Paperless Society?
There used to be lots of talk about becoming a paperless society, remember? With online banking and bill paying, the ability to fill out forms online, and even filing taxes electronically, you’d think anything sort of paper document would be quite scarce these days. I am here to tell you that paperless just isn’t happening! At least not the world I live in. On a weekly basis, I gather all sort of paper. Receipts from the carwash, the grocery store, the gas station, the drugstore and the library (the last one always gets me – since I know as a child, the librarian would simply stamp the due date in the book; no paper changed hands then!) Besides receipts, I might collect the church bulletin, a plethora of reminders scribbled on yellow sticky notes, coupons, and business cards from the dentist or hair salon with appointments on them. That would
Up Next: High School
Lately, Max has been reminding me that he will be in high school next fall. I am surprised he is bringing it up so often. Maybe he is not just reminding me but coming to grips with it himself. Will high school be a big change for Max? In terms of meeting new people, maybe not. After all, most of the kids who will be in next fall’s freshman class are kids he has known since second grade. A lot of students who will be seniors at that time are Gus’s pals so Max will know several upperclassmen as well. He may be anticipating harder classes, a different type of schedule and having to learn his way around a new school. There will be new teachers. Max may very likely be taught by a few who taught his older brother. Gus had a successful first year of high school before
Selective Hearing
I think Max has a hearing problem. Lately, it seems he hears only half of what I tell him. For instance, the other day as I headed out to work I reminded him of the several chores I wanted done since he had the day off from school. I spoke quite clearly to him when I looked in his room to tell him I was leaving. “Max,” I said, “Remember to do the vacuuming, run the dishwasher, do your laundry, and take out the trash.” He was still in bed at the time but he looked right at me and even nodded his consent. Max called me at work to see what time I’d be home so he could get the chores done before then, as is his way. I thought things were squared away. When I got home, I found they were not. I pointed out to Max that
Mom’s Annual Inspection
I took the van in last week for its annual inspection and emission test. For some reason that prompted me to wonder when was the last time I had a physical. A head-to-toe check with blood work. It is enough to say, “Not recently.” I like to think I’m fairly healthy. My diet may not be stellar but I do exercise most days every week. I actually like to push heavy weights at the gym. Even if the weight room is ringed with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. But thinking I am healthy is not the same as knowing I am. So my decision to get the physical (already done) along with the blood work and other tests (next week) was the fact that as a single parent I need to be at the top of my game. And if I want my kids to be proactive with their health as they become
Un-Civil Society
A friend and I met for coffee to catch up. She had worked on a media project promoting Teen Suicide Awareness and talked about how widespread the problem teen suicide was. I asked for her views about why a teen might take his/her own life. My friend say, “Bullying. And we live in a society that tolerates it.” She talked about how she did not allow her children to watch many of the ‘popular’ shows because they seemed to portray and promote a type of coarseness in social interactions that has become the norm these days, even if many of us lament its existence. Perhaps bullying is not the only cause of teen suicide but it certainly has its place as an instigator. But my friend is quite right about the declining level of civility. And it is declining because we are tolerating it. You need only look at what passes
