In Case You Haven't Noticed

I am a hypocrite.

This past weekend I attended a gallery opening at a local museum and heard myself utter to one of the artists/photographers that I dabble with photography for a blog I write.

“…for a blog I write?” Really? Did I just allow those words to slip past my lips?

Thank goodness you weren’t there.

Because you who have been following Simon Says…you who have checked and rechecked for an update from me since… (oh my goodness, I’m so embarrassed)… MARCH…know all too well that the phrase “…a blog I used to write” is far more accurate.

Well, since I’m weighing in on the precision of language and its use, perhaps I should elaborate.

I am a hypocrite with a severe attention deficit. I am a personification, a living idiom, a “Jack of all trades, master of none.” I should be the poster child for Starving Artists Anonymous. Thank goodness I have a day job!

So where HAVE I been and what HAVE I been doing that kept me so distracted since March? Well, there’s motherhood and family….there’s that end-of-the school year crunch to get everything graded and recorded (have I told you I’m a teacher?)…there were summer break and family vacation, during which time I...

--read voraciously!

--redesigned our family photo wall, culling out some old images and adding some newer, better ones.

--threw lots and lots and LOTS of tennis balls for Simon.

--tried to recall what I once knew at the piano.

--ran errands for my mother, who broke her leg on Mother’s Day Weekend.

--led a summer music camp for children at a nearby church (putting to use one of my long-lost talents).

---expanded my garden (adding several new beds)…and did a lot of research about pet-friendly plants. Perhaps I should offer up a few posts on what I learned and what I chose to plant (for those of you who have dogs like Simon)??? In the meantime though, the ASPCA has a wonderful website.

and…

---planned my own funeral.

{insert audible gasps here}

Don’t be shocked! It actually makes perfect sense.

Neither my father, nor my brother, left wills or final wishes. My father’s lack of attention to such details left his five children stumbling and grasping. A rift emerged among us that may take years to heal. My brother’s death was sudden and unexpected.

My grandmother did leave a basic will, but there too emerged a cavern.

Compassion and my little sister’s request urged me forth. So I’ve begun to pen my wishes. I’ve given thought to service types and to the rudiments of divvying. I‘ve purchased a 2’x2’ piece of real estate under a magnificent Live Oak in South Carolina.

The whole process has been surprisingly reassuring. And.. I can finally say with all surety that I will retire some day on Hilton Head Island.

But I probably shouldn’t put “blogger” on my bronze marker. Not yet, anyway. Not yet.