First The Oscars And Then Other Things That Actually Matter

Not many interesting things have been going on lately which is why you have been spared from another blog post from me. But now I'm back but sadly, there's nothing real earth-shattering to talk about.

First, the Oscars. Loved 'em. I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were hilarious! Of course, I love them both anyway - although Alec may be clinically insane; not sure - but I thought their little quips were silly and fun.

I was expecting all of the people who won to win so there weren't any real surprises. I do think that Meryl Streep's performance carried her movie, so I wish she could have won. But I will go on record and say that I am actually happy Sandra Bullock won. For those of you who know me, I have a list of women in Hollywood that everyone seems to like that I do not. She's on it. I have to say that I have always kind of liked her because I have read numerous stories about her generosity and about how she treats crew members and everyone as equals. What I don't like about her is that she seems to choose roles that are specifically designed to make her look cute and I find that really annoying. She's cute, we get it. She seems to have substance off the camera, so why not choose roles that showcase that? In recent years she has and she was rewarded for it last Sunday. I think I'm gonna have to take her off of my list. That's fine. I'll Kristen Stewart put on it in her place. I've been meaning to add her and her pouty little face for a while now anyway.

Author's Note: I just misspelled the word "recent" so horribly that the spell check's recommendation for a correct spelling of the word was "Rosamund".

I was also very happy for Jeff Bridges. Crazy Heart was a great movie with terrific music. Glad he got a win.

Then, I had a coworker lose a childhood friend to cancer. A battle the friend had been battling for four years. She was a year older than me. Sure seems like more and more people are being diagnosed at a young age. It's just awful how many lives are lost to this horrible disease. I thought again about the Oscars. Makes you wonder why actors (even though I love them) get paid millions of dollars and are universally worshipped and emulated when there are people out there trying to find a cure for cancer.

Anyway, I was talking to my friend about the loss of her friend and she had said that the attitude of her friend had been so inspiring to people around her. She had basically said that for so long she was trying so hard to get past the cancer so that her life could begin anew. Once she had accepted that she may never beat the cancer she told my friend, "Instead of waiting on the storm to pass, I believe I'll just have to dance in the rain".

What a beautiful attitude and one we can all learn from. Instead of saying, okay, I'll be happy once I have this or that, she chose to be happy in her present situation - which was certainly darker than what most of us face. I have a tendency to think that there are certain things I need in order to be truly happy or fulfilled. Why do I do this? I have an incredible life: great husband, great kids, great family and friends... I need to celebrate what I have instead of waiting for an event or a purchase to complete the picture. When I look around, I have EXACTLY what I need.

This girl was 38 years old. I am a year and a half away from that. That is frightening to think about. My mind feels younger than that and in my mind I'm still an awkward teenager. My body certainly feels older than that. I'm grumpy, lazy and tired all the time. I sleep with a heating pad most nights. Next thing you know I'll constantly be reeking of Ben Gay...

I was talking to another coworker earlier in the week and I asked her how old her son was. She said he was almost 34. She shuttered when she realized she was old enough to be my mother. To me, she is my work buddy. It never dawned on me that she is closer to my parents' age than to mine. It is because she is young at heart. Plus, at work, age sort of dissolves. I'll never forget my first week at my first real job - calling people "ma'am" and "sir" and realizing that these people were now my peers.

So, I guess age is kind of what a person makes of it. Look at Betty White. At 88, she is about to become the oldest host in Saturday Night Live history. My grandmother, whom we lovingly referred to as "Gannie", was 94 when she passed away in 2005. It used to really irritate her when people would refer to her as "remarkable". To be called remarkable at 94 was, I guess, a constant reminder that she had already lived longer than most people do. She viewed it as patronizing. Kind of like a compliment that starts out like this:

You look so nice today.

And ends up like this:

Why at your age, it's just impressive that your undergarments are not on the outside of your outfit...

Gannie also told me one time a couple of years before she died, that she had been to the eye doctor and had thought it odd when he said, "See you next year". She said to me, "I thought that was awfully optimistic". Gannie was hoot! Not because she was in her mid-90s and still sharp as a tack at the end of her life, (which actually was remarkable) but because you could have a conversation with her without sensing her age. I've written before about her view of life which was Happiness Is Wanting What You Get. It really is true. Another quote I like is, Be present where you are. Wherever you are, be fully engaged in that moment. if you're not, you could miss something special or poignant or interesting.

I haven't had this stupid blog as year now and I'm already repeating myself with the happiness is wanting what you get idea - but again, I just had a couple of reminders this week to cherish the life you have right this minute even if there are things out there you still may think you need. I seem to have surrounded myself with people who teach me valuable lessons everyday. My coworker's friend who lost her cancer battle this week taught me a lesson without ever having met me. I hope her family knows that this if this is her legacy with me, her life to those who knew her was truly a blessing.