Friday, February 1, 2013

Rules for old ladies waiting...

I have ten rules of life, maybe less
or is it fewer...I forgot
forgot the date my mother died
and many other important things.

I have rules for things that still matter
rules to go to sleep-with classic radio
and to wake-with espresso coffee
and to pray to heaven and the dead
to drive slowly- watch for deer darting on the side.
brush teeth often, after each meal
and to be grateful when it's sunny.

Do you remember feeding me
slices of peeled fig with honey and crushed
pistachio, one slice at a time
a game
until we got sick of
figs?

We tried to break every rule then
not knowing that  rules come in medicine jars.

Daily-over unslippery mats
I use no-tear shampoo
and watch my step
so not to end up
wet and naked
on the tile floor.

I rather prefer
the same weather
the same food
the same schedule
of deliveries
to order my
life into
a path I can easily follow
but I feel quite new when something
out of the ordinary makes me forget all the rules.




11 comments:

  1. Yesterday, at my book club, we talked about what it feels like when we go fifty miles away from home, how we hate leaving our little village.

    I was going to recommend Rules for Old Men Waiting, by Peter Pouncey for our next book. The ladies are not in the mood to read depressing stories, albeit one extremely well written as this one. So, I changed the title just so and gave you a preview of the book, if I were to write such a book!

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  2. Brilliant exposition of Just how I feel!



    Sending Aloha to YOU
    from Honolulu,
    Comfort Spiral
    ~ > < } } ( ° >

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  3. have you had a free peak at my novel?


    No Kindle or iPad required-
    Click Here

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    Replies
    1. Ahhh! Thanks for the free peak. I will have to send a check and get my personalized copy! Better yet, come to Hawaii and meet the author!

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  4. smiles...not bad rules for life...we all have our peculiarities...espresso...mmm...usually just black coffee for me but i would not kick an espresso off the table...smiles...and yes it can be refreshing to not follow the rules on occassion as well...

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  5. Oh, Rosaria, you do so know how to 'hit the nail on the head'!

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  6. oh, rosaria, you made me so happy with the slices of peeled fig with honey and crushed pistachio, one slice at a time. i saw such love in this whether from a mother or a lover. wonderful.)))

    now - screw the rules!:)

    last night i kissed my kids good night and my daughter, as always, protested. (this is her favorite thing to do with me over anything:) but midnight was late enough, wasn't it? i think so, especially in that i can hardly wake her during the week for school. it makes good good sense to stay on a routine. but i found myself awake, sleepless, reading and writing in the kitchen at 1, 2 and then 3 a.m., something which never happens, and i was giggling like a twelve year old girl for being alive and outside the rules!

    do me a favor? don't tell my daughter.

    xo
    erin

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  7. You certainly prompted me to think long and hard about my 'this old lady waiting' rules. All your fault ....
    1. yep, always brush teeth before going to bed
    2. never forget my blood pressure med
    3. walk as much as I can
    4. no crazy contortions so my replaced hips stay put
    5. laugh hard at least once a day
    6. be kind
    7. settle on one hair color and stick with it ~ silvery white is good, keep it natural
    8. stay close to my grandchildren in the ways that matter
    9. remember where I came from
    10. celebrate the wonder of life

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  8. I read your post – which I enjoyed a lot then read your first comment. You say “we talked about what it feels like when we go fifty miles away from home, how we hate leaving our little village.” So different from me – as soon as I get home I try to figure ways so that we can go away again, and the farthest away the better!

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  9. Yes, the sheer joy of forgetting the rules and just enjoying the moment.

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  10. oh dear...I think i might actually like that book...may look it up
    As for your rules....hmm
    not there yet
    But you have got me thinking about my rules
    that I do live with...
    some are like yours and Helen's
    but others very different...for now
    You got me thinking ...thanks Rosaria

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