LIFE IS A STORY.
I know Norman now, how excited you were that I was coming to visit you. I know Norman now that you went all out to clean and beautify your already clean and beautiful home for, in your words," The Queen was arriving." Not only that, I know now, that you went out and bought $500.00 worth of magnificent flowers to place around the house; there were chocolate truffles on my bed.
You anxiously picked me up at the airport, happy to see me, as I was to see you On the way home I told you that I wanted nothing more than to hang out and have a peaceful time. This enforced the good time you were going to have with me.
NEXT SCENE...2 hours later
Hearing that a mutual friend was in town, I innocently invited Tita and her clan over thinking how nice it would be to see her. She wanted to take photos of her 3 nieces. Knowing how you love photography and your home, I thought you would enjoy having your home as the background of their Xmas card. I did tell you but I did not ask you.
In they walked, in a group , with platters of cheeses, salamis and crackers; their white wine is poured and within 2 hours of my arrival, l I know now, that your peaceful perfect home was turned into a party scene.
NEXT SCENE
We all went down to the river enjoying conversation and the beauty of the river, but back in the living room (party room,) your 2 puppy's are having a hey day. They are eating cheese and crackers and in order to get into the wine, they knock over the bottle onto your perfectly cleaned sofa and rug.
NEXT SCENE
You arrive back in the living room and I follow only to see you standing in a frenzie with a sofa pillow in hand, practically crying, "My sofa, my rug" look what happened; I have just had everything cleaned to perfection as your face changes from peace to outrageous anger. "Don't worry, Norman I will clean it," I said, as I ran into the garage to find the best stuff to remove the stain that might or might not have been there." "Don't touch my carpet, you screamed with horror;" but I was compelled to clean it for you, knowing that I could. "Stop taking over the house, you are a guest here, you yelled." " I can do it, I can do it Norman ," as you called the carpet cleaner with horror in you voice.
NEXT SCENE ... 15 minutes later
You left on a bicycle and when you did, I ran to the back deck to chase the clan out. "You must leave IMMEDIATELY. You can not stay a moment longer. Tita, please go, Norman is outraged."
As they left my anger about the outrage turned to depression. How could this have happened; how can I stay in this house for a week? Do I leave, do I stay, I am upsetting his life, his routine; how he yelled at me is inconcievable, like back in the old days, over a sofa and a rug. What is wrong with him? What has happened to him?"
NEXT SCENE
Norman, as you might not know, I stayed clear for a few days, the library, the baths, not knowing until this morning, that it hardly had anything to do with a sofa or a rug.
NEXT SCENE
This morning we had tea and you told me about "the scene." You told me what you felt and I wanted to cry. I heard from you that within 2 hours how I destroyed your dream; the love you were feeling. How could I, I thought as I listened. I reached out and apologized to you as I had done earlier in the week, but this time with the same heartfelt emotion and love you had.
NEXT SCENE
I LOVE YOU TOO NORMAN, always have, always will. Be healthy and happy.
Carol Sue
AND WE ARE STILL HERE TO MAKE STORIES.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Daring Business man/good lesson
loved Colonel Sanders bio. (Fried chicken) At 65 a new daring business selling it for $2,000,000. However, he was old fashioned, did not believe in stock, so took the cash, only to see his guarded recipe turn into billions. He sold his name as well. Moral is guard what is yours and what you believe in; as they say in some countries: Guard your camel. Once it is sold, it is sold... P. S. He died a happy man, I understand.
Carol Sue Gershman
Carol Sue Gershman
Thank You.... Say it more and more
How many times a day do you say Thank you? I hear myself saying it more and more. Have I become more humble? more polite? more appreciative? kinder? It is a lovely term!
Carol Sue Gershman
Carol Sue Gershman
Monday, July 19, 2010
Broken bones/Does that mean I am getting old or just a klutz?
Oh how I love to fall and break my bones. Just kidding, but seems like it is my fate.
I have had 7 falls with 4 broken bones. I guess my first fall happened in my 50's. (years old) I slipped on a plastic bag in my apartment, landed on my hard wood floor on my shoulder. It was horrible and when the Dr. told me It would be at least three months till I healed, I did not know how I could just stop my life. After all, "Every thing I do is so important," I learned otherwise! The only thing in my life that was important was to heal. The shoulder effected other bones so I had to use a cane. When I thought I would never be normal again, suddenly I was me. Nature heals us, the body heals, we are all lucky. OK. that was number one.
#2 : I fell off of my bike and broke my wrist. Not so bad to fall off my bike, but did my wrist have to break? so there I was again in a sling, physical therapy etc,
#3 got even better. This time I slipped on a Clorox floor falling backwards and landing on my elbow. Yup, shattered and broken; I was on my way out the door going on a trip wanting to leave the apartment sparkling clean. OK, all I had to do this time was have two intense operations, go to therapy, be incapacitated and heal.
#4 This was a nice fall on the sidewalks of NYC falling again on my lucky left wrist; ambulance, doctors, settings, healing. Good bye to those who had no sympathy for poor me.
Those were the broken ones.
I once fell off of a train in Eastern Europe, I was grabbing my luggage as the door closed, so went with the luggage on to the platform landing on my back. Next thing I knew I was in an East German hospital Ward wheeled in as The lady from New York City.... so that makes five. I had sprained my back.
The 6th fall was in China at the Ritz Carlton after sipping their lovely tea. Upon exit I missed the 2 steps down and there I was flat on the floor being escorted out of the Ritz and into a limo back to my hostel. I had sprained my ankle.
For the life of me I cannot remember # 7 but I know there was one.
As soon as the last fragment healed, I was up and off with my life, never looking back. OK. lucky 7 has made me more cautious. I have slowed down a bit and look more where I am going; spending more time looking down than looking up especially on the side walks of NYC. A fall can happen any time and at any moment. It is awful; nothing teaches you more how life can change on a dime.
So what you think am I simply a Klutz? Maybe we should all have four legs.
Carol Sue Gershman.
I have had 7 falls with 4 broken bones. I guess my first fall happened in my 50's. (years old) I slipped on a plastic bag in my apartment, landed on my hard wood floor on my shoulder. It was horrible and when the Dr. told me It would be at least three months till I healed, I did not know how I could just stop my life. After all, "Every thing I do is so important," I learned otherwise! The only thing in my life that was important was to heal. The shoulder effected other bones so I had to use a cane. When I thought I would never be normal again, suddenly I was me. Nature heals us, the body heals, we are all lucky. OK. that was number one.
#2 : I fell off of my bike and broke my wrist. Not so bad to fall off my bike, but did my wrist have to break? so there I was again in a sling, physical therapy etc,
#3 got even better. This time I slipped on a Clorox floor falling backwards and landing on my elbow. Yup, shattered and broken; I was on my way out the door going on a trip wanting to leave the apartment sparkling clean. OK, all I had to do this time was have two intense operations, go to therapy, be incapacitated and heal.
#4 This was a nice fall on the sidewalks of NYC falling again on my lucky left wrist; ambulance, doctors, settings, healing. Good bye to those who had no sympathy for poor me.
Those were the broken ones.
I once fell off of a train in Eastern Europe, I was grabbing my luggage as the door closed, so went with the luggage on to the platform landing on my back. Next thing I knew I was in an East German hospital Ward wheeled in as The lady from New York City.... so that makes five. I had sprained my back.
The 6th fall was in China at the Ritz Carlton after sipping their lovely tea. Upon exit I missed the 2 steps down and there I was flat on the floor being escorted out of the Ritz and into a limo back to my hostel. I had sprained my ankle.
For the life of me I cannot remember # 7 but I know there was one.
As soon as the last fragment healed, I was up and off with my life, never looking back. OK. lucky 7 has made me more cautious. I have slowed down a bit and look more where I am going; spending more time looking down than looking up especially on the side walks of NYC. A fall can happen any time and at any moment. It is awful; nothing teaches you more how life can change on a dime.
So what you think am I simply a Klutz? Maybe we should all have four legs.
Carol Sue Gershman.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Being Part of the Crowd
Twice this week I went with the crowds, Fireworks and Lady Gaga... Guess what? My girlfriend stayed home for both and had a remarkable experience of joy in front of the TV... Me? I was pushed, shoved, told by cops where to go, where to stand, aching feet in high heals, no transportation home from the works. But I wasssssss there!
Carol Sue Gershman
Carol Sue Gershman
Monday, July 5, 2010
July 4th/NYC
Fun in the city.
Have you walked the Brooklyn Bridge? They are out there in droves and it was something I never did before. Before I knew it I was in Brooklyn. Charming area I must say, even though I nearly had heat stroke on the way over.
Fireworks atop a restaurant roof top called Print was divine. I could have been anywhere in the world high in the sky with champagne and yum yum desserts. Only $100.00 per person to get to the roof top.. Ha Ha.
P. S. For the one hundred there was none of the outrageous music that accompanied the fireworks. They were tuned into jazz. Another ha ha.
It felt like New Years Eve in the heat getting home, not a bus, not a cab in site all the way over on 11th Avenue. Finally took off my shoes and walked the very dirty streets till I could find transportation. I sure did not care running barefoot on the side walks.
Lately, my favorite going out is staying home in my delightful apartment.
HAPPY 4TH TO ALL.
Carol Sue Gershman
Wake up call/ The Fall
Dear Friends,
Recently I had yet another fall. This is my 7th with 3 times broken bones. What is interesting about a fall, as my cousin just said, is you are perfectly wonderfully fine and the next minute you are in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Last year I broke my elbow and needed two operations. I healed well over time.
Now this particular time, I had just had breakfast with my lover. Mind you, we do not see each other often, but i know him for many years. It was divine to see him. Soon we would get together to have the wild sex that we both enjoy.
Moments later, after leaving him, I fell. I laid on the sidewalk not being able to get up, but did not want to call him. I waited till I got to the emergency ward and then called saying, "You would never believe where I am." He lives only 3 blocks from the hospital but did he come over? Absolutely not!
He did call later in the day to see what happened. I told him I had broken my wrist and had excruciating pain when they set my bone. We talked how life changes on a dime and he said he would call the next day.
One month later I heard his apologies. I told him to go see the Wizard, you know, to get a heart and some brains. We both laughed.
We hung up on happy terms.
WAKE UP CAROL SUE..... My fall proved to me that this man does not care one bit about me except for our wild sex evenings.
My fall proved this to me because I did not get it before.
Now do you see how my breaking of bones was a gift?
READ BELOW BLOG
Carol Sue Gershman
Recently I had yet another fall. This is my 7th with 3 times broken bones. What is interesting about a fall, as my cousin just said, is you are perfectly wonderfully fine and the next minute you are in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Last year I broke my elbow and needed two operations. I healed well over time.
Now this particular time, I had just had breakfast with my lover. Mind you, we do not see each other often, but i know him for many years. It was divine to see him. Soon we would get together to have the wild sex that we both enjoy.
Moments later, after leaving him, I fell. I laid on the sidewalk not being able to get up, but did not want to call him. I waited till I got to the emergency ward and then called saying, "You would never believe where I am." He lives only 3 blocks from the hospital but did he come over? Absolutely not!
He did call later in the day to see what happened. I told him I had broken my wrist and had excruciating pain when they set my bone. We talked how life changes on a dime and he said he would call the next day.
One month later I heard his apologies. I told him to go see the Wizard, you know, to get a heart and some brains. We both laughed.
We hung up on happy terms.
WAKE UP CAROL SUE..... My fall proved to me that this man does not care one bit about me except for our wild sex evenings.
My fall proved this to me because I did not get it before.
Now do you see how my breaking of bones was a gift?
READ BELOW BLOG
Carol Sue Gershman
A Surprise Gift/Open it up
The Gift
Have you ever known anyone who said: I’m going through the worst time in my life -- I’m so happy! I doubt it, because when tough stuff happens it just hurts and its just stinks. Loss, illness, separation, not fun stuff. But what I have learned and what I want to talk about tonight is how some of the really tough stuff in my life ended up being wake up calls for me to change. And that these wake up calls, if you look at them in another way, are actually gifts. Maybe veiled a bit, maybe not the box of chocolate you wanted from Sprungli, or the new ipad, but another sort of gift.
Because there is one thing I know for sure, and that is stuff happens, and sometimes real crappy and painful stuff happens. The truth is no one walks through life’s doors without having some challenge come their way at some point. So the question is not how to avoid those experiences, because you can’t, but rather, the question is what will your attitude be towards it when it hits. Can you use it as a wake up call, or do you see it as a total pain in the neck and wished it would just go away. Do you allow it to make yourself miserable and angry and resentful and walk around with a poor me face? or do you take it and learn from it and change and deepen. That is the real meaning of free choice. How are you going to choose to react to the tough stuff that comes your way? Because it could bring with it changes in your life you never knew would come like where you live or what you do, and or it could bring with it feelings that you don’t often have.
A good example of this is, I remember some years back having abdominal surgery which made walking around outside really painful and tough, I was so slow, and I remember all of a sudden seeing people who were permanently disabled in wheel chairs and canes, - people I never even looked at before, and all of a sudden I felt so much compassion for them. That compassion and real understanding I never had before to that extent. That was its gift to me, to experience real compassion and understanding when people are vulnerable.
Or, recently my Mom broke her wrist and she told me She has never been happier. I said it has forced you to be more nurturing and self loving and maybe that’s why you feel happier, and she said well why didn’t I feel this way when I broke my elbow last year and I said probably because you didn’t learn to be more nurturing and self loving to yourself, and life just keeps throwing the punches until we wake up and learn the lesson, or experience our life differently
And that is just what happened to me. Years ago, I really wanted to have children. But I instead had miscarriages. I didn’t have one, not two, not but three miscarriages, and it was really very very painful. I cried all the time. But I have to say those miscarriages pushed me into a spiritual life that I probably never would of walked into without them. And so I’ve come to think about them as my wake up calls, but it took 3 hits for me to wake up. It was like, the first one came and boom, and I didn’t change anything, and then life said, oh no, she’s not getting it, lets go for another punch, and boom another miscarriage, and nope, she didn’t make any changes, and then life said, better go for the big bomb, and boom, the third one just propelled me out like I was a cannon ball and pushed me and made me take huge risks and give up my whole way I was living, who I was married to, where I was living, everything changed. Because that is how wake up calls happen, life just keeps giving out the punches until the thing that has to shift shifts. Some people get it faster, and some need a lot of beating.
Why things happen I really don’t know. Why you got that, and she got that, and that happened to this one, and that happened to that one. And this one has this, and that one got that. We really don’t know why.
Sometimes I think we are like an ant walking on a persons arm. The ant doesn’t know its walking on a human arm. It doesn’t say wow this is a nice arm, I think I’ll walk up to the wrist, or I think I’ll hang out on this hair, or I’ll rest on the persons freckle. It’s just unconscious it’s just an ant not really knowing or understanding whats going on. We are like an ant; we don’t really know what is going on. Sometimes I think we are programmed to not know.
But the one thing I do know, is that its not the experience but rather our attitude towards it that matters. Do you allow it to bring you down and feel angry, or do you see it as a potential opportunity. One thing difficult things do bring is a feeling of vulnerability. Maybe vulnerability and the willingness to be in it and to show others that is where we are is the highest state we can be in. Because in that state the heart is so raw and open, so not hidden in its shell of pride and self important.
And so fellow Toastmasters and guests, perhaps the next time you are just living your life, having a cappuccino at Starbucks, driving home, walking into your office, whatever it is, and some difficult thing hits you, hits you hard, perhaps you can look beyond the painful experience and wonder what kind of wake up call is this for you. What is life pushing you to see or to change, where is life pointing you? What kind of human emotion is it bringing to you, compassion, understanding, love, because hidden behind the rotten experience, could be the one thing you needed that will push you to really live who you are. And that friends is a gift.
Leslie Kuster.... (my daughter)
Have you ever known anyone who said: I’m going through the worst time in my life -- I’m so happy! I doubt it, because when tough stuff happens it just hurts and its just stinks. Loss, illness, separation, not fun stuff. But what I have learned and what I want to talk about tonight is how some of the really tough stuff in my life ended up being wake up calls for me to change. And that these wake up calls, if you look at them in another way, are actually gifts. Maybe veiled a bit, maybe not the box of chocolate you wanted from Sprungli, or the new ipad, but another sort of gift.
Because there is one thing I know for sure, and that is stuff happens, and sometimes real crappy and painful stuff happens. The truth is no one walks through life’s doors without having some challenge come their way at some point. So the question is not how to avoid those experiences, because you can’t, but rather, the question is what will your attitude be towards it when it hits. Can you use it as a wake up call, or do you see it as a total pain in the neck and wished it would just go away. Do you allow it to make yourself miserable and angry and resentful and walk around with a poor me face? or do you take it and learn from it and change and deepen. That is the real meaning of free choice. How are you going to choose to react to the tough stuff that comes your way? Because it could bring with it changes in your life you never knew would come like where you live or what you do, and or it could bring with it feelings that you don’t often have.
A good example of this is, I remember some years back having abdominal surgery which made walking around outside really painful and tough, I was so slow, and I remember all of a sudden seeing people who were permanently disabled in wheel chairs and canes, - people I never even looked at before, and all of a sudden I felt so much compassion for them. That compassion and real understanding I never had before to that extent. That was its gift to me, to experience real compassion and understanding when people are vulnerable.
Or, recently my Mom broke her wrist and she told me She has never been happier. I said it has forced you to be more nurturing and self loving and maybe that’s why you feel happier, and she said well why didn’t I feel this way when I broke my elbow last year and I said probably because you didn’t learn to be more nurturing and self loving to yourself, and life just keeps throwing the punches until we wake up and learn the lesson, or experience our life differently
And that is just what happened to me. Years ago, I really wanted to have children. But I instead had miscarriages. I didn’t have one, not two, not but three miscarriages, and it was really very very painful. I cried all the time. But I have to say those miscarriages pushed me into a spiritual life that I probably never would of walked into without them. And so I’ve come to think about them as my wake up calls, but it took 3 hits for me to wake up. It was like, the first one came and boom, and I didn’t change anything, and then life said, oh no, she’s not getting it, lets go for another punch, and boom another miscarriage, and nope, she didn’t make any changes, and then life said, better go for the big bomb, and boom, the third one just propelled me out like I was a cannon ball and pushed me and made me take huge risks and give up my whole way I was living, who I was married to, where I was living, everything changed. Because that is how wake up calls happen, life just keeps giving out the punches until the thing that has to shift shifts. Some people get it faster, and some need a lot of beating.
Why things happen I really don’t know. Why you got that, and she got that, and that happened to this one, and that happened to that one. And this one has this, and that one got that. We really don’t know why.
Sometimes I think we are like an ant walking on a persons arm. The ant doesn’t know its walking on a human arm. It doesn’t say wow this is a nice arm, I think I’ll walk up to the wrist, or I think I’ll hang out on this hair, or I’ll rest on the persons freckle. It’s just unconscious it’s just an ant not really knowing or understanding whats going on. We are like an ant; we don’t really know what is going on. Sometimes I think we are programmed to not know.
But the one thing I do know, is that its not the experience but rather our attitude towards it that matters. Do you allow it to bring you down and feel angry, or do you see it as a potential opportunity. One thing difficult things do bring is a feeling of vulnerability. Maybe vulnerability and the willingness to be in it and to show others that is where we are is the highest state we can be in. Because in that state the heart is so raw and open, so not hidden in its shell of pride and self important.
And so fellow Toastmasters and guests, perhaps the next time you are just living your life, having a cappuccino at Starbucks, driving home, walking into your office, whatever it is, and some difficult thing hits you, hits you hard, perhaps you can look beyond the painful experience and wonder what kind of wake up call is this for you. What is life pushing you to see or to change, where is life pointing you? What kind of human emotion is it bringing to you, compassion, understanding, love, because hidden behind the rotten experience, could be the one thing you needed that will push you to really live who you are. And that friends is a gift.
Leslie Kuster.... (my daughter)
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