After my last return, we had the inevitable Holidays, and following those I managed to chip a bone in my foot. We are having a most bizarre winter here in Nova Scotia, warm raining days, followed by freezing ice and snow, melting high temps, then more ice .... as a result we've had record numbers of broken bones in our ER. I happened to be one of them, though minor, I chipped bone in my heal. It had me in bed and literally on ice for a few weeks. However now I am back to work, and other than some pain when I am on my feet to much, am doing better.

While resting in my forced break, I was reminded of the "pain" of daytime television. What pitiful stuff to have to watch when there is little else to do. I read as much as I could, and without a lap top could only spend a little time on the computer. I napped, I talked to the dogs, phoned people not working, but until my 14 year old came home from school, for the most part I was stuck with the TV for "entertainment". As the days went by I grew less and less tolerent of what is being projected as entertaining. Other than "Oprah", it all seems to be conflict - conflict with other people, conflict with our own bodies, conflict with the law, in politics, with religons, in schools, with loved ones. Dr. Phil, who I used to enjoy on occasion had almost every show about "conflict". I wondered, since when did "conflict with the world" become the norm ? Did I miss that decade? What happened to good manners, kindness, compassion, and just plain common sense ? Maybe that's why most days I feel like I'm "just not getting it", because conflict is a rare thing in my life, and when it happens, I try to resolove it quickly, or after a little venting make a concious choice to let go, but rarely do I hold onto it for very long. Certainly not long enough to take to court before Judge Judy, or to Dr. Phil, or to really even mention to anyone in particular. My conflict belongs to me, I either caused it, or am part of the cause if I am involved in it, so it's up to me to my part to fix conflict, not take it elsewhere and make it bigger.

Perhaps that's why so many people look outside themsleves for help. As children, at least in my "generation", just past the baby-boom, we didn't have particularly good role models for conflict resolution, and didn't pass it on to the Yuppie's, the X-generation, and whatever we are calling it these days. The model now seems to be to spread it as wide and far as you can, or blame thyself, or take it to a public forum, or fight it out on TV ....and the list goes on. Maybe that's why everyone in my workplace ... grown adults and professionals, were to attend a "conflict resolution" one day seminar. Imagine! Since all I do all day is help resolve conflict, I could abstain from the 1200.00 a day "consultant's" program ... oh I have to laugh, or cry .... aha- a conflict!! LOL!!

So now it is the middle of February. That awful month, short but snotty!! One never knows what February brings in my part of the world, it's unpredictable and like my now 15 year old (on Feb. 11), is forever changing it's mind and clothes. I think February must be an adolescent, glum one day, overjoyed the next, dealing with constant changes, funny, annoying, lovable yet will drive one to drink!!! Oh well, it'll soon be March ... and I turn 50 in March...accckkkk. That's a whole other blog, but I am actually celebrating it with lots of fun, friends, sex, and a great photoshoot I just had for that little Vaudevill/Burlesque Troop/Mae West thing I am doing. (See new pic on Blog). 

Here's hoping my blog buddies will know I am still alive, and now kicking again. Stay off the ice, and I'll be back soon.....

Namaste

Heather