Spirited Woman Blogger Team

September Songs

Image by artist Nicholas Simmons.

By all of these lovely tokens, September days are here, With summer's best of weather, and autumn's best of cheer. -- Helen Hunt Jackson, author and activist, 1830-1885

Are you ready for the fast-approaching change of seasons, the cooler weather, the glorious colors of the changing leaves, the pumpkin pie and apple cobbler, the turtleneck sweaters and wool slacks, the football games, the sense that summer's temporary madness is over and that everything's "back on track"?

I know I am! My tolerance for summer's heat and humidity is minimal, at best. Send up a cheer!  Here comes my second-favorite season (spring is my all-time favorite, I must admit).

September is a wonderful month for recharging and renewing our spirits, re-examining our assumptions, rejuvenating our friendships and our relationships with family, reinventing ourselves, if need be.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5771 begins on September 9th -- with all that a New Year implies for undertaking a great new beginning. Then on September 22, it's the "official" beginning of fall -- farewell to summer, and a hearty welcome to wonderful autumn. And September 29 is a special day of celebration for me personally, since it was on September 29, 2001, that Ed and I married and embarked on our joyous new life together.

The poignant September Song sums up my feelings about this brand-new month. The lyrics were written by the playwright Maxwell Anderson in an hour, and the music was composed by the famous Kurt Weill later that same afternoon. The song was written especially for the gravel-voiced actor Walter Huston to sing in a 1938 play called Knickerbocker Holiday. It was a hit!

Here's an unforgettable version of September Song sung by the great jazz singer Billy Eckstine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ9NkJ4yOI0.

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

110 in The Shade

Well, our L.L. Bean thermometer out on the deck only goes up to 120 degrees, and yesterday afternoon it was stuck at a sweltering 110 degrees for several hours. The burning question that kept coming to mind was, if the temperature slides above 120 degrees, would the thermometer slowly melt, explode, vaporize? 

I had a feeling I was going to find out.

We've never experienced such heat as we did yesterday here in the Ross Valley, which always gets hotter than most of the rest of Marin County. Still, the over-100 degree days are so infrequent here, air-conditioned houses and apartments are rare. A "swamp cooler" was quite effective at circulating cool air throughout the apartment, and I put a floor fan on the highest setting and placed it right beside my desk. That definitely helped restore my usually high spirits when I felt myself wilting from the heat.

But around 4 p.m., when it seemed that the temperature would be forever stuck at that sweltering 110 degrees, we decided to take a dip in the backyard pool at our complex to cool off. At first, it felt like I was sticking my toe into freezing cold bath water. But as my body got used to the water's temperature, I experienced the bliss and relief of an almost-instant cooldown. Heaven! Why hadn't we visited the pool earlier in the day?

We stayed in the pool for a good hour. Our Italian neighbor and her son were there, and we had a lot of fun talking to them; there were even a couple of "pool toys" to play with. And I did mini-versions of the frog kick, the sidestroke, and the backstroke that I remembered from my swimming lessons at the Cincinnati YWCA so long ago. The setting of the pool is lovely. When you lie back in your deck chair and look up, you see a huge, gorgeous royal palm, redwood and pine trees, birds-of-paradise flowers. It's like a quick trip to a resort!

Thanks to the summer heat for nudging me to cool off in the backyard pool, thereby restoring my spirits.

Here's a cool treat: enjoy the harmonies of John Fogerty and The Fairfield Four as they sing 110 in the Shade:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gp3yawzk6Q.

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

Funny Bone

I don't think you can develop a funny bone -- you either have it or you don't.  -- Comedian, writer, actor, director Carl Reiner

It occurred to me that, of all the things my husband and I have in common -- I've mentioned in previous posts that we often say the same words at the same time (without planning to do so) and we often break into the same song together at the same time (without planning to do so) -- the most important is that as, we've often told each other, "we're joined at the funny bone."

We are different in so many ways:
- Ed's from Miami, I'm from Cincinnati
- Ed was raised Catholic, I was raised Methodist/Jewish
- Ed is divorced, I am widowed
- Ed is a natural around techie subjects like programming and coding;  I am a natural around language-related subjects like writing and editing
- Ed grew up listening to The Who and The Eagles, I grew up listening to The Beatles
- Ed likes sailing a boat, I like relaxing on the deck of a boat with a glass of wine
- Ed likes to wear cutoffs and huarache sandals, I like a more dressed-up look

After thinking long and hard, during the five years it took me to grieve and heal after I was widowed, about the most important quality this Spirited Woman hoped to find in a potential new companion -- that quality was a sense of humor that matched mine. Not so easy to find!!!

When we met in 1999, it was immediately apparent that Ed and I had the same sense of humor. We just "knew" that the same things struck us as ridiculous. And Ed obviously saw something in me that encouraged him to do what some would call juvenile antics -- make funny faces, say hilarious observations about ordinary situations, take a restaurant napkin and use it as a stage prop in a million ways to make me laugh. 

So today, whenever things get tough, I thank the "funny" gods, that we are "joined at the funny bone," and that I can always count on that strong bond between us. 

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

Home Again

Winging our way out of Minneapolis and back to California late at night on Sunday after my husband's commencement ceremony at Capella University, it occurred to me that I was so glad to be going home.

Sure, it was fascinating to see the paintings and sculptures at the marvelous Minneapolis Institute of Arts with my college friend and her husband as tour guides. And the Midwestern scene of the Mississippi River, with the huge signs for Pillsbury Flour and Gold Medal Flour towering above long-unused mills made for a great "photo op" as we stood on the steps at the back of Minneapolis' magical, shocking-blue-colored, nine-story Guthrie Theater.

Sure, it was interesting to finally pay a visit to Minneapolis, a city I first became aware of when I watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show way back in the 1970s.  What a radical concept the premise of that show was at the time! Imagine -- the central character was Mary Richards, who had moved to Minneapolis after a breakup with her fiance. Mary, an attractive, never-married, independent career woman in her 30s, worked as an associate producer of a TV news program -- this was a real television breakthrough!

Today, by having a statue of Mary Richards on the pedestrian walkway Nicollet Mall, downtown Minneapolis pays homage to the fact that The Mary Tyler Moore Show put the city on the map. She is forever exuberantly hurling her hat in the air -- the famous shot from the opening of the TV show that I watched every week when I myself was in my 30s.  Mary Richards -- an early Spirited Woman role model, for sure!

So now I've actually been to Minneapolis. But wow, it's great to be home again, back to the familiar California landscape, the laid-back attitudes, the people I've known since I moved here in the 1970s, the "stuff" in my apartment.

Am I a good traveler?  Well...I love to visit new places, but I love returning even more.

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

Laughter Yoga

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities. -- Jean Houston, New Age author

What a concept! I recently discovered a fitness regimen that combines the marvelous healing powers of laughter with the healthful Pranayama breathing taught in yoga and also meditation techniques. Best of all, a Laughter Yoga session is supposed to be equal to ten minutes on a rowing machine, or a half-hour on the treadmill! What's not to like?

I had never heard of the deceptively simple yet revolutionary idea behind Laughter Yoga until our Spirited Woman site Founder, Nancy Mills, mentioned it to me recently.

Intrigued, I started to do some research about this exercise routine that was founded by Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995 in Mumbai, India -- "We had a group of five, met in a park, and initially had more people laughing at us than with us." There are now 6,000 Laughter Yoga clubs worldwide.

In fact, we have a Laughter Yoga group right here in Marin County that I plan to check out in-person. Also, I wanted to see if there was a club in Cincinnati because I thought my friend Kate might be interested.  Sure enough, there is a Laughter Yoga group in Cincy, and she is going to check it out. You can even become a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader, and start your own group!  Check out the Web site:  www.laughteryoga.org.

Interestingly, there are no jokes told in the Laughter Yoga groups to trigger the laughter; there are silly little exercises, eye contact, and a spirit of "creative playfulness" that usually result in gales of laughter. It's entirely possible to laugh for no reason at all, and this results in physiological and psychological benefits -- more energy, and a positive attitude. Best of all, your body and mind can be trained to laugh at will.

Other health benefits of laughter? Endorphins are released, which makes us feel good fast. Laughter, believe it or not, helps boost our immune system, is like an aerobic exercise, relaxes the whole body, even tones muscles and improves respiration and circulation.

Here's a brief video of what goes on in a Laughter Yoga class. So, c'mon -- play a little, laugh a little!  I'm going to give it a try. 

As actress-dancer-author Shirley MacLaine comments, "The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused."

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

Whirlwind Trip

Forget the bone-chilling winters, the Buick-size summer mosquitoes and the "Minnesota Nice" demeanor mocked in the film "Fargo." Minneapolis-St. Paul is where it's at when it comes to business. -- Market Watch, 9/21/07

Well...we're starting to pack for our first trip to Minneapolis, and even though the purpose isn't strictly business, I'll take the tip in the quote above to heart, making sure to stay as far away as I can from those Buick-size Minnesota summer mosquitoes.

The business of our trip is to attend my husband's college commencement ceremony described in my Full Circle post. It's been a year since we've traveled out of state, and strictly speaking, this whirlwind, three-day jaunt isn't necessary. But how often do you graduate from college?

I do love to investigate new places, so I hope that after we check in at our hotel, we have a few hours on Friday to tour the Walker Art Center and Sculpture Garden. I've already scoped out a cozy-looking lounge at our hotel that serves a martini made with yummy butterscotch schnapps.

And we'll be attending the University President's Reception on Friday evening, having dinner with our son --who's flying in from Miami to see his Dad graduate -- on Saturday, and relaxing on Sunday. 

Minnesota, here we come!

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

Inner Flame

At times our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame again by a spark from another person. We should have deep gratitude for those who have rekindled our inner spirit. -- Albert Schweitzer, theologian, philosopher, musician (1875-1965)

Sometimes my inner fire is completely ablaze; it doesn't take much for me to fan the already-present flames and produce an inferno -- whether of creativity, laughter, hope, romance, interest  -- that will burn brightly and carry me enthusiastically through the next several weeks or months.

But sometimes that inner fire becomes, shall we say, mighty low, and seems in real danger of being extinguished. This sometimes happens, for example, when I've been trying my heart out to make really good changes in my life, but still seem "stuck" in the old routines. Then, someone -- my husband, a caring friend, or a relative I've learned to trust over the years -- usually comes along and rekindles the barely-there spark.

That essential rekindling could come in the form of a long heart-to-heart talk, a super-duper hug, sharing a dinner of my favorite dishes that a friend has cooked especially for me, or being with my darling husband in my favorite "companionable silence" mode. After any of these things occur, I am ablaze with love and my inner fire amps up. Ah, the cycle of life.

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. -- Marshal Ferdinand Foch, French soldier, writer (1851-1929)

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

A Serious Case of the Sillies

Follow along with my description of a serious case of the sillies that suddenly came over me yesterday, when I went to my excellent neighborhood market to pick up a few groceries. At the deli counter, after I read a little "legend" under the sign advertising white anchovies, I started to laugh uncontrollably. I actually had to step outside into the bright California sunshine in order to regain my composure before continuing my shopping.

You see, the sign proclaimed that these white anchovies were far more desirable than the other anchovies because "they were from a better school." Well...this county, Marin, is noted for emphasizing the importance of a good education to its young people, so if these anchovies are from a better school, that should definitely impress parents at the deli counter, and is a very clever argument.

By the way, I didn't realize that anchovies hung out in "schools," like bigger fish do.  A quick search of "anchovies" on Google proved that they do. So I learned something.

Reading that little "legend" about the anchovies really activated my SQ -- Silliness Quotient. As I ambled over to the bagel bins, I asked myself, "Wonder if beagles like bagels?" As I admired the veggies, I thought, "If there had been a Congressional bill co-sponsored by the late Congressman Jake Pickle from Texas and the late Senator Claude Pepper from Florida, wouldn't it have been called the Pickle-Pepper bill?" Yes!

Those two questions I came up with tickled me so much, I started to laugh loudly, and once again had to step outside for a few moments to collect myself.

It seems that for this Spirited Woman, the "silly season" lasts all year long!

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

Fascinatin' Interest

Find something you're passionate about and keep a tremendous interest in it. -- Julia Child, chef, author, TV personality (1912-2004)

A creative supervisor at an agency in Boston where I was working once gave me an important assignment to write compelling promotional copy for a big client. I soon realized, however, that my days as an advertising copywriter at that agency were probably numbered.

Reason? My assignment was to write lively press releases and brochures about the wonders of sump pumps. The problem? I had less-than-zero interest in the topic of sump pumps. I couldn't even seem to "fake" a fascination in the topic long enough to churn out the copy and thereby keep my job. Soon, sure enough, I was shown the door by the creative supervisor.

As for me, I had learned my lesson: this Spirited Woman must be truly interested in, curious about, and even fascinated by a subject if I'm going to give it my best creative effort. So what is it that piques my curiosity, attracts me, and holds my attention?

It's people --  lively, imaginative, often delightfully eccentric people.

That's why I love to write "human interest" stories for magazines -- I love to find out what makes people tick. Although I have to keep in mind what the famous cartoonist and humorist James Thurber (1894-1961) commented in his contrarian way: "I loathe the expression 'what makes him tick.' ...  A person not only ticks, he also chimes and strikes the hour."

Fast-forward to the present. I'm happily copyediting book manuscripts written by several authors who fascinate and interest me: an Iranian woman who moved to L.A. thirty years ago; an artist who is consumed by mythical figures called shape-shifters; a Hawaiian author who's delving into her mixed-ethnicity family history. Not a sump pump in sight!

Let me have a whole world of fascinatin' characters to work with, sez I. That will keep my interest!

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

Full Circle

Commencement speakers were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated. -- Garry Trudeau, cartoonist, Doonesbury

The other day it came to me, crystal clear, that life really does come full circle.  Maybe you've noticed a similar phenomenon in your own life....

So here we are, making joyful plans to attend my husband's college commencement ceremony next month in Minneapolis. Ed has earned his B.S. in Information Technology, with a Project Management emphasis, from Capella University. The courses, the instructors, the books were all demanding. He received a top-notch education and filled in lots of "gaps in knowledge": since he started classes in 2006.

Last night our son Jeff called from Miami, excited to be flying out to Minneapolis "to see my Dad graduate."  In 2003, Ed and I went to Nashville to see Jeff graduate from law school. Yesterday, Jeff and I were talking excitedly about all the requisite commencement "regalia" -- the long black gown, the velvet hood, the mortarboard and tassel -- only this time they're his Dad's. Full circle!

And then...I thought about the fascinating journey this Spirited Woman has been on, and how life does keep rolling on. What was I doing exactly 20 years ago? In 1990, I was making joyful plans to attend a university commencement ceremony...for my late husband...who had earned his doctoral degree at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Full circle!

Now it's time to celebrate Ed's wonderful achievement, marvel at the full circle of life, and live joyously in the present. Congrats, college grad!

The wheel is come full circle. -- William Shakespeare

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.