The Road to Farley is Less Traveled

Today is another one of those days where I have a lot of random thoughts on my mind. First off, let me post my May picture of Willow Creek Park. Remember, I said I was going to post a picture at the beginning of every month to mark the changes of the seasons. As a reminder, here is what the park looked like in April: And, although the month of May is practically over, I actually did take this photo during the first week of the month. Amazing how one month can transform a spot on this glorious earth. My morning started today at about 3 a.m. when a seriously loud clap of thunder and seemingly close bolt of lightening illuminated my bedroom and scared the bejesus out of a soundly sleeping Bailey. She bolted out of bed. By the time I was finally getting back to REM sleep, the alarm went off at 5:15. When I got home from the gym tonight, I noticed that water was seeping into my basement. ARRGGHH. Curses to the rain gods who dumped all that rain outside my house. As I was grousi...

The outdoor sign at the fitness club in my neighborhood asks this question...in big block letters. I see it every morning at 5:15 when I am walking Bailey. I see it again when I leave for work and again when I walk Bailey after work. After seeing this for several weeks, I'm still perplexed by what it means. Is there really a certain standard one must attain before putting on a swimming suit? What is that? Does your body need to be firm and toned like Madonna? Do you need to be below the "overweight" or "obese" categories on the BMI chart? Does someone else just need to look you over and say, "Yup, you pass. Don swimsuit now." I'm pretty sure that if I waited for someone to give my body a passing grade to wear a swimsuit, I would *never* have worn a swimsuit. Even back when I was a kid...my chubby thighs and muffin top would have kicked me out of contention. Who makes these rules? A friend recently posted on Facebook some "rules" she...

I was lying on the couch, half asleep, watching American Idol when a commercial came on that really caught my attention. It was promoting the It Gets Better Project . It was the first time I had heard of it, so I went to the website to learn more. The project was developed by author and columnist Dan Savage, who--after reading of yet another gay teenager who had committed suicide after being bullied--thought, "I wish I could have talked to that kid for 5 minutes before he killed himself to tell him that it gets better." The project was born. The site is filled with hundreds of videos submitted by celebrities, politicians, and ordinary people, both gay and straight, with a clear message that yes, it does get better. You should watch some of the videos, they are funny and compelling and heartbreaking. I cannot begin to imagine the loneliness and feelings of despair that an LGBT teenager must feel that would lead him or her to take his or her life. I can minutely relate to t...

One obvious sign of my aging over the past years occurs every summer when I make that first foray into the river to see if I can still water ski. I think I was 11 or 12 when I first learned to ski. Back then, I popped right up and could ski for miles without getting tired. Now, I recognize that things were a little different for me 38 years ago...(Christ, just writing that makes me feel like I just aged another 5 years). Specifically, I  was 12! My stamina was way better than it is now. probably weighed about 75 pounds less than I do now. (And, 75 is probably on the low side!) used two skis back then...way less torque needed to pull yourself out of the water. had the luxury of being able to ski behind a fast boat (back then, we had a CorrectCraft inboard...great for skiing, but not very roomy on the inside!). didn't have to worry about the touch of arthritis I think I'm beginning to get in just about every joint of my body. With aging and, yes, weight gain and my pr...