by Heather Plett | Feb 12, 2008 | Uncategorized
Remember the story of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? Well, that’s me today. I don’t know whether to cry or beat my fist against a wall. Neither would do any good, but at least I’d have an outlet. Or a hole in the wall.
It’s a long and sordid tale, and I can’t really go into any specific details, but it has something to do with dealing with foreign consulates, trying to get the necessary permits and visas for our trip, a passport that was supposed to be back in Edmonton by Friday but wasn’t released by the consulate, a frantic few days in which we tried to track down said passport and have it couriered there in time for a flight to Hawaii today, momentary relief when the passport was found and in the hands of a courier, followed by another frantic day while the courier company couldn’t track down the package that was supposedly in Edmonton but couldn’t be found (slipped off a conveyer belt), in the end resulting in a missed flight to Hawaii, an unhappy couple of people, and me feeling like I’m the one to blame even though there was so, SO much of this that was completely out of my control.
And after all this, an overwhelming sense of dread that we won’t actually be able to manage to pull off this trip to Southeast Asia because there are still so many hurdles to pass through. Navigating foreign bureaucracy can sometimes feel a little like tip-toeing through a minefield. I’m not sure what’s going to blow up in my face the next step I take.
Alexander’s got nothing on me. Or the guy who’s supposed to be basking in the sun in Hawaii tonight but is still in cold Canada.
(In the end, the passport was found and he’ll get there a day late.)
by Heather Plett | Feb 7, 2008 | Uncategorized
Today I want eight steps. Eight easy steps to a happier healthier you. Or eight steps to living the life you’ve always wanted. Or eight simple steps to losing 40 pounds without even trying. Or eight steps to whipping your house into shape and keeping it that way. Or eight mind-blowingly easy steps to getting that book published you’ve always dreamed of. Or eight simple things you can do to turn your children into the most obedient, most cooperative children on the planet.
Today I don’t want to do the hard work – I just want someone to tell me the eight easy steps or “the secret” so that I don’t have to slog through all the crap along the way. Today I want to breeze through life in a straight line instead of taking one step forward and two steps back.
Why is life never quite as linear as those eight simple steps seem to suggest?
by Heather Plett | Feb 1, 2008 | Uncategorized
Oh how I love a good singer-songwriter – someone who paints magic with words and a guitar. Check out some of these lines and see if you don’t agree with me that Martyn Joseph is one of those…
Exhibit #1
“It’s the weight of the world
that gouges the land,
shrivels the sand,
praises the bland
And it’s the weight of the world
that frenzies our fears
so when hope disappears
we start sharpening spears”
Exhibit #2
“We ask virtue to defend us
but she’s got a new career,
selling pills to make us grateful
and time-shares for our soul.”
Exhibit #3
“Faith – The other side of knowing
and a thousand questions how”
Exhibit #4
“And all I really know is that kindness is better
than any sort of terror any kind of spite.”
Exhibit #5
“But that seems like the place we could start now
Ripping prayers through the open sky”
And that’s only the words! The music adds a whole other layer to that magic painting.
That’s just from his latest album. I’ve written about some of his older stuff before. He’s been my companion for many a melancholy day. Like the day that the abandoned tanks in Ethiopia made me cry. And the day after I found out my unborn nephew has a tumour on his back.
Everybody needs a good cd or two that’s just the thing you reach for when you’re torn between melancholy and hope.
by Heather Plett | Jan 31, 2008 | Uncategorized
That old blog template was getting tired. Plus I needed a little colour to help fend off the doldrums in the middle of this cold snap we’re having.
There are good reasons why the new header doesn’t include any recent pictures…
It’s because you can’t see my face these days! That’s right – it really is THAT cold!
In other news, thanks to the link from the wonderful-Andrea-who-finds-the-coolest-artsy-stuff-online I made a funky tote bag out of fused plastic bags. I love it! Don’t throw away your plastic bags!
If you live in my vicinity and have an abundance of plastic bags, I’d be happy to take them off your hands. The girls are jealous of my funky bag, but I don’t have enough shopping bags around the house to make any for them (I’ve gotten pretty good at bringing my own bags to the store).
by Heather Plett | Jan 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
Have you ever heard of Tenzing Norgay? No?
What about Sir Edmund Hillary? Of course – the great mountain-climber who was the first to reach the top of Mount Everest. We’ve ALL heard of him.
But his greatest accomplishment wasn’t done alone. He may not even have been the first to reach the top.
Tenzing Norgay was his Sherpa. He guided Hillary up that mountain and may have even stepped on the summit first. In his lifetime, he probably spent more time trekking up and down Everest than any other human being. But you probably didn’t hear about him in the history lessons. (An interesting side note: Norgay never learned to read or write, but spoke several languages.)
Which begs the question – how many great heroes throughout history were only heroes because they had the right Sherpas by their side?
And another question – are you called to be a hero or a Sherpa?
by Heather Plett | Jan 28, 2008 | Uncategorized
The premise for this show is irking me just a little. (Okay, maybe a lot.) “The Week the Women Went Away.” I haven’t watched the show, so I can’t make any fair judgement on the content, but I am certainly entitled to my opinion about the premise.
When are we going to get past the stereotypes, assuming that men just don’t “get it” when it comes to household chores and raising kids? And that women are just so much superior in those roles (and every other role they put their minds to) that they are indispensable?
My husband has survived just fine without me for up to three weeks at a time. True, the kids’ clothes might not have matched as well, but does that really matter? They were loved and well fed and they’ve often survived various bouts of sickness when I’ve been away (okay, almost EVERY time).
The truth is, I’d probably have a harder time surviving if Marcel went away. There’s a pretty good chance the kids wouldn’t be fed as well – he’s the primary cook in the family. And I might miss a few appointments or soccer practices – he keeps a closer eye on the family’s schedule.
But you won’t see any shows about “the week the men went away”. No – that would be anti-feminist, suggesting women can’t survive without their men.
Why is it that we allow the media to do lots of “father-bashing”, but not an equal amount of “mother-bashing”? Watch the average sit-com (or the myriad of shows aimed at pre-teens on the Family Channel) and you’ll see the typical sit-com family, with a relatively smart mom who holds the family together, and a bumbling fool of a dad who’s more often the comic relief than the stable and wise father-figure.
Is that okay? No, I don’t think so. Perhaps we’ve done ourselves a dis-service by allowing feminism to paint an unrealistic picture of “super-woman” for all of us women to strive toward and by painting an equally unrealistic picture of “un-super-man” for men to be beaten up by.
