The one thing we cannot live without

Now that Hurricane Irene has come and gone here in the Northeast, I can safely reveal that I have discovered the one essential necessity that we Americans simply cannot live without.

Coffee.

If seeing my friends complain on Facebook about the lack of it in their morning routines Sunday morning, my journey to work today offered all the confirmation I needed.

Let’s put it into context first: Yesterday was the first morning of the storm, during which Irene continued to relentlessly pummel those along the eastern seaboard with 70 mph winds, rain, and whatever else she felt like wielding. Homes destroyed or flooded out, or damaged by fallen trees. More than 700,000 without electricity in Connecticut alone.

Yet FB posts galore spoke of the need for coffee, the need of husbands to get their wives coffee (another survival skill that would-be husbands should take heed), and the willingness to settle for less-than-“good” coffee by running hot boiled water through the grounds in one’s coffeemaker.

Today, as I set out for work, the local Cumberland Farms was jammed with would-be coffee drinkers seeking an alternative to those other options for coffee along the route to work. I found out why and I am sorry to say I did not pull over to take a photo of it to prove it to you.

The drive-thru line at one Dunkin Donuts on my way to the office was not just “backed up” in their parking lot. It wound all the way onto the main drag of a well traveled route.

I have never seen anything like it.

Those of you who have stock in D&D should be celebrating a surge in your portfolios today.

So if you think it is television, or the Internet, or even Facebook that you cannot live without, think again, you caffeine junkies, and be grateful that the pink and orange goes on.

Copyright 2011 By Marianne V. Heffernan

Travel: It's good for the soul

Somewhere during the coursework of my doctoral program, I read a book that referred to the value of travel to the human spirit. I think I was sitting in an airport waiting for a flight, and had been trying to dig in to a new library book I had found to add to the list of materials that were slowly becoming the literature review portion of my project. Offhand, I can’t remember the title, but I remember feeling a bit excited at these words, because they brought me a kind of odd validation.


Travel is good for the soul. It opens us up to different lifestyles, customs, sights, smells, sounds, and in that opening up, we are transformed. If we embrace the full experience, we will find that our own perceptions about life are somehow just a little bit different than they were before.

I have known this about myself for oh, I don’t know how long, but I had never considered it to be a universal experience. At the time, I interpreted this book review to be an important revelation, of course. And one that will now be a motivator for my continued exploration of this beautiful world of ours.

Not that I need motivation for such a thing, mind you.

Growing up, I did not have many opportunities to travel, so this became a future goal of mine. Call it what you will, I decided when I was a teenager -- probably not unlike many teenagers -- that I would one day venture off to places far and wide that struck my fancy. Mostly, I wanted to go to Colorado.

That’s a teenager for you. Of all the beautiful places in the world to visit, I was thinking, yes, I must go to Denver. (Not that Colorado isn’t awesome.) I even considered attending college out there, but my father talked me out of it because, he said, it would not be convenient for me to come home for holidays, etc. I’m not sure I bought that argument, but I conceded, since ultimately, it would be a matter of finances. I would get to Colorado one day, so I was not all that disappointed.

Since those days, I have had so many opportunities to visit places unknown to me. For the past five years, my job has taken me to some amazing places: Athens, Paris, Krakow, even Turkey. I have tried to make the most of these trips, though often, the chance to enjoy the culture and sights was limited. I’ve also taken a lot of road trips - great places like Maine, upstate New York, Vermont - and other pretty U.S. locales too.

This is what I have learned, so far: Wherever we are from, as much as we may be different, we are all in many ways, the same. We care about the same things: our families, our friends, our surroundings. We like good food. We are curious. And we are moved by the beauty of nature. Yet, it is often the people I meet along these journeys that provide the greatest enlightenment. That may be the biggest surprise of all, when I consider my travel experience to date.

There are plenty of trips left on my list of Places to Visit, among them Hawaii, Ireland, and perhaps even Australia or Egypt. I am hoping to make my “dream trip” next year (I’ll let you try to guess what that may be, for a while, but you can bet I’ll be inviting you along on the journey).

I know that those travels yet to come are part of my personal transformation.

Copyright 2011 By Marianne V. Heffernan

Turn down the noise

There is one thing to keep in mind when you are driving an Amish buggy. Do not try to take a corner too sharply.

There, I have offered you some valuable advice the next time you have occasion to grab the reins of an Amish buggy and take it for a spin. Also, it helps to have a 7-year-old Amish boy sitting beside you to keep you on four wheels. Even if he doesn’t understand English yet.

Meet the family of Jonas and LidiAnn (don’t assume I am spelling names correctly here). They live in upstate New York, some six hours away from my own little Connecticut home, and if you had gotten a glimpse of their lifestyle as I did recently, you would think they are a world away. It’s more like centuries away.

Google the term, the Amish, and you will get an Internet primer on what these Christian folk are like. Visit some of them in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, or where I did, near Hammond, New York, and you will get an instant education in what it’s like to live your life without, well, a lot of things.

A few things you need to know about the Amish. They dress plainly. Their homes are just as plain, with plain gray walls. They use their talents to make a living, whether it is weaving baskets, quilting, or building furniture. And, they believe that large families are a blessing from God. It is not uncommon for an Amish couple to have seven, eight, nine or more children.

Their children are fascinated by our trinkets - my cousin’s wristwatch had one of the little ones in the first Amish family I met practically spellbound, and later in the weekend, Jonas’ little Andy and Sam got a kick out of viewing the images I showed them I had taken on my digital camera.

I’m thinking these kids would love television; the way they laughed as I clicked through the photos of them and their animals and vegetable garden was a reflection of their sheer giddiness at being so close to a technology they do not have -- or perhaps even know about. The children in my life would be horrified to live such an existence, but if you are reared in this fashion, I suppose it is a matter of not knowing what you are missing.

I’m thinking there is ignorance in that kind of bliss. Particularly these days, as I am feeling there is too much “noise” in my life. There are so many distractions and demands on my time. We all have them, though our awareness may be muted.

If you are like many people, you may not know much about the Amish unless you have traveled to these parts of Pa. or NY where many of them have settled. Or, you may have become familiar with the Amish through the tragedy that occurred in Pennsylvania a few years ago, where a gunman held schoolchildren hostage, ultimately shooting ten, killing five Amish children before killing himself.

Many people who heard about that ordeal were shocked to learn that the Amish in that community -- true to their Amish ways -- offered immediate forgiveness toward the family of the gunman, and did not appear to bear any anger or ill will toward the man who wrought such heartache.

I have not researched this, so I need to say that it is possible there was someone among those heartbroken families that struggled with this (certainly, if you watched the Lifetime Movie Network’s fictional take on the shooting, Amish Grace, you saw one interpretation of the possible reaction of this kind).

Let me say up front that I did not visit these Amish people in New York State as a reporter, so I did not take copious notes or snap away with my camera to capture the details of their basic life and their places in it. I was a visitor to their homes as a friend of a friend of a friend, and still, I was welcomed and invited in like one of the family. I did not want to exploit them or offend them, so I took few photos that showed their faces. Many Amish will not allow you to take photos of or around them at all, so I was sparing in my camera use.

Jonas’ six children were running about barefoot, and all appeared to be healthy and happy. There is Sam, Eli, Andy, a middle girl child whose name I never did catch, Salome, and Caroline, the baby, who is just six months old but I swear, felt like a five-pound bag of sugar on my lap despite her mother’s pronouncement that she weighs 14 pounds. Three boys and three girls. My cousin asked, “What next?” wondering what the tie-breaking next child will be, because for certain, God willing, there will be one.

“You will have to come back next year and see,” LidiAnn said with a smile.

Jonas’ specialty is tables and chairs. He didn’t mind showing us around his workshop, which has an upstairs that holds his inventory and the parts for products yet to be assembled. Perfectly crafted pieces for future Amish furniture. And I was getting to see it right where it was being made.

This family is quite a contrast to the other Amish family I met on Friday - Menna, his wife Caroline, and their children - they have nine in all. They make expertly woven, colorful basket containers of all kind: magazine holders, napkin holders, picnic baskets and baskets with dividers to hold two bottles of wine. There are hampers and lazy-Susan type baskets too. The inventory is low; a good sign that business has been good the past few weeks, and the women will be getting back to basket weaving when they have finished preserving the peaches.

I can’t help thinking, what a hard life these Amish must have and still they seem to be content, even peaceful. Yet, when I stepped back into my world after that weekend, I was reminded that I sometimes think I have it tough too. Paying the bills in this rough economy of joblessness, inflation, recession. Not being able to take a fancy vacation. Having to answer to the demands of a hectic workplace. And on. Makes me think my weekend in Amish country was a hidden blessing of its own for me. That’s why I’m sharing it with you. Thought-provoking, isn’t it?

Now why didn’t I take that Amish buggy out and open ‘er up when I had the chance?

Copyright 2011 by Marianne V. Heffernan

Can you spare a memory?

I’d like to keep my thoughts to myself today, but instead I am at the keyboard letting them escape randomly. Before it gets out of hand, I would like to turn this around on you, and ask you to tell the stories.

I’m just looking for the stuff that comes from the heart. Do you have a good “sister” or “friend” anecdote you can share, that shows the goodness of such a close relationship? I would really love to hear about it today.

I’ll offer one to get it started, and then hopefully some of you can take it from there. Deal?

OK, here it is.

When my sister Joyce and I were young, for a while we shared a bunk bed. Joyce got the top bunk, though I don’t recall if that was a random choice or a deliberate request. Regardless, we would often spend some time before dropping off too sleep just chatting about our day’s activities, and usually end up giggling until our father would gruffly tell us to knock it off and go to sleep.

On nights when it was particularly hard to settle down, Joyce would climb down from her bunk and sit beside me, and we’d play “What’s the word?” by drawing letters on each other’s backs, trying to guess the letters one by one and then putting them together to guess the word. It was always a word related to some funny memory we shared. And of course, it would always get us laughing again and earn us another reproach from Dad.

Looking back, it is just a snippet of a memory, but it gives me such a warm feeling to have had those moments with my sis. I wish I could remember more substantial moments, but it’s been 27 years of being apart and I am struggling to come up with the goods. I guess it’s enough to know that we had such moments, even if I can’t recall the details.

To make up for my lack of vivid recall, I’m looking for inspiration and some heartwarming from the universe. Anyone out there have a little story to share of their own close kinship moments? (Better yet, anyone have a memory of Joyce that you’d be willing to share?)

Just looking to connect through the warmth of others’ experiences. What fond sister (or best friend) moments do you have? Would really love to hear some.

Copyright 2011 By Marianne V. Heffernan

Enjoying the view: Harrison Ford

Many of us were introduced to Harrison Ford in 1977 when he played space smuggler Han Solo in the first film in the original Star Wars trilogy. He was, to say the least, engaging; the magical combination of handsome and dangerous of which movie heroes are made.

If you need reminding: http://goo.gl/fpyNQ

Since his breakout role in the hit film (actually titled, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), Ford has made a litany of hit films including the popular Indiana Jones series,
but along the way he cultivated a hobby that offers a different glimpse into the personality of the A-List actor. For the past 17 years, he has been a pilot and a staunch supporter of the general aviation industry.

Last week, Ford did a live interview at EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to talk a bit about his experience as a pilot, and to encourage space exploration of the aviation kind.

“I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to represent others in the aviation community to the general public, as communication is pretty much what I do,” Ford said, smiling.

Of course, Ford has a new film out now, so any interview is an opportunity for self promotion. (The film, Cowboys and Aliens, opened last Friday in theaters nationwide). Outside of a brief mention of the film’s opening and encouraging moviegoers to check it out, Ford talked up the need to encourage young people to explore aviation. Certainly, that is what AirVenture is all about, so Ford’s comments were on target for his Oshkosh audience. In the broader sense, they should appeal to the rest of us, too.

Ford was chairman of the EAA’s “Young Eagles” program for several years, and personally gave children the opportunity to experience their first airplane flight through the program. That positive experience with general aviation can touch a child’s heart in a profound way, Ford said.

“One of the things I feel very strongly about is that an interest in aviation promotes an interest in learning,” Ford said. “A lot of kids are just not focused on achieving, and they don’t see opportunities for themselves. If they can get involved in aviation with its incremental learning and the combination of responsibility and freedom that comes out of that, they can develop a lifelong interest in learning.”

Last year, Ford won the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, the highest honor awarded each year to a "living American for significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States."

Consider these highlights of his pilot resume: In 2010, he piloted humanitarian flights in his Cessna Grand Caravan to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, delivering doctors to Port-au-Prince and Hinche; he also spoke to a Congressional caucus about the importance of general aviation to economic development, humanitarian efforts, and medical services; and he has made public service announcements to continue the drum beat for the cause. And those are just the highlights of the past year.

While Ford has the visibility to lend to his passion for aviation, he obviously admires his fellow aviators. Pilots, he said, “are good people.”

“A lot of people are not involved in their communities, are not involved in their government. By and large, pilots are responsible, engaged, educated citizens.”

How cool, to have a hobby that gives you such a positive view.

(You can watch the entire Ford AOPA Live interview at the AOPA’s website:
http://www.aopa.org/aopalive/?watch=ZibzFwMjq9yYt4Y7LumVOglMlzUtI6rh)

Copyright 2011 By Marianne V. Heffernan