Worrying and Stress

I'm all for safety. I wear my seat belt. I will never be on a motorcycle again but if I did, I would wear a helmet. The baby had a helmet for bicycling or in-line skating. I rode a bicycle, climbed trees and stood on people's shoulders -- never a helmet involved.

Now the entire country is up in arms about lead paint, especially in toys from China. Didn't we all sleep in cribs and grow up in homes with lead paint?

I have a friend who will not allow her dog to have rawhide bones. I know this because I made the mistake of giving one to the dog and she took it away. My dog would eat the sofa if I left her unsupervised so I'm not stressing about a little rawhide.

The husband grills a mean tenderloin. But, he cannot stand overcooked meat. So, if the pork is a tad pink in the middle and someone makes a comment, he asks for a moment of silence for all the friends we've lost to trichinosis. (None!)

I worry about all the normal things: oldies, my parents, kids, bills, health, business, the husband's stress level, etc.

Then, I worry about weird things: Did I leave the dog outside and might the oldies or the husband run over her? (She's not super smart and we all seem to be accident prone.) What is going on with my hair? Why can't I get my clocks in sync? (You know I have that obsession with numbers.) Did my sassy mouth get me in trouble? Do I owe someone/anyone an apology?

The oldies are headed back in two days. I'll give you one guess of what's on my stress radar today. So, I plan to go to Sheri's World and think about that tomorrow.

A New York State of Mind

I love my home. I love the seclusion and the wooded peace of our patio.

Every once in a while, I start going a little stir crazy. I need Manhattan. I need the madness, the cultures, the food and the subway. I need to see a show on Broadway. I need Little Italy, Soho, Chinatown and Wall Street. I need to go stand where the Twin Towers used to loom. I need to nod to the Statue of Liberty.

The husband has always had business connections in NYC. We've had many fun trips. I have a friend from college who lives there now. I invite myself. If there's an appropriate business conference, I look at the location first. If it's NY, I'm in.

I love the pace. I love the fact that you can get anything you want at any hour of the day or night. I love Central Park. I love looking for celebrities.

Many years ago, we took my parents to Manhattan as a Christmas gift. A couple of times, my dad almost lost a leg when he didn't get into a cab quickly enough. Even with those situations, they both had a great time.

We celebrated a girlfriend's significant birthday with a trip to NY a few years ago. I'm not sure any of us slept.

Although I was just there in April, I'm getting antsy. Start spreading the news... I'm looking up ticket prices.