With Each Choice

There’s an ordinary day 

in all of us 

when we put our shoes 

on in the morning, 

when we drink a 

glass of water. 

Extraordinary is 

the way we tie 

our shoes or fill 

the water glass 

I suppose some 

would call it 

individual or 

preferential

but only 

our hands know 

how they were taught, 

how we put a special twist 

to the laces, or choose 

a particular glass for 

that morning sip. In all of 

our ordinary days, there is 

an extraordinary twist with 

each choice that we make.

“We are our choices.”

~ Jean-Paul Sartre

Barefoot Memories

And so I went out of the house 

and stepped on the old boardwalk 

warmed by the summer sun. 

I set my young bare feet on 

the spiky drying summer grass 

and walked on. Years later I 

would know that my old bare feet 

would welcome the warmth but

be shy of the spiky grass. Yet the

memory nestles deeply in my soul.

“You learn a lot when you’re barefoot. 

The first thing is every step you take is different.”

~ Michael Franti, poet

Tax Time

Setting aside the must do’s and should have’s, there were taxes to be done. April may bring showers, but April 

always brings tax time. Nerves all a jangle, it’s like edging into the unknown! My knowledge of financing an 

entire country is zip. Do we know if the money managers that we hire 

with our votes know what they’re doing? 

I can only assume that they do. 

Listening to political debates 

gives me little knowledge 

of the best person to juggle 

finances with citizens welfare. 

Balancing the budget, 

laws or not, 

is challenged 

by very human opinions, 

beliefs and biases. 

So I fill out the forms, sending them 

into the void that is the tax machine.

“You can’t know, you can only believe - or not.”

~ C.S.Lewis

Keepin' it Together!

A long day still only has 

twenty four hours. 

It should really be called 

a crammed day. 

crammed with errands, 

(one involved chocolate)

taking more than 10000 steps, 

levering time for lunch, 

travel time from here to there 

and back again

sliding into home to

Breathe!

Did I forget?

Tidying the morning’s clutter……..

“The hurrier I go, the behind I get.”

~ Lewis Carroll

Nap Time

I listened 

today 

to that inside voice 

that cares for me

whispering 

‘nap time.’

“My body has decreed that I shall nap, 

and nothing will stand in my way,”

~ Kathryn Ormsbee,  Tash Hearts Tolstoy

Movie Review: Paddington in Peru directed by Dougal Wilson

In need of a movie that made me laugh, Paddington in Peru was the perfect remedy. I’ve not seen the two previous Paddington movies, but am aware that Paddington Bear is an enduring fictional character from British children’s literature. Brown, fuzzy fur, an old blue coat and a red floppy hat, this ‘Peruvian bear’ had landed at Paddington Station in London, England, many years before this movie. (We don’t know how many years). He always carries a marmalade sandwich under his hat just in case he might need one. Adopted into the Brown family, he is just a bit silly, very sentimental and has a kind heart. He does look a bit stern when someone or something troubles him. 

Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) receives a letter from the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) at the Home for Retired Bears that his beloved Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) has not been herself recently. She feels that Aunt Lucy is missing Paddington terribly and would he come to Peru. This does create a difficulty because the Brown family would have to come with him - I don’t think he travels alone - but Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville) is far too careful to make such a frivolous trip. With the right encouragement from his family, he reluctantly agrees, especially concerned about all the creatures in the Peruvian jungle. And, fortunately, Paddington has just received his British passport! 

When the family arrives at the Home for Retired Bears, they learn that Aunt Lucy as disappeared, leaving only her glasses and a bracelet behind. Paddington determines that they must go into the jungle to find her. He has found a map to Rumi Rock in Aunt Lucy’s room. All they needed was a boat to get them to Rumi Rock and once again, fortune smiled on them. Captain Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter, Gina (Carla Tous) are at the dock and with persuasion he agrees to take them. What Paddington and the Brown family don’t know is that the Captain knows the legend of Eldorado at Rumi Rock where there is gold to be found.

What follows is the river trip that starts with an almost a cruise like atmosphere, but soon devolves into rough waters, abandoning ship, and getting separated from the Captain and his daughter. Of course, once on dry land it is a long trek through the jungle to Rumi Rock. I can only tell you that the gold is not real gold, and Aunt Lucy is found safe and sound. But the details remain for you to find on your own trek. But be warned:  you will laugh at the antics of them all, and smile at the loveliness of the family that always stays together. This movie is not for the faint of heart! 

“If you ever get lost, just roar.”

~ Paddington in Peru, Aunt Lucy

Directed by: Dougal Wilson

Writing Credits:

Michael Bond

Paul King

Simon Farnaby

Mark Burton

Jon Foster

James Lamont

Abbreviated Cast (from IMDb.com) :

Ben Whishaw Paddington bear (voice)

Imelda Staunton Aunt Lucy (voice)

Madeline Harris Judy Brown

Emily Mortimer Mary Brown

Hugh Bonneville Henry Brown

Samuel Joslin Jonathan Brown

Julie Walters Mrs. Bird

Olivia Colman Reverend Mother
Antonio Banderas Hunter Cabot

Carla Tous Gina Cabot

Weekend Balance

My plate is full with lunch 

out Saturday, this afternoon a 

movie that made me laugh 

and warmed my heart; 

a local political forum that 

cheered me this evening. 

The walk home in the cool 

night air finished this weekend like whipped cream with a cherry on top.

“Fill your plate with the colours of the rainbow. 

What pleases the eye, pleases the body.”

~ Deepak Chopra