Wildflower Writes

Photograph by Sean Woods I came home from work, tired and hungry. I dropped my stuff by the door and noticed an orange plastic egg on my TV stand. I was pretty sure I hadn’t left that there, but I had left my son watching videos on the couch when I left for work that morning. Turns out he had hidden 13 eggs for me to discover. Suddenly, I was laughing as an attempt to turn on a lamp dislodged another plastic egg. A game I had dismissed as being too juvenile for my teenage family members was now making my Monday. I forget how important it is to play and have fun. When I was visiting some friends the other day, they asked me what I do when I’m not working. I struggled to think of something I do just because I enjoy it. When I do take the time to do something fun and relaxing, I have better energy and motivation to do the important stuff. Maybe the fun stuff is just as important. 

Photo by  Alex Lian  on  Unsplash I’m a sucker for a good match-3 game. It started long ago with Candy Crush and even though the games change, the concept is the same. Match like colors according to the requirements and advance to the next level. I’ve discovered that as I advance through the more difficult levels, I can get distracted by the amazing combinations I can make of four and five colors, hoping that by clearing large sections of the board, I’ll meet my goal. It doesn’t work that way. I have to be intentional and strategic in how I use my limited number of moves, or I’m stuck at the same level. I think life is like that sometimes. We get caught up in the busywork, the day-to-day distractions, and before we know it, we’re in the same place we were a year ago. I listened to one of my favorite podcasters, Darren Marlar of Weird Darkness, talk about his five-year anniversary. What started as a hobby became one of Podcast Magazine’s top ten! He just kept taking it...

My chips were disappearing rather quickly. It was a Texas Hold 'Em lesson, designed to prepare me to be a "pit boss" at our service club's annual poker tournament . And I am a horrible poker player. It's not that I can't get a grasp of the game, but that I have no "poker face." They even dubbed my reaction to a bad hand the "poker pout."  I am so used to wearing my heart on my sleeve, so to speak, that I found it very difficult to keep an emotionless expression, and be practiced with my actions as to betray nothing.  I'm a decent actress; I could have done better.  I just don't like having to be so, to be so, blah.  Even for a game. Poker is probably not for me.  Not only do I have an expressive face, but my mind has difficulty with strategy based probability-type games (I don't do well with chess or Stratego either).  And that's okay. I spent a good part of my life comparing myself to other people and wishing to b...

In honor of Father’s day, I’m going to tell you about my dad. Tomorrow, I’ll let him speak for himself. My dad survived three girls growing up in his house. We always joked that he was badly outnumbered; even the dog was female. He has never indicated that he was dissatisfied raising three girls rather than any sons. His passion for sports was passed down, however. I started playing baseball when I was six, soccer when I was eight, and basketball when I was nine. I also ran my first 10K when I was nine, and started volleyball when I was ten. I believe there was also a gymnastics class, tennis lessons, and a never-ending golf game in there as well. As far as I can remember, Dad never missed a single game or meet. Sometimes he’d show up still dressed in his 3-piece suit, and find his place on the bleachers. He has a deep, strong voice, and I could always hear him cheering me on. He would often kick me off the couch at home and get me out tossing a softball, shooting some hoops,...

Life is like a poker game. Sometimes the chips are up; sometimes the chips are down. You can’t control what you’re dealt, but you can decide what to do with them. Sometimes you can bluff your way through. The better you read other people the better you can play. You really can’t get anywhere unless you’re willing to risk something. You get your biggest success when you put it all in. Life is like a baseball game. Different people have different strengths and succeed best when their role matches their strengths. Every person plays an important part, although you never know when you’ll be called into action. You do better when you think ahead before you need to act. The more you practice, the better you get, but a coach always helps. Your decisions affect other people. As good as you are, you can’t succeed without the help of others. Life is like a nursing home. Some people are genuinely needy, but try to do what they can for themselves. Some people expect other people to do everything f...

My eight-year-old performed surgery today. She started with knee surgery on a man in his seventies, and then moved on to a hip replacement. She let me watch the hip replacement. I was fascinated, since I work in a field that sees people recovering from joint surgeries all the time. She viewed the X-ray and made sure she had the right size parts for the job. Then she drew on the hip to mark the point of incision. The next part is a little graphic, so the faint of heart should beware. She used a scalpel to make the incision, and used a zapper (clinical term) to cauterize the bleeding. She separated the fat layer with spreaders, then cut back the muscle tissue, being careful to avoid the sciatic nerve. I could go on, but it gets complicated. I actually learned how they do hip replacements through an internet video game. The site is called EdHeads ( http://www.edheads.org/ ) and is sponsored by Ohio State University Medical Center. Edheads is a non-profit organization, which creates unique...

Is there anything more American than baseball? As I sit behind center field, awaiting the start of opening day for the 51st year of Osolo Little League, I’m taken back to some of the happiest moments of my childhood. My dad coached softball before any of his kids were old enough to play. In fact, both my sisters were named after young ladies he coached. We grew up entertaining ourselves by digging in the dirt, running the bases before games, and climbing the bleachers. When I was six, I was finally allowed to play T-ball. We played in jeans then. Even though I was probably just as bored as the other players, I wasn’t a grass picker or a butterfly chaser. I took the game seriously. I put my hands on my knees in a ready stance, and then ran all over the field when someone hit the ball. When it was my turn to bat, I hit the ball and ran as fast as I could. League designations were based on age and not ability then. I played T-ball for three years, and didn’t see a softball until I was nin...