Growing the Write Way

“R&R.” For the military, that’s “rest and recreation.” For us civilians, R&R is “rest and relaxation.” Either way, resting helps clear the cobwebs. And the best way for me to get R&R is in a natural setting. I can breathe in fresh air, breathe out the junk and view amazing natural sites! Sometimes I take a long trek to a natural park. Other times, I can simply drive 30-40 minutes outside a city and – voila! – I’m surrounded by verdant trees, grass, and rich colorful flowers.

Last week, a friend and I headed out of the city to Charmlee Wilderness Park in the Santa Monica Mountains. What a perfect name for the park – “Charmlee” – as it was truly charming. We were charmed by vibrant colors of the wildflowers and mountains on one side and stunned by incredible views of the Pacific Ocean. To intrigue us, the clouds looked like snow on the mountains!

I rested and relaxed…and enjoyed the trip.

Where are your favorite places for R&R?

Clear spring air — mmmm, fresh smells! Blue skies, warm and bright sun, vibrant orange, yellow, and red flowers bloom! People walk with jaunty, lively steps. Kids are outside riding bikes, painting, or playing ball games.  Excitement is in the air. I’m smiling and looking forward to what comes my way! Newness is tangible!

‘Tis the week before Pesach

A parody by Sherri Henkin (with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)

‘Tis the week before Pesach and all through the house

All the creatures are stirring, even the mouse.

The clothes are washing and drying with care,

In hopes that we’ll soon see Moshiach here.

The children aren’t nestled all snug in their beds,

‘Cause they’re helping their families zoom ahead.

“Pesach is coming,” Mamma sang out with glee,

“We want to clean every nook and cran-nie!”

Out on the lawn, there arose a great clatter,

I ran outside quickly to see what’s the matter.

I saw kids playing ball, some with bats, some with baskets

And some were outside scrubbing the gaskets.

There was vacuuming and scouring, such hard work;

Everyone was trying to scrub out the murk.

Not only the murky, dirty shelves,

Also the dust that’s within ourselves.

When seder arrives, we want to be clean

Both inside and out, we want to beam.

As we scrub and we dust, we grow more cheery,

Because soon it’s our yom tov, so dear-y.

‘Tis the week before Pesach and all through the towns,

All the creatures are stirring, getting rid of their frowns.

The furniture and people are shining with care,

Because we know leil seder’s almost here!

Glossary

Pesach – Passover
Moshiach – Messiah; ultimate redemption
Seder – Literally, “order.” Rituals observed the first two nights of Passover
Leil Seder – Seder Night (the first two nights of Passover)

For more information on the seder, enjoy this article from Aish.com.

Sounds pretty boring, huh? What could be exciting and interesting about a printer stand? I have a printer and I put it on a stand. Big deal. Well, it IS a big deal. I’d been shopping for the ultimate, perfect, eye-pleasing, and reasonably-priced printer stand. I wanted a piece of furniture that was functional and nice wood tones. And, I didn’t want one of those “do-it-yourself” pieces. I’m not the “do-it-yourself” type. I’ve tried and something always gets screwed on backwards or sideways.

I set some impossible goals and I was determined to achieve them.

I returned home after another frustrating shopping trip. I had lots of energy and began cleaning up my room, filing all sorts of papers, dusting, moving this piece here and that small piece there, and organizing the shelves on my brown wooden bookcase. Suddenly there was a blank shelf.

“Hmmm….I wonder if the printer would fit there.”

I measured the printer; I measured the shelf. The measurements matched. The cord reached the electrical outlet easily. And the drop-down desk is perfect for my laptop. The bookshelf is dark brown wood. It’s sturdy. The price fit exactly into my spending plan ($0.00). And the piece came all assembled! The ultimate printer stand.