NEWS FLASH!!!! HEALTH CARE---DOWN TO THE WIRE AND HISTORY IN THE MAKING!!

It’s countdown time for the Health Care bill. Word on the street is that they will vote on it this Sunday--or "deem" it passed in the House, then vote on it in the Senate. Deem it?? What does that mean? Can you say "side-step"? Deeming it so in the House language is a tricky way of getting around having to cast an actual "yes" vote, thereby circumventing the normal transparent procedure and not risking possible negative fallout in the mid-term elections resulting from a "yes" vote---ah, you gotta love politics. It's like saying "I think so", when you really want to say "yes" or "no". The Senate will then most likely gather together enough votes, one way or the other, by compromising, bribing, begging, and political conniving; if all else fails, they will implement the very controversial “reconciliation" tactic, which will force this law through, enough votes or not! It all seems unbelievably manipulated and unprecedented in terms of democratic process. Some are calling it unconstitutional. The Republicans will do everything they can to stop this law that will affect one sixth of our economy and infuriate many. Not at all happy about having the government gain control of yet another aspect of our lives, they are in the trenches now trying to stop this bill. People are being encouraged to go to Washington D.C. and stage a sit-in on the Capital steps, or at the very least, call their representatives and let their feelings be known.

It is probably too late. This president, by pure force of his personality, his party’s one sided power, and the coincidental collision of his election with our weakened economical state, has had the benefit of “the perfect storm”. All things have seemed to come together for him, as he set out to make, as promised, a major change in this country. But the storm will rage on, as there are too many opposed and too many questions left unanswered. More than anything, this bill has proven to be a battleground between two different ideologies--- a people cared for and controlled by the government; or a people allowed to care for itself with minimal control by the government .One provides more entitlement programs, but heavy taxation to pay for them; the other allows the free market system to work, with fewer taxes, and counting on the people to take care of them themselves and their own. Pick your side. The war has just begun. Does this strike you as being at all familiar? Can you say Tea Party? I mean, the original one, not the current one. Think about it---it's not too late to call in your feelings!

Springtime in the Rockies!

It's finally happening---Springtime in the Rockies is slowly waking the trees, the birds and the bees. It moves in first with warmer temperatures, sounds of birdsong, longer days, but you can really tell it's here, when the young girls begin to appear in cut-offs and flip flops on a 45 degree day, which after this winter feels like heaven---hallelujah!! This is rugged country---5000 miles up where the air and oxygen are so thin that athletes come here to train in order to build their endurance. If you have a weak heart, this is not the place to be. Even entertainers that come here for a night or two, usually end their numbers huffing and puffing,out of breath, while we smile in amusement at their sea-level fragility. We, on the other hand, are a hearty lot. Hikers, bikers, skiers, and authentic cowboys from nearby Cheyenne, Wyo. with pick-up trucks and authentic cowboy hats are found in abundance here. The rest of the real men wear heavy down parkas and drive honkin' big SUVS, and so do the women. We can spot a Californian a mile away because they usually buy the biggest, most expensive house in the neighborhood----and think they've died and gone to heaven, as they luxuriate in our lower cost of living, mostly sunny days, and outdoorsy life style. Yeah, we pretty much rock here in the Rockies. But come Spring, our mountain ways become coastal, as everybody breaks out their shorts, sandals, bikes, kayaks, geraniums, convertibles, and all things sunny and warm---until a rogue snow storm comes barreling across the mountains, stripping all the newly flowering trees cruelly of their blossoms. Not to worry, it never lasts long----but neither do the summers. It's usually all over by September, when it can and does sometimes snow, big time, turning us all into mountain people again. So, we play summer hard and fast here, well aware that like many things, it too shall pass--all too soon.

In case you didn't notice, Fort Collins,Colorado, my home town these days, was just noted, per USA Today, as having the most fit people in the country! If you want to get lean and mean, come on up--bring lots of water and oxygen---and a parka just in case! You'll find me on a tennis court or near a body of water---I'm one of those migrant Californians. I like it here, and my tribe lives here. So this is home, but I pretend that the big up-close sky is the ocean and the whispering winds are the waves .Never judge a person by their parka---it may be hiding a restless, coastal heart. But then, I may just have a touch of Spring fever---

Sweet Escape from Reality

One of my favorite t.v. programs ended the other night---"The Bachelor". And you thought I was going to say, "Meet the Press", didn't you? No, on Monday night we stay home for "The Bachelor", one of the silliest, corniest, mushiest, insipid shows on t.v. But, there's something about the idea of a guy searching for his true love in this world of bad news that brings a ray of sunshine into my life every week. It's sugary sweet, ridiculously romantic, and hard to believe that true love can be found in such a contrived , un-natural way. But when you think about it, what are the odds of finding your one true love in a natural way--in school, a blind date, or over the water cooler? Good luck with that. Oh, but there's always the internet match making methods---beats going to a bar, but oh,so high-tech, sterile, forced ,and yes, un-natural. I mean, what happened to just running into the love of your life at the post office, or making eye contact with that dark, handsome stranger across a crowded room? Far more natural----and about as likely as winning the lottery. You get right down to it, it's really amazing any of us ever got married without today's technology or "The Bachelor"---it's a mine field out there! At least love-searching singles can check out the police records via the internet now. Sort of goes along with pre-nuptial agreements. But, on "The Bachelor", none of those cynical things exist---it's all about romance, fun times, love--and a dash of lust. Sort of like the old show, "Fantasy Island" on steroids.

But, still, there's also something innocent and hopeful about this show. While it's on I forget everything except whether some poor, hapless, loveless hunk will find his soul mate. Poor baby,he is of course a stud-muffin, if there ever was one. He is also usually a doctor, pilot, or heir to some family dynasty, but just has not been able to find anyone to love him! Well, now he must absolutely find The One. No getting out of it this time. The show must go on! It shouldn't be too hard, as he is offered up a bevy of gorgeous young women, all vying for his attention and eventually his proposal to be his wedded wife, or at least his "let's try it and see "girl friend. Most of the relationships crash and burn after the show, but who cares--- it's fairy tale story telling at its best, t.v. style, shot in beautiful locales. But whatta a concept----boy meets girls, picks out several, then a few, then two, then---voila! The One gets chosen and they live happily ever after. Meanwhile, the poor runner-up girl, a.k.a. loser, is hustled out of the way and into the loser limousine, while the cameras record her pitiful melt down of having come so close to finding Mr.Right. More like Mr. Jerk, for mis-leading the poor, very suspecting girl. Life is tough. Maybe she should try the post office.

My husband scoffs, ridicules, and shakes his head all the way through the entire series, but I could swear I saw something that resembled a tear in his eye the other night when Jake finally proposed to Vienna (that actually was/is her name) , and The One. My husband denies this. Maybe he was crying tears of relief that it was finally over. I'll miss it. But soon "The Bachelorette" will come on, the girl finds boy version of the same show. The producers of this show are no dummies--they usually pick one of the more popular loser girls from the preceding show to be the next bachelorette---pure genius. It's payback time for the girls and a second chance for one of our favorite losers to find The One. The eternal search continues and everybody is happy. Like I said ,this is a very silly, corny, mushy, insipid show. Go ahead---watch CNN if you want to. I don't care. Just don't bother me on Monday nights---

Health Care For All, Ready or Not!!

The much talked about Health Care bill, now revised by President Obama, looks like it’s in the final stages of being made into law, some might say, by hook or by crook. If the dems can’t get enough votes, they’ll use other tactics, including the questionable “reconciliation” technique, which basically allows them to force it through without needing the usual 60 votes in the Senate, and will circumvent the threat of stalling by filibustering. So convinced is the President that the American people want and need this, he is willing to over-ride much evidence to the contrary and throw the entire weight of his presidency and the future of his party against any opposition that stands in his way. The time for talking is over, he has pronounced. Really? But who’s done most of the talking? To John McCain, during the recent Health Care Summit, President Obama chided, “The campaign is over, John”, when “John” tried to raise his objections. I wish Senator McCain had responded a little differently—maybe something like, “ But, Mr. President, sir, I am still a United States Senator, I represent the people, and I have a right to speak, regardless of whether you like what I am saying”. Ah, but that would have been a bit disrespectful, and after all, Obama should have the last say---shouldn't he? Well, it looks like he’s going to, if he can rally his troops and his power enough. The stakes are very high for his troops---some are calling it “political suicide” for them to vote yes on this bill that is still so unpopular that the democratic-controlled Senate still has’t been able to get enough votes to pass it under normal procedures. So, we shall watch and see---“reconciliation”? What an odd term for a procedure that will force a such a law, with extremely far reaching implications, onto a country whose people are still so divided on whether they even want it, let alone how they are going to pay for it. But rules are rules--- even when they are used to bend the rules.

This is an amazing time and high drama on the political seas--- why would a President risk so much? He believes he knows best, that his cause is righteous and just, and that those things trump all. Therefore, the people, not only will, but must follow the leader. Perhaps so, but like customers not quite sure about making a purchase, some of us are feeling uncomfortably pushed---and well, that we are being sold a “bill of goods”. Obama is a superb salesman and is using one of the oldest sales' tricks in the book---the" assumptive hard close”-- announce that the time for talking and negotiating is over. Assume the sale,and close it, ready or not—--like it or not. Sign here. He is betting his future and ours on the premise that in the end we will see that he and his hard fought bill were right. Or terribly wrong, at the expense of us all---including him and his party. Get your check books out. Is there a return policy?

How Does It Feel?

"How does it feel, Mom? I mean, you know, to be your age? Are you scared, knowing that your time is--uh, limited?" I looked at my youngest son, who had just turned 40 and was exhibiting signs of mid-life anxiety. I thought---stunning that you should ask me that---also odd that you think I'm qualified to answer such a question. I had often wondered the same thing, and now I'm supposed to be the one with the answers? Well, "hello",supposedly wise, older mom. Yes, indeedy, I do know how it feels. But did I dare tell him the bald, naked truth? That there are days when I ache all over, when I can't believe how tired I sometimes get, and when I look in the mirror and hardly recognize myself!? And yes, I'm not crazy about the thought of it all ending some day---who is? But that's part of the deal--the fine print at the end." Growing old ain't for sissies". My mother says that a lot. She should know. She's 89, and not the least bit thrilled about it. I don't know anyone who is ecstatic about their older years---just some who seem to have resigned themselves to it, and others who travel constantly as if they're afraid they won't be able to some day---and they're probably right. But not wanting to discourage my son ---and not able to come up with anything profound at the moment, I said---"You get used to it". How wise was that? Not very--so I followed with, "I'll get back to you on that"---here's getting back.

TEN GOOD THINGS ABOUT GETTING OLD-E--R

1. You have pretty much become who you are going to be when you grow up and there's a sense of emancipation, relief, and joy in that. And, a certain amount of curious respect that comes with old age--like somehow we are to be admired for having survived life!

2. Authenticity becomes more important and easier to spot---no more time for phonies, fakes or disingenuousness---in yourself or others. Getting real, being real, seeking real, is a good thing and only comes with lots of practice. But don't confuse being real with rudeness ---I'll take a little kindness any day, even if it's not totally authentic.

3. Living in the moment becomes more important--- enjoying the sunsets, the snow falls, the rain, the good and even the bad---every last sweet or bitter drop of it make up this life and you realize it's all part of the journey that enriches, teaches, and makes the trip not just a ride, but an incredible experience. Did we really think it would be a box of chocolates?

4. You learn to roll, instead of railing at all the injustices, offenses, petty or serious grievances---most things sort themselves out in time, and are not worth the angst we give them. "Cut negative", a film makers' term, which means, at some point, to stop editing,snipping, re-playing, and striving for perfection, is a good thing to apply to ourself and to others. You give up on perfection---except for your hair, which for some of us is never perfect and which might be a good thing to ask for in your next life.

5. Regrets become not so regretful, as we slowly, sometimes painfully realize that some dreams were never meant to be, and that for the most part things are unfolding as they were meant to do. In addition, many of your fears melt as you realize most of them were illusions, and of your own making.

6. Regret free and fearless, almost, you learn to relax, to leisurely read a good book, simply soak up the sunshine on a lazy day,and to finally realize that we are, like the earth, floating in an infinite sky with a Source that knows the way, wishes us well, and will bring us home again.


7. You get "senior" discounts to lots of things---and finally don't mind.

8. You get to enjoy the fruits of your labors, which turn out to be mostly---your children, grandchildren, or your garden,your art, or your spouse---some of which you had all along, and didn't have time or wisdom to appreciate.

9. You finally see that growing old ,is just a bodily function. Growing up is a different thing. The mind, the spirit, the soul are always young---if you let them. That's the growing up part--you grow up and away from the physical limitations--and realize you are more than the sum of your parts!

10. On a clear day you can see forever, and the view is, if not certain, filled with spectacular possibilities. The serendipity of life, so deliciously unknown,draws us forward to see what's around the next bend--maybe the perfect hair day!

So, there it is, my son. Can't you just hardly wait to be old now? It's a party! You don't want to miss it, but you don't want to arrive too early either. You'll get invited soon enough, and before you know , one of your children will be asking , "How does it feel, Dad?" You can always say, "You get used to it ".

Game On!!!

Be sure to catch a bit of the Health Care Summit on TV Thursday, Feb. 25th, for riveting "bi-partisanship" in action. Think politics is boring? Not this time, folks. Look at the cast and plot. Some Republicans say it's more of a set-up than a summit---that it's a done deal and they are just being invited so that they can be labeled either negative or un-cooperative. Likewise, some Democrats think no matter what, the Republicans will stubbornly not agree to anything other than starting over with a new bill. Harry Reid,Senate Majority Leader,and ready for a fight, says he's going to push the current bill through with or without the Republicans. President Obama is bringing his own bill to the table. And don't forget us--the ironical, not eligible to play, winners or losers of this contentious contest--depending on which side you're rooting for. Game on!! We shall see how much co-operation from both sides occur---not gonna happen probably. But maybe they will surprise us,sit down,and say "what can we do to make this thing work so that we can all feel we've had a part, blended the best of our ideas, made some compromises, put the country ahead of our politics and hammer out a bill that we can all live with ?" wouldn't that be nice--and next to impossible? Hope lives eternal. Whatever happens, it's history---and our future in the making. And we have a front row seat!

Got Change?

Once when I was very young, about 17, someone asked me if I thought I'd change very much when I grew up. It seemed a very deep question at that time, as I hardly knew what I would change from, let alone to. But from time to time I would think about it and wonder---have I changed yet? Change comes slowly for most of us, I think, and some things never do. They say our personalities are pretty much set by age five. But back then, I believed anything was possible,and that I could fly if I just had the right cape! But change does come. It happens little by little with every person we meet, every new place or country we visit, every book we read, every new idea that comes our way, every new love, every birth of one's child, every heart break, every sorrow, every new found joy---all bring their own epiphanies. Traumatic, life altering incidents not withstanding, the changes happen so slowly one hardly notices. Then one day, you realize that you are different---the truth of the world and life were always there, but you have finally more or less caught up with it all. Now, instead of seeing through childlish, rose colored glasses, we see clearly--or do we? Are we really seeing the truth, or are we seeing things through a warped lens, created and limited by our individual experiences, and the influence of others in authority with great power to persuade? What if there is a higher, more pure truth that is free from all emperical evidence, waiting to be seen and felt? I think children feel it in their every day joy of living, and then slowly lose it as "being" becomes not so light. But some people who have endured many burdens of pain and disappointment, have managed to transcend all and have risen to a higher plane of conciousness. They seem calm, in control, happy even, and content. They have found their own oasis in the middle of worldly and even personal chaos. I think of people like Lady Byrd Johnson, who in the face of much criticism and turmoil during her husband's presidency said, in effect, " I cannot help but feel optimistic". Or Ronald Reagan's sunny disposition which led a country out of despondency. Or of Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the way, the truth and the life,---- and the truth shall set you free." Of what truth was he speaking ? I don't think it came from other people or books or movies or the media.

A very wise man once cautioned me to not let other people's opinions suddenly become mine. He said opinions are just that--someone else's ideas or beliefs, not necessarily the truth. Remain true to yourself he said. Well, I'm sorry, but that can take a lifetime -- and then some. The great challenge is to find your best self in the clatter and clutter of living, and not let the inevitable bruising and battering of life derail you from what you are meant to become-- whole, fully realized, and clear eyed. Instead, let life teach, burnish and polish you .Then, after you've done your best , rise above it all --- float you might say, to a place called, if not Truth,Peace. Ah, to do that would be to live fully, joyously, and free from agonizing guilt, regrets, anger, resentment, grudges, hurts, bitterness. Is that what is meant by the "peace that passeth all understanding"? Am I there yet? No, I'm more tarnished than burnished. More scratched than polished. And I'm running out of time. But, I'm not quite grown up yet, anything is possible and ---a really good cape would help.

Sometimes I wonder about the person who asked me that profound question ---did he change? Would we still recognize each other? But, then again---maybe all he meant was ---wouldl I still like Disneyland and Hot Fudge Sundays when I'm 70? I do----more than ever!