With age comes so much wisdom! 2-11-09

There is so much to say now that I’m older and wiser. For years I’ve avoided talking about my intuitive sixth sense. I’ve been ahead of the curve about several trends, but never wanted to seem pushy about what I knew was coming. Now that I’m older, I feel I should share my wisdom.

Take flip-flops, my first real obsession. This began when I was very young. The only available flip-flops were the rubber kind from the dime store. The colors were basic: red, blue, yellow and green, and I had a pair of each. They were intended for summer wear, and mainly promoted at the beach. I found myself flopping into fall, kept them handy even in the winter months, and then was anxious to slip into my favorite pair as soon as the warm days of spring appeared. Before long, there were great flip flop designs showing up, expanding colors, materials, and different soles. I loved it. I’ve owned close to a hundred pair over the years. My family and close friends can tell you that I have been the flip-flop queen forever—way ahead of the curve.

Here’s another obsession that was on target: the gourmet cup cake. I’ve been into gourmet cupcakes forever. And way before Martha Stewart started using her ascending pyramid of cupcakes for special occasions, even weddings, I was all about the cupcake cake. Years ago, I went to K-Mart and bought various sizes of heavy plastic plant saucers, and little pots to stack between them. Doug drilled holes and attached them together, building my first multi-tiered cupcake stand, just perfect for serving various gourmet treasures.

Here’s my latest passion (it’s political, so brace yourself): this whole country is going to have to get over itself, and step up to the plate. We have over-indulged to the point of disgust. I get mad at myself when I think of all the wasteful things I’ve done. There was no question that eventually, this crazy way of living was going to end, needed to end, and that equilibrium would return. Our focus needs to shift from ourselves, to being more mindful of each other: to what we can do to be better caretakers of our world. I’ve seen this coming for years. However, knowing and doing are two different things. It’s like my adage about being proactive: doing nothing gives the power of influencing the outcome to someone else. Well, here we are, having turned our backs on good sense. We haven’t been proactive, and now we’re at the mercy of a world whirling out of control, and more people than I can believe are still in denial. We need to come to our senses, and step forward together with positive efforts to make this world the place it was intended to be.

I was right about flip flops and cupcakes, and I’m pretty sure I’m right about this.