is a hernia!
A helluva town
It is nice to be back in Manhattan.
A native son, of course I'm jaded.
Rome and Florence both have their
vibes. Italians live in a much more
civilized manner. However Romans
are more like New Yorkers than they
may be willing to admit. Maybe it's
truly genetic given they adore drama
as much as their distant Bensonhurst
relations. Italian or not, everyone in
Manhattan seems ready for anything.
This city has an energy that while
exhausting is also quite exhilarating. 
Basta pasta
Given we only have two nights in
town we'll lay low. That doesn't
mean we won't eat. Rather than
make plans, we'll nurse our jet lag
alone. One thing is certain - we're
NOT dining Italiano! Don't get me
wrong, we never tired of the food.
But at some point one has to say
enough is enough. So we'll dine on
whatever we can't get in Montana.
That means Indian, Japanese, Deli
(Jewish comfort food), and if time
permits... Chinese. Soon it's steaks!
Comfort zone
I'll confess that I'm ready to return to
Big Sky Country. All I want to do is
cook dinner in my own kitchen. More
important, sip a cocktail in our living
room. Renting apartments in Italy was
GREAT! Both were lovely and felt as
if we were "home." However there's
no place like home and it's time to be
back where we belong. Tomorrow our
trip is as long it was from Rome. That
means we won't be home until after
7 p.m. or... 3 a.m. Roman time. Oh...
I had better not think about that!

Monday, October 27, 2014

BACKWARD GLANCE


What's old is new
Sunday we shopped the antiques
market in Rome. Sifting through
the debris, it's fascinating how
one man's trash is easily another's
treasure. Given the option, I prefer
anything with a pedigree rather
than naiveté. Part of me believes
that part of each of us travels on
with our cast offs. Hence the value
of an object usually is more than
simply it's appraised worth. While
new may seem fresh, anything with
mileage holds much more allure.
Been there, done that
Today we board a plane to return
to New York. After a brief period
of recuperation, we'll continue on
to Montana. Our time here has
been relaxing, illuminating, and
refreshing. Yet I'm ready to return
home. If I've learned nothing more
this past month it's been that I truly
love rural Montana. And while all
that glitters is often truly gold,
I want to be back where I belong.
Absence makes the heart grow
fonder has been proven once more.
Secret sauce
There is an alchemy to life. A magical
formula that most search for until we
find it. Mine seems to be any place
where I'm comfortable, happy, and
loved. Nothing is perfect and part of
me dreads returning to Lewistown
and facing the narrow minded. Yet
actually, I've probably been looking
at them for the last month but didn't
know it. Ignorance may be bliss but
I'd rather know who my enemy is.
The benefit of living in a small town
is that one faces facts then moves on.
Full fare
In the end life is what we make of it.
That means that whether you're a
half empty or a half full - you bear
the responsibility for replenishment
or any lack thereof. Motion - be it
forward or backward - is better than
inertia. It's not actually where or how
one gets there, but rather enjoying the
process of traveling anywhere. Often
the only force of nature that's going
to take you to new places is the kick
you give yourself in the ass. And in
a small town that can be a licking!
Round trip
If I seem more than a bit reflective,
it's because I am. Far away I've had
the luxury of letting go and looking
at life from a distance. Fortunately,
that time away affirmed that I'm in
the right time and place for me. The
only question left is what's next? It
seems that once one hits a comfort
zone, our natural instinct is to stretch
it's barriers. Given my past, there's
got to be a future that leverages what
I've learned thus far. And hopefully
teaches me even more. All aboard!