October 28, 2018, Prescott-
One month remains of my being 67. October, thus far, has been another instance of what the forest rangers call “facing the lion”, the feline in this case being a mountain lion (aka cougar or puma). The broader meaning of this, of course, is facing one’s trials, without flinching.
I stood for what I believe, earlier this month, was castigated for it by a troubled soul and am not sorry for standing my ground. I have promised to not harp on this, so I won’t. The most important thing is that, if I am all but ordered to compromise who I am, under pain of disapproval- I will take the scratches and bite marks of disapproval.
Physically, I have recovered from a mild injury to my left knee and am maintaining a rehabilitative exercise regimen. It was gratifying to have returned to our local Planet Fitness, this evening, and to have been able to complete my usual exercise regimen, with a few modifications.
Yesterday, I chose to stay close to home during the day, rather than go down to Phoenix for what would have been a mere hour, before returning to this area for a Halloween party. The day was greatly satisfying, though, as I attended a Fall Festival, at the site of the chiropractic office which I use. There were many raffles, and I won a plastic sled. The sled ended up going to a five-year-old boy. I believe every child ought to have the enjoyment of sledding on snow- and in his grandparents’ yard, to boot!
The Halloween party, at my lead teacher’s home, was a masterful blend of food and imaginative visual effects. There were “talking” creepy ghouls and monsters and a fine variety of hot and cold buffet items. The best part, though, were their three German shepherds, including a very vocal albino G.S., named Lloyd. He and I got along just fine, as I would talk back to him, saying it’s all okay.
I got mesmerized by yet another replay of Bette Midler’s classic “Hocus Pocus”, which we used to play every Halloween, when Aram was a child. It’s been a while, so looking back on how different child characters stood up to Bette’s character and her sisters was a treat.
Yes, some lions are more comical than others. Some are more problematic. All must be faced with confidence and courage.