AS PASSOVER AND EASTER WALTZ EVER MORE PEACEABLY TOWARD THE FUTURE BROTHERHOOD SMILES WITH RELIEF

Good morning!🙋🏻‍♀️😊
Will joins me in wishing a peaceful healthy day to our dear family and friends whose celebration of Easter while Passover matzoh brie sizzles in our frying pan signals each of us to come together, once need to quarantine is over, as this crises, experienced together, has exposed human need to enhance daily life by replacing power struggling attitudes with generosity of spirit so heartfelt as to see us offering each other the gift of love with such mindfulness as to consciously work together to lessen each other’s strife both at home and abroad on a global scope as had never felt possible before covid-19 offered most of us sound reason to set power struggling attitudes aside in favor of raising our young to emulate adults whose heightened level of emotional maturity demonstrates the vital importance of embracing a value system in which we each do our best to safeguard one another’s lives, thus prioritizing a newfound sense of well grounded brotherhood above all else once minds released from fear have had time to more deeply absorb sound reason to rejoice, together, as never before, during our lifetime.  With fervent thanks to our first responders, who put their lives on the line, every day, it’s also my fervent hope that while we’re staying home, human need to love each other deeply rather than defensively is being considered more seriously than ever before based in the fact that everything our precious children absorb at home will be offered to the world once each youngster has grown to adulthood ... 🙋🏻‍♀️❤️🌈🌻

STRANGER DANGER INVADES MY SAFE SPACE—A PASSOVER STORY

Wait till you hear what happened, next ...

Soooo—It’s nearing
Erev Passover, and I’m missing
My family, minding my business in
A waiting room at Mayo, which
Thankfully is empty of
People except for me when suddenly
Out of the blue, I spy
The menacing presence of
Danger arise right before
My eyes, which open
wide in surprise to see
A stranger’s frown making a beeline
Straight for me, and here’s the corker—
Stranger Danger, ignoring
All safety guidelines
Has the unmitigated gall to claim
The seat right next to mine!
Are my turban, face mask,
Disposable gloves and
Wheelchair not enough to
Clue this person into the fact that
If graphed, my vulnerability factor
Spikes sky high!
Apparently not.  Or—is it
Possible that pandemic or
No pandemic this person’s
heart, having experienced
Reason to harden—doth not
Care about anything other than
Gaining and maintaining
A sense of personal power over
Another person’s
Naked vulnerability, which proves too
Weakened to run for cover ...

Soooo—what am I to do?
Well, whenever circumstances are
Uncertain, such as this one proves to be
Here’s what I’d unwittingly trained my
My think tank to do (during
My child raising years so as to
Role model self assertive, yet
Mutually respectful attitudes that
I’d wanted each of my young sons to
Mimic, knowing that
Young monkey’s brain is innately
Programmed to absorb
Social interactions by
Seeing, hearing and repeating whatever
Mom and Dad monkeys say and do and
Believe to be true until, eventually
Mini monkey, having unwittingly watched
Thing One or Thing Two more closely than
Anyone in the family had thought to
Comprehend, grow up to absorb more
Attitudinal character traits from
One parent or the other until
Your adult child’s spouse feels
Reason to yell, during
Angst ridden moments, which
Classically test the bonds of
Harmonious matrimony, universally:
You’re acting just like whatever
Pisses you off most about
Your mother [or father])!

Whoops!
As happens all too frequently
Intuitive trains of thought tend to
Run away with my mind, and
I got off track ...

Soooo, where were we—oh yes ...
I’m in one of Mayo’s many
Waiting rooms feeling several
Emotional reactions colliding inside
My head like pairs of
Dissident cymbals, all of which
Prove in need of the soothing voice of
Leadership to calm down
Each emotion-driven reaction, right
Now so that one emotion-driven
Attitude can rise above the fray to
Guide the rest to relax enough to
Stand behind my line of self control like
Ducklings all in a row, not
A feather to be seen ruffled amongst them
As though awaiting
The green light to flash GO so that
All can cross a busy intersection feeling
Self assured of leadership’s ability to inspire
The whole Kitandkabootle to safely reach
The other side of the road whenever
Life’s unexpected element of strife
Requires every mature adult in sight to
Pull it together in hopes of creating
An aura of emotional safety that
Welcomes all comers into—
Geez—My brain is incorrigible—off
On a tandem, again!  Where did I put
Its collar and leash? Now—sit!  And Stay!
Good girl!  I’m in need of a treat after
So much time spent cooped up
Quarantining at home—in my case
It’s already been months since
Chemo, having attacked my blood, saw
My white cells bottom out, necessitating
Several hospitalizations for lengthy stays
In need of multiple transfusions
Suggesting why my fear of catching
Even a common cold, which can
Overtax my lung attacked by
The 7cm sized tumor, which, having
Compromised my capacity to
Breathe, naturally, has already
Hosted pneumonia more than once, and
With need of relieving a pain ridden
Tightening of chest pressure
A tube was intubated to
Drain the build up of fluid, twice
While any number of infections wrecked
Havoc within my body after
The aggressive protocol of
My chemo infusions had
Knocked out my immune system
The exceptionally weakened state of
My physical strengths peaked
Leaving me feeling battered, bedridden
Down for the count until—
You know what ‘they’ say—
What doesn’t kill me makes
The resilience of my spirit stronger than ever ...

Soooo—though I’ve had need, for
Quite some time, to go to
The brain park to let loose, run
Around and frolic with
Family and friends to
My heart’s content
The emotion that I’ve consciously
Chosen to place in
The role of leadership over
All others, whose feathers would surely
Ruffle far too naturally if
Left on their own, is
My wearied brain’s capacity to
Refortify its attitude of gratitude for
Countless blessings, one of which is
The fact that my think tank’s God given
Well practiced super power of
Intuitive thought is more than likely to
Arm my processor with
Silver bullets than blanks whenever
I need to think smart on my feet and ...

Sooo—here I sit in wheel chair
Calmly choosing to holster frustration
In favor of pulling the trigger on
My masked smile, which, cunningly
Gunning for mental clarity, aims
My brain’s intuitive double barreled
Shotgun (stoked with self confident
Logic) straight between
Stranger Danger’s eyes, which
Remain locked aggressively into mine
However, rather than countering
This stranger’s aggressive demeanor with
‘Stick’em up!’, I consciously
Keep my cool, cut to the chase and
Plug her—ever so kindly with—
The facts, Mam—Nothing but the facts:
‘You and I are supposed to
Sit at least six feet apart for safety sake.’
At this, does my seatmate respond with chagrin?
Not by a long shot!
Instead, her brazen retort comes gunn’in for
Me, loaded for bear—
‘They let us in here, right?
That means we’re not sick, so I can sit
Wherever I want!  And I want to sit right here!’

Soooo—upon recognizing a power hungry rant
Spitting so many “I’s” that the concept of
‘We’ will never take center stage, I choose to
PASSOVER the asinine element of
Challenge, which Stranger Danger has flung at
My feet, and FREEING MYSELF to stand up to
My full height of 5’2”, my
Processor, turning away from
The prospect of dueling, unholsters
Its power of God-given intuitive wisdom, which
Guides my think tank to
Leave my wheelchair behind in
Favor of purposefully, wordlessly
Making my way, calmly, yet
Cautiously, across the expanse of
The OK Corral where
Having no fear of being shot in
The back, the possibility of
Stranger Danger stubbornly
Making a beeline for the chair
Next to mine, yet again, crosses my mind

Soooo—knowing myself to have become
A plan-maker extraordinaire
Here is what clarity, after choosing to
Keep my cool, clues me in to do:
If necessary, I’ll end this power struggle
Once and for all, by rising, again, to
My feet, which will take turns walking
(Unless I get light headed) with
Confidence intact as did my landsmen under
The courageous leadership of
Moses, who, during biblical times, planned
His people’s exodus from slavery by
The seat of his pants as they wandered
Most likely, in circles through
Desert wasteland for forty years until
They entered The Promised Land where
The strength of leadership’s
Heartfelt convictions had been
Passed down to me from
One generation’s Herculean struggles to
The next suggesting that
A member of the nursing staff at Mayo is
Certain to respond to my knuckles rapping
Against the door so as to open her/his heart to

Listen attentively to the clarity of my need to
Gain safe haven from danger closing in, unnecessarily
And having been hospitalized at Mayo, several
Times, recently, experience leads me to
Believe that the nursing staff will
Choose to comply when the voice of
Reason requests admittance into
The inner sanctum whether
The cardiologist (whose specialty is
Cancer) is ready to
Meet, greet and examine me or not
In the end, Plan B is tabled when
Stranger Danger, staying put, chooses to
Keep her audacious butt on her side of
The waiting room, which, for
Pete’s sake is big enough for
Both of us to wisely practice
Social distancing while
I, having freely chosen to be
Proactive rather than reactive, have
Decidedly kept my cool, knowing
That maintaining an attitude of
Alpha calm is necessary most
Especially when a power struggle has
Been flung in my face for
No good reason by
A person whose think tank is
Obviously devoid of loving kindness
Compassion and common sense ...

Soooo—the moral to this true Passover story
Suggests that the wisest way for us to
Keep our cool whenever
A power struggle arises with
A person, whose deficiency of
Self awareness is obvious, is to
Take a time out on the spot so as to
Conscientiously double up on
Self control and common sense, both of
Which prove to be attitudes, highlighting
This fact of a life lived well:
It’s a matter of choice to lose your
Temper or to clearly and
Mindfully drop your
End of the rope, peaceably, while
Keeping your cool so as to guide your
Think tank toward designing
A sure fire exit plan, knowing
Full well that attitude is everything
And all’s well that ends well ...

What lies behind us and
What lies before us are

Tiny matters compared to 

What lies within us.

                         — Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we work in tandem with self control and
Common sense, most especially until we
‘Pass over’ this global crises of Covid-19, which
Plagues us world wide, I’ll end this true
Passover story with one last intuitive thought:
Whenever an individual appears intent upon
Power struggling with you
May the force of clear-headed inner peace
Be within you, knowing that just as with
Yesteryear’s times fraught with angst
This too shall ‘pass over’ the bridge of
Troubled waters where change for the better, leaving
Power struggles behind, awaits our arrival, at last

🙋🏻‍♀️❤️🌈🌻Annie

WHAT IS ONE TO DO WHEN PEOPLE, LIKE BUGS, TUMORS AND VIRUSES, LACK COMMON SENSE?

Sooo—where were we?
Oh yes!  You and I were in
A waiting room at Mayo, which
I was relieved to see as being
Empty of people except for me
So, here I sit, peacefully in
Wheel chair, awaiting
My first visit with
The cardiologist whose
Chosen specialty is cancer, and
Having no reason to feel
Concern about keeping
A safe distance of at least
Six feet between myself and
Another person, I am content until
Such time as another person
Appears, whose eyes, much to
My surprise, seem to
Sweep the room before
Locking into mine at which time
This person makes a bee line
Straight for me, jumpstarting
A wave of deeply repressed
Worry to erupt and wash over me so
Suddenly from deep within
The subconscious portion of
My brain as to release fear, which
Leaps out and over
My intuitive powers, leaving
The conscious portion of
My brain feeling deeply
Threatened based in
The fact that the face of
Stranger Danger is
Closing in on me, until finally
My intuitive powers kick in and
Clear my think tank of fear before
My processor can flood with adrenaline
And thank goodness for
That attitudinal change for
The better, because
Next thing I know
My intuitive super power is heard
Whispering words of wisdom into
My more courageous ear:
“Remain alert, Annie, so as to
Astutely absorb the answer to
The vital nature of this next question”
What the heck can
The direct approach of
This person’s need to encroach upon
My personal space mean?
I mean, really—
With my face mask, disposable gloves and
Turbaned head clearly in view, doth not
This holy trinity suggest
My present need to self-protect within
An invisible, yet somehow
Impermeable, insular aura of
‘My Space’, which being circular
Creates an autonomous distancing
Factor separating me by
A margin of at least six feet from
All others, who might otherwise
Unintentionally infect
My vulnerability with CAVID-19
And though alarms, set off by
My defense system, continue to
Brrring inside my head
My processor, awaiting further
Guidance from my intuitive super power
Soothes itself so as to remain in such
A well balanced state of being as to
Be ready to act smart on the spot once
This woman’s presence, still closing in on
My Safe Space at a fast clip, offers
My think tank sound reason to
Comprehend what the heck is
About to take place between
Stranger Danger and me!???
Seriously—this disgruntled face
Drawing all too close to
My mask appears not friendly, at all!

JUST LIKE BUGS THAT SUCK OUR BLOOD, VIRUSES PROVE LACKING IN COMMON SENSE

Before we move on from
Yesterday’s post concerning
Blood sucking creatures that
Tend to bug us to no end
I can’t help but wonder
Why, for Pete’s sake
Must humankind
Contend with strains of
Viruses so deadly as to
Create feelings of
Dread if anyone
So much as draws so close
As to invade our personal space
Thus threatening our
Belief system, which states that
Safety is ours as long as
Vigilance maintains our
Place within the epicenter of
An invisible circle in which
Any human, whose primary shelter
Is not our own, maintains guidelines
Of social distancing, which
Deem a separation of
Six feet between us as
Necessary if we are to evade
Covid-19 from invading
Your lungs and mine
And hopefully, you’ll not mind
If I feel need to emphasize
My fear for my lungs, again, being that
At my advanced age
A rare tumor, having had
The chutzpah to invade one of
My healthy lungs, uninvited, makes
My candidacy for succumbing to
The pandemic nature of this
Particular bug more than
Highly likely, which is
Why my husband and sons
Are right on the money when
Their love for me dictates
No interaction whatsoever with
Anyone other than Will with
The exception of
My appointments at Mayo, which
Has turned into
A ghost town, being that
No one other than
Patients battling life threatening
Illnesses are allowed to exit
Their cars so as to place even
One foot onto the curb where
Care giving staff, well trained in
Compassion, await with
Wheelchairs in which
We, who are in need of
Transport, are whisked away 
Toward one of three buildings that
Make up this medical campus, which
Proves to provide patients, whose
Lives are threatened, as is true of
Mine, with a Mecca of
Excellent medical care, even
Now when an epidemic of
Unknown proportions is taxing
The medical community to
Extents never before
Experienced within
This current generation’s lifetime
And if you should think to ask what
Happened while
I was seated in a wheel chair within
An empty waiting room
Awaiting my first appointment with
A cardiologist, specializing in
Cancer, last Friday—well—
Being that I’ve just spent the last
Two hours ordering
Groceries on line for
The very first time, and since
My mind has begun to plead
Weariness, let’s catch up with
Each other, tomorrow ...

SERENITY, MY FRIEND AND THE MOSQUITO

Here’s the thing about serenity—
Its presence, most especially
While we’re quarantined for
Undisclosed lengths of time, is
Deeply appreciated for this reason:
As with all lovely feelings
Serenity tends to be fleeting
Recently, while relaxing in
Her garden, my friend was
Bitten by a mosquito, and
Being that, over my lifetime
I, too, have been bitten
Experience suggests that
Hosting mosquitos to
Feed on oneself is
Certain to chase serenity away
So, with today’s insight-driven
Intuitive train of thought clearly
Running through
Your mind and mine
Let’s hope that while
Relaxing in her garden, today
Serenity, which needs not be
Six feet away
Will happily keep
My friend company, uninterrupted
(Seriously! What was God thinking—
Giving life to blood sucking creatures?)
🙋🏻‍♀️❤️🌻Annie

AS MY FRIEND THE POET RECEIVED MANY ACCOLADES, WHO’S UP NEXT?

As a matter of fact
My intuitive reply to
My dear friend—the poet who
Didn’t know it—became expansive
(Quelle surpris!) Sooo ...
Ready or not, here comes
The insight-driven
Train of thought, which
Upon awakening, this morning
Filtered ever so naturally into
The conscious portion of my mind:
:
Thank you, Debbie
For being a person who
Loves people, and so
With your heart filled with love
You’d felt need to take
Pen in hand and express
Your innermost thoughts, which
Having been sent through
Cyberspace, may be inspiring
Countless spirits to feel
Reason to smile more
Brightly than
Would have been true
Had you not given me
Permission to pass
Your heartfelt poem forward to
My family and friends, and
So, in keeping with your spirit of
Sharing and spreading
The simple joys of
Intuitive creation, far and wide
Let’s hope that countless others
Who, finding themselves
Self quarantined as are Debbie and I
May feel self motivated to 
Open their hearts so as to
Pass forward their
Innermost thoughts, knowing
Full well how much pleasure
Their families and friends are
Sure to derive upon receiving and
Absorbing warm hugs nestling
Within the musings of
Loved ones, whose presence
We’ve been missing and
Will continue to
Miss more deeply than
Ever before, being that
Not one of us has
So much as a clue as to
How long this first experience
With self quarantine on
A global scope will
Point the fickle finger of
Fate, first here then there, until
The blessed day dawns when
The deadly nature of
This virus, looming darkly
Overhead, has passed, at last
Freeing my spirit and yours to
Feel like grabbing each other’s
Hands so as to form an ever widening
Circle composed of
Family and friends, all of whom are
Longing to feel personally relieved of
Subconscious stress concerning which
Person’s family the fickle finger of
Fate may pass over, just as proved
True during biblical times when
Torrential plagues continued to
Rain torment upon the heads of
The one percent who, caring not for
The miseries of those enslaved
Bowed down before Ramses in
Hopes of being counted amongst
The few who, remaining
Outrageously rich,
Are still considered to be
Absolute Power’s
Red hatted cronies, and though
Patriotic proponents of modern day
Democracy at its best plan to
Rally round Betsy’s hand stitched
Starred and striped, red, white and blue 
Flag in such great numbers with
Fervent hopes of curing
Our nation of the pervasive
Illness from which
We’ve all been suffering, come
November, who amongst us on
A global scope has a clue as to
When the world wide scourge of
Covid-19 will lift, at last?
Certainly not I.  
How ‘bout you?
🌈🌻🙋🏻‍♀️Annie

LETS GIVE A HAND TO A POET WHO DIDN’T KNOW IT😊

The poem copied below was penned by the very first friend I’d made on my first day in high school (circa 1958) during my first period class, Freshman English 101.  Having taken seats next to one another, Debbie and I smiled shyly, simultaneously, at each other, and from that moment in time until forever, she and I have treasured our friendship throughout all of the years and over all of the miles, which, though separating us physically, have not dimmed the love light that brightens our spirits’ smiles whenever thoughts of one another come to mind.  Today, Debbie brightened my spirit’s smile by sending this poem through cyberspace, which, having landed in my email box, inspired me to ask my dear friend for her permission to send it on to you in hopes of brightening your spirit’s smile, too
🥰🙋🏻‍♀️🌈🌻Annie

2020
By Debbie B——- L——-

My roots are gray
My hair is long
The beauty salon Is where I belong
My nails are ragged
The polish gone away
A man/pedi is a dream
For one day
I feel anxious and
Wonder when
We can visit, play and
Shop again
Days are filled with
Reading & TV
Cleaning a drawer is 
Yet to be
The floors get scrubbed
The sinks wiped clean
I vacuum, wash and spray
Til they gleam
Food items, medicine and
All things such
Get scrubbed, cleaned, and
Wiped so much
All supplies are
Fine indeed
Just hope the TP fills
My need
Sanitize, wash hands not once
But twice
At least 20 seconds is
The latest advice.
Home I stay
Walking each day
Writing bad poetry 
Needless to say