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    3Dec, 2018
    The End of an Era

    The first president I voted for after turning 18 was President George H.W. Bush.

    Away from home and at college in Tennessee, I transferred my residency to the Volunteer state just so I could vote like a “real” voter. None of that absentee ballot stuff for me, no sir, I was going to stand in line– even in the rain (which was highly likely in the Tennessee Valley)– show my voter ID, cast my ballot and be counted.

    I wanted my first voting experience to be for President Reagan, whom I adored. He was the first president I was truly aware of but, alas, I was too young each time he ran.

    But President George Herbert Walker Bush? President Reagan’s Vice President? I was in.

    We often don’t remember the also-rans but I remember Michael Dukakis–largely because my debate partner used to say that he didn’t want to vote for someone whose last name sounded like something you stepped in. Other than the two major nominees, I don’t remember many details about the presidential race but I do remember that I felt I voted for the man I thought would do the job the best, who largely believed in the same things I did.

    President Bush was a gracious man who, despite his wealth and his education, had a servant’s heart. So many tributes have poured in, stories of how he took time with a child or was especially kind to others in a way that made it clear that that was who he was. His kindness wasn’t for show.

    It has already been said but it is the end of an era. May President Bush enjoy his rest, reunited with his beloved Barbara and their daughter, Robin.

    30Nov, 2018
    Get to the Point

    Watching debates on television is often funny– largely because I spent years being a spokesperson so I know what goes on behind the scenes and what’s happening on the set. All the “crosstalk” in the world isn’t going to make a person’s point any better unless it has truth and facts behind it. (“Crosstalk” is the polite term used in the news media to describe what happens when you have guests talking over each other trying to make their point. No one can understand what they are saying but news shows love it because it “shows” conflict.)

    The art of arguing is quickly being lost in our day and age. “Arguing,” as commonly defined in everyday speech, means angrily disagreeing with or even yelling at someone. It can mean calling someone names or making extreme proclamations of dire results if things don’t go a certain way.

    But to truly argue or debate a point is quite the opposite.

    When you argue your point, you must have facts on your side and maybe an example. You must organize your argument and your facts must be support the point you are trying to make.

    You cannot call someone names and then proclaim yourself the winner of an argument because the other person won’t attack you personally. You cannot use made up stories to make your point. You cannot make sweeping generalizations to make your point.

    True argumentation is an art that has few masters and even fewer followers. Today, many will make an argument based on their feelings or they may attack someone’s character, morals or values to make their point. I’m sorry but these are not arguments. They are forms of various fallacies. The reason they can seem so powerful is because they are emotional and difficult to combat because they are not based in facts but opinion.

    Unfortunately, everyone has opinions but most do not hold educated opinions.

     

    23Nov, 2018
    Discovering What’s Behind the Curtain

    I follow the fashion blog of a petite woman to get ideas for new work outfits and while the woman behind the blog is a small-boned woman, she’s about my height. At my ideal weight (pre-kids), I probably weighed about ten pounds more than she does at her ideal weight (ten pounds for a petite women can mean a dress size or two). She is small-framed while I am more of a small/medium frame.

    I was impressed–after two children, she returned to her ideal weight and shape. However, while looking for something else on her blog, I ran across a post she where wrote about her tummy-tuck (!) to fix her diastasis recti, a common condition that women experience during pregnancy. As the baby grows, the abdominal muscles can and often do split down the center. They are attached to each other but the muscle fibers run up and down in your abdomen meaning that it’s easy for them to split lengthwise during pregnancy. When you are short and pregnant, the chances of having this happen are high because, well, the baby has to go somewhere and that’s going to be out front because there is not much room up and down.

    I’ve been researching diet and exercise programs that are most effective for petite women and was excited to discover that the fashion blogger I follow had successfully lost the weight and got back her shape.

    And then I ran across the tummy-tuck post.

    I was a little disappointed because I have had this same condition, diastasis recti, for a longer time–and including all of the issues that come with it. I have also had a horrible time losing weight because of it. Fat likes to lodge in the area and doing things like sit-ups can actually make it worse.

    But after reading her post–and getting over the slightly shocking and disappointing revelation that she had surgery to correct it– I started looking up how much repairs like this cost (they are considered elective and not covered by insurance) and I thought maybe, just maybe, I could ask for one in a year or two for a birthday present…