Livin' la Vida Hobo

You know how every couple of years there's a new fashion, diet or beauty fad modeled after some movie star, has-been or other? Well I have an idea for a lifestyle - The Life of a Hobo.

Come on think about it - despite eating crap food, and consuming other seemingly un-nutritious foods, many of them seem to be able to live on the street for a long time. And they certainly aren't fat. And many have bountiful masses of hair without the use of all those $30 shampoos and conditioners that our hairdressers tell us we must have for healthy hair. Maybe we should take a good look at their lifestyle?

And the part that I'm most impressed with is their dogs - many of these dogs don't have leashes, they don't seem to get into fights with other dogs and in most cases seem to be very well behaved. Is it because these dogs get more exercise that the more well-off dogs? Or that their masters/owners spend more time with them? Are they taught who is master and don't get fed treats all day long? Ever watched shows like At the End of My Leash or The Dog Whisperer? These people seem to have fairly comfortable lives with nice, neat homes but out of control dogs. Or have you seen Downsize My Pet? Talk about obesity and killing your animal with kindness! I like how the owner has to eat the human equivalent of what the pet eats in one day to get the point across. There are some tired, stuffed and lethargic people after that day! Do the dogs that live on the street go through a natural selection? Perhaps the dogs that run away - run away and aren't found and the ones that are problems are discarded? I'm not sure - but do you think I can write a book about it and make millions on my new 'fad'? What other life lessons can we learn from people who live on the street?

PS. I mean no disrespect for our homeless, I do believe it is a serious issue that our government and politicians are not handling the issues well.

Sweetest Day

Have you ever celebrated Sweetest Day? Here's a brief history:

Observed the 3rd Saturday in the month of October, Sweetest Day observance
originated in Cleveland in 1922. Herbert Birch Kingston, a philanthropist and
candy company employee wanted to bring happiness into the lives of orphans,
shut-ins and others who were forgotten. With the help of friends, he began to
distribute candy and small gifts to the underprivileged.

On the first Sweetest Day, movie star Ann Pennington presented 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys with boxes of candy to express gratitude for their service to the public.

Another popular movie star, Theda Bara, distributed 10,000 boxes of candy to
people in Cleveland hospitals and also gave candy to all who came to watch her
film in a local theater.

Primarily a regional observance celebrated in the Great
Lakes region and the Northeast, Sweetest Day is gradually spreading to other
areas of the country. People tend to take the Sweetest Day tradition with them
when they move. Ohio is the top state for Sweetest Day sales, followed by
Michigan and Illinois. Texas, California and Florida are among the top 10 states
in sales.

Over the years, Sweetest Day has evolved into a time to express
romantic love and also to show appreciation to friends

Years ago, my boyfriend (at the time) and I drove out to the town he grew up in and parked at his mom's house. We then hopped on our bikes and rode from to his elementary school. He told me where there used to be sheep that they'd pet on their way to school, and took me to the place where he'd play hooky in Junior High - what a perfect day - he'd lay on the banks of the dyke and when he was hungry - why, his mom had packed him a lunch... and then he would ride home around the same time school was out. We rode around for "A Day In the Life of __". It wasn't done on sweetest day, but that would be a nice way to celebrate - taking your mate to your old digs and showing them around and sharing stories.

JP listens very well especially to some of my very subtle comments (you know, like, "we should go there.." or "let's try this restaurant") stores them in his vault (brain) and then a couple weeks or even months later, he takes me on an adventure. Now I admit that I much prefer to plan my day, but I have enjoyed these surprises (usually afterwards) when he's parked in front of a store I had mentioned I want to visit - and I suddenly realize what he's done. Sometimes he brings me home magazines (including knitting or crochet-which is harder for a guy to buy) or chocolates that he knows I like. So I think I get 'sweetest day' throughout the year!

When I was in the flower business, we'd push it to sell more flowers, and you'll find it listed on some calendars but it still hasn't really caught on internationally. You can find out more here including some suggestions on how to celebrate the day. It's a nice way to brighten up the fall days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What do you think would be a good way to celebrate sweetest day? Do you think you'll celebrate it this year and start a tradition in your relationship? Or perhaps instead of an "expression of romatic love" you could use it as a day to show your appreciation of friends or even customers? Wouldn't that be fun?