Changes

Today I was reading a funny response to my post on Facebook about Collective Soul "tweeting" me on Twitter from a friend. His response was that his kids could "clock him using a calendar." Oh my. Don't we all feel that way up to the younger generation? I mean...be honest. Who do you call when you need something done in the electronic realm? Yeah, I thought so.

I have never really been anti-change. I mean, I like for my big rocks to stay put in the jar - so to speak - but changing the pebbles has always been okay by me. For years I thought it was odd that I would be obsessed with something short term, and then that would fade into oblivion only to be replaced with something else. I call this way of life "project management" because that's exactly the way I attack it.

Here are some of my past obsessions...

Age 14 - Tickle deodorant - 4 colors - and I even had shampoo that matched each as well...blue, yellow, pink, or green. I really liked pink the best...because I could use my "Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific" shampoo with it.

Age 17 - Seventeen magazine...the back to school issue. I had memorized nearly every page. Never mind that nobody in Thomaston, GA dressed like these girls.

Age 19 - 3 for 1 drinks at Main Street on Monday nights. I actually brought my Economics book to study during this time until the effects of the libation rendered this impossible. I quit imbibing in excess in 1984...quit pretty much for good in 2002

Age 22 - Step aerobics. I still love this.

Age 25 - Babies. Then I had two...

Age 28 - Barney and Friends videos. Don't go there with me, people. I thought I was being a good mother.

Age 30 - Work and Beanie Babies. Oh yeah, I tracked them down like a flipping bloodhound. Never paid a ridiculous amount unless you consider $15 for a $5 animal excessive. I knew crazy people who were spending in the hundreds of dollars...buying cases, etc. It was hard to hunt them down in my spare time since I was working 70 hour weeks at the time.

Age 32 - Creative Memories Scrapbooking. This is what I like to call a long-term obsession. I have enough scrapbooking supplies to keep me busy through 2015.

Age 36 - African violets. I even joined the local garden club which consisted of eleven ladies over the age of 70, me, and my 8 year old daughter. At one point, I had 44 violets. I still have about 16...all at my office. I still struggle with this obsession.

Age 38 - The gym. I worked out every day and even got in the tanning bed (gasp!) for about a year. I regret this decision now as I am experiencing my first age spot. Bad tanning bed. Bad.

Age 40 - Food. Forget the gym...bring on the Doritos. Also started reading Christian books...excessively. Read everything that Max Lucado ever wrote.

Age 42 - Whoever Jill was dating, rock music, and photography. I also started the love affair with Europe that continues to this day. Probably has something to do with Linda living in France...

Age 46 - Collective Soul, travel, and electronic social networking. I started eBay in January 2009. I have a feedback score of 225 right now. This is not the mark of a normal person.

Well, as you can see, it has been quite a ride.

Looking over this list I see the many phases of Karen. I guess that everyone is pretty much like this...however, I seem to take whatever I am doing to the nth degree. Is that word "nth" even a real word? I think not. What I'm saying is...I don't mind change if it involves growth. I just hate it when it moves faster than I can keep up with it.

See, that's my mother's problem.

My mother is not Y2K compatable. For those of you who remember the alleged end of the world woe is me time of 1999...all of us were racing around thinking that something bad was going to happen on 1-1-2000 because the computers were going to all shut down and render life as we knew it obsolete. For those of you who embraced this with gusto...hopefully you have made it through your water and canned good stash by now.

My mother was one of those that just stopped right there. Anything that was created or put into public use after the year 1999 is something that my mother is incapable of or unwilling to operate.

DVD player? Um...nope. Digital camera? Not happening.

But you know what? It's okay.

I have found that change is sometimes bad, sometimes good, and sometimes just interesting. Mom isn't interested in moving forward to the 21st century. She e-mails, she can use a cell phone, and that's good enough for her.

Last week, I visited with my cousin Danny. The last time I saw Danny...he was two years old. He is now the 26 year old father of a five year old daughter and three year old twin sons. I saw him grow up in photos...but it was still quite amazing and awesome to see him in person...although most of the time I saw him was while he was in motion dealing with the three of them...all on a sugar high.

I also saw a group of Amish people on my trip to Pennsylvania. Talk about a group of people unwilling to embrace change. Well, more power to them. Non-electric power, that is.

I hope that some things will never change, though. My ability to love, take care of myself, read between the lines, accept what is, stand up for what is wrong and my faith in God. Here's hoping...Later!