Retired - Re-tired

I’m beginning to believe that retired means being tired again and again.

I’m tired of watching kids, surrounded with lots of toys, complaining because they don’t have new one.

I’m tired of seeing people so engrossed in themselves that they don’t have the time to say hello. They usually have their hand pasted to the side of their ear.

I’m tired of people complaining about what they don’t have instead of enjoying what they do have.

And the list goes on. Are any of you re-tired?

I agree Abe. With all that you have listed. I am tired of all the whining and people who are too engrossed with being the center of the universe to give others the time of day. I am tired of being subjected to undisciplined children and their seemingly uncaring parents.

Count me in, Abe.

What Abe, Zada, and Dick said.

Ann

I agree wth you all.
Times do change

People are either too nice or too mean to their kids.

I observed people while traveling. One litle monster took off his boot and flung it at the driver.

My husband said if he'd been in charge, he would have smacked his sit-down. Parents don't know what to do--they are afraid of landing in jail.

Other people are disgraceful in the arrogant way they talk to their kids I observed one crabby mother say, " Sit! sit right here."

I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying,"Your child is a person-not a dog."

Being a grandmother is fun--better by far than being a mother.

Alice,

I think that those attitudes are part of the polarization we are dealing with today in just about every area of our lives. Whether it's politics, child-rearing, spirituality, or publishers, people seem to have trouble finding a middle ground. Talk about tiresome! That's what I like about this forum. We are working toward an acceptance of another's perspective, even when we don't necessarily share it. That's a good thing. Energizing, even.

Ann

Here's another tiring thing: The overuse of prescription drugs. This time its a glaucoma treatment that the FDA has approved for cosmetic reasons. The drug makes eyelashes longer and thicker. Now doctors can prescribe it to assuage a woman's vanity, and the drug companies will grow even richer.

Ann

I love being a grandma. My grandchildren are wonderful.

My sixteen-year-old granddaughter said over and over how much she loved Christmas and it "isn't about presents." She said she loved the music and decorations and just the season.

My fourteen-year-old grandson is in the high school band. They went to Chicago for the Thanksgiving parade and when he went by the TV camera he looked straight at the camera. All his relatives noticed this breach in behavior. The band director did also, but she said he was okay, that she hadn't had to yell at him in a couple of months.

My three-year-old grandson came for dinner and presents and relatives just before Christmas. His parents worried he was misbehaving. We all thought he was adorable.

I just try to notice those things that are so fantastic in my life, in my children, in my grandchildren.

I recently received an email about how wonderful God had made Wisconsin with its beautiful lakes, forests, hills, animals etc. Someone asked God whether he wasn't giving Wisconsin too much. He replied, "Just wait to you see their winters."

Ah life.

Carol

Ann,

You are so right--the voice of reason. Maybe there should be more parenting classes wtih compulsary attendance-no income tax deduction for the child unless parents completed a course.

That way folks would have a clue what to expect from a child and how to react.

Our grandson cracked me up. He does not like to go to bed. He went to Bulid a Bear and built a darling dinosaur--he loved that critter.

When he went to bed he took it in its box. pretty soon he was yelling as usual. Our daughter was threatening him with his light--I was dying to intervene--finally she said, "You deal wth him."

I put my head in the door and said, "Jonah, how will your dinosaur sleep--it is very noisy in here?"

His eyes grew very big and he said , "Shh."

We heard no more noise out of him.

Carol,

Your grandchildren are wonderful, because they are very lucky.--they have you for a grandmother.

Where on the face of this earth did you get such a good attitude?

I am so happy about your walking ability. It is fun to walk and everytime they offer me a wheelchair, I say, "No thanks--I can walk." Isn't it wonderful?


Ann,
The drugs are too much.

You will have such a great time with your grandchild--can't wait.

Alice,

Thanks.

Last night I went to my step-grandson Jared's hockey game. He is on the boys high school hockey team. They skate fast and rough. Pucks were flying all over and players were slamming into the sides regularly. And then there were the fans. Somehow, because I couldn't walk far enough and they were the only seats low enough on the bleachers, we sat in the opposing team section. Whew. They were nasty. One man yelled throughout the whole game. Our team lost, however. Jared is six feet tall and weighs 210 pounds according to the program with team member stats for the evening game. I commented, "How come they don't put the weights of the girls on their programs?" My son-in-law thought that was funny. Thank goodness they don't put the girls' weights on their hockey programs. There would be no team!!

Anyway, a little story about Jared. When we went to my daughter's home on Christmas Eve, I stood at the two steep steps into her house waiting for my husband who was bringing presents from the car. Jared met me at the door and said he'd help me get in the house. I hesitated. My first thought was to wait for my husband, but then I thought of Jared's kind offer to help. So I said okay and this six foot 210 pound young man picked me up firmly and gently and deposited me in the house. I am glad I had him do that. His father gets upset that he doesn't get better grades. I think he is fantastic.

Love, Carol

Carol,

What a great visual it is with Jared lifting you up and carrying you into the house! I think he's fantastic, too!

Alice wrote:

Our grandson cracked me up. He does not like to go to bed. He went to Bulid a Bear and built a darling dinosaur--he loved that critter.

When he went to bed he took it in its box. pretty soon he was yelling as usual. Our daughter was threatening him with his light--I was dying to intervene--finally she said, "You deal wth him."

I put my head in the door and said, "Jonah, how will your dinosaur sleep--it is very noisy in here?"

His eyes grew very big and he said , "Shh."

We heard no more noise out of him.

That's brilliant, Alice. I never would've thought of that. Where were you when I was raising my son??

Alice,

I agree with Brenda. Great response to little Jonah!

To get back to Abe's question, I get tired of stuff too. Cranky people who shop (why don't they just stay home?), bad drivers (although I may be one of them occasioanlly), unruly children, inflation, bad weather...wow, that list is getting long. When I am tired, I get cranky, so I tried to avoid it, or replace those thoughts with the totally ridiculous, like the Monty Python movie The Life of Brian and the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"...it's funny, ridiculous even, and like caffeine, generally makes me feel less tired, and slightly wired.

Thank you, Pam,

The drivers are a pain. Today I went to Bellevue Square and quickly lost my good humor. The drivers were insane. They came down from the parking lot aganst the arrows and looked at me like I was crazy for trying to go into the garage. I was following the arrows, they were going against them.

The children do not irritate me to the extent the adults do.
I figure they have not lived very long and whatever they do is their folks fault anyway. If they get bored in the store and scream--I would too if I had to stay for hours on end.

Oh well!

I am tired of waiting in lines . Seems everywhere I have to go I end up
waiting in a line, and usually i am there to give them my money!
There's something wrong about that. I wouldn't mind so bad if I was
waiting to receive money...

Then the ones in front of me want to chit-chat and small talk with the clerk.

The most irritating thing to me is the politcans.

Take that corrupt guy from Illinois--the ucontrolled children cannot hold a candle to him.

Palin's interviews make me laugh--and to think she thinks she is qualified to be the president.

If the children ran the world, it would be a much better place.

They would not invest in the Stock Marrket or keep thieir money in banks.

Dick woudln't have to worry about broccolli--we would have pizza and candy and cake and ice-cream.

We would play games, sing songs, climb trees--never have a war--such as Iraq.

The children would never put up with long shopping trips where their mother tried on every too small size dress in the store--hoping in vain one would fit.

The children would stay up till they were tired and then crash asleep on the couch in front of the tube--similar to what we do.

The children would eat when they were hungry--maybe six times a day instead of three.

I vote for the children.

Alice,
you have a way of thinking that cuts to the quick.
I decided to ignore all the no, nos about cliches and use one when it seems to fit. I get "tired" of all the no, nos.

Abe,

I love your topics they stimulate thought.

I thnk it would be great to harness the energy of children.

There would be no more prescription drugs handed out for ADD.

Our dependence on foreign /domestic oil would be history.

Hook the children up to bicycle driven windmills and make a game out of it.

Has anyone watched the effort and pride put forth at a school sports exhibiition?

Just a thought.

Aren't you all sorry I ddn't run for President? I am so glad I didn't--
why with my luck I might have won.

President Alice in wonderland.

It would be moe like Horrorland--it would make W look good.

Yes, I'm tired of being tired. Good post Abe.

Vickie