Today I Vacuumed

Today I Vacuumed

This isn’t earth-shattering news.  This isn’t news at all, and in the grand scheme of things not even remotely important compared to the devastation in the northeast, the continued economic malady and the malevolent and divisive political climate so dense it is palpable. 

Yet for me, for today, vacuuming was everything. 

It may not be apparent here, where I can often close off the world for just a little while and burrow down into the safe confines of my virtual hammock, but I am being pummeled by life right now, and am struggling mightily.  I have hesitated to even bring it up, because again, compared to the adversity and hardship others are going through (possibly even you), my little problems are not even on the chart.  Besides, I normally maintain a centered focus of finding the glimmer of hope anywhere and project that here in the positive.  If I have a 'down' day, I try to keep it to myself.  Also, there are two sides to this  - first of all, I can only experience whatever situation that I am in at present, and while it isn’t a loss of a job or a loved one or a home, it is still my experience, and very raw and real to me, just as I try to gain perspective on others’ pain and difficulty, no matter my view of it. This leads me to the second side of my own personal coin – I often feel intensely, deeply and tangibly the suffering of others.  I suppose this is the double-edge to the incredibly insane love and compassion I sense for humanity because I often take on the collective anguish of others as well. 

So back to vacuuming.

I am struggling in probably all ways possible at the moment.  Professionally, personally, relationally, emotionally, spiritually.  You name it.  So today, as I sat in my office, staring at a computer screen, knowing I should be doing something, anything to chip away at the long list of things I needed accomplish, suddenly the debris on the floor from a chore overlooked came into focus.  I knew I could accomplish that task.  I knew I could see it from start to finish with a neat, tidy floor to show for it.  Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew how to vacuum.  So I did.

In the middle of the day, in the midst of our department building, in my ‘professional attire’, I put my entire heart and soul into a clean floor and a job well done.  To the soothing hum of the machine, I let myself focus on the task itself, not fourteen other things that also need my immediate attention.  I concentrated on being thorough instead of getting to a point of desperation and flying through cutting corners.  It was a job that, while no one was around to appreciate the long overdue task getting done,  that didn't matter.  It made the little corner of my world, in that moment, for today, a better place and all okay.

I could not help the people who are swimming out from under their belongings today in the aftermath of a storm.  I could not solve all of the inefficiency and bumbling that makes my work environment exasperating at best, maddening at worst.  I could not change what has shifted in my life that has left me numb.  I could not yet do anything to directly impact the betterment of humanity at large.

But I could vacuum.

Funny Question #4

I can not believe we have arrived at the halfway point in the Get-Away Give-Away.  This time next Sunday will be November.  If you're just joining in here, you can most certainly jump on into the contest and participate!  It is quite easy - check in every Sunday for a question to answer in a post on your blog, link it up there and here and done!  As a bonus, you can ask me questions in return for an extra entry!  

For this week I thought we might all need a laugh, particularly a laugh at ourselves when we start to take life and ourselves way too seriously.  So -

Have you had a funny/embarrassing moment happen where you thought to yourself, "If only someone caught that on camera, I'd win the $10,000 prize"?  What is your cash prize-worthy moment?  

Mine involves a moment of adventure, a creek, a fallen tree and dirt.

Do you see these pants covered in red clay and stain remover?  These are not the britches of a seven-year-old boy after playing all day in his yard.  These are my pants, and the picture does not show the vast extent of my mess.  I was covered front and back, top to bottom in dirt.

Two Fridays ago, I was down by my hammock taking in the fall leaves and enjoying the sense of decompression that always comes after the work week is done.  Beside my hammock is a creek, and across the creek is a fallen tree that has been there for a little over a year.

What you can't see in this picture is that it is about a seven foot drop from the side of the bank where I was standing down into the creek.  Standing there, feeling content and adventurous in the moment, I decided I would test my former gymnast prowess and make my way across that tree like a balance beam.  I thought it would be peaceful to perch in the middle of that log and think for a while.  So I kicked off my flops and started across.

I inched my way across slowly, finding that this was much more formidable than when I was a kid, gliding across balance beams and sailing between uneven bars.  Something about adulthood instills thoughts of insurance deductibles and broken somethings that make these crazy acts more scary.  Besides, let's face it:  when we have watched that show Funniest Home Videos, the ridiculous mishaps are always done by some grown-up doing something stupid - like walking across fallen logs over a creek.  Ehm.

I finally made it out to the middle of the tree and s-l-o-w-ly lowered myself down to get situated to perch there.  It was not as easy as it originally seemed in my brain's grand scheme of this idea.  My balance is questionable, and my muscles just aren't what they used to be.  I have a brand new respect for those individuals that tightrope across canyons and such.  There I was, balanced precariously on this log, not sure how to sit down, and suddenly completely unsure of how I would get safely back to land.

Then I remembered this move I used to do on the balance beam.  (Yes, uh oh.)  Back then I could do all sorts of maneuvers - tucks and pikes and straddle holds.  So I decided on a quasi-straddle, bearing my weight on my arms while falling into a semi-straddle.....

that went terribly awry.  I proceeded to bounce onto the log and up again then twirled off the top of the log to dangle like a hapless marsupial from the underside of the tree.  I am sorry I don't have pictures of that.  Close your eyes and visualize it.  Feel free to chuckle.

Then my lower half slipped off the log and sploosh I landed right in the murky muck.  

A whole new adventure ensued as I had to clamor and crawl my way back up out of that muddy creek bed.  If only someone had had a camera out there that day, the pike-straddle-possum twirl would have been grand prize.  I hope you've had a laugh, because I certainly did at myself in that moment.  

Tell us your funny moment!

Centered Question #3

There is a place for most everyone, that brings peace, calm and inspiration beyond reason.  Where do you find yourself most centered, most connected to life and your most true self?  It doesn't have to be a place you travel far to get to ~ it can be your own back porch. It can be a specific place, a broad scope of place, or a sense of place. The most important thing is that you find what centers you there.

This isn't breaking news:  for me, it is the ocean.  I believe that I have always had an intense interdependence on the sea, from the time I was two, and the strong grasp of an undertow ripped me from my parents' hands, drawing me deeper out into the water.  We all have those sharp memories from the earliest of our days, and to this day, I can still see and feel that experience - the sensation of being cradled and culled by powerful force like a shell being plucked from the shore.  I remember looking up, eyes open just below the surface to see the green blue watery sun glinting through the shallow waves above me, and I remember a strange sense of calm.  I didn't choose the sea, it chose me, collected like one finding the most cherished seashell on the sand.

Being here again, I am reminded of all that it means to me, both spoken and unspoken.  I remember all the reasons I have to make my pilgrimage to its powerful shores.  Being here, I am challenged to live my life the way I know it is best lived, and not the way this world's intents are being imposed upon me.

• I am reminded of the greatness of God beside the ocean.  My finite rests trusting in His infinity.
• It is always by the sea that I am reminded of my love affair with words.
• My fierce ardor and heartbreak for all humanity is never clearer than when I am at ocean's shore.
• Clarity resonates brightest.  Passion rises to a fevered pitch.  Inspiration comes in like high tide.
• I am most at home - finding my Center and my deepest longings where deep always calls.

Describe that place for you.

If you are just joining in, we are in the midst of a GET-AWAY GIVE-AWAY and you are welcome, no, ENCOURAGED to join in!  Come along!  Some of you are remembering to ask me questions for extra entries so BONUS!  Here are a few from last week that all have a similar theme:

Tortuga Rachel,  McGuffy Ann, and Vapid Vixen asked me similar questions this past week so I thought I would compile them and 'feature' them here this week.  They all had a similar 'theme' of most miserable/worst/oddest travel memory, and then Rachel went over and above and asked two more - here is her list:
1. What is your WORST travel memory?
2. When your kiddos are all growed up, do you plan to travel more? Where would you go?
3. What do you hope your kiddos get/learn from traveling?

1. Worst/Most Miserable/Oddest Travel Memory - 

This face says it all.  I call this photo 'Grump-butt'.  In 2008, we traveled to Oranjestad, Aruba.  It was our first time out of the country and our arrival was a bit of a nightmare.  Once we got there from the airport, we had no idea what to do for food.  We had no means of transportation.  We were staying in a one-room studio with one of those beds that drop down from the wall and a fold-out couch.  We did not speak the language, although many folks did speak a beautifully accented English.  We always travel on a budget, avoiding debt, and our first night there, we ended up at a very touristy restaurant because we didn't know what else to do.  I am not kidding, we spent nearly $100 for a family of four...and I ordered a diet coke in a glass the size of a small can of tomato paste (no refills) and a lukewarm bowl of soup.  We all tried to be conservative - and the bill was nearly $100.  I immediately went into 'panic - the worst of all worst is happening' and figured we'd be broke in two days, and having to bum morsels from the vending machines, but then we couldn't afford those either.  After that experience, we left the overpriced disappointment and got on a bus (this is where I am in the picture - the bus stop) to go to a grocery store and load up - surely we could eat more economically that way.  It only got worse - here we were - all four of us, bumbling around a strange grocery store where none of the signs were readable to us, the currency was baffling, and it was growing dark outside.  Then we realized - are we going to haul all of this on the bus back???  What now?  It was awful.  Finally Hubs decided to make an executive decision to go back to the condo and sleep on it.  It had been a long day of travel and we were all tired.  Solutions would be clearer in the morning.  They were.

In the morning, we got up and told the kids they had to stay in the room while we took a taxi back to the store.  Hubs and I were able to navigate the store easier without the kids making requests.  He figured out the rate of exchange and we did manage to come out better by shopping for our meals there.  Bonus:  there is no open container law, so to celebrate a problem solved successfully, we cracked open a couple of ice cold bottles of Balashi in the back seat of the taxi as he took us and our bounty back to the resort.  We also decided to rent a car, and it made a world of difference to get to venture the beautiful island.  I learned a lot from my first out-of-country experience.  It turned out to be another one of our 'best' family vacation memories.  And that dual bed situation together out in the living room?  We had more laughs when the lights were out - singing the name game and telling corny jokes until we all drifted off to sleep.

Day at Baby Beach

View from our balcony

2.  Kiddos all 'growed' plans to travel - 

   I can hardly believe it but I am pretty much there - my two kids ARE nearly grown, graduating my 'baby' in a few short months.  Yes, travel is forefront in future plans, as time and schedules and finances permit.  As far as where would I go?  Where WOULDN'T I go!?  Just about anywhere - but I know that there will be more return trips to Nicaragua as building has begun (post on that forthcoming).

3.  What I hope my kids get/got from traveling:

  I have thought very intentionally about this very question.  First of all, I hope that they have gleaned from the experiences that travel is priceless - better than any material object they could possess.  I hope that as they embark out in life and possibly start families one day, that they will also weigh the benefits of a shared travel experience against giving their children the latest of something and opt for the trip every time.  Second, I hope that they have been instilled with a wonder and curiosity at the world and a thirst for learning more, but not just in books but in actually experiencing things - tasting, touching, seeing, hearing new things.  Third, especially in their international travels, both with us, and on their various mission trips, I hope that they see the beauty and value in ALL cultures. That they would realize that we humans are all essentially the same, want the same things, and are good.  I hope it has given them that crazy love for people that I have to want to embrace the whole world.

(blushing...)  In my haste to hit the sand, I forgot the linky thingy....here go...

Made It

Just a short note to say I made it to the beach and am currently in 'warm rays-waves crashing-butt-in-the-sand' bliss.

There is no wifi (what?!?!!) -supposedly they'll get it first of the year but no worries, loves, I will be on an early motning quest for a coffee shop to get all caught up and posted.

By the way, tonight is a meteor shower of all meteor showers.  I've already staked out a place to see it with my girl.  Look it up and join us from your corner of the planet.

And finally-who do you know that cries at the ocean?  This girl.  I finally got out to the sand last night alone.  When toes met surf, I was overwhelmed to tears.  Always feels like a mix of coming home and longing.  So grateful.

Mid-Week Glory Glory Hallelujah

It is Wednesday.  I celebrate this fact heartily.  My grueling, uphill climb of the last two weeks will not get the better of me.  I was proof of that today, sailing down the road, top down, sun shining and singing at the top of my raggity, itchy lungs.  Some mid-week tunes that have me smiling, and looking ahead because around this time Friday?  I hope to have my butt planted firmly on the sand.

No worries, folks!  The contest is still on!  Want to go on a trip?  Need to get away?  Jump on in and PARTICIPATE!  Here is this week's post/question:Favorite Travel Memory.

Favorite song from childhood -





And thanks to Pandora -





Finally, a funny photo from my life - Maggie, staring intently at me over my laptop while I'm working.  She is beyond patience, at this point, with all my working.  Her eyes say, ' Get up and take me out for a walk.  Now.'

Favorite Travel Memory Question #2

For all just tuning in to the hammock's GET-AWAY GIVE-AWAY -details here, just a few things -

•  If you ARE just joining in, you are welcome to jump in any time along the next few weeks and participate.  My only request this time is not to try and go back and pick up previous questions so that we can all keep moving forward and make it easier to track, but otherwise you can jump in ANYTIME!
• For this contest, since it is a much loftier give-away, I will be using a numbers randomizer for winner selection.  You can see the tool here.  Starting from question one through to the last one, I will be numbering each participant post consecutively and entering that many numbered entries.  For any questions posed TO me, I am listing those as well and will be numbered after the entry posts.  In this way, you should be able to go back and pretty much find out what number you were in the process.

And now, for Question #2 - what was one of your most cherished travel memories/trips?  

In 2004, our Christmas gift to each other as a family was a trip to Washington DC.

In case you are wondering, we ARE bundled like Ralphie's little brother, Randy, in A Christmas Story. The temperatures were near record lows, with wind chills plummeting the numbers in the single digits.  We had to layer upon layer upon layer, and our noses and toeses were froze-n...but it was one of our most memorable trips.

Here's a rundown of the many reasons the trip ranks high for Best Family Trip if you are considering going:

Timing

It has been said that spring is the best season to visit our nation's capital but if you would prefer to avoid the throng of crowds, consider winter.  We got up Christmas morning, enjoyed a quiet morning meeting Daughter's new pet fish (short-lived goldfish) and the latest gadget for Eldest.  The car was already loaded, and we looked like the Clampetts with the truck piled in the back and covered with a tarp but it was all okay.  It was an adventure.  

It was also the perfect time to go with children.  They were mid-upper elementary school age, and were learning about many of the things that we would see while there in all of the museums.  Learning came alive for them, and it was exciting to witness.  Things read in textbooks were in front of them, close enough to touch.  I would highly recommend saving a trip to DC until the children are at least third grade and up.  There is a lot of walking involved, and little legs will get tired (and whiny).

Economical

A family trip to Washington DC has to be one of the most affordable vacations possible.  So many of the attractions and museums are free. (check this out)  From any of the Smithsonian museums to the memorials to the Capitol and the White house (guided tours only), you can do so much with no cost.  We went all day, from place to place, traveling easily by walking and on the city's Metro.  We opted for a seven-day passes and spent less than $150. (Fare details).  For lodging, we stayed in two places - one in Virginia just over the river where we got a time share deal VERY CHEAP (and politely said 'no thank you'), and one in DC.  We would eat the complimentary breakfasts, and pack sandwiches, snacks and waters in backpacks.  This trip was only a few short years after 9/11 so security was very high (I had to sip my water in front of the guard in the Holocaust Museum) but in general, you could have water and food with you.  The Metro was very safe, and we only had one instance where a group of young men got on yelling and loud so we promptly exited, let them go on, and boarded the next train.  

Fun was also to be had on the Metro trips

Variety of Things to Do

It was a perfect opportunity to show the kids an up-close view of the meaning of patriotism.  At the Vietnam Veteran's Wall, we were able to talk to them about their grandmother's cousin, Tommy Clack, a Service Officer of the Georgia Department of Veteran's Services and his sacrifice as a triple amputee while serving in the Army during the Vietnam War.

You will WANT to read his story here-source

Tommy was able to get a private tour for us of the Capitol.  We stood in the room where decisions are made, and took the underground tunnel where the representatives travel from north to south wing.  

We shivered our way around the Arlington Cemetery and watched the changing of the Guard.  

We stood in front of countless buildings and statues and structures, making jokes about not being able to put our arms down and hoping none of us had a 'potty emergency' with all the clothes we were wearing.  It was only a minor inconvenience to have to de-bundle and re-bundle upon entering and exiting the buildings.  After all, we were standing amidst history!  Another tip: if you bring your wee lads and lasses, make it clear up front - you are not a walking coat rack and you are not their personal coat check clerk.  Everyone is responsible for their own frocks.

I do not have pictures from my most memorable stop, but the Holocaust holds a reverence that is sacred for me.  We visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Memorial Museum and I believe I may have held my breath for the entire visit.  I will never forget walking through a path between plexiglass railings with shoes of the victims of the Holocaust - piles and piles of their shoes, representing lives whose paths were marked with pain, rejection, unbelievable evils.  I could not breathe for feeling the anguish for all of them.

 Eldest got to golf in view of the Washington Monument.

 He kept us entertained in Chinatown on one of our dinner's out.

One of my favorite pictures - reminding me how thankful I am that we are land of the free, home of the brave.

Join in!!!   Add a post about your favorite travel/trip memory, link in your post and leave your link here!

Cinquain Saturday and Other Stuff

Psssttt....Hey you.  Yes, you.  Yes - you there, trolling the hammock like a ghost, not commenting.  Did you know there was a contest going on?  Right here at this very blog?  Yes - a give-away.  Precisely, a GET-AWAY give-away.  Check out the original details here at ANNOUNCING.  Yeah no - I'm not kidding.  Why in the world would you pass it up???

There isn't a catch.

You won't have to sign away your first born or all your life-savings.

You won't have to meet me in person or even talk to me on the phone.  Consider me your own personal travel agent, except your trip is mostly FREE!!!!  If you win, and your airfare for two comes under $600?  TOTALLY FREE, PEOPLE!

Join in!!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
It has been a WEEK from the inner sanctum of purgatory.  By Wednesday, I was on the brink of cracking.  Grade A, full tilt split in half and shatter.  This week has been two homecomings (my college's and my daughter's), my campus's inauguration of our new Pres., appts, meetings, still being sick, class prep THAT NEVER ENDS......it's been THAT kind of week.

So I haven't been here much at all but I plan to make my rounds to all of you this weekend.  I am making a habit of this Saturday coffee-sipping, candle-burning, stare-out-the-window, and blog' thing.  It's nice.  So I will drop by and visit soon.

On the upside, I pin-hemmed one of my 'little black dresses' so that my daughter could be transformed into 'Audrey Heburn' for character day for Spirit Week.  I attended the high school's pep rally to see her and her Beau dance (along with a crew of other folks) to tunes from the 70's.  I managed to finally sleep soundly one  night this week.  Talked to Eldest on the phone and it's settled: we're flying him home for Thanksgiving.  I can't wait.

I was attending the homecoming football game last night and missed Fridge Poetry Friday. So I present, Cinquain Saturday:

I enjoyed a stroll through the backyard yesterday and am always intrigued every fall when I find a ginormous leaf the size of my face or bigger...

Huuuuuuuge.

My lonely hammock adorned by fall.

Finally, Susannah over at Woah! Susannah bestowed upon me an award.  The Illuminating Award. 

 It represents one in the blogging world that is a bright beacon of light.  Good glory - and I thought I was just an avenue for Russian spam trollers to pass through and then send me junk email....

Thanks Susannah!  She's a hoot - you should check her out!  Here are the rules:

And now the rules for accepting The Illuminating Blogger Award:

• Visit the award site, leave a comment, tell everyone who nominated you, and thank the blogger, including a link back to their site.
• Share a random thing about yourself.
• Select 5 or more nominees and notify them that they’ve won the award.
• Put the award on your blog somewhere.

Random thing about myself:  I like rocks.  I stoop to inspect them. I collect the cool ones.  I build like rock stack structures called inuksuks.  You can learn about them here.

Happy Saturday!  Stay tuned for tomorrow's give-away question #2!!!  

ANNOUNCING.....

The Great Get-Away Give-Away

It's here!  Better late than never, I always say!  For all of you fabulously patient people, my next give-away is finally here!

This was the picture from my earlier, initial 'tease' for the contest on this Guess the Give-Away Post.  I offered up the chance for guesses, and a correct answer would automatically get one entry into the 'hat'.  No one guessed correctly so everyone that wishes to participate starts equally.  

Are some of you pondering the title and wondering, 'Is this really for a get-away?'  'Is she crazy enough to actually give a trip?'  'Can she be serious?'

The answer is a definitive heck yes!

Here are the details:

Who:  This blog contest is for individuals 18 years old and older (old enough to be able to make a trip on your own without parental consent).  This trip is limited to folks in the North American region (the U.S, Canada and Mexico).

What:  An eight-week contest, once-a-week entry posted on your blog and linked to mine answering questions, opportunity to pose questions to me for extra entries in the 'hat'.

When: Starting today  Sunday, October 7, 2012 - Sunday, December 1st.

How:  Simply check here at the hammock every Sunday for the week's question, craft a well-written post on your blog with a link back to my blog, enter your post on that week's question post using Mister Linky at the bottom of each post.  If you so choose, leave a question for me in the comments of the question post for an extra entry!  Visit as many other blogs listed in the links as you can.  Have fun!!!

Where:  The contest itself takes place both here in the hammock and on your blog with a post answering the question.  Oh!  That's not what you wanted to know about where?!  Hang on! That part is coming!  (I love to delay and draw things out...)

Why:  You may be asking why - why in the world I would do this.  First of all, I believe we are all here to truly live out 'community' in the blogosphere.  We desire to get to know others with common interests, and actually connect.  Doing this type of contest allows us to interact around a commonality - questions about ourselves and about our lives.  We are here to help each other in our writing and to encourage.  Second, I personally believe in travel/adventure as a means to inspire, to restore, to refresh - not just ourselves but relationships and especially our writerly lives.  Sometimes we have to step away from our routines, our normalcy and experience something new.  In turn, this energizes our writing.  Finally, I am doing a journey through a book called '7' by Jen Hatmaker.  You can read more about that here  in my post Willing to Be Wrecked.  This month happens to be the month to give away 'possessions'.  I have the opportunity to share in the joy of travel and want to do that here.  

A weekly blog post linked to my blog and back to your blog, and questions posed to me (optional) enters you for a chance to win:

• A six day/seven night stay at a location *of choice for two
• Up to $600 toward airfare
• A $50 gift card to use toward an event or dinner while on vacation.

*Location choice depends on availability and your time period for travel.  Once a winner is selected, we will be in contact via email to nail down particulars.

Worth your time to join in and be a part of this Great Get-Away Give-Away?

Invite your blogging buds, send them this way, and join in for some fun getting to know each other!  We'll get started with something small (easy) that relates well to the theme of this give-away:

Name your top five places that you would like to visit but have never been.  

One small guideline to follow for this contest - weekly question posts will be open for the week, but will close on the following Sunday by midnight Eastern Standard Time.  This is so that we can keep the contest moving and I can better keep up with posts.  A person can jump into the contest during the eight weeks at any time, but going back through to the first question will not be possible for this give-away.  

Ready, Set....GO!!!

Deepest Apologies

For the gaggle of you that might have come by here for the give-away launch, please accept my deepest apologies.  I was set to go to post last night....and then took a cough/cold remedy too close to another medication and it knocked.me.out.cold.

I am just glad I wasn't the next day's 5:00 news, found in the shady hotel unconscious....got a groggy start to my day but all was well at the writer's conference.

Incidentally, with all the talk about writing books, my first should be about skeevy hotels.

After a long and amazing and mind-boggling day of conference, I return to my 'new' hotel-a vast upgrade from last night, only to find wi-fi has a charge.  At this major hotel chain.  I won't name names but it sounds eerily like schmarriott.

Really?

No.  You will NOT get my credit card information.  So-


I submit this from my phone, on oat-sized keys, with my eyes alternately crossing, uncrossing.

The give-away is forthcoming.  Just be surprised!!!!  I'll get it going yet.  Give me some slack, my friends.  I'd give it to you in miles.

From the Archives Fridge Poetry and Coming Soon

I have an archive!  Okay, well to be more accurate, it is a folder on my desktop of all my past Fridge Poetry.  I imagine some would also argue this part of the definition of archive:

ar·chive (är k v) n. 1. A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest.

But who's mincing words?  

I decided that since I am 'on the fly' (going from a jam-packed week to my first ever Writer's Conference -giddy!!!) I would dredge select an older Fridge Poetry from back in the day/time when I had a whopping 4 blog visits a day on a good day and a baker's dozen of  pictures of people that follow-never comment followers.  So here's to that which is valuable interesting from history:

The next give-away!!!!! It is in the works and will be posted tomorrow by midnight.  





Finally, you learn something new everyday.  You know R.E.M's beloved song, Superman?  It was actually a cover.  I didn't know this.  Here is the original harkening all the way back to 1969.

Here is the one and only R.E.M's version, played by 45.  Classic.

Step on a Crack....

How many of you immediately inserted 'break your Mama's back'?

I am continuing in my attempt to gain closure before launching the next give-away by answering some of my blog compadres' questions from the last (and my first) give-away.  Working through the remaining ones, I have another from Rachel at Turtle Tracks.

History has many accounts of warning sayings and superstitions.  Many people choose not to believe in or follow them but most people have at least one that they still regard if they don't want to truly admit it.  What is one superstition or old wives' tale you still follow, even if you tell yourself you don't?

Do you see how these people ROCK at crafting amazing questions?

If you're like me and am not entirely familiar with common superstitions and the like, I had to look them up to refresh my memory on specifics.  I probably fall in the camp of people that really don't give much thought to these on a daily basis.  If you would also like a refresher, I found this neatly organized list:  Wives' Tales and Superstitions.

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I did have a pretty serious fear of breaking mirrors as a child.  I can recall breaking a handheld mirror once, and calling my Mom at work crying, distraught that I was doomed to seven years of bad luck.  Now, its just a ridiculous mess to have to clean up in the event I shatter one.  

As I skimmed the list, I would have to say that I participate in some things, like blowing out birthday candles and traditions involving weddings.  I smiled when I read the one about twisting the stem of an apple and saying the alphabet at the same time.  The letter it stops on when it breaks is the first letter of the name of the person you'll marry.  I'm married and I still do this from time-to-time, just for fun.

This one I have never heard of but maybe I should try it:

To cure a cough: take a hair from the coughing person's head, put it between two slices of buttered bread, feed it to a dog, and say, "Eat well you hound, may you be sick and I be sound."

Oh my - yes...the one about grey hairs?  Um...if I were to have them (*eh-hem), I might be hesitant to pull them for fear ten would grow in its place, but if I had grey hair (ehm) I would probably pull them anyway.

Okay, yeah...I don't walk under ladders.  

Geez - thanks Rachel.  I am discovering I do have some long-held superstitions that still linger.  

Overall though, if you read through the list, it might be an OCD person's nightmare to try following even a number of those things.  Many of them seem to either be borne of fear, or instill fear, and I try to live my life without fear.

Interesting nonetheless!

Do you have superstitions?