Month: January 2021

IS THAT ALL THERE IS TO LOVE


He pushed her on a swing, so high she touched the sky, viewed the world through his eyes, lived for a time without lies, then as mystically he appeared, he let go of the swing, and she fell on her wing, broken but with the will to begin again. A broken heart hasn’t stopped her from loving him.

For ten days she stared unblinking, just thinking of her spoken words, how they made their way to his ears and returned the sounds she so wanted to hear. She wiped the tears as some people find love at the core of their fears. The strain of regaining her former spiraling spirit and beating heart may not come for months. She says to herself out loud, ‘it must, I must.’ As written, sung, painted, and performed for hundreds of years, love is undefinable as it is something supernatural.

  • ISADORA DUNCAN


https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fauthor.doresabanning.com%2F10-intriguing-facts-about-mobster-gambler-allen-smiley%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2-hd-biLq-5GUvJoKTgF5cv6yq8eK_9x5r57gJ6YINJ3Zn1AF8Ju2sC9g&h=AT35v3DOnQ-dLH6rfw1il618NkmaVH5oTElvTIlQ4BL9WEU4fWi0SR7FbCk1FGVpmzoB5TbTN7QdwcumY3cQAhCOljXA141lAFKtv0erZ2Jplhp7q6TOwaIADlUv_266zIoCHYEW7tWciwWjZA&tn=-UK-R&c%5B0%5D=AT2eK-ROP0PvO93dgpN3oV4UMOjsyInFcBL_hyLdYpRNS1Um7WrJbH6Qizgiki1i7pOkmV5InDK4D0TgMvW3DskgU1mUQkhzOIFwLE-XtEUTI9reZV_jyMe-FHxLRPdZ6GxceWKHXfvLUFFyzTlMZYKycI0

Four feet of snow, sheets of ice, and a skyful of clouds. Mix throughly and serve hot!


  • BALLSTON SPA WINTER 2021

Winter in the northeast is a door to the interior, not just physically living indoors, it’s a mental withdrawal from your outdoor activity. Yes, some have adapted, I’ve seen men in shorts on a snowy day, and women runners passing by my window on icy sidewalks.  For many of us, I believe the winter is time to ski in your head. Take a word puzzle section of all your experiences and ski down your mistakes, your misjudgments, your behavior in all its rights and wrongs.  A sort of sabbatical for the soul.

When I stop into our local Gas station food to go market, I see such suffering; mentally disturbed, physically handicapped, homeless, and the ones that can’t even get to a real grocery store. That reminds me of how fortunate I’ve been in life. Who decides how you will materialize in this world, the unknown unsolvable equation?  Today, another slushy snow and rain downpour pulled me out to shovel the messy combination so my tenants don’t slip and fall. That exercise is not good for the back, and even though I exercise and stretch, that particular position of bending and lifting snow doesn’t feel right.  I do it because I have to, and later a marvelous lavender bath with oils and salts relieves the pain. What I’ve learned living here the last two years is that following the inescapable elements of winter is good for a gal that grew up in Los Angeles.  I have to think that otherwise, I’d be whimpering and whining.

Life seems to remind me every day of my mistakes and my strength.

It’s Not About Me Anymore.


    Without a partner, lover, or relative nearby during our feared and festive flights of life, our ribs cave. You just cannot eat cake alone on your birthday, attend a funeral without a shoulder next to you, or celebrate a finished project without your best friend.  During these times of divisiveness, a pandemic, our favorite restaurants and shops out of business, and vigilante violence, it takes courage to be alone. It is you I am thinking of and I know you are out there, isolated. I listen to a lot of music, from Opera to Salsa, shout myself out of bed, attend to mediocre mindless tasks and think about all of us singles, without children, or family and friends out of my reach in Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Scottsdale, Sedona, and Florida. Each one holds a podium on the telephone, as I listen to their feelings, they are variations of a Chopin or Bach recording. The sadness and fear each one is holding at bay, reveal their authentic character. Isn’t it an extreme tragedy that holds a spotlight on our soul and spirit? One friend reminds me to refrain from judging myself too harshly, another advises how fortunate I am to be in a safe small village, with very few deaths, and another says simply, I’m falling apart.

    We are now forced to learn our supreme strength, our survival methods, and how to structure a new lifestyle. When was the last time you were tested? Remember that and you will forge ahead.

    Watch The 12th Man | Prime Video (amazon.com)