Jackie Sikes

Halloween and trick or treating are behind us, but giving treats is always in season. I've never been very good at tricking people, but I love giving treats. In past years, I belonged to a group of ladies who called themselves the Fairy Godmothers of IRV. IRV was the name of the assisted living and nursing home in Fairfield Bay. They have changed owners and are now the Springs. This group of ladies would sign up to donate small treats for all IRV residents. There are usually over one hundred residents, and we did everything from making handmade Christmas stockings and filling them with treats to a simple tray goodie for St. Patrick's Day. COVID-19 ceased the activities of the Fairy Godmothers, but they picked up a year later. Then, we fizzled again. I'm excited to say we are back and even stronger than before. We aim to give each resident a “treat” at least once a month. They also have a company store where they use their bingo bucks to buy more treats and personal products.

Well, I did a thing this week ... I retired. I didn't think the day would ever come. This time in my life is very confusing. It's strange not to have a “plan” each morning when I get up, and there isn't a need for an alarm clock. Wow, who would have thought? It's such a relief after a very challenging past year. I know that they say when one door closes, another one opens. For me, that saying has always been more like when one door closes, I climb out the window.

At one time I thought about doing a column called, “Random Thoughts”, because there are times that these sometimes crazy, random thoughts just hit my brain and I wonder where they came from. Somehow, the other day, Sean and I were talking about reincarnation. I'm not one hundred percent convinced that this is possible, but I am not one hundred percent convinced that it's not true. During our discussion, I commented that if reincarnation is a “real” thing, I would like to return as a bald eagle. My reasoning is this. A bald eagle is majestic; it's protected; after this life and having to fix my hair every day and the constant challenges of that, it might not be such a bad thing. I love flying, so how cool would it be to fly on my own and not in a plane? Finally, the best reason to be an eagle is that I'm not too fond of mice, and I could eat them as an eagle. When I asked Sean, he just said he wanted to be who I was so we could still be together. How sweet.

By JACKIE SIKES “The best protection any woman can have ... is courage.” – Elizabeth Stanton What a tough week.

Integrity: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Using the phrase “younger generation” might sound like I'm a complaining older person, but I'm not. I'm far from that, and it is the best way to tell my story about a young man I met briefly at Walmart. I did something I hadn't done before. I ordered a week's worth of groceries from Walmart and parked to pick them up.

Saying I love you comes so easily when talking to a child but not so easily when talking to an adult. Of course, we say I love you to our spouse or significant other, but how often do you tell your friends, co-workers, and other family members who don't live with you that you love them? Why do we overlook this effortless expression of emotions? If you are fearful of rejection, concerned about getting hurt because of hurts in your past or feel awkward telling someone you love them, I get that, but again, I ask why. We know life is short, and tomorrow isn't promised, so why do we hesitate? Are you willing to change this? I do, and I'm happy that I chose not to miss a single opportunity to tell someone that I love them. At first, I will admit that it was a little awkward, but it became increasingly easy as time went on. Mostly, I love everyone I meet until they do something or say something that makes me reconsider that decision. I am so much happier since I made that choice.

Christmas is here. A child is born, a savior, Christ the Lord. Halleluia. The baby Jesus was the greatest gift that we have been given. “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” Calvin Coolidge.

I do love the holidays and get a little depressed over the winter months, especially in January, when there isn't anything planned and there are no holidays to celebrate. So, one of my New Year's resolutions is to look at January in a different light. Instead of getting depressed, I will remember to smile at the simplest things, like listening to a child's laughter. There isn't anything better. I had one of my great-grandchildren for a few days, and nothing can warm my heart and put a smile on my face like hearing a young child giggle. Their giggles go all the way to their toes, and their face is pure delight. Polly Schack said it best: “No sound is so pure, so exhilarating, so refreshing, so infectious, so inspiring as the unrestrained laughter of a child.”

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. As a Colorado-born and raised girl, I love the snow time. The best thing about Arkansas snow is that it doesn't last for weeks or months. You can play in it for a few days; then it's a memory. I have enjoyed looking at all the photos of the kids playing in the snow on social media. Kids of all ages are enjoying the winter wonderland. I, too, went outside and built my snowman. I made a snow angel and couldn't resist throwing a snowball or two at my best friend. Who, by the way, has a much better aim than I do.

I'm sure you all have heard the saying, “One man's junk is another man's treasure.” So I did a thing. I started a booth at a local flea market, and at first, I was having a hard time getting rid of my junk. I'll explain. For instance, I had these cute cups shaped like an ice cream cone. I bought them from Avon many years ago. They are super cute, and I have so many wonderful memories of making sundaes and other treats for my children in them. The kids loved them and the treats they ate from them. I saved them for many years. I used them when my grandchildren would visit. They, too, loved them. Now I'm onto great-grandchildren, and I had thought about using them again, but I don't get to have them nearly as much as I had the grandchildren, so I decided to give them to one of the granddaughters. As I continued to go through my junk and try to determine what I wanted to put in my booth and what I wanted to save, the memories attached to these items kept interfering. How silly is this? Then I looked around the house and realized I don't have room to keep everything! Geez, why do we do this?