Can You Take a Compliment?

I am a compliment-giver. Sure, it’s probably because I am a bottomless pit of people-pleasing insecurity, but that doesn’t mean I’m not sincere.

In case you missed it, January 24 was National Compliment Day, when we were supposed to compliment a minimum of five people. If you live with fewer than five people, this required you to leave the house, as talking to people on TV (“Nice jacket, Oprah!”) does not count.

It’s not too soon to prepare for next year. Lets go over the rules for complimenting. Listen up.

Be sincere. If you are faking it, it comes out in your voice. No one appreciates a fake compliment. Sarcasm is not appropriate when complimenting someone.

If you can’t be sincere, be enthusiastic. An animated “You got your hair cut!” will suffice if your friend is sporting a hideous new ‘do that begs to be noticed.

Don’t overdo it. A good compliment stands alone. If…(Read more)

Things that are funny

Let’s face it, it’s difficult to maintain one’s sense of humor these days. Sometimes we have to dig deep to find merriment. Or perhaps we just need to open our eyes.

A week of heightened observation revealed the following things I just had to laugh at.

There is a sign on the door of the post office. It says that dogs are not allowed except for service dogs. The sign is two feet off the ground where the dogs can see it.

With my quarterly retirement account statement came some helpful information under the heading “Invest Smart for your retirement!” They offer a publication called “Reaching Your Dreams.” Here’s MY dream: to not have another year where they lose $70,000 of my money.

Last week, Keeper opened the refrigerator door, took out a bottle of tomato juice and shook it. The cap flew off, spewing red pulpy stuff all over the kitchen. It looked…(Read more)

Long Distance Mothering

This week I got to be a mother. Oh, I’ve officially been a mother since 1975, but lately, with the boys well-established in their own lives, there hasn’t been much call for my mothering skills.

Wait a second, you’re saying. What about all that baby talk that goes on in your house?

I’ll admit it, I channel my nurturing instincts into caring for Corky the French Bulldog and Mr. Bobo the Wonder Cat. Corky is always ready to cuddle and is ready with a quick lick on the nose. Mr. Bobo has been known to be affectionate on occasion, but only if he is allowed to pick the time, place, and method of expression. Don’t touch the belly, thank you very much.

This week, though, I got a call from my younger son Tom, who lives with his fiance Clare in Indiana. Like the majority of us, he is experiencing hard financial…(Read more)

What’s your hugging style?

As if celebrating Martin Luther King Day followed immediately by the inauguration of our new president weren’t enough, there is another special day this week: National Hugging Day.

On Wednesday, January 21, 2009, we are encouraged to wrap our arms around someone and squeeze. Preferably someone who will hug us back, because hugging someone who stands there all stiff-armed is really embarrassing. It’s like throwing a ball for a dog who won’t fetch it, but just sits there looking at you; a one-sided hug just leaves you hanging.

With the arrival of the official annual hugfest, it’s a good time to review hugging styles and protocol.

Here are some basic rules.

Do it right. A proper hug, I recently learned, is performed with each party lifting his or her left arm and stepping into the embrace. This puts the huggers heart-to-heart and maximizes the energy exchanged. Raising right arms puts the huggers liver-to-liver and…(Read more)

Highly Suggestible Husband

I’ll say one thing about Keeper: he’s diligent about keeping maintenance appointments. He gets his teeth cleaned every six months. He gets his prostate checked every year. He gets his oil changed every 3,000 miles. Of course, since he only drives to the Caltrain station and back, his JiffyLube appointment is every February 29.

I admire his dedication to his health, even though I know that the rigid regularity of his maintenance schedule is his attempt to keep anxiety at bay.

You see, Keeper is what I would call highly suggestible. Whenever someone we know has a health problem, Keeper worries that he has it, too. Our friend Leonard has been diagnosed with sleep apnea. As soon as he heard, Keeper began to fret — not about Leonard, about himself.

“Do I snore? Do you think I might stop breathing in my sleep?” he asked me at the dinner table when I described…(Read more)

Corky and Me

The only reason we saw the movie was because I was so bummed out. Between the constant steam of bad economic news and the flare-up of my noisily complaining joints, I’ve been in a funk. I needed to get off the couch.

Keeper, starting to mend from his surprise appendectomy, suggested heading to the big city for lunch and a movie. Okay, so he meant San Mateo. A girl my age doesn’t get asked on many dates. I can’t afford to be picky.

I was given my choice of movies. I made him promise in advance not to groan. I knew when I told him I wanted to see a movie about a dog, he would picture “Air Bud” or “Underdog” or some such nonsense. No, I wanted to see a feel-good movie about a real canine: “Marley and Me.”

I had been wrong to think that everybody who wanted to see the…(Read more)

Chicks, Flags, and Protests

Keeper is huge Dixie Chicks fan. I try to stay away from country music because of the occasional bad grammar and worse puns that populate the lyrics. I mean, I’m far too sophisticated to be a fan of “Feelin’ Single and Drinkin’ Doubles,” “Queen of My Double-Wide Trailor” or “You Done the Wrong Woman Wrong.”

Still, Keeper’s the one who struck a match to my Book o’ Love, so I downloaded the movie “Shut Up and Sing” for him so he could enjoy watching the rise and fall and rise again of the Dixie Chicks, whose offhand remarks about President Bush ignited a firestorm of protest.

Here’s the gist of it: President Bush was leading us to war in Iraq, based on what we now know (and always suspected) were untruths, or if you prefer, lies. Onstage in London, Natalie Maines, the Dixie Chicks lead singer, said, “Just so you know,…(Read more)

You Know You’re Old When…

We were watching TV on New Year’s Eve, just me and Keeper. We weren’t watching Anderson Cooper or Ryan Seacrest or the poor guy who used to be Dick Clark. The year-end festivities were far from our minds as we enjoyed a few episodes of the British series “House of Cards” with our chow mein and chicken with black bean sauce.

There were no silly hats, no champagne, and no paper streamers. Just another night of TV and takeout at the Hanna house.

Then the phone rang.

I jumped up. “Who could be calling at this hour?” I asked Keeper. He shrugged, reaching for the remote. As he hit the pause button, I went to retrieve the portable phone from my office.

It was my friend Evelyn. She was hosting a family party which undoubtedly included champagne, hats, and streamers. “Happy New Year!” she cried.

She animatedly told me of her year-end doings and…(Read more)

Newest YouTube Star: Corky!

Corky got a bit over-excited on Christmas, and my son Jason caught it on video.

Keeping it real for 2009

It’s been a day or two since you resolved to lose weight, work smarter and get more exercise.

Tell the truth, has your treadmill already returned to its pre-resolution function as a clothes rack?

My own percentage in keeping these yearly promises to myself resembles the Bush administration’s approval rating. Therefore, I hereby resolve to cross off my list every New Year’s resolution that I have failed to fulfill in the past. 

That’s right. If I have tried and failed at something, it’s not going on my 2009 list. Why stacks the odds against myself? The key to a happy life is realistic expectations, especially of oneself. 

Just like the U.S. education system, I’ve decided to dumb down my requirements so as to not adversely affect my own self-esteem. 

Here’s my “I can do this!” list for 2009:

I will take a shower every day even if I’m not planning to leave the house. If I…(Read more)