HEART BEAT: The Simpler Life

Sometimes I watch the news, or maybe it is not just news but something sensational.  Lately I have seen how easy it is for a governor to fall from grace or a young woman to rise from obscurity to fame because of what two foolish people did wrong.
I myself have lived a simple life, paying my taxes and feeding the birds.  I like to wake up and make a cup of coffee (organic) day to start the day.  After that, I have maybe a peanut butter sandwich (rye bread) or oatmeal (steel cut).  For a change of pace, I fry an egg in olive oil (red pepper and salt).
I have not sought public office in years and in fact served in a student senate during college only because of a write-in campaign that elected me to a position that led me to be in charge of a senate finance committee for a year.  I served and did not have to resign over some scandal, although I drank my first glass of wine at a student government function (legally).
Once a photographer called me up to consider compiling a modeling portfolio.  I think somebody playing a trick on me must have given him my name.  I never aspired to be a model, even if I am the same height as Kate Moss and I used to be thinner than she (not because I tried).  I would not enjoy showing myself on catwalks (or elsewhere).  I prefer to sit by the fire with my two bonafide felines (and dog).
My friends know that I am vain about my hair and love watching it turn white.  It is also a well-known fact that nobody ever offered me a million dollars to visit the “Girls Gone Wild” bus or to appear in some glossy magazine (hair in a bun).  Nobody has offered me a million dollars to change a grade, change a flat tire, or lecture on the meaning of life.
While I do hope to run (or walk) the Schoolhouse 5K before I turn 70, I have never been a super athlete and do not anticipate anybody ever asking me to endorse a pair of running (or walking) shoes.  Instead, I will run (walk) around, advertising various companies for free, if anybody bothers to look at my feet as I whisk by.
At night, before I retire, I do love a bowl of oatmeal (steel-cut). Sometimes I add blackstrap molasses and kefir.  If I am feeling decadent, I will have some whole-milk yogurt with maple syrup from a brother’s first wife’s second husband’s farm.  Pecans zapped in the microwave to achieve a tender crisp add a nice touch.
When I think of the young woman who brought down Governor Spitzer, I wonder what the difference is between taking money (lots) for sex and taking money (a lot more) because you traded sex for money (or vice versa).  I have always made a living by my wits.  Maybe I should give lessons.