At the present time, I am re-reading a wonderful book, Everyman, by one of my favorite authors, Phillip Roth. This book is told from the voice of an un-named man who is watching his own funeral. Consequently, he traces his life from his own experiences as a sickly child who bears witness to his own body deteriorating, with the passage of time, and his eventual death at the age of 70. The book begins at the narrator's own funeral, and he chronicles his life through his achievements, his three marriages, the birth of his children, and his own professional and personal accomplishments up into his own old age, which he observes by his contemporaries beginning to become ill and some of them eventually die. This slim novel is not small, and the impact of watching one's own 'ordinary' life unfold is very powerful, at least from the pen and prose of Roth.
Each one of us has experienced change in the form of illness, and the natural deterioration of our own bodies is an inevitable consequence for us all. Moreover, many of us have gone through the pain of watching a loved one around us die, either figuratively or actually (such as an illness which renders a person to be someone other than he/she used to be, or death).

I bring up this subject because over this past week, it has made me think about how our own bodies change, and the impact that this has on those around us as well. Some of us fight and resist change and insist upon hanging on to a dream or an idea of a person as he/she used to be. Is it not often the case that as we watch someone whom we love or care about deeply become ill or suffer, that at times, we too may die in the process as well? Are we not all ordinary individuals having extraordinary experiences?

Tomorrow, 9/11/07, marks the six year anniversary when our country was attacked by a terrorist group, Al Quida. Most of us will commerate this solemn day in our own way, and surely many bloggers will have posts, tributes and their own memories on the importance and impact of this day on them. But there is a larger question, at least for me, that looms in the background, as we approach this anniversary: Where are we today, as a nation, and around the world in combating the war on terror?

Bush has and will tell you  that we are indeed winning this war, for there have not been any more attacks on U.S. soil since that horrible day. But does this act alone constitute a victory? Have we won the battle, but are we yet to gain in the war? How do we explain many home-grown terrorist groups that have surfaced in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Israel? What about the larger threat of Iran, and its development of nuclear weapons down the path? How about North Korea, can this country be excluded as a potential terrorist entity as well?

Since we invaded Iraq, this county has become its own training ground for fundamentalist Islamic extremists from the Middle East, whose goals are to destroy all that is Western, and destroying Israel as well. Have we as a nation truly learned the lessons, and are we better prepared to face those who want to attack us today, 6 years later. I for one feel there is still much more work to be done, and many more questions to be answered.

All prayers and good thoughts are with those who have suffered, in one way or another from this tragic day in U.S. history. May the burdens of your hearts be lifted, as we, a nation, and us, a world begin to make some sense of those actions that took place on that terrible day.

I had the opportunity to attend a health and fitness exposition not very long ago, and while I was there, various counters were set up to measure glucose levels, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate, lung capacity, etc. Something that was quite apparent to me, was that most of my measurements were low. My blood pressure is 96/64, the blood sugar level was 62 and my lung capacity, even for an (off and on again) smoker was around 90. These low measurements, I was told, were a sign that I was in good health.

I began to think how much we place a value on measurements in our society and their importance. Are we a society fixated on measurements? For a woman, sizes are especially important. For example, a woman with a DD bra size is considered voluptuous, and someone wearing a size 4-6 in clothing is considered appealing. For a man, his attractiveness or level of appeal may be measured by the size of (that particular male organ), his muscles or his weight.

But what about other aspects of our being, our soul and how they are measured? For example, can we measure our patience, or ability to accept others for who their are without judgment or condemnation, or our level of tolerance of others?

If the truth be told, I'm not a very patient person. In fact, one of my true downfalls, is my lack of patience, and if there were a barometer to measure this level of my being, it would surely exceed a triple digit number if that were possible.

To me, those very qualities which we cannot measure in actual numbers are those that are to be valued most in our society, and it will only benefit us to measure our words, thoughts and actions towards others in the best way possible.

Surely many have heard the old adage, that we are what we eat. This simple conclusion, however, in many ways, allows for the possibility that we have some element of choice in the process of determining who or what we are and how we look, either based upon our own free will, or environmental concerns. The more interesting question, is that all of us are completely what our individual genes dictate, whether we like it or not.

For example, some of us, because of our genes, have a propensity for illness or disease, such as cancer, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes, mental illness, Downs syndrome and the list goes on and on. No matter what we do, we cannot necessarily change our genes, although we may, in certain instances, be able to take preventative measures for various outcomes, (live-style changes) to curtail the possibility of us developing certain conditions. For example, if we know diabetes runs in the family, we can watch our sugar intake, and if we have high cholesterol, diet and exercise might minimize the chances for developing these ailments in our own lives, (although total elimination is not assured).

On the other end of the spectrum, genes also dictate what we look like, whether we are short, tall, have blue eyes, or green, large bone structure or small, blonde hair or black, and that list goes on and on. Since cosmetics, hair dyes and high heals are here, along with colored contact lenses, many of us can change our appearances easier than we can change own genes. And of course, there is the genetic propensity for being a creative or athletic type, such as those who excel in music, math, or even sports.

I wonder, however, if genetic engineering just might be a double edged sword? Is it possible to make everyone look the way he/she desires, create a style, or trend, or go even further and have genetic engineering turn into eugenics, like Hitler planned when he sought to master his own idea of the ideal race? I certainly believe there are many pros and cons towards a plan of genetic engineering (do you have an opinion?).

While I was out on my lunch hour this afternoon, I  passed by a local shoe store, and there they were! These darling low heeled black pumps (that surely had my name on them!) sitting in that big, beautiful display window. I had just done some shopping earlier this week and, well; (had well exceeded) I had went a little overboard with my spending allowance.

At first, I had thought to myself, 'You deserve them, Sarah. You work hard for your money. Why shouldn't you get them?'

Then on second thought (knowing that all I really had to do was to charge them on my credit card), I remembered what my father always said to me whenever I wasn't able to get what I wanted, right at that moment!

Anyway. He would get out his old (smelly) scrapbook, show me pictures of the depression era, point to the "Migrant Mother" and then say, "And you think you have it rough, Sarah Jane!"

Needless to say, whenever he used my middle name, I knew I was in for a long, long drawn out lecture. But, you know what? He wasn't there with me at lunch today... and yes,  I look so good in my new low heeled black pumps!