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Published on 02/02/1998 All articles from this issue

Addressing issues of the heart

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By Kerri Havnen Gordon

My life is not an exact science. At times I wish it were. OK, I almost always wish it were and that I knew precisely how things would turn out. I march or muddle through my days, weeks, years, and for the most part I make good choices.

I get up in the morning and give my sons a decent breakfast before sending them off to school. I work at my part-time job; I try to be a supportive wife and devoted friend. I attempt, but usually fail, to stay on top of the often dismal laundry situation at my house, and I shuttle kids to lessons and practices.

I am always well intentioned. But when it gets right down to it, my life is a living experiment. I try things; I wait to see how they turn out. I do more of those same things, or I make adjustments. Then I wake up and start over again.

We all do that, you know.

This is the first of my monthly columns with the Los Altos Town Crier, and I am pleased to be here. In "The Living Experiment," I will not be addressing "issues," other than those of the heart. I confess an appalling lack of interest in important matters such as zoning issues and term limits. Much more interesting to me is daily life: humor, gratitude, simple pleasures and challenges.

Here is what you can expect from me in the coming months. I'll be telling you how my sister and I spent a delightful evening reading our parents' courtship letters from the '50s. I'll fill you in on the irresistible bond I share with my "moms' group." And I'll disclose, somewhat reluctantly, that my family eats altogether too much cereal for dinner. My living experiment has nothing to do with petrie dishes or growing molds, although you may find a few of those in the back of my refrigerator. It's nothing really important - just scenes from an everyday life.

One more confession. I ripped off the living experiment title from a Jack Nicholson quote I read the other day. He decided back in 1972 that he would no longer keep track of anything using days or years and that his life is a living experiment. "Isn't that the truth," I thought. All our lives are living experiments. But I would never have guessed I'd be quoting Jack. Anais Nin or Ann Morrow Lindbergh, maybe, but not Jack. Just another experiment.

You and I live through lots of them, every day.

I hope you'll join me for a few.