Midlife’s A Trip

Even More Karen’s Favorites from Britain’s Got Talent

Posted on 30. May, 2009 by Karen.

OK, now don’t say I didn’t warn you but this video will melt your heart as little UK songbird Hollie Steel gets a case of the nerves during her performance in the semi-finals. But surprisingly, she got a second chance from none other than tough as nails Simon! He really has a heart:-) She made a courageous comeback and then went on to the finals. Go Hollie!!

Continue Reading

Obama on Tonight

Posted on 20. Mar, 2009 by Karen.

Yesterday morning I woke up thinking I’ve got to watch the President on Jay Leno.  I went to bed thinking there’s something I forgot to do today.  Well you’ve got it right.  I missed the whole interview.  Nothing like a midlife moment.

If you missed this history-making segment of the Tonight Show too, here’s the entire interview with Jay and President Obama.  Enjoy.

Continue Reading

Taking an Oath with President Obama

Posted on 20. Jan, 2009 by Karen.

In a few hours Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.  This all takes me back to that day over 4 years ago when I was sitting in my living room watching the Democratic Convention.  I confess that I really had tuned in to watch the Jennifer Granholm, the governor of my state of Michigan who was scheduled to speak.

Before she came on, this Black man stepped to the podium and introduced himself.  I remember thinking “Barack who?” But I confess that there was something about him that in retrospect I can honestly say that he had me at “hello”.  By the end of his speech I was standing in my living room by myself — cheering like crazy.  That was the day I became an Obama supporter even though he had yet to announce his candidacy.  I went to work the next day and told everyone I had just seen the next president of the United States.  Everyone thought I was crazy.

Well as Grandma used to say “crazy like a fox”.  So today I’m thrilled to watch him take the oath of office that makes him the leader of our country and bearer of hope and change.  This is also an incredible burden.  Millions of us expect so much from him.  So President Obama, I’m taking an oath too:

I, Karen Batchelor, citizen of the United States of America and one of “we the People” hereby promise:

• Not to expect miracles as you sort through the challenges you face.
  
• To be patient.
• To be as good as citizen as I expect you to be President.
• Not to armchair quarterback every little decision you make knowing there are many steps required to put our country back together again.
• To steel myself against some tough days ahead.
• To keep as informed as I can about your strategy to bring about change and
  
• To hold onto hope and faith.
  

And this I swear.

Congratulations and God bless you President Obama!

Continue Reading

Bye Bye George W!

Posted on 19. Jan, 2009 by Karen.

I can’t resist. This is my farewell post to George W — maybe the only time I’ve smiled during his time in office. What about you?

Continue Reading

Happy New Year from Midlife’s A Trip

Posted on 01. Jan, 2009 by Karen.

This video is a great song by Abba about a vision of a world where everyone is a friend.  We’re a long way from that but maybe we can start to make it happen right here in this little corner of the blogosphere.  So to my friends and wonderful readers here at Midlife’s a Trip, here’s wishing you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Continue Reading

New Year’s Resolutions and Champagne

Posted on 01. Jan, 2009 by Karen.

Happy New Year everyone!!  On this first day of 2009 that started with the popping cork of a favorite champagne, I’m inspired by more than the bubbles.  Did you know that champagne as we know it today was created by a woman!  She was Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin or better know as “la Veuve (widow) Clicquot” which, by the way, is the name of my absolutely very favorite champagne.

Madame Clicquot grew up during the French Revolution.  She was widowed in her 20s when her winemaker husband died of typhoid.  Despite the odds of being alone and a single parent, la Veuve grew the family business into an empire and became a world renowned entrepreneur at a time when women were not typically welcomed in the business world.  Demand for her champagne spread across Europe like wildfire and at one point la Veuve made the equivalent of $1 million on a single shipment of her famous product.

The story of la Veuve’s life and how she made a fortune perfecting the process of making tiny bubbles is chronicled in a recent book by Tilar J. Mazzeo.  As I read the book, it seems that la Veuve’s success was less about champagne and more about her mindset.  Her philosophy was that:

The world is in perpetual motion, and we must invent the things of tomorrow.  On must go before others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life.  Act with audacity.

So what does it mean to be audacious?  It means to act with courage, bravery, nerve — that thing the old folks called “guts”.   So as I launch into 2009, I’m following la Veuve’s recipe for success and approaching my goals with audacity.

Let’s all be audacious this year!

Continue Reading

Main Street, Michigan Calling President Bush

Posted on 12. Dec, 2008 by Karen.

Today has been like a roller coaster here in Michigan as we watched the request for help for the Big 3 automakers shift from a big “no” from the Senate to a “maybe” from President Bush.  My sister and I were up at 6am, both tuned into the morning news from our respective homes, both of us not wanting to get up and face the chill of a winter morning and the chill of what metro Detroit would be like without one or more of the Big 3.

The news was better after I got back from a lunch meeting but fear of what could happen is still in the air around here.  Then I got a heads-up when someone sent me the email address for the White House.  So I drafted an email plea to President Bush.  Before you read it below, please think about making your support of help for the Big 3 know.  Email comments@WhiteHouse.gov and put “Loan Package for American Automakers” in the subject line.  If you weren’t sure why you should care, I hope my letter sheds some light:

President Bush:

I am writing you from metro Detroit to express my deep concern over the devastating ripple effect on the people in this region if one or more of the Big 3 automakers were to become insolvent. This email is to urge you to provide the automakers with a loan package to help them stay in business as they revise their operations to become more competitive in a global economy.

No one questions that the automakers could have focused on resolving their problems a lot sooner.  But if any of them file for bankruptcy, the negative impact will be as bad as any natural disaster.  Estimates are that more than 3 million people will be immediately affected.  With the “trickle-down” effect, we could find out the hard way that this estimate is conservative.

And for those of us who live here, there’s no escape. Much like the people who were stuck in that stadium during Katrina, we’re stuck here in Michigan-facing disaster but unable to start over someplace new because we’re super-glued to homes we can’t sell and can’t walk away from.  That’s if we don’t outright lose our homes because the loss of jobs means we can’t pay the mortgage.

Personally I believe that the insolvency of even one of the Big 3 could send Michigan into a depression. I grew up with parents who lived through the Great Depression and listened the stories of how they survived. I find myself thinking now that I wish I had taken notes. But who would ever have thought that, as a country, we’d be at this juncture again. Please provide the automakers with the help they need to stay afloat and keep the rest of us from sinking with them.

As one of “we the People” I’m counting on you.

Continue Reading

Peanut on Obama

Posted on 06. Nov, 2008 by Karen.

On election night we all gathered over at my sister’s to watch the poll results come in.  My 4 year old niece, the “Peanut” was thrilled with the company, the festive atmosphere and the party spread of food.  Oh — and the fact that she was allowed to stay up long past her bedtime. 

You see, my sister and I remembered that night in our childhood when our parents let us stay up all night to watch John F. Kennedy become president.  Funny, we’ve talked about that night often lately.  It’s etched on our memories. 

We wanted Peanut to have the same special memories of Obama being elected president.  Even though the results weren’t in yet when we gathered together, we all sensed it was just a matter of time.  And Peanut had to be part of it.

Shortly before Obama’s victory was announced, I was in the kitchen with Peanut explaining to her why this was all so important.  As I tried to set the stage for her in a way a four year old could comprehend, I gave her a short list of the reasons that Obama was the man we all wanted to see elected.  I ended with telling her that it was also very exciting that he would be the first Black man ever to be elected President of the United States.

Peanut smiled at that point in an indulgent and patient way.  She tilted her head, threw up her hands in slight exasperation with me and said:

Ti-Ti (that’s what she calls me), Barack Obama isn’t black — he’s brown!

I had to laugh!!  Peanut gets it.  Color is just color.  It’s not what defines you or makes you qualified or not for any job — even president.  Yet another life lesson from Peanut –

Out of the mouth of babes. 

Continue Reading

Obama Wins — Oh Happy Day!

Posted on 05. Nov, 2008 by Karen.

This music video sums up the joy I feel over Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States of America. Enjoy the song and savor this historic moment!

Continue Reading

An American Prayer for Obama

Posted on 03. Nov, 2008 by Karen.

As he heads into the last hours of a grueling but historic campaign, Senator Barack Obama now carries the heavy burden of grief after the loss of his beloved grandmother this afternoon.  I don’t know about you but I think he needs an American prayer from all of us–never mind what your political affiliation is. I’ve posted this video before but today someone really needs it. 

Our sympathies are with you, Senator.

Continue Reading

The One Vote Barack Obama Won’t Get

Posted on 03. Nov, 2008 by Karen.

I’m here to report that there’s one vote Barack Obama won’t get in this historic presidential election — my 89 year old mother’s.  But don’t get excited John McCain.  This isn’t a vote for you.  You see, Mom’s not voting for Senator Obama simply because she can no longer understand what the voting process is all about.  The dementia she has suffered from for years has robbed her of the ability to make an informed decision in this election.  Mom would be devastated if she knew.

But she doesn’t.  I had a conversation with her this past weekend to see if there was any hope of her being able to exercise her voting rights.  When I asked her if she knew who was running for president — she didn’t.  When I explained about the candidates, as objectively as possible, and asked Mom if she had an opinion on who she’d vote for — she didn’t.  And when I asked her if she wanted me to get more information for her — she didn’t.  At that point, I watched her retreat into the cave of her dementia; that place where she doesn’t have to face the fact that she can no longer make important decisions like the one that will be made tomorrow. 

If she were able, I know in my heart that my mother would be honored to have the opportunity to vote for Senator Obama.  There are many other seniors like my mother who are unable to vote for him tomorrow, though, for reasons beyond their control.  Let’s not forget them.  We stand on their shoulders — their efforts through the years form the foundation for the choices we have this Election Day.

So in honor of the choice Mom would make if she could, I’m dedicating my service as a legal monitor at the polls tomorrow to her.  If there’s an senior in your life whose mental and physical disabilities keep them from voting –

What can you do to honor them on Election Day?

Continue Reading

In Memory of Dad — Notes of Hope and Change

Posted on 23. Oct, 2008 by Karen.

This week marks the 6th anniversary of my father’s death. Dad was a true Renaissance man — a dedicated physician, an accomplished artist, mentor to many and hero to me. He was the grandson of a slave and the slaveowner’s son and son of a domestic servant and a sharecropper turned factory worker. Despite his humble beginnings, Dad excelled in school because back then, that was the only way a young “colored” guy could remotely get ahead.

Dad injured his leg as a child and had to spend a year in a convalescent home. Despite this, he graduated near the top of his class from undergrad. Although he was positioned to go to medical school, back then they only took 2 Blacks in a class. So he waited for a spot for a year, earning his Master’s along the way.

In his senior year of med school, Dad’s leg was re-injured in the 1943 race riots in Detroit. Faced with another year in a convalescent home, he said “the hell with it” and let them amputate his leg at the knee. Despite THIS, he graduated first in his class — a fact he never knew until he retired 54 years later. The only thing we can figure is that it just wasn’t seemly to have a young Black man as valedictorian so grades weren’t posted the year he graduated.

Dad went on to a wonderful practice based more on service than on monetary gain. And as he grew his practice, he and my mother nurtured and grew 3 children — I was the oldest. Lest you think Dad was an egghead, that was just the tip of the iceberg of the man he was. He had a smile that was infectious, a million freckles, a sense of humor that had us laughing to the point of tears on many occasions. And so many people loved him for the caring and supportive way he showed up in the world — always.

As I grew older, Dad became my trusted advisor, my sounding board for what was supposed to be right in life. He was an amazing man who lived to be 83 years old. If he were here today and I were to tell him that a young Black man — another Renaissance man — was running for president of the United States, he would not be surprised. He always believed in the possibility that this country could rise above the heavy burden left by our history of racism. Because despite all, Dad was a man who believed in a world made better by hope and change.

I know he would have loved and been uplifted by the incredible music that has come out of this presidential campaign. So in search of a positive note this week (instead of too many tears), I found and posted here some of the music videos showcasing the talent and positive energy Dad would have admired and enjoyed. I hope you enjoy it too.

I love you Dad.