Wildflower Writes

Life requires fun. This is coming from a person who has always taken her pursuits seriously. From studies, to athletics, to dating (I had a checklist), I made it a point to do everything within my power to succeed and excell. When I'm in this mode, I easily put off those things which seem frivolous: playing games with my children, exercise, girls' night, mystery novels... and other things which aren't "productive" or helping me meet my goals. As I've come to grudgingly accept, doing fun or leisure things is part of being a healthy, well-rounded person. Having something fun to look forward to lightens the load and helps me press forward. It's like shaking out an old rug, letting all the dirt and dust fly- allowing me to be refreshed for the next challenge ahead. Go ahead. Schedule some fun into your day and your week, and don't feel guilty about it. It will make you a better person.

How does a treeline form? I’m looking at the trees surrounding my kids’ school, and the tops form a fairly smooth line. You would think, with the wide variety of trees, it would be more uneven and choppy at the top. Instead, the line itself rises and falls in a series of shallow undulating waves, with all the trees right next to each other coming up to approximately the same height. I wonder if it has to do with the amount of sunlight available to the leaves. Maybe once the tree grows to the height of the surrounding trees, it no longer has to fight for sunlight. Maybe all the trees were planted at the same time, although my guess is that they were here before the school or the playground. Maybe the slope of the land affects the height of the trees, since it might affect how much water is collected in each place. I’m always thinking. It’s like the little “why” that started when I was a little girl never died. Usually I think about people or relationships or problems. Someti...

What is it like to pack up some cards, balloons, and the last items from your desk, and walk away from a career of 35 years to a wide open field of possibilities called “retirement?” Wow. I’m not even 35 years old yet. My supervisor had her official last day today. She’s well into the traditional retirement age, and more than deserves some time to garden, travel, or do whatever her heart desires. What is it like to wake up on Monday morning and not have to be anywhere? What is it like to wake up without a schedule or itinerary in mind? What is it like to turn off the alarm and ignore the weather channel? What is it like to go out late on a weeknight with no repercussions? What is it like to take off on a whim to visit a friend or relative on the other side of the country? Retirement is hard for some people, especially men. If you are defined by what you do, who are you when you aren’t working? On the other hand, I’ve noticed that no one in the Optimist Club has had a problem ad...