My First Post - Call Me Ishmael......

Call me Ishmael….

Ha! Only kidding! That’s not really my name. (Just thought I’d class up the place by sounding all literary and refined; besides, its a great opening line eh? ☺)

I have lots of names:

Ø  Kathleen (on my birth cert)

Ø  Kathy (my family and sibling alias)

Ø  Yes Dear (term of endearment by hubby)

Ø  Kate (friend and nickname)

Ø  Red Rocker (self appointed rock star moniker)

Ø  MOM!  (plaintive cry of my kids)

Ø  Gramma (the sweetest sound)

Phew! Sounds a little schizophrenic, doesn’t it?  But, really, who am I? You even a little curious? I know I am. Seems as long as I can remember I’ve been trying to figure it out. Like that age old mystery: why are we here? I’m still trying to find an answer.............. 

When I was a little girl, one of my fav movies on tv was Oscar and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella”. Do you remember that one? I still recall the lyrics to one of the songs:

♪ ♫ In my own little corner, In my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be.

On the wing of my fancy, I can fly anywhere, And the world will open it's arms to me. ♫ 

So yeah, if you had known me years ago you’d have found me on my own little chair in my own little corner daydreaming about the future. And I thought when I grew up I was going to have this big fab life. Time was on my side. 

And if you peeked into my house today, surprise! You’ll find I’m still sitting in a chair lost in thought and trying to figure it all out. (Except the chair's a lot bigger, comfier and NOT in a corner….I’ve moved further into the room now. Hey! I’m making progress. Only took 50 years!)

Oh geez. Now I gave it away. Yup. You guessed it. I’m old. An antique. Half a century. Plus one. Ugh.

Alas…..time is not on my side now.

I’m at a turning point. For some reason, I think I’m going to live to be 100 so I guess I’m half way there. I need to make a game plan for the second half, like football. First part of the game was ok. I survived. But half time’s over. Heading into the second half. Clock's running. Not sure what plays to call. Do I run the ball? Pass? Punt? Call for the mercy rule and just give up?

Grrrrr….. really feeling lost here.

Ok. Back to the point I’m trying to make in this first blog post. Reason I’m here. Thought behind the blog. Me. Life. Travels and travails. Adventures and misadventures. Successes. Failures. Realizations. Blunders. All of it. The good, the bad, the ugly. 

I need to let it out. To throw it all to the wind. Let it fall where it may and sort it out. 

Enter the author.

I’ve always loved to write but as I aged I let it go. BIG mistake. I’ve missed it. Life took me along for the ride and I got caught in the riptide. Now I feel like I’ve been washed ashore and need to orientate myself. Writing (aka "blogging") may just be the lifeline I need. My release. The means to create some order. 

Please join me on my journey. Feel free to comment, respond, laugh (hopefully WITH me and not AT me!), cry (again, WITH me not AT me), and maybe I can make you smile from time to time. Just be prepared for all of my above personas to make an appearance. 

So c’mon. Take a stroll down the yellow brick road with me. If we never find the wizard, that’s ok. After all, it’s really about the journey isn’t it?