Gimme, Gimme Always Gets (then wants more)!

I was listening to CBC Radio this morning, as I do every morning to prepare me for the day and was intrigued by one interview this early dawn.   Don't ask me which show or who hosted, no clue, but the author answering the questions peaked my interest before my second gulp of java.

Naylor, pointed out over the radio waves how North American society has become the "Have's and the Want-More's."  He really stressed our desire and demand to continually consume.  When are we fulfilled?  When it is enough?  I don't know if anyone has the answer.  Naylor admitted to being more or less a pessimist most of time, but a good bottle of organic wine had the power to force optimism upon him. (my kind of guy)

I have not read the book yet, but I will.  It made me reflect upon my own consumer needs.  That finite list of "I wants" that starts while we are tots.  Does my weakness for designer hand-bags make me less of a person?  Should I shrug the ads in magazines convincing me that I will improve in some way if I have what they are selling?  I admit I like stuff, just like everybody else.  But, I guess the question is, do we really need it and what is it doing to our existence?  Think about it, if anyone reads Naylor's book, let me know what you think.  peace and love my friends xo vagi

Seventeen vs Forty-three

Do we ever really know what we want?  We live in a society that plays a constant yearning for more in the background, a steady hum in our ears.  My son will be eighteen in September and is spending a year with his grandparents in the UK - initially, he loved being back to the "English way of life"  and out of our Northern Ontario town, then changed his mind.  He wanted to return to his previous easy existence with no underground or crowds to maneuver.  So the plan was put into place and we are anticipating his pending arrival back home.

Wait, maybe not.  Like many of us we question our decisions and wonder if we are making the right one.  Sometimes having too many options makes the process a very difficult one.  At forty-three I question my next move, next career, next challenge.  I love change and it fuels me.  But, we still need to consider those around us and their needs - that makes us a woman, a wife and a mother.

I gave my son a deadline, June 1st to decide where he feels he needs to be and to carefully consult his dreams and goals, both long and short term.  We can never be sure, but the journey should be thoughtful and honest.     Enjoy your travels today and tomorrow!  peace & love, vagi

Aidan and Nelly

For some of my friends and followers, you know that I have an 8 yr. old son with Autism.  It certainly comes with it constant challenges, but also comes with the occasional suprising and wonderous moments.

Aidan is in grade two and his class visited a local Retirement Home today and he met someone.  The note in his communication book just merely stated to ask him about Nelly.  So I did.

Nelly, according to Aidan is a senior citizen, and like most senior citizens, has wrinkles on her face.  She was born in 1925 and is 86 years old and is his new best friend.

 WOW! 

He knows her room number, her birthday and she has children and grandchildren.  He wants to visit her again.  And we will.

It is moments like this one, that takes your breath away.  He is rarely invited to birthday parties, does not ask to make "play dates" with his classmates, but something in this woman drew him in.  Nelly, in my opinion, must be very special and I cannot wait to meet all her wrinkles.

I wish all of you a moment like this one.  Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's, caregivers and those of you who nurture a young person (or maybe an old one) peace & love, vagi.