Clinton Township Newsletter

C L I N TO N TOW N S H I P N ews l e t t e r August "Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time." –John Lubbock J u l i e F ly n n , E d i t o r 201 3 "Movable Parts" by ® EDITOR'S COLUMN Ruth Keesing I walk a couple of neighborhood miles every morning. If the weather is too hot or cold or rainy, I use a basement treadmill. Lately I've been finding that after a night of sleepless slumber I have a hard time convincing my legs to perform when my upper body would prefer to simply have an extra cup of coffee or return to bed for a nap. It's essential that all my body parts agree that a morning walk is non-negotiable. Exercise makes me feel better both physically and psychologically. Outside, it's appreciating the changing seasons, greeting the neighborhood pooches and noting how many kids of all ages are DRIVEN to the school bus stops… even in 70 degree weather. Inside I settle for "I Love Lucy" reruns on the basement TV. I've been a Yoga fan for almost two years and find the stretching and pretzellike poses to be challenging and productive and the final ten minutes of rest and relaxation mentally soothing. They tell me that chair Yoga is equally as satisfying. Being an osteoporatic female, I'm aware of the benefits of "pumping iron." In my case I use two cans of Progresso Minestrone soup – too cheap to invest in dumbbells. In all honesty, I seldom pump iron. I already feel mildly superior for walking more than most of my peers. Besides, don't you just hate the look of those female body builders? Too many glistening muscles would clash with my dry wrinkled limbs. My abs are beyond redemption and we all know it. I look at exercise as a sort of calorie controller. A few miles of power walking presumably equal a large bowl of Edy's Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream. I find such joy in eating and watching new episodes of "Mad Men" on TV. My belts are all too short, my zippers too tight and yet I continue to attack a buffet dinner with more gusto than a shark in a feeding frenzy. Soy? I think not! Hot fudge? Oh yeah! Bottom line… you can enjoy more "input" if you practice regular "outputting" on a sidewalk or treadmill. I realize my body has passed the "Use By" date, but exercise makes me reluctant to throw in the towel. If (when) the day comes when I can no longer enjoy daily treks I suppose I will resign myself to the inevitable. Going "downhill" will have a totally new and grim meaning. p.s. What the heck is "Gluten"?!! A u g u s t "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." –Kurt Vonnegut I'm telling you right now, if I should come to my demise anytime soon, the explanation on my certificate will read "Death by Comcast." Bless their hearts but (this is what we Southerners say when we're about to make a negative comment about someone) the good people at Comcast are about to drive me crazy. They're all very nice, mind you. I know this is true because I've spoken to at least one or two dozen of them in the past month. I'll try not to bore you with my particular Comcast-woes however, when not just my house but also my entire neighborhood was having trouble with phone, television and internet services, my husband and I came up with a new synonym for frustration: "That is so Comcastic." Did I mention that every single Comcast employee that I've spoken to has apologized to me repeatedly? That's so sweet. I'm still frustrated. At the height of my vexation yesterday, yet another soothing person from Comcast promised that they would get everything taken care of right-away-no-problem... and then my phone went completely dead. Well, that's one way of taking care of the problem, I guess. Anyway, I asked her honestly (before losing phone service), "Do you have to put up with frustrated people ALL day???!!! Because I'm guessing that I'm one of many." She delivered a very kind, professional response, bless her heart, and I have to imagine that the thing Comcast really excels at is employee training. So, you know, kudos-to-you on that, Comcast. Frustration is the topic I'm trying to concentrate on with this column and not Comcast (oops, too late.) It occurs to me that, in this beautiful time of year, I should just be happy, right? And, so what if my phone and internet were accidentally cut off, yet they billed me double for those services? Shouldn't I take the zen approach and appreciate um... well, I could google "What to appreciate in August?" but I don't have any internet. No problem, right? It frees me up to concentrate on more cerebral things like... voicemail--oh wait--that was lost too. Sweet human-Comcast-employee-#47-of-the-day just assured me that she promptly connected it, however, sweet-computerized-Comcast woman (she sounds so happy, doesn't she?) told me "We're sorry, but the service you are trying to use is not available on this line." Did I mention they somehow messed up the printer connection too? It's kind of hard to run a business with no phone, internet, voicemail or printer. Speaking of frustration, I'm scheduled to show up for Jury duty in early August. I explained that I run a small business and can't really take off (potentially) several months from work to serve on a jury, even if they are offering, bless their hearts. to compensate me (what is it, $6 a day?) The Office of Jury Management doesn't seem to be listening–I'm hoping the judge will understand when I plead my case. Perhaps I could explain that my brain has been too addled by a particular certain mega-communications corporation to judge anyone else's situation accurately. Unless of course, that person is currently wrestling with a large communications corporation. All in all, I do realize that if these are the worst of my problems, my life is pretty good. A bit frustrating at times, but good. And who doesn't have frustration? I sincerely hope your August (and mine) is peaceful. :) 2 0 1 3 –Julie Flynn 1

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