joanietidwell - Tumblr blog

[joanietidwell]

From Little Seeds

A few months back, I sat with a friend eating breakfast under the rounded canopy of a massive oak tree. Spanish moss hung eerily from wooden arms stretched open as wide as a mothers, welcoming us into the comfort of her shade. It was fall in Florida, and while we ate, acorns periodically fell like tiny arial bombs; landed on the table undetonated grenades. They hit the ground around us, bouncing…

[joanietidwell]

Let's Talk Turkey

Let’s Talk Turkey

[joanietidwell]

Oh Captain My Captain!

Oh Captain My Captain!

“I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.” ― Umberto Eco A few years back my friend Lybby invited me to come stay with her at her family’s condo in Kona, Hawaii. She was even gracious enough to allow my parents to come along too, even though they had never roasted a pig or had…

[joanietidwell]

Serpentine

I grew up in a Bi level house where you were forced to pick sides as soon as you walked in the door; did you want to go up or down?  Would you like Heaven or hell? My bedroom, along with the bedrooms of three of my four brothers, was downstairs, while the living space was upstairs.  Consequently, I spent a lot of time on the stairs. The stairs were no man’s land, the most terrifying of…

[joanietidwell]

What I Know that I Know

I know that if plan A doesn't work, the alphabet still has 25 other letters. And I have used every single one of those letters, all the way down to plan Z. I also know that if you speak Chinese, their alphabet has over 50,000 characters.

My Nephew Finn Contemplating the Complexities of Life. I recently turned forty seven, and while celebrating with my parents, my dad asked me, “Well Joanie Bug,” (because he ALWAYS calls me Joanie Bug) “What do you know?” And I said, “I don’t know if I know what I know.” so I’ve been thinking these last three weeks about what I know. I kind of thought I’d go for 47 lessons for 47 years, but then…

[joanietidwell]

Just Keep Swimming...

Just Keep Swimming…

Back in the 1950’s, Curt Richter, a well-known Harvard graduate and scientist with Johns Hopkins University, did a series of brutal experiments to try to determine how long rats could swim before they drowned. Apparently Newton had already cornered the Laws of Motion market, and this experiment was all that was left? Richter’s plan was to try to measure the difference in survival rates between…

[joanietidwell]

One Thousand Words

[joanietidwell]

New Years Revolutions

When I was a Sophomore in college, I wrote a list of New Year’s resolutions that was two pages long. It probably had bullet points, subcategories and an appendix; like any good News Years resolution list should. I wrote line after line of concrete ways I would improve myself, my life, my friends lives, their friends lives… you know, the usual. And I’m proud to say, I hit every, single mark. For…

[joanietidwell]

Joy Cometh

When Joy Comes Arrives as galant as a prince, all white steed and swagger, When it comes laughing, reaches for you like a child playing tag,  soars blue bird bright across the rabbit grey sky. When joy comes, stumbles into you like a lost friend,  don’t walk the other way because you can’t stop remembering you owe her a cup of sugar. Joy understands. Tumbles towards you still,  end over…

[joanietidwell]

Breaking Bread

I think you should know I’ve been thinking of bread.  And not just because I like to eat. Which to be clear, I do.  But because of the way people keep sharing with me, break apart their plenty to give me in my want, And my want feels like a bottomless pit, like I am a child in a growth spurt,  a teenage boy after football practice, a woman at the end of a bad day with two quarts of ice…

[joanietidwell]

Secret Agent Man

CIA = Courage In Action #secretagentman Last fall I flew to Kona, HI to join a friend in her family’s condo, and by join I mean crash. Also, my parents came along, because if I’m going to poach a sweet vacay spot, I’m bringin’ the fam along. Duh. Plus, I’m their favorite daughter, so I kind of have to keep up the charade. Also they fly for free because I work for the airlines; which might explain…

[joanietidwell]

Apps I Wish I Had

Apps I Wish I Had

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a situation where you wish you could tell Siri, “Siri, activate third person omniscient narrator” and then Siri would politely explain to everyone in the vicinity all the background information pertinent to the situation?  Well, I have. I could have used Siri’s help several years back to provide a little foundational information before I walked…

[joanietidwell]

The Thief of Joy

If you’re looking for a shortcut for taking a nosedive in self esteem with a double shot of shame on the side, then comparison is the vehicle you want to be strapped into. Trust me, I'm a profession

If you’re looking for a shortcut for taking a nosedive in self esteem with a double shot of shame on the side, then comparison is the vehicle you want to be strapped into. Trust me. I’m a professional. There’s was some marketing campaign I vaguely remember from when I was a kid that boldly challenged consumers everywhere “Dare to Compare!” Well, lets just say I am nothing if not obedient! I…

[joanietidwell]

On Orbiting

How long must I stay a half moon? A bisected face,  a fractured whole,  one part shadow, one part light just shy of complete? Because I never know, am I half empty, or half full?  Either way envy eats through me; the ghost pain of an amputee since nothing’s working out the way it’s suppose to be; the laws of motion stuttered to a stop.  The earth enervate, too consumed to spin, too…

[joanietidwell]

The Weight of Love

How the carry the weight of love.

Paris is effortlessly enchanting; the setting surreal. The first time I visited, I felt like I’d stumbled onto a movie lot. I wandered through the set, feeling hideously underdressed and under-classed; a poor peasant, gawking apologetically at the seamless beauty. Meanwhile, I instinctively knew, that in this setting, I was not even fit to be cast as an extra. Unless, of course, there was a role…

[joanietidwell]

Sometimes Love is Warm

I pull the blanket up over my head and for a minute contemplate how different my life would be if really POOR aim was an olympic event. Then I’d be THAT parent… instead of…that parent. Mother to the original wiz kid!

You never realize what you have, until it’s gone. I am a girl in need of courage. And not just to help me face the boy’s bathroom that DESPERATELY needs to be cleaned. See, I have three boys. Two of whom have autism and consequently POOR gross and fine motor skills. You get the picture. My oldest son, Alex is especially gifted at hitting anywhere but inside the toilet bowl. Seriously. Even…

[joanietidwell]

My Father the CIA Agent

I watched my father wandered from the patio, to a nearby picnic table by the edge of the ocean, where he sat down on the bench, and surveyed the great density of the sea. Then he took off his baseball hat, bowed his head and offered a prayer.

CIA = Courage In Action #secretagentman Last fall I flew to Kona, HI to join a friend Lybby in her families condo; and by join I mean crash. Also, my parents came along, because if I’m going to poach a sweet vacay spot, I’m bringin’ the fam along. Plus, I’m their favorite daughter, so I kind of have to keep up the charade. Also they fly for free because I work for the airlines; which might…