My Closet Rebellion

Got home late as usual,

Slipped into an exhausted semi-coma.

Awakened....

The racket and screaming shocked me

Into a bleary panic.

What IS that noise coming from the basement?

Even the dogs are howling, and they're outside.

Annoyed and too tired to be scared,

I held the rail and careened down the stairs,

And slammed open the triple sliding door

On the left side of the closet.

Was this where all the ruckus was coming from?

What the hell?

My closet had transformed into

A fashionista's "Alice in Wonderland"

Pandemonium reigned

And I was suddenly only 5 inches tall.

Spinning through a a whirlwind that rivaled Dorothy's.

Pants and shirts, dresses, skirts flying everywhere!

Luckily, I ducked a heavy leather blazer

As it crashed into a hostile gang of size 6 jeans

Screaming something about elasticity.

Sailing sideways, eyes wide shut

I was not at all surprised to see

That my entire wardrobe - each individual piece

Had suddenly become uniquely personalized

With faces, hair, hands and feet!

And cleverly,

The "make, model and size" were stamped boldly

On each item's expressive forehead.

Everything was swirling toward the extreme left side

Of the closet

Where the outcasts lived.

I could hear chanting.

It did not sound friendly.

The whirlwind zipped me along toward the sound

Through fuzzy, sticky cobwebs

Till I landed on the floor

In "no mans zone".

The size 2's were rioting

Attacking the size 4's and 6's

With moth ball grenades

And broken hangers

Some were carrying picket signs with slogans...

ON STRIKE !!

"Cruel and Unusual Punishment"

"No Fresh Air for 900 days"

"Jailed Without Light"

"Chocolate Stole Our Jobs"

The boots were trying to set up a barircade

While the gloves were working together

To grab the roudiest of the 2's and 4's from behind

(Especially those tie dyed Calvin Kleins

and skinny legged Ralph Laurens)

The leather gloves deftly blindfolded them with scarves

And stuffed them into the hanging Kate Spade purses.

You could see the pathetic prisoners kicking

And hear them screaming

Right through that expensive leather.

What a wild, ungrateful and unruly bunch.

To the center, the bigger 4's

Were in hand-to-hand combat

With the 6's

There was slapping, spitting, cussing

And a full-on cat fight that

Puts the Budwiser cat fight girls to shame.

You would not have believed what the

Diane von Fursterberg wrap-around dress

Said to the Max Mara suit.

All just because the latter had been worn

Once -- a "lean" 6 months ago.

Oddly enough,

All the Prada's were fanning themselves

Chatting cozily and laughing.

They were the only size 4's unengaged

Sitting on the sidelines

Reveling in their exotic glory

And enjoying the show.

They'd been out and about a lot lately,

We all know they are actually

Two sizes bigger than they say -- liars!

Expensive, happy liars.

Then I looked to the right

The 8's and 10's were enjoying a Grand Fiesta

What a spread....frozen margaritas everywhere.

The Dana Buchman capris were draped

Over a plate of fried cheese

Chatting with a stretchy velour Zhara sweatsuit

(a little saggy in the butt if you ask me).

They all looked a little tipsy, tired,

Certainly well-worn,

And quite content in their girth.

The Anne Taylor palazzo pants

Weren't even holding in their stomachs!

I overheard the Queen of the Closet -

A vintage 1973 Halston Ultrasuede shirtdress

Cattily whispering

To the black Cache jacquard silk slacks,

"Daaaahhhling....Never mind this little skirmish

It happens every season

Those 2's and 4's just don't get out much"

I woke up at dawn, laying on the floor of my closet

With a melted Snickers bar in each hand.

When the World Hugs You

So often in our lives it seems
The world hits, spits and trips you
For being too much or too little.
Nasty little grenades explode
In the most surprising places.
Making you slip, trip and stumble
Shoulders sagging,
Spinning on the familiar downward spiral.

But sometimes with no warning
The stars sing your name,
The sunlight melts your heart,
And you catch yourself 
Humming, skipping, smiling 
With no justification
Other than angels sitting on your shoulders
And mother earth singing to your soul.

When the world hugs you,
Take note and hug her back.

Return the Magic

I awakened refreshed...
Surprised...
Perplexed...
Atop the softest cloud.

I ate sunshine for breakfast
Wove a dress of fragrant primrose
And wrapped myself in a cloak
Of warm Maui wind.

I slid down my rainbow
To bring the magic back.

To hear your smile
And feel your laugh
And smell your touch
And return your wand.

It works, Thanks!

On A Mission to Create A Better World

My son, Max, is leaving six weeks from now on an L.D.S. (Mormon mission). I have great respect for his willingness to serve his church and his fellow man for two years -- this is a notable and willing sacrifice in many ways -- no dating, no time for sports, working 6 days a week 12 hours a day for no pay, and coming home two years behind in school. But I have confidence that he will come home wiser, stronger, full of knowledge that he could not have gained any other way, and with a bigger understanding of the world and it's people. How do I know this? I know because of the many, many return missionaries that I have met and listened to. It is the common outcome of uncommon faith and sacrifice.

As Max goes forth on his mission, I am re-energized on my mission which I've been on for the past six years. Saving the planet, no joke. One of the most exciting parts of my work life, is to be leading the sustainability efforts for FMI, which means helping our industry develop new practices and policies that will protect the planet and work to improve life on earth for all living things.

My work is a pleasure because I enjoy the camaraderie of people throughout the world that have a similar passion -- from such great places as World Wildlife Fund to Wal-Mart, Wegman's and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many others. We are working together in unusual collaboration and trust to be the change that the world needs to see.

Our work spans the entire realm of all choices and business decisions made by people from the CEO to the store level cashier -- for example, how to source more sustainable products that use less natural resources; how to build "greener buildings" that reduce the use of hazardous materials and use less energy; how to help customers with questions on purchasing more sustainable seafood species; how to manage, control and reduce/eliminate waste -- and for waste that we can't avoid -- how to redirect that waste to beneficial uses. This is the tip of the iceberg.
We have a rapidly growing population which is challenging our supply and natural resources in dramatic ways that our world has never experienced. Time is of the essence and hard choices and complexity are the name of the game.

But the world -- whether it be companies, governments NGO's or individuals are responding in amazing ways in every aspect of the supply chain from global companies to mom and pop operations. One of the things that FMI and our Sustainability Executive Committee are doing is to help focus our industry on the most urgent priorities, and develop the tools and resources that our members most need to move forward faster with sustainability initiatives in their companies. Part of that includes helping to identify and share those stories, strategies and systems with each other -- and we are talking about companies that are usually competitors, sitting down at the table and working hard to develop and accomplish common goals that will benefit all.

Max and I have common goals. We recognize that our work is urgent, imperative, difficult, complicated, and that there will be many roadblocks, naysayers and unintended consequences. We're ok with that, because this mission is not about money, power, prestige or control. It's about doing what our hearts tell us is the most important thing we can do to give back to a world and a God that have given us everything.

Too long away from writing, so much has happened in my life since I started this blog when Max was near death in the hospital. Many changes, challenges and new opportunities have presented themselves! One of the best was my trip with Mom, Joni and Donna to the British Isles for three weeks last month. A never to forget trip with so much educational content my head is still swimming. I fell in love with each and every country we visited -- and gained a new appreciation for the rich and confusing history and great and noble people who created, nurtured and protected great literature of the world, and saved Christianity! I have become a lunatic for learning and it is a thrilling quest because after the 5th time of reading a book or watching my historical/cultural education videos I am starting to put the puzzle together. I am glad to be finally addicted to something I can take with me when I die. More later!!

Jeanne's poems

A Day in Paradise

Splendid dawn arrives
As the sun awakens the desert sky
With hues of golden rose and mauve
Then endless blue.

Our lone companion, a gnarled juniper
Guards the meager camp
Scattering frosted purple berries
Across our rumpled bed.

Twenty toes seek the coolness
Of powder fine, red sand,
No need to rush, we languish
As the embers of last night’s fire
Prepare our simple breakfast.

This day is ours
To delight in discoveries
And each other’s company.
We set forth along sandy bottomed streams
Deep into the belly of the canyon.

Just me and you
Accompanied by silent spirits of
Gentle Reuss, pioneer Hamlin,
Fearless Powell and Outlaw Posey.

We explore the canyon grottos
The silent, echoing caves
Always laughing, and wanting
To continue around one more corner.

Noon comes.
The sun screams down
Scolding the tortured landscape above the canyon
The horizon shimmers
Gasping for breath beneath the searing heat.

Protected by silent, towering cliffs
We laugh and play with gusto
Splashing in cool, crystal streams
And running naked across warm sandstone.

With whines and whispers
Madcap Moki spirits begin to twirl an dance.
Disguised as frenzied whirlwinds
They race merrily to embrace the horizon.

Ominous thunder clouds appear.
Like quicksilver, the wind turns to fury.
We scramble madly beneath a shallow ledge
And watch, riveted, as Eden turns to hell.

Ancient demons and deities clash.
Roaring like warring chiefs
They shriek and howl
And arch their jagged daggers through the cobalt sky.

Their rage descends
In sheets of lukewarm tears
That united in red and raging waterfalls
Shooting violently from the cliffs above.

Suddenly the fury retreats
Taking chaos to another canyon.
In it’s wake, we are cleansed – renewed,
Like the magic rainbows left behind.

Gently, the exhausted sun retires
Giving reign to a luminous moon.
In the twilight, evening primroses
Waken to share their sweet perfume.

Night wraps her arms
Lovingly around us.
Brilliant crystal stars pierce the velvet sky
And we snuggle deep into our simple bed.

In the stillness of a haunted desert
We share our love, our hopes, our dreams.
Together, we float softly into peaceful sleep,
Waiting for tomorrows dawn.

Jeanne 2/14/90


On the road again was dedicated to my friend, Nancy Scott, who like me was traveling about 130 days a year giving speeches and going crazy with stress and anxiety for ten years......this was our life back then......

On The Road Again

In the strange darkness
Of a lonely hotel room
In “anywhere” U.S.A.
My heart begins to race
Chasing m mind
Through the too familiar landscape
Of crystal clear and fuzzy dreams.

Pursued by ponding panic
And snarling demons
Carrying “to do” lists,
I crash headlong into
A maze o marble monoliths
Neatly inscribed
“Should” and “Should Not”.

Frantically,
I grasp at fluttering bits
Of tattered, well worn scripts
Written just for me
By myself and others.

I search the well-remembered lines
But find no answer
No direction
No solace.

The scenes repeat!
Allegretto!
Presto!
Like a whirling dervish
Spiraling toward the crescendo.

Then abruptly vaporized
When the chaos surrenders
To resounding shrieks
Of a computerized wake-up call.

My stumbling consciousness
Scrambles to regain control.
What?
Where?
When?
Oh yes, On the road again!!




Second sisters was written by me in "tribute" to the second wives of the rich men I so often encounter who leave their first wives who have worked so hard to put them through college, wonderfun courageoous women who have born and raised their children, then been discarded for someone 20 to 30 years younger.

Second Sisters

Sculpted
Starved
Stretched
and
Stapled
they
Shimmer
Sparkle
and
Swing
Sexy sinuous shapes into
Sleek sports sedans
Smiling smugly
and
Siently selling out
To swaggering senile seniors.


Dangerour Shoes was written as a response to my nephew David's remark when he was just about three -- he said "Aunt Jeanne" you have one your Dangerous Shoes today!!" I thought, "oh if you only knew......."

Dangerous Shoes

She arrives.
The superficial queen
Of C’s
Composed.
Conservative.
Complacent.
A romantic delusion
Clicking along
In streamlined stilettos –
Her “dangerous shoes”
A rebellious clue
To the passion
Temporarily tamed,
Bound
Gagged
And
Camouflaged
Beneath tailored silk.






Return the Magic was written by me, I can't locate the poem right now. My sister Donna wrote the response below.

Return the Magic (searching for this)



Magic Returned

I must have just missed you when you returned the wand.
I climbed up your rainbow to retrieve it myself.
You were gone so I helped myself to a spot on your cloud.
I ate the sunshine you left unfinished.
I picked up the scraps from your primrose dress
And stitched them to a wisp of your Maui wind.
I waited for hours but you didn’t come back
So I slid down your rainbow with my borrowed goods.
I don’t need the wand now; I’ve got all the magic I need.
You ad it the entire time –
You just didn’t know it.
Let’s send the want to a poor soul who has
No rainbow,
No sunshine;
No cloud;
No primrose dress;
Mo Maui wind within herself

Back to Real Life Again

Homeward bound today, refreshed, renewed and excited about life. My head and heart are bursting with all the wonderful knowledge and tools I learned and am so ready to try! When you get focused on it, the steps to peace, joy and happiness are extremely simple. For three weeks, I heard different versions, illustrations and testimonials which drilled the principles into my mind, but the most compelling by far was the fact that I saw people living these principles and practicing them daily. I saw faces glowing, heats open, sincere compassion, honesty, vulnerability "in action". It was sort of a microcosm of what I would expect to see during the Millennium. There were people of all races, religions, ages, incomes and sizes. Their differences were transcended by the common goals and atmosphere at OHI. In a nutshell, here were the basics of the principles that resonated most with me.

We choose our own thoughts which create our perception of reality.
We can learn to change our thoughts and change our own reality for the better.
Our egos alone (not other people, places or things) are our biggest enemies and downfalls.
Every experience, emotion or thought we have resides within the cells of our bodies. It is our responsibility to understand this and work to release all negative energy they hold through forgiveness, meditation and healing techniques.
Peace, happiness and joy are available to ALL, no matter what our experiences or circumstances.
We can re-learn how to love ourselves, freeing us to really love others.
It is imperative to visualize our future, use our imagination to clearly see ourself, our circumstances and what we are doing -- because we create our future through thought and action through the laws of intention/attraction.
One of the most important tools is the discipline of spending time in an "alpha" state, meditation or prayer.
One of the most important places to start is to completely forgive ourselves and others. This is a process that can take time, but is absolutely essential to any progress.
We each have a spark of the divine within us, which makes us creatures of limitless potential -- limited only by ourselves, our habits, thoughts, choices.
There are tools and teachers who are here as guides to help s along the many pathways to change and we can find just the right one to fit our own particular taste, religion, culture and style.

Thank you God for OHI and for the privilege of my experience and the wonderful people that I met. I envision myself in the future as a missionary at OHI to serve others in helping teach what I am learning along this wonderful pathway called life.