King Solomon, known for his wisdom in ancient times, is currently residing here in my house. He famously solved a biblical dilemma between two women claiming to be a child’s mother by telling them to split the child in half! While that may sound like an easier way to solve a weight problem than stomach stapling, I won’t consider going to that extreme to accomplish all my goals and responsibilities. I need every minute. Isn’t this the time when we gained an extra second?
My appointment book provides graphic evidence of scratched-out and written-over plans that went awry. Too bad – one of my resolutions was to start 2006 with a neat and organized date book. There goes that resolution.
Weekends went by the board because Howard and I joined a group of new members at our temple who gather to develop friendships within a monthly meeting schedule. There go 12 Sundays.
Next problem? We still have Christmas and Hanukkah gifts waiting to exchange with my son Ron and little Jeremy. But I’ve been huffing and puffing on an inhalant to strike down a miserable cough and wheeze.
Naturally, we had to postpone our holiday get-together for another weekend. However, that plan flew out the window when Ron suffered a migraine and sister-in-law Florence fell and developed a colorful black eye. What to do?
We froze the chicken dinner and expensive cinnamon coffee cake I had ordered from New York City! I took a deep breath and turned to my next challenge: planning my teaching agenda for my creative writing class. Lovely class, articulate writers and I could breathe a sigh of relief. Deep inside me, I acknowledged that teaching writing was just as much fun as creating fiction and my columns. An added bonus, the class meets at Hillview Community Center, five minutes from home.
On to the next obstacle to harmony and peace in the Jarmy household. Our press representative e-mailed us about three radio appearances to discuss our books.
We worked for several days to create interesting questions and answers for the shows’ hosts. Eureka! We were on our way to fame and fortune. However, the stations canceled the interviews because Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court nomination hearings took priority. We were so upset that we went out to dinner to ease the pain. That made sense, but it didn’t help the weight situation. King Solomon gave up on splitting me into two parts.
Tonight we visited a dear friend who had spent three days in the hospital. She’s home, feeling rotten, but I felt we had to be with her, even if she could hardly communicate.
Arriving home, I simply had to drown my sorrows in food. Howard and I shared 12 spicy crab cakes and felt no guilt. Here I was, ready to relax and watch my favorite TV show – ice skating by beautiful young people who made my evening bright again.
Then the e-mail came. Bruce, the Town Crier editor, wanted to know if I were sending my Reflection column this week. Oh Lord! I turned the TV off and finished my column. King Solomon, King Solomon, where were you when I needed you?
Charlotte Kaye Jarmy
is a Los Altos resident and longtime contributor
to the Town Crier.
