Why???

Meet granddaughter number three -- Jeanne Jo. She is 3 years old and LOVES the word "why." Not having raised any children under the age of 13 (that will just have to wait for another post) I had never gone through the "why" developmental stage until becoming Grandma.

Conversations with 3-year-old went something like this...

JJ: Grandma, what color are your eyes?
Me: Blue.
JJ: Why?
Me: Because that is the color God made them.
JJ: Why?
Me: Because He's God and that is the color He decided to make my eyes.
JJ: (silence)
Me: (whew! got through that one)
JJ: Grandma, what is that? (points at my necklace)
Me: That is a necklace.
JJ: Why?
Me: Why what?
JJ: Why do you wear a necklace?
Me: Because it's pretty.
JJ: (smiles approvingly at my answer)
Me: (wonder how long this why thing can go on?)

Well, my friends, the "why" thing can apparently go on for days.
Thank God for bedtime.

Booking Through Thursday With Characters

Booking Through Thursday

This week's questions were suggested by Mary.

Which book character(s) would you...

1. Like to have dinner with? Mma Ramotswe (from No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith) ... Or maybe it would be more appropriate to have tea with her.


2. Believe would be the best to help you out in a crisis? Elvis Cole (from Elvis Cole novels by Robert Crais) ... I'm assuming here that my life might be in danger. Elvis could kick anybody's butt, plus he's a real wise-ass (with a heart of course).


3. Like to ask for an autograph? Harry Potter ... It would be worth a fortune!


4. Most identify with personally? The Grinch (by Dr. Seuss) ... While this might sound odd, I know that my true nature would be pretty Grinchy without God's influence over my life -- with His influence my heart is capable of "growing three sizes."

Driving in my car...

"Angelenos were loners in their cars. That was the point of living in the city, to have a car and drive alone." from The Magician's Assistant

This quote really grabbed me. The character who has this thought is an Angeleno through-and-through and thinks nothing of driving inordinate distances at any time day-or-night in any kind of traffic no matter how hellish. I immediately recognized many of my friends, acquaintances and the not-so-acquainted in this statement.

I did not grow up in Southern California (aka Los Angeles) and do not think of my car as another bodily appendage. I view driving in traffic as one of Dante's special levels of hell, though I'm not sure what I've done to deserve this. I guess just living here is enough to qualify. I do not ... hear me DO NOT ... commute on a daily basis. I've managed to avoid "the daily commute" for 27 years of So-Cal living. I do not leave town on holidays or Friday afternoons and I do not return to town on Sunday afternoons or evenings. Doing this exactly one time told me all I need to know about freeway parking lots.

However ... OK people ... here it comes ... I have lately been required to drive into L.A. in rush hour traffic in order to attend VIMs (very i-m-p-o-r-t-a-n-t meetings). The first few VIMs left me exhausted and swooning for days. The next round found me oddly numb to the driving experience. Lately I've found myself almost looking forward to the commute. I've managed to get into the commuter ZONE. I collect some favorite CDs, make sure I have my XM radio plugged in, get a nice big coffee to go and plug myself into a slot on the freeway. I'm starting to see this as an opportunity to "hang out" for a couple of hours and have coffee with a million or so of my commuter friends (whatever works for ya honey). Quite honestly this is now where some serious thinking gets done. Since I don't carry a cell phone (that's another post) I can't be interrupted. I keep a small recorder with me in the car in case I get writing inspiration -- simply dictate and transcribe later. And of course there is always the alone-in-my-car karaoke event.

I'm still far from becoming "the happy commuter" posterchild, but I've found a way to turn the experience into something positive that doesn't raise my blood pressure and shorten my lifespan. Maybe one day I'll even evolve into an Angeleno.

Seeing only one ninth...

Ever have the feeling that there is "more to the story" than what you see or hear? I feel that way often. News stories, projects, communities, people, life in general. All of these are generally more complex than they first appear. Like the iceberg, I might see only one ninth of any given picture. That leaves a lot to be discovered!

I've learned to check facts and context before believing what I hear in the news. I've learned to research and plan projects before spontaneously hurling myself at something that I thought would be simple and quick. Most importantly I've learned to look under the surface that most people present. Sometimes this is disappointing but other times I make a friend that I wouldn't have made had I just accepted the first impression.

Yet for all of my "learning" and intentions, "tip of the iceberg" seems to be an appropriate metaphor for my journey through life. No matter how much I try to get beneath the surface of things, much of life still goes floating by and all I see is the obvious. How about you?

Welcome to Tip of the Iceberg.

Photo credit: 1999 Ralph A. Clevenger