My Jade Plant is Leggy Friday Round-Up

I’ve killed a lot of plants in my time. This occurs mostly through neglect. I like plants that can make their own way in the world which is why I like jade plants so much. But lately mine have been looking peaked. I re-potted them and they seem to be perking up but one of them is leggy because, I’m told, it needs more sun. I love the term ‘leggy.’ I love a leggy plant. It’s so showy.

Tempest, the new dog, ate a pair of scissors today. What is that shiny thing she’s chewing on in the yard, I wondered. Oh my! It’s the scissors from the kitchen that I was using to snip off wrinkled leaves from my leggy jade plant! She was surrounded by chew toys while she gnawed off the handle. Explain this to me.

I am taking a short story class. The people in the class are very well read. They remember the names of the books they have read and can quote passages. I feel like I have spent my life reading comic books and Mad Magazine. I am only partly kidding.

It is good to be in humbling situations. The short story class would be such a situation. At the same time, I have something that few people have. I can write like a bat out of hell. Not only can I type like a bat out of hell, I can come up with a thread, a look, and scene in thirty seconds and write a story. You’ll never hear me saying, “I couldn’t think of anything to write.” That’s something.

Serendipity is real. I’m putting together a workshop on older adults as change makers. I’ve collected a lot of data and articles and even did a survey of older adults’ views on leadership. But I haven’t found an organizing theme. Just now, I picked up my phone to scroll through Facebook and a friend posted a long list of pieces of advice for older people. My eyes landed on this: As long as you’re alive, you’re part of the present. I think that’s my theme. Thanks, Leonor.