Musing

Mark - I hope both owner and retriever have recovered from the mishap. Knowing a little about a dog's behaviour - why is Gusta still sullen this morning?, AW, Calgary

. . .

Re: a dream - Jan. 15 . . I feel we've come a long way, but still have a little further to go. Can we agree in unison?, AD, Palm Desert

. . .

sins of omission - perception of dishonesty or a wariness of making oneself vulnerable. To be completely honest with someone, requires a giving and taking of trust on both sides, unless one is of the very rare nature to have the confidence to be impervious to the views of others, which is then likely to be construed as arrogance, unfortunate as it may be. Think back, some of the very best facets of an individual's personality can come to life like the sparkling of a diamond put under light, when those elements are gently coached from their nature in a supportive environment, SB, ?

. . .

As one who has listened to betrayal and sadness many times, there would be less hurt if those entering a temporary sexual relationship could so indicate when asked, rather than stringing others along with versions of the "who knows where this will go" rhetoric. It would be better yet to communicate intentions up front without being asked. Not everyone finds it so easy to bounce back, particularly after several misinterpreted relationships. If someone has the gift of not getting close to others easily, the rest of us need to honestly admit to ourselves that the less feeling persons are in a position to cause great pain to us. What I continue to find hard to understand is that people are so vulnerable - why hang around with "who knows where this will go" when the person knows that they tend to get attached to someone that they are attracted to and sleep with, LHE, Calgary

. . .

hello mark, i have been receiving your musings for awhile now . i don't know who signed me up the first time or the second for that matter. i do wish to stay on the list as i enjoy reading your musings when i get in the morning and drink my first coffee of the day. i am on the list twice now and am glad to know people are thinking of me but i would love it if you could fix it so i receive one copy instead of two. thank you so much, LM - edmonton

. . .

re: week 35 - I'm feeling pretty good, not getting as much sleep as I should, because I toss and turn all night long. Pelvic ligaments have started to really stretch out but walking the dog every morning and night helps with that. My OB says that I'm in "very good shape, for an older mom" Sheesh. My cravings this time around have been sorta' weird. The smell of new plastic...heavenly. It's a good thing we have a lemon tree in the backyard which is producing large, ripe lemons now. I squeeze lemon juice over crushed ice four or five times a day and just about anything else I can get my hands on. Yesterday I went so far as to put some on my bacon. It's really good! Bacon and lemon juice. Blueberries and lemon juice. Potato chips and lemon juice. Yum. I attempted to get Mark to try my other favorite--peanut butter on hamburger (peanut butter on anything, really) or salsa on papaya--but he just rolled his eyes and clamped his mouth shut. He says he hopes I'll return to normal after the baby is born. We have been attending birthing classes at the local hospital. Not because of any old-fashioned idea I may have of doing the whole breathing thing without drugs ..au contrare..I plan to ask for an epidural the minute we walk in the door. I'm no martyr ..or dummy. I'm doing this for Mark, because this whole journey for him has been so much a process of discovery and wonder. But the classes may also have been a grave mistake. Poor Mark. He spends the entire two hours in a state of perpetual awe. And, I think, fear. I am thinking we might need to have someone else in on the birth for support. He is asking questions all the time, which is good, but may also feed his worry about labor and delivery. I try to be casual and nonchalant about it, but there is no way to water down "episiotomy" or "vacuum extractor". Ahh well, maybe she'll be early and fast outta' the chute! Stay tuned...the countdown begins!, LR, Irvine California