Top 10 Things I’m Thankful For

What  am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? I’ll give you a hint–it’s not my family or friends. Or freedom or liberty. It’s the low points in life that really define who we are and I’m thankful for them…now.

I’m thankful for:

1. Adopting a puppy when I was still a sophomore in college and living in an on-campus  dorm. Otherwise, I never would have met my husband.

2. Getting fired from my waitressing job and going on vacation to Mexico the same week with less than $50 in my pocket. The first time I realized that I could face adversity head on and still have a good time.

3. Knowing what it’s like to live in chronic, daily, debilitating pain. Without it, I may have missed what is really important in my life.

4. Losing my job and my health insurance. I might have never fully understood what a life saver unemployment is OR one of the major problems with our health care system.

5. Starting this blog as a constructive outlet for my frustration with the world around me. Without it, I may have had to kill several annoying people in my life.

6. Getting pregnant before I was “ready”. A different path might have left me childless and empty.

7. Having alcoholic parents. Without them, I might not have mustered up enough self-preservation to cut out the destructive people in my life.

8. Never having extra money. Otherwise, I might waste it on trendy, useless things.

9. All the HR people who never called me back when they said they would. Without you, I probably would have taken a job I hated.

10.Not winning the lottery, yet. Surely, the prize has been big enough and my day will come.

What are your thankful for?

Mad Woman

I’m not sure how this happened, but I only just started watching “Mad Men” with only five episodes left in season three.  It’s especially weird because it is so my kind of show–drama mixed with social commentary mixed with tragically flawed characters (including a couple of struggling writers no less!).

Seriously, where have I been?

Despite the fact I am woefully under-informed about who these characters are and how they have ended up where they are now, I found myself deeply moved by the main character, Don Draper’s simple proclamation in this season’s finale episode:

“I want to work.”

What good sportsmanship really means

There has been a lot of press the past couple of days regarding the behavior of a New Mexico female soccer player that has been deemed by some as “unsportsmanlike”.  If you haven’t seen the footage yet, check it out:

Unbelievable, right?

I know what you’re thinking–Elizabeth Lambert is my freakin’ hero.

My daughter plays soccer and it is a physical game. There is elbowing, pushing and tripping happening all over the place (and she’s only nine). I used to worry she would get hurt, but now, I realize those mean girls are just prepping her for college ball and beyond. I should thank them.

I’m putting Elizabeth Lambert’s picture up on my daughter’s wall. After all, this is exactly what people pay money to see.

The reality is that my girl has got to toughen up if she’s going to compete. Sports isn’t about winning or losing–it’s about who can do the most damage to whom AND get the most press coverage.

Because how else are girls going to get people to come watch their games?

Men have been battling it out on the field or court for the benefit of the audience for years–seriously, does anyone really watch hockey for the players’ skating skills?

For the women, I think it started with Tonya Harting and her psycho ex-husband–they were a spectackular train wreck no one could take their eyes off.  Sure they almost ruined Nancy Kerrigan’s career, but millions tuned in to see the ultimate battle unfold–and that’s just good television. We should thank Tonya for her efforts to propel the popularity of women’s figure skating.

And football? Bull riding? Running of the bulls?  Who doesn’t watch these things in the hopes of seeing someone paralyzed, trampled or gored?

Cheap shots, fights, breaking the rules and horrible injuries. This is the stuff we admire. This is the stuff we watch.

Unsportsmanlike? I think not. It’s exactly sportsmanlike.

Why I love my babysitter

I love my babysitter. And so does my girl.

We love, love, lover her.

She is always here when we need her–after school, rainy days, lazy days, sunny days and busy days.

She always has something new to show us–a recipe, a project, a lesson.

She always knows when we just want to veg and do nothing but watch her.

She steps in whenever I’m too busy with bills, research or writing my blogs.

She never seems to sleep and she never gets tired.

She’s always eager to see us as we are to see her.

Some may think I’m lazy for using her. Some think she sucks your brain. Some think babysitters need a pulse.

I think she’s great. And you all secretly think so too.

A People’s Nation

Yep, it's true. He can do dishes.

Maria Shriver is annoying me.

And that itself bugs me because I try not to immediately get annoyed by a successful, beautiful woman because…well, that’s what women do. They are quick to criticize. Other women. And I like to think I’m better than those women.

But, nevertheless, Maria is bugging the crap out of me this week with her “A Woman’s Nation” special reports on NBC.

Not that I don’t agree that woman are earning more money and sharing the burden of managing the home and the kids with their husbands more than 30 years ago, but it just irks me that we need to highlight it like it’s some unbelievable phenomenon.

My daughter, the whore

Now, go get us some candy!

Every year, I look forward to picking out a Halloween outfit for my girl. She was a pumpkin the first couple years; then Peter Pan (I was so proud she didn’t want to be Tinker Bell); then Snow White; then Cinderella; then a couple witches.

And this year?

A whore.

I’m not ready

My daughter, my one and only child, will be ten this winter. Ten. Double freakin’ digits.

And do you know what double digits means? It means the end of the little girl I’ve been holding on to. The one I’d like to stay nine forever. The one that has no idea what growing up means. The one that still believes in Santa and the Tooth Fairy and thinks her mom knows the answer to everything.

It means we’ll be having the “talk” soon. The talk that dispels all the mystery and reveals the secret lives of ADULTS.

Health Insurance, WTF?

I’m unemployed and therefore, I’m currently, technically without health care coverage. It sucks. It stresses me out and I want it to end. Today.

But I have to wait.

Until all the powers that be decide what options they are willing to offer me.

My new normal

Again, sorry for the long lapses between posts. Unemployment can be a real time-sucker.

Thought I’d update everyone on my recent activities since my life is that interesting and I know you are all dying to know.

An open apology to my reader

Dear Readers Reader of My Blog:

Just wanted to apologize for not writing more posts lately. I’m unemployed, I know, but that apparently doesn’t stop me from wasting time and neglecting to write a post now and then.

Time is my enemy  and my blog has suffered, so I sincerely apologize if my lack of posting has left an empty space in your life.

As consolation, I did write a guest post on another blog recently. You can check it out if you miss me that much, but if you don’t I’ll understand.

Hoping to have a new blog up and running soon too, but progress on that front is slow since I need to spend some time fleshing it out.

Anyway, don’t hate me because I’m human. Now that my daughter is back in school and I have all day to brood about my life, I’ll be sure to post more Mother Shaffer commentary soon.

Sincerely,

Mother Shaffer