Aerial Yoga

 

Challenging yet Rewarding

This is 2024,

And I just turned 64,

I wanted to try something new because, well, “yolo”,                 

I think I was having a case of severe “fomo”,               

So, I signed up for an aerial yoga class,

Praying it would not kick my a**,

Yoga, I’d done before, but that was last decade,

I was hoping afterwards I wouldn’t need first aide,

Facing the unknown, I showed up, yoga mat in tow,

Not sure if I was strong enough, but willing to give it a go,

A beautiful pink silk fabric I chose, hanging gracefully like a sling,

Made a lovely first impression, as we sat in it like a swing,

It got more challenging as we began to learn to hang inverted,

But I did what I could do and with each class I got more asserted,

The stretching and decompression of my body was of great benefit,

It was difficult, yet rewarding, and the satisfaction was legit,

I completed the course of four classes and felt quite accomplished,

Some younger students in the class were completely astonished,

It felt good to try something new, out of my comfort zone,

In fact, if I had to describe it with an emoji- my mind was blown!

Tammy Harvey

3/1/2024

For my older readers:

yolo = (you only live once)

fomo= (fear of missing out)

The Perfect Family Reunion

 

The Family Reunion Photograph

Why do I have a black-white panoramic photograph of a 1953 family Reunion hanging on my wall?  I don’t know any of these people.  I only know it was the Annual Blue Clan Reunion held in Lakeview, NC on June 28, 1953.  This information is printed clearly on the corner of the photo.  I was in awe of it the moment I saw this gem at the thrift store where I purchased it.  The memories it invokes are priceless.  First, I was surprised by the high quality of the image and secondly, the fact the photograph was panoramic in that day and time.  It was a Sunday afternoon, and the photo was taken outside amongst a clump of tall pine trees.  Everyone is wearing their Sunday best.  There are all generations of people in this photo.  Some are holding cups and/or plates.  There are lots of lovely hats and dresses amongst the matriarchs. Some are wearing pearl necklaces, and the hairstyles are very predictable. Many of the older men are wearing neckties or bowties with a few sporting fedora style straw hats.   The little children are in the foreground. The boys are dressed in collared shirts and the girls in summer dresses.  In the background there are three cars parked beneath the pine trees.  A closer look reveals a long table with tablecloths and an abundance of food hidden amongst the group.  I am so enamored by this photograph.  The nostalgia of 1950’s fashion, the simplicity and the love of family are all represented in this image.  I did a quick count and estimated that there are 200 people in this photo.  It is an amazing feat to assemble so many people together who are related to each other.  No cell phones and no internet were involved.  Only 9 percent of households had a television set in 1950, however, two thirds of households had at least one telephone.

It was the perfect day…truly.  June 28 is considered the perfect date. Why?  It is because both 6 and 28 are mathematically perfect numbers.  A perfect number’s divisors add up to themselves.

For instance, the number 6 has factors of 3,2, and 1 which add up to six.  Twenty-eight has factors of 14,7,4,2, and 1 which add up to 28.  No other date on the calendar has that distinction. In fact, there are only two more perfect numbers, 496 and 8,128 that occur between 1 and 1 million.

So, when I say it was the perfect day, it was the perfect day for a family reunion on June 28, 1953.

Tammy Harvey

2/17/2024

A Fairytale Ball

 

Dreamscape

I was invited to a Fairytale Ball- a first time for me,

I looked forward to this celebration, most excitedly,

Held at my grandson’s preschool, it was a magical night,

The atmosphere was charming; my grandsons were dressed as knights,

 Most little girls wore princesses’ costumes, and others had swords and capes,

The entire space had been transformed into an enchanted dreamscape,

Strands of lights hung above our heads in the darkness of the gym,

The children were given glow sticks and ribbon wands- to take home with them,

Pizza and cake were served, and laughing, smiling faces could be found,

The floor was filled with “dancing” as the children ran around,

Energy was not lacking, as these memories were made,

Charles had awesome dance moves he so proudly displayed,

We danced the night away…until the clock struck eight,

Then we left the Fairytale ball, because it was getting late,

The food, the frills, the fancy:  Fairytale balls are fun!

I hope this will not be my very last one!

Tammy Harvey 

 2/14/2024

THE Ailment

 

Old Age

The heartburn is severe,

The hemorrhoids are real!

I haven’t got an adjective for the way I feel,

My skin is dry, my hair is too,

My bunion is getting worse,

I have to carry antiacids in my shoulder purse,

My waist is thick, my butt is flat,

I’m slower than I was,

My chin and face are both growing hairy fuzz,

The liver spots are plentiful,

The sagging is all around,

It’s harder to get up when I get down on the ground,

My thoughts are fleeting,

My memory is too,

I can’t remember what I was going to do!

I think there is a name for this,

This ailment I am told,

Is better known technically as: “You are getting old”,

You can’t avoid it without death,

So may as well resign,

When someone asks, ‘how are you?’, just say that you are fine!

Tammy Harvey

02/10/2024

Leprechaun Visits Juno

 

Leprechaun Visit

Juno has the cutest new headband, I must say,

She is not Irish but feeling really green today,

She is not sick, no; not hungover,

She is just looking for her 4-leaf clover,

A shamrock here and a shamrock there,

She is wearing so festively up in her hair,

A leprechaun magically appears, so suddenly,

And he dances a gig upon her head, so merrily,

She wants to smile, but alas she is stone,

She doesn’t even have a funny bone!

With a twinkle in his eye and a puff of his pipe,

He knows he has created so much hype,

He clicks his heels, his orange beard aglow,

The leprechaun tips his hat and is back on-the-go,

He is mischievous, you know, and cannot be trusted,

He is quick and greedy, and hardly ever busted,

She thinks he was a joy, but then, what the heck,

Her pearls are missing from around her neck!

He sits amongst his piles of loot and hysterically chuckles,

He may have all the gold coins and buckles,

But he sits alone at the rainbow’s end,

The pot of gold is his only friend.

Tammy Harvey

2/27/2024

A Happy Place

 

A Happy Place

I am sitting quietly on my porch swing, slowly swinging,

The birds are harmonizing and cheerfully singing,

My feet are dangling freely, just above the ground,

The squeaking of the chain is the only other sound,

A gentle breeze is blowing softly onto my face,

I know that I have really, truly found my happy place,

The sun is warm and soothing on my shoulders and my back,

What more could I ask for?  There’s nothing that I lack,

The silhouette of a hawk I see against a clear blue sky,

Wispy clouds are faint and light and pleasing to the eye,

A nighttime rain shower has freshened up the air,

It is an unusually warm day in February; I am quite aware,

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and let out a cleansing sigh,

March, April, May and June, then suddenly July!

Don’t waste a single moment to enjoy this blissful day,

I am reminded how time goes quickly, just as people say,

I gaze across the porch to some purple pansies there,

Gorgeous blooms with yellow centers are lovely beyond compare,

Look for beauty everywhere.  It is really not hard to find,

It might be in a happy space that will ease a weary mind.

Tammy Harvey

2/10/2024

Look for a special St. Patrick's Day post on 3/17.

Impactful Mail

 

Check your Mail!

Never underestimate the impact of a handwritten letter or greeting card,

The priceless anticipation of mail arriving with a kind regard,

Is more than a rushed email that one will soon delete,

A cut and paste correspondence, read, respond and repeat,

A personal touch is extended that technology can’t replace,

On fancy stationary or perfumed paper no one will erase,

Text messages replace the penmanship of old days gone by,

With strange acronyms like LMK, LOL, and also TMI,

Trite emojis replace the wax seal and feather quill,

Smiley faces in all varieties express emotions that we feel,

In the instant gratification world, we live in today,

No one is using paper, a pencil or a pen, no way!

Do we really look back at old emails and texts to reminisce?

Or do we turn to shoeboxes of old letters when family members we miss?

Never underestimate the impact of a handwritten letter or greeting card,

The priceless anticipation of mail arriving with a kind regard.

Tammy Harvey

2/10/24