Writings by Diane

Idaho winters are typically wet, snowy and stone cold. The only way I make it through is having a good winter coat. However, shopping for a coat overwhelms me—I go back and forth between severe function and whimsical fashion.  I’m so glad my husband has this sixth sense and can pick the perfect coat for me. He uses simple criteria: it needs to be warm, water-proof and when I put it on, I still look like a woman. Proof positive that he picked a great coat for me was after I wore it, I received many compliments. The plum inner shell really popped within the wintry, glossy white outer shell. One comment that I heard the most was “I could never wear a white coat, I’d be too afraid it would get stained up.” I never considered the color of the coat to be a deterrent for wearing it. However, I had to admit this coat was the only item of white clothing I had recently. I do tend to steer clear of white clothes, believing it would somehow be a magnet for stains. I made a conscious d...

With the New Year upon us, it reminds me that I need to keep one resolution I made a few years ago in the forefront. I have had   lower back troubles throughout my adult life. It plagued me whenever I would vacuum, lift something heavy or put my socks on. All of a sudden, I would feel the searing snap above my hips and my back would lock up. I was literally down for the count. It’s just plain awful when a part of your body is out of commission. It wasn't bad enough that my lower back was in spasms—soon, the pain would radiate down my leg and cause this limb to shudder. For a period of two weeks, I had to completely modify my usual routine in order to heal. Even a simple task like getting a glass of water was a torturous ordeal. It’s times like these when you really appreciate your family. My husband was terrific—he took over my domestic chores without a fuss. Also my son pitched in and was very concerned about me. When I would slightly adjust my position on th...

A few nights ago, I caught the last hour of an HBO documentary Six by Sondheim .  Unfortunately since I was late, I only got to see half of the show—3 of the 6 by Sondheim if you will.  As I watched this documentary about this very talented man, I was reminded of when I first saw one of his musicals.  Years ago, I was flipping channels in the television and happen to stumble upon A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.  I liked the title, it was unusually long. The opening song’s lyrics had such promise and grandeur as the star Zero Mostel sang in a baritone voice “Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight !!” I watched the comical misadventures of Pseudolus, enjoying the clever songs, such as “ Everybody Ought to Have a Maid .” I was about to write off that this was a just a silly, bawdy musical comedy, with only interest in tickling my funny bone. Then,  a duet with Michael Crawford (Hero) and Annette Andre (Philia) singing a beautiful song called “ Lovely...

When I first saw the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life , like everyone else, I was touched by the story’s moral was everyone has a purpose in life. If one person in your life was missing, it would make a huge impact on the future. However, that’s not the only lesson I learned after watching this movie.   As we know, George Bailey is the main character. James Stewart played the part well—he was very human and we empathized with him on his ups and downs of life.  However, there is another character that I found to be as good a role model if not better than George’s Everyman . This was his wife Mary Bailey played by Donna Reed with quiet dignity and presence.  I searched the internet and found I wasn't the only one that appreciates Mary Bailey . From the beginning, Mary was a plucky (hey, that’s a word you don’t hear every day!), determined and resourceful person. She became the main component on transforming a rundown house into their cozy family home.  She was th...

I do so love reading articles that conjure up memories! I recently read an article in O Magazine July 2011 (I’m a little bit behind!)  called The Cure for a Compulsive Helper by Diana Spechler.  The article was the author’s account of 30 days of mindful helping. She shared that there were times in her life when she thought she was being helpful, but since it was unsolicited, her help became almost to the point of meddling.   I got to thinking of an incident in my life and how I identified with Ms Spechler’s well-meaning nature. A few years ago, a manager that worked with my husband lamented that she didn't have many professional clothes. The owner was promoting her to another apartment complex that was larger and she wanted to look the part. She was petite like me, so my husband suggested that I help out. I had been working at an office for a while and had collected many business separates. I went through my closet and picked out a couple of my professional ca...

A few days ago, I was watching TV with my husband. The Jimmy Dean sausage commercial came on the screen.  The Sun and his wife sitting at the breakfast table eating the fully cooked Jimmy Dean sausage patties.  When there is only one patty left, they both jab it with their forks. As a test of wills, they commence in a stare down contest. Of course, the wife conveniently forgets she is married to the Sun. When he raises his eyebrows, she is blinded by the implied rays.  At the end, he takes the last sausage patty and chastises her, “Didn't anyone ever tell you not to stare  at the sun?” At the end of the commercial, I turned to my husband and declared I didn't think her husband was very nice. I suggested that they should have added at the end, the Sun shares the sausage patty with her. Or better yet, gives her the whole sausage patty since she probably has retinal damage!  My husband replied that the whole commercial was silly because how can a person be ma...

There have been times I've been searching for a lost item—be it my car keys or my shoes—I can’t find it for the life of me. I tear the house apart, and doggedly quiz my family (Are you sure you didn't see them? Really, really?) After a fruitless search, I feel very frustrated, throw my hands up and quit looking. After a while, I retrace my steps--I do need to find these items, especially if I’m heading out the door! Inevitably, I find the item only when I search differently. For instance, when looking for my car keys, if I dug my hand through my purse, I now need to dump all of the contents out.  If I've been looking underneath the bed for my shoes from the left hand side, I switch to the right. It got me thinking how this new approach is relative to life experiences. Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in looking at a problem one way that with a fresh pair of eyes, it can be view as an opportunity. For example, a fender bender is a tragedy when it occurs. The look of the ...