The Good Life

Recently I attended a family reunion. It was not MY family's reunion, so when I had no one to talk to I busied myself touring the site were the festivities were taking place, to see what I could see.

I was inspired by two of the residents who seemed to have discovered the best that life had to offer them -- comfort, rest, leisure and companionship.

This is a picture I took of my new friends before some poorly-behaved children began to throw rocks at them.

My Own Monkey Trap

I remember hearing a story, when I was a kid, about a sort of trap for monkeys. When one wanted to catch a monkey, one could put candy or some other tasty treat inside some sort of jar. The monkey would grab the candy and his hand would remain stuck in the jar because he would not let go of the treat, even for one second. The person who set the trap could then come and get the monkey because the monkey could not get away. His greed would be his downfall.

It occurred to me as I tried to leave the United States last week that I was caught in my own type of monkey trap. Pictured here are my regulation-sized already-stuffed suitcases, and all the other loot that I could not bring myself to let go of. My eyes, I discovered, had been bigger than my suitcases.

It took a little self-discipline and lots of support from my sister for me to break free from my monkey trap so I could board the plane...