Tis only December. Local folks say this is a mild winter. That it will continue mild. So far, it has been very pretty. Especially in the confines of this apartment complex. I don't have to shovel. I already pay for it. That is a very good thing.
Before snowplows, folks spent hours removing the white stuff. Tales are told that people would wake up at 3 a.m. just to keep up with the powder. So they could get to work, so they could get out. That would continue with whoever was in the house all day. It wasn't an easy life. People did find romance with the unique snow flakes. No two are the same. Nature is like that.
I had planned to go fabric shopping in Massachusetts today. Some forty-five minutes south to a shop I like. That may have to wait until the following week. I am learning to go with the flow in north country.
I am told the warmth begins in May. MAY???!! My southern sensitivities will have to adjust. Soon. My thoughts turn to finding a warmer winter climate. Three months should do it.
But until then, being outside in a snowfall makes me laugh. Such joy!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Favorites
A few of my favorite hand written mantras:
Where we began is really where we always need to be.
I'm not hard to be around, I just don't want to live your life.
Before social networks, e-mails and cell phones life was in the moment. Not on.
Living in the mountains taught me sustainability. Living on the seacoast brought me home.
- Beth -
Where we began is really where we always need to be.
I'm not hard to be around, I just don't want to live your life.
Before social networks, e-mails and cell phones life was in the moment. Not on.
Living in the mountains taught me sustainability. Living on the seacoast brought me home.
- Beth -
Friday, December 28, 2012
Make Yourself Necessary
We all know those kinds of people who just makes themselves...necessary. The first person I met like this was Diane. Probably the most unattractive woman physically, but she could sure put herself together. She always looked stunning. Even she thought she was stunning. I was always intrigued by that. She clearly had some wonderful mothering. She wasn't especially interesting. She was quite rich. We often lunched out in her Mercedes. She couldn't read a map or get a half mile down the road to find my house, despite a dozen or so trips to it. I am told she became a registered nurse. Diane made herself necessary.
The next person I met was a woman with whom I worked in a managed care company. My memory of her is all about her fingernails. They were acrylic. It was 1992 and they were Amy's power nails. She was louder than loud. Very necessary. Commanding.
Ken was more than knowledgeable. He was a solid carpenter and quite expensive. He wanted to be in charge but came about it in an unassuming way. Partnered, he often invited me to dinner. Even picked up the tab. In time, I realized he wanted my contacts. We worked together on a project. I made it clear to him that I didn't care about being the pivotal person. I just wanted to put the group together. To be a part of it. For a while, he was quite necessary. Even he thought so. Then one day, I removed myself from the group I started. I knew under his tutelage, the group would flounder. Sadly, it did. He unnecessaried himself. Fast.
We make others necessary because we leave ourselves. It is well nigh time to make ourselves the necessary ones. We are the ones we have been waiting for.
The next person I met was a woman with whom I worked in a managed care company. My memory of her is all about her fingernails. They were acrylic. It was 1992 and they were Amy's power nails. She was louder than loud. Very necessary. Commanding.
Ken was more than knowledgeable. He was a solid carpenter and quite expensive. He wanted to be in charge but came about it in an unassuming way. Partnered, he often invited me to dinner. Even picked up the tab. In time, I realized he wanted my contacts. We worked together on a project. I made it clear to him that I didn't care about being the pivotal person. I just wanted to put the group together. To be a part of it. For a while, he was quite necessary. Even he thought so. Then one day, I removed myself from the group I started. I knew under his tutelage, the group would flounder. Sadly, it did. He unnecessaried himself. Fast.
We make others necessary because we leave ourselves. It is well nigh time to make ourselves the necessary ones. We are the ones we have been waiting for.
Anew
It is close to the end of this calendar year. Time to delete all the frustrations I have
written. Time to release them to the
wind. Maybe that is why it has been so
windy of late.
Some say this full moon this 28th day of December
is the reason for the gloominess, maybe it is the end of the frustration. It's been my nearly constant companion way too long. Point blank,
this life can be tough. My mind can be
tough. It has been like this for the
past three years. Mostly.
But I still feel wise. I know what I know. I know my truth. But where is the adventure? Have I found it but haven't accessed it? Maybe I don't need to find it. Maybe I am already living it? Why doesn't it feel comfy?
Then I wonder about the melancholy. I grow weary of being told I am deep. If you see me as deep, you are way too shallow. That in and of itself, says a lot about the kinds of people I can be around. Scorpios require depth. We see things in wholeness. I understand others might not. I, too, have my own limitations. I love deep, centered folks. Open folks. Funny folks. Positive folks.
I think this disillusionment it really began, or at least I felt it as such when
I organized a group of environmentalists to bring about some well needed
changes in the county where I lived for a decade or so in the south. One particular
fellow, whose company I had enjoyed in the past…just friends... showed his true
colors. To say I was more than
disappointed is an understatement. As I organized the group with no particular ownership to it, I made a simple requirement. There would be no centralized leader. We would all have a vested interested. When this fellow dominated the group, I made a gracious exit. No explanation. I was done. Finito. It
was at that point that I felt more than empty.
Empty. My reason for being in the mountains was finished. I could no longer function in the person I had become.
It seemed that my course was set to change. Life does that. Gives you obstacles through which you need to
navigate in order to come back to yourself.
The trouble is I am not feeling back to myself. I am not sure any more just what that is. I have changed. I've always felt hopeful. Until now. I feel
sad. Numb. Lost.
In being lost, maybe I am finding a new course. A new self. One that is more sustainable. Maybe my jaunt to the mountains was about that. To learn sustainability. To find that elusive grounding. Whatever it is, I surrender.
Could it be that in the surrender one is made anew? I hope so.
Full Moon Today
Full Moon December 28th, 2012. Now that you’re going to be here for awhile…
Without laboring too much on the causes, I want to look at the effect of this “shift” we have been experiencing. In the simplest terms I have come up with, what is happening is that the boundaries separating our hearts are dissolving. Each of us has different experiences of this – for some people it is terrifying and their reaction is to fight back against it. For some of us, as we learn to express ourselves, it isolates us from our family of origin because they don’t understand. It is changing our lives and the world around us, for sure.
We’re at this point between epochs, between ages. We’re undergoing a huge evolutionary leap. And change never seems to happen from a place of comfort. Hence, for most of us, these have been very tensional times. We can’t take any baggage to where we’re going.
It is the case that our karmic patterns, those looping lessons, each have their own life-force energy. And like all living beings, they have a survival instinct. Coyote-style, they know when we become aware of them. And they know when we’re vulnerable, paying attention to too many other things, so they can loop back around and bite us.
Welcome to the holidays! And welcome to the Full Moon of December, 2012.
Pretend for a moment that I’m the great Phillip Marlowe, delivering one of his breathtakingly dry understatements. After I’ve watched you take your fifth shot with all the old pals, or run your credit card dry at the mall, or hide in the bathroom while the rest of the family talks about how worried about you they are, I’d offer you a smoke and say, “… the holidays bring up a lot of old stuff, don’t they.”
And it’s funny because here we are at the end of 2012, post-ascension. We’re all 5d and stuff. But a lot of those patterns survived. The pressure to buy a flurry of gifts that you haven’t really thought about and can’t really afford; the black loneliness of actually not being able to afford ANY gifts, or of not having any family; the “Christmas spirit” of overeating and over drinking, etc. et. al… they all seem to have survived the end of the Mayan calendar too.
And it’s good to admit it. Another, even wilier pattern would be to pretend that the holidays don’t open any doorways for your past to come through. Whatever your vision of the “perfect holiday” is, I’d be willing to bet pretty high on any one of three things – you either ran yourself ragged trying to make sure it happened, or, you have feelings of inadequacy around having not quite achieved it, or, your pretense of attaining the vision is so stretched out and brittle that other people are tiptoeing around you, wondering when you’ll crash.
Please understand, I’m not saying that it’s impossible to have a really beautiful holiday experience – especially now. And I really hope you have. But there are a lot of astrological factors that tell me it’s likely that “… a lot of old stuff” has come up. The ongoing Pluto/Uranus square has a lot to do with it, trying to push us through the bottom of whatever molds we’re encased in. Jupiter, Ceres and Vesta are all retrograde in Gemini, causing a chaotic blend of desires to escape the pressure and continue to fit into those old molds. Saturn and Pluto, Karma and Fate, are squeezing us all towards the random escape routes that retrograde Jupiter can find. Let them. They’re asking you to stop pretending to be perfect.
In my way of looking at things, the greatest gift anyone can give is to reveal their heart, to crack open wide and be brave enough to say “here I am. I am me, and glad to be me. I am ready to see you.” This is the gift of compassion and forgiveness that transcends all blood line and societal karmas. And I think that that’s what all the astrological pressures I listed above are asking of each of us. To give the gift of our hearts – to each other and to the Earth.
It is no longer possible to look for 12.21.12 to release you from being human. In fact, it was human of you to think that it was going to set you free from your looping, from Saturn or Pluto – so I thank you for all the heart you gave to that.
And I ask you now to use the rest of your life to open your heart to being here. The Earth is an extremely interesting place to inhabit.
Have you ever looked into the tides? They’re essentially bulges in the Earth’s oceans that follow the meeting point between the Sun and the Moon. Just trying to grasp what causes them and to then work into your vision of them the spinning of the Earth is, for me at least, way better than a Rubik’s cube. And it gets even cooler when you realize that these same forces actually change the shape of the Earth, at certain times bulging the crust nearly two feet. Physicists at the big particle accelerators have to take into account the way the Sun and Moon change the shape of the Earth every day in order to accurately measure the results of their experiments.
Maybe 3d isn’t as static and confining as we used to think, huh?
Beyond the physical effects, I find a great deal of meaning in the Sun/Moon relationship. And I am hopeful now that 12.21.12 has passed that more people will take an interest in the metaphysical growth opportunities their dance offers.
On 12.28.12, at 5:21 AM Eastern Time, the Moon is Full in the 8th degree of the sign of Cancer, Opposite the Sun in the 8th degree of Capricorn. When you think about the physical effects of the Sun and Moon being on opposite sides of the Earth, you get a sense of how the Full Moon feels – for me, there is always a sense of being pulled apart.
But what is being taught is openness. I think of New Moons as very personal, intention-setting opportunities, while the Full Moon is the opportunity to check in with the tribe to see how each has done with their New Moon intentions. As this Moon coincides with a major holiday weekend and a lot of outer-planet pressure, I feel like it’s going to be a strong opportunity to “check in with the tribe.” And given all the retrograde energy in Gemini, I’ll just go ahead and predict that a lot of people will go to great lengths to keep their emotions safe from all that pressure. In other words – for many people it’s going to be a hell of a party.
Not that I have anything particularly against that, it’s just that I think there is something much richer and more rewarding about joining the sacred circle instead of heading for the mosh pit. Whatever you do, I hope you feel good about it afterwards.
I invite you to think of this Full Moon as an opportunity to practice the open-hearted oneness that we are evolving towards. During the night of the 27th especially, I encourage you to share your feelings with those closest to you. Make time for a heart-to-heart about what you experienced during the Solstice and the Holidays – whether it was beautiful or difficult, whether you were loved or feared. This will be a great opportunity to “clear the air,” that is, dissolve some of the barriers around your heart.
May you see the Love at the center of each being you meet!
With Love,
Jon
We can’t bomb nature into submission, but we CAN love her into health!
Now is the time, and you are the one.
Thank you,
Jon Waldrup
Incarnational Astrologer
(208) 290-8578
Skype: fulfillmentdegree30
Source: http://jhaines6.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/full-moon-december-28th-2012-now-that-youre-going-to-be-here-for-awhile/
I Was Home
More rain than one could imagine. Barrelsful. Then a pause. Snow. Not accumulating to much along seacoast New England. That's how I like it. It's dreaming weather. Those times you get deep into your luscious history.
Louise has been in my dream lately. She lived on Drury Lane. In second grade, she drew pictures of horses. One she named after her street in Baltimore. It was Louise who made me want to draw. Horses. And I got quite good at it. I wonder how Louise is today. She was just so nice.
Nice. It's quite a word. I am remembering all the nice people in my life. The dreamers, too. I was one of the daydreamers in school. Lifelong. But I got to live one of mine beginning in the late 1990s. After the marriage had completed, and I was a bird out of a cage, my heart opened to more possibilities. This time it would be solo. I might partner but I wouldn't marry. Now.
I've often written about the Smokies. That beautiful spot in your mind that you just can't imagine it could be a real place. Only when you fly over it you know the truth. It is more than real. Maybe that is why it is the most visited of the national parks. It also became my home.
My home was on the side of a mountain. I don't know that there is a name for it. Most of the mountains in the area are named. Mule Pen Mountain stands in front of my porch. I do know it is one of the very best things I have ever done for myself. It's a mere 1.49 acres of heavily forested land. For sale. The place that in time, became a retreat. A preserve. Every imaginable forest animal traversed the land. They knew they were safe. I was more than safe. I was home.
But circumstances change and it was time for another adventure. Leaving it was bittersweet. The loneliness became intolerable after I unpartnered. Again by choice. Partners can be fun if they grow with you. Some can't and need to continue their own adventure. You have more to experience.
After I found a suitable place to dwell in seacoast New Hampshire, it was time to pack up my things. I couldn't leave the mountains fast enough. Not so much because I wanted to, but because the pain of doing so was unbearable. How could I leave this place that gave so much to me? So much to a woman whose heart was broken. So much joy, so many memories. A history that was my choosing. A place that will always be in my heart. And more gratitude that anyone can imagine.
Sometimes I want desperately to return. But then, I would have to leave it. Maybe it is better not to visit. It's a very long drive. Eighteen hours by car. This experience of leaving a beloved home is foreign to me. I have always returned to every home, every state I have lived in. More than once. But this place is in my heart. Deeply. I have a few close friends there. They understand. I yearn to see them. To know they are okay. But I also know they will soon begin their own journeys. Away. Their hearts yearn to explore, too.
My heart was on the side of a mountain. For eleven years. I was home.
Louise has been in my dream lately. She lived on Drury Lane. In second grade, she drew pictures of horses. One she named after her street in Baltimore. It was Louise who made me want to draw. Horses. And I got quite good at it. I wonder how Louise is today. She was just so nice.
Nice. It's quite a word. I am remembering all the nice people in my life. The dreamers, too. I was one of the daydreamers in school. Lifelong. But I got to live one of mine beginning in the late 1990s. After the marriage had completed, and I was a bird out of a cage, my heart opened to more possibilities. This time it would be solo. I might partner but I wouldn't marry. Now.
I've often written about the Smokies. That beautiful spot in your mind that you just can't imagine it could be a real place. Only when you fly over it you know the truth. It is more than real. Maybe that is why it is the most visited of the national parks. It also became my home.
My home was on the side of a mountain. I don't know that there is a name for it. Most of the mountains in the area are named. Mule Pen Mountain stands in front of my porch. I do know it is one of the very best things I have ever done for myself. It's a mere 1.49 acres of heavily forested land. For sale. The place that in time, became a retreat. A preserve. Every imaginable forest animal traversed the land. They knew they were safe. I was more than safe. I was home.
But circumstances change and it was time for another adventure. Leaving it was bittersweet. The loneliness became intolerable after I unpartnered. Again by choice. Partners can be fun if they grow with you. Some can't and need to continue their own adventure. You have more to experience.
After I found a suitable place to dwell in seacoast New Hampshire, it was time to pack up my things. I couldn't leave the mountains fast enough. Not so much because I wanted to, but because the pain of doing so was unbearable. How could I leave this place that gave so much to me? So much to a woman whose heart was broken. So much joy, so many memories. A history that was my choosing. A place that will always be in my heart. And more gratitude that anyone can imagine.
Sometimes I want desperately to return. But then, I would have to leave it. Maybe it is better not to visit. It's a very long drive. Eighteen hours by car. This experience of leaving a beloved home is foreign to me. I have always returned to every home, every state I have lived in. More than once. But this place is in my heart. Deeply. I have a few close friends there. They understand. I yearn to see them. To know they are okay. But I also know they will soon begin their own journeys. Away. Their hearts yearn to explore, too.
My heart was on the side of a mountain. For eleven years. I was home.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
The Workout
We've survived whatever December 21, 2012 was about. This blogger thinks it is a shift in consciousness. Do you feel it? We've also survived relationships that didn't serve us too well. We knew this going in. Maybe next time we will listen to our intelligence ~ our highest intuition. Right?
We have also survived all the ways we were poorly socialized. The belief systems we were led into as babies, then bought into as we grew. All done unconsciously. Have you examined these? All of them?
I bet you smiled at this. Feels a bit too familiar, eh? Instead, let's just laugh it off. It is just such a silly thing. Have you laughed off all your seriousness about yourself, too? We take ourselves way too serious. I can sure attest to that. Great on the theory, daily workouts with the application.
So many people put their efforts toward a physical workout while ignoring the inner one. The one that keeps us stuck, berating ourselves, made at others for not being what we want them to be. But are we being what we want us to be? Now that...is the kicker.
As the year comes to a completion and another begins anew, what attributes are you taking into 2013? Are you allowing others to be who they are? Are you loving yourself enough? Does your kindness and compassion extend within. First?
Have a loving 2013!
We have also survived all the ways we were poorly socialized. The belief systems we were led into as babies, then bought into as we grew. All done unconsciously. Have you examined these? All of them?
I bet you smiled at this. Feels a bit too familiar, eh? Instead, let's just laugh it off. It is just such a silly thing. Have you laughed off all your seriousness about yourself, too? We take ourselves way too serious. I can sure attest to that. Great on the theory, daily workouts with the application.
So many people put their efforts toward a physical workout while ignoring the inner one. The one that keeps us stuck, berating ourselves, made at others for not being what we want them to be. But are we being what we want us to be? Now that...is the kicker.
As the year comes to a completion and another begins anew, what attributes are you taking into 2013? Are you allowing others to be who they are? Are you loving yourself enough? Does your kindness and compassion extend within. First?
Have a loving 2013!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Mr.Bump-On-The-Log: Part 2
"Call me when you get home."
Beth was in the middle of a Rumble Bumble gym with her family when the call came in.
"I won't be home til late."
"Just call me when you are in."
Beth didn't like the insistence. Demanding nature of his edict. So she called him when she was about to fall asleep that night. She was beyond exhausted. She was Emergency Room material.
"Hi. How are you?"
"Fine."
"Come down and give me a hug."
"I just told you I am in bed, absolutely exhausted."
Silence.
More silence.
"All kidding aside, come down and give me a hug."
"I can't. I can't move. I am exhausted and I am going to sleep soon."
"The hell with you."
The phone was silent.
Beth laughed uncontrollably.
Thank you. Thank you so very much. Confirmation is the best. Thank you for affirming what I thought all along. You are one jerk. Of course, this fell to deaf ears but it didn't matter. Beth was the one she was waiting for.
And she couldn't wait to return the few items he lent her. She was more than done. In fact, she beamed.
Beth was in the middle of a Rumble Bumble gym with her family when the call came in.
"I won't be home til late."
"Just call me when you are in."
Beth didn't like the insistence. Demanding nature of his edict. So she called him when she was about to fall asleep that night. She was beyond exhausted. She was Emergency Room material.
"Hi. How are you?"
"Fine."
"Come down and give me a hug."
"I just told you I am in bed, absolutely exhausted."
Silence.
More silence.
"All kidding aside, come down and give me a hug."
"I can't. I can't move. I am exhausted and I am going to sleep soon."
"The hell with you."
The phone was silent.
Beth laughed uncontrollably.
Thank you. Thank you so very much. Confirmation is the best. Thank you for affirming what I thought all along. You are one jerk. Of course, this fell to deaf ears but it didn't matter. Beth was the one she was waiting for.
And she couldn't wait to return the few items he lent her. She was more than done. In fact, she beamed.
Mr.Bump-On-The-Log: Part 1
"4 to 8 inches?!"
Beth wasn't too happy about this. After all, she slaved all week to prepare for the Stillwell clan. All eight of them. She even invited a neighbor who had no where to go. He had no where to go because he hadn't cultivated relationships. More than a bump on a log, this man did nothing all day but smoke, drink and watch tv. It wasn't always this way. Especially in his twenties. But he was quickly approaching seventy.
The rest of the Stillwell clan had worked hard to have nice relationships. Over time they found commonalities among each other. There was never any discussion of differences. They were all too emotionally intelligent to know where this would land them. Then they would have to deal with the fallout from their spouses who dearly cared about family.
Family is like that. There are some no-fly zones. Religion is okay to be discussed but never politically. Two siblings on opposite fences. Then there was the mother who saw both sides. Sides. That is what they were. Beth had no interest...any way shape or form to have anything but harmony. As the only parent, she was more than pleased.
Half of her family had to leave early to avoid the blizzard. The other half had to work the next day. Beth's dogs spent most of the day collapsed on the floor. Children do that to you. And being sequestered away from the family does, too.
Mr. Bump-on-the-log liked Beth. He told her that at the most inappropriate times. Like when she was about to serve a meal to her entire family. Like when they all sat down. Beth thought she had invited a six year old. And she had. But that wasn't the worst of it.
He kept calling her even though he knew her family was in town. That she was winging this whole shabang by herself. Beth didn't invite him because she hadn't invited him into her heart. But what he did that night ended whatever kind of relationship they might have in the future.
Beth wasn't too happy about this. After all, she slaved all week to prepare for the Stillwell clan. All eight of them. She even invited a neighbor who had no where to go. He had no where to go because he hadn't cultivated relationships. More than a bump on a log, this man did nothing all day but smoke, drink and watch tv. It wasn't always this way. Especially in his twenties. But he was quickly approaching seventy.
The rest of the Stillwell clan had worked hard to have nice relationships. Over time they found commonalities among each other. There was never any discussion of differences. They were all too emotionally intelligent to know where this would land them. Then they would have to deal with the fallout from their spouses who dearly cared about family.
Family is like that. There are some no-fly zones. Religion is okay to be discussed but never politically. Two siblings on opposite fences. Then there was the mother who saw both sides. Sides. That is what they were. Beth had no interest...any way shape or form to have anything but harmony. As the only parent, she was more than pleased.
Half of her family had to leave early to avoid the blizzard. The other half had to work the next day. Beth's dogs spent most of the day collapsed on the floor. Children do that to you. And being sequestered away from the family does, too.
Mr. Bump-on-the-log liked Beth. He told her that at the most inappropriate times. Like when she was about to serve a meal to her entire family. Like when they all sat down. Beth thought she had invited a six year old. And she had. But that wasn't the worst of it.
He kept calling her even though he knew her family was in town. That she was winging this whole shabang by herself. Beth didn't invite him because she hadn't invited him into her heart. But what he did that night ended whatever kind of relationship they might have in the future.
Post Holiday Thoughts
Morning came early. 4 a.m. I don't sleep well when I know I have to be up soon. This time, it was to take two family members to the airport. We left at 6:30 a.m. Yawn.
Now it is clean-up time. Time to do lots and lots of laundry. It was also time to do some repair work. My daughter enjoys sewing. I wanted to help her out so I repaired a pillow. She and I are in the process of sewing.
I admit to liking things neat and tidy. Being in chaos is troubling. Sometimes I think I need more of it to allow myself to go within and find that peace that often eludes us. I attribute this to personality. And history.
Christmas is harder now in some ways. My space constraints are tighter. Always one to love having company, this place is just too tight for more than one. Especially with my dogs. In my NC life, I had a utility room. They were relegated there when I had company. I also had a backyard.
But it doesn't work to talk about what was. There are way to many "what was's." Epicletus plays on my mind.
"It's not what happens to you, it is your thoughts about what happened to you." Epicletus.
I somewhat understand people who like or who have zero tolerance for anything deviating from their quiet. I know a couple like that. Even barking dogs bother them. More rigid than I for you. And glad I have some flexibility. It doesn't get easier with age, either.
My Blu Ray is working. Twas a bit confusing, albeit very frustrating with my family members all telling me how to start it at the same time. I am one of those step by step people. Finally, in total disgust I let it out.
"Consider me special ed when it comes to this. Then maybe...maybe you can slow down enough to actually help me." Trust me. It wasn't said in kindness or compassion. Grrr.
I was reminded to let the energy go. Others had moved on.
I also ended the beginning of a relationship with a very immature man. I will listen to my intuition better next time. Hopefully.
It was a nice holiday. Seeing my family is wonderful. My best moments were dinner out at a local restaurant. No stress, easy conversation. Yup, the best.
I hope y'all have a wonderful week!
Now it is clean-up time. Time to do lots and lots of laundry. It was also time to do some repair work. My daughter enjoys sewing. I wanted to help her out so I repaired a pillow. She and I are in the process of sewing.
I admit to liking things neat and tidy. Being in chaos is troubling. Sometimes I think I need more of it to allow myself to go within and find that peace that often eludes us. I attribute this to personality. And history.
Christmas is harder now in some ways. My space constraints are tighter. Always one to love having company, this place is just too tight for more than one. Especially with my dogs. In my NC life, I had a utility room. They were relegated there when I had company. I also had a backyard.
But it doesn't work to talk about what was. There are way to many "what was's." Epicletus plays on my mind.
"It's not what happens to you, it is your thoughts about what happened to you." Epicletus.
I somewhat understand people who like or who have zero tolerance for anything deviating from their quiet. I know a couple like that. Even barking dogs bother them. More rigid than I for you. And glad I have some flexibility. It doesn't get easier with age, either.
My Blu Ray is working. Twas a bit confusing, albeit very frustrating with my family members all telling me how to start it at the same time. I am one of those step by step people. Finally, in total disgust I let it out.
"Consider me special ed when it comes to this. Then maybe...maybe you can slow down enough to actually help me." Trust me. It wasn't said in kindness or compassion. Grrr.
I was reminded to let the energy go. Others had moved on.
I also ended the beginning of a relationship with a very immature man. I will listen to my intuition better next time. Hopefully.
It was a nice holiday. Seeing my family is wonderful. My best moments were dinner out at a local restaurant. No stress, easy conversation. Yup, the best.
I hope y'all have a wonderful week!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Lucky
It's my first winter holiday in New Hampshire. There may be snow flurries Christmas Day.
Now that the cookies and meal making are behind me I sit for a time to reflect. Mostly on the now. With enormous gratitude. Wow.
I am lucky to have my family under my roof tonight. To have them all for dinner soon. Lucky to be living near my daughter. And this lil man who reminds me of what really matters in life.
Lucky for all my friends who are so dear. Lucky for a new man in my life. So glad I was/am able to trust again.
I am indeed blessed.
Now that the cookies and meal making are behind me I sit for a time to reflect. Mostly on the now. With enormous gratitude. Wow.
I am lucky to have my family under my roof tonight. To have them all for dinner soon. Lucky to be living near my daughter. And this lil man who reminds me of what really matters in life.
Lucky for all my friends who are so dear. Lucky for a new man in my life. So glad I was/am able to trust again.
I am indeed blessed.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Pre-Holiday Thoughts
Holidays have always been fun. Exciting. Preparing holiday meals, shopping, buying little gifts for my family were always delightful. I also loved having them in my western North Carolina home. It was more than spacious, easily accommodating everyone. Even the kitchen was wonderful. There was always so much room in which to prepare meals. And, I got accustomed to having things done in a relaxing manner way ahead of time. A place for everything.
But as I get older, I see how much of a control freak I am. I want things a certain way. A place for everything. Of course, my family doesn't care anything about that. I am learning some lessons functioning in my apartment in New Hampshire now. I hope I can stop complaining about this. Now.
This is my NC home. For sale. Interested?
Realizing how lucky I am to have found such a nice place in the beginning, I admit to longing for my former space above. My life feels a bit upside down today. And lately. A lot. I am closer to family and I love that. Absolutely!
Now I am trained as a gerontologist. I have worked in retirement homes. I heard folks talk about parting with long held treasures to simplify their lives. Sometimes I think I did this move way too early. I wouldn't think so if my accommodations were more spacious. But then I would probably find something else to complain about. At this stage, I am supposed...earned...want... things easier. I want some remnants of my former life. But only the ones I choose. The truth is I am damned lucky life is so good. So I will quit b*tching and enjoy all that is. In a minute. Promise.
I won't tell you about my experience making Russian Tea cookies. That I couldn't find the right ingredients, that the oven cooks hotter than it registers, that my Kitchenaid mixer died. That my kind neighbor lent me his hand held one. I also won't tell you most of the cookies are in the trash. They fell apart. This time next year, no doubt I will have a new mixer, find the exact ingredients I need and maybe even...if I am lucky make these little treasures. Oops, I just told you.
Tomorrow or the next day I might even bake Brown Bottom Cupcakes with my lil man. I hope the mixer works better. He loves these little delights in the mini-muffin papers. I wish I could say I am not huffing and puffing over this.
Soon my family will be here. I will hold the moment and love being together with them. I will love that I am in a warm and dry place. That the dogs could be here with me. That I have an underground garage. That I could even afford to move here.
Yes sirree. I am learning flexibility. It is a good thing. I do believe I even have a smile on my face now.
Happy Holidays!
But as I get older, I see how much of a control freak I am. I want things a certain way. A place for everything. Of course, my family doesn't care anything about that. I am learning some lessons functioning in my apartment in New Hampshire now. I hope I can stop complaining about this. Now.
This is my NC home. For sale. Interested?
Realizing how lucky I am to have found such a nice place in the beginning, I admit to longing for my former space above. My life feels a bit upside down today. And lately. A lot. I am closer to family and I love that. Absolutely!
Now I am trained as a gerontologist. I have worked in retirement homes. I heard folks talk about parting with long held treasures to simplify their lives. Sometimes I think I did this move way too early. I wouldn't think so if my accommodations were more spacious. But then I would probably find something else to complain about. At this stage, I am supposed...earned...want... things easier. I want some remnants of my former life. But only the ones I choose. The truth is I am damned lucky life is so good. So I will quit b*tching and enjoy all that is. In a minute. Promise.
I won't tell you about my experience making Russian Tea cookies. That I couldn't find the right ingredients, that the oven cooks hotter than it registers, that my Kitchenaid mixer died. That my kind neighbor lent me his hand held one. I also won't tell you most of the cookies are in the trash. They fell apart. This time next year, no doubt I will have a new mixer, find the exact ingredients I need and maybe even...if I am lucky make these little treasures. Oops, I just told you.
Tomorrow or the next day I might even bake Brown Bottom Cupcakes with my lil man. I hope the mixer works better. He loves these little delights in the mini-muffin papers. I wish I could say I am not huffing and puffing over this.
Soon my family will be here. I will hold the moment and love being together with them. I will love that I am in a warm and dry place. That the dogs could be here with me. That I have an underground garage. That I could even afford to move here.
Yes sirree. I am learning flexibility. It is a good thing. I do believe I even have a smile on my face now.
Happy Holidays!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Stop The Violence
Where do we begin to discuss the events of Friday in Newtown, Connecticut? That has been one of my overnight towns when I travel north/south. We are all numb.
Leonard Cohen, a now 78 year old singer, songwriter, musician, poet,novelist presents this tribute:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-SeKsVm7YE
His work "explores religion, isolation, sexuality, and interpersonal relationships." I heard of him on a blog a few years ago.
Actor Morgan Freedman said this:
"Morgan Freeman’s brilliant take on the shooting in Connecticut:
Turn Off the News
“You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here’s why.
…
Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he’ll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.
CNN’s article says that if the body count “holds up”, this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer’s face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer’s identity? None that I’ve seen yet. Because they don’t sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you’ve just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.
You can help by forgetting you ever read this man’s name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news.”
Leonard Cohen, a now 78 year old singer, songwriter, musician, poet,novelist presents this tribute:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-SeKsVm7YE
His work "explores religion, isolation, sexuality, and interpersonal relationships." I heard of him on a blog a few years ago.
Actor Morgan Freedman said this:
"Morgan Freeman’s brilliant take on the shooting in Connecticut:
Turn Off the News
“You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here’s why.
…
It’s because of the way the media
reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater
shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and
Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single
*victim* of Columbine?
Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he’ll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.
CNN’s article says that if the body count “holds up”, this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer’s face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer’s identity? None that I’ve seen yet. Because they don’t sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you’ve just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.
You can help by forgetting you ever read this man’s name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news.”
Source: http://harrisspeaks.tumblr.com/post/38012607039/morgan-freemans-brilliant-take-on-the-shooting-in
What is it about our society, our world that allows this to happen? When we spend more money on the military, more of our energy on violence than we do on our own people. When we stop the violence in the media...tv, movies, etc. and focus on loving relationships maybe then...and only then we have a change to truly evolve.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
E-Harmony
Buyer beware. A review of the online dating site, e-Harmony:
"I recently filled out a profile on eHarmony, complete with the personality questions they asked. According to eHarmony, this is a point by point personality profile based on psychological data, etc. in finding the perfect match. A little background about myself should be told before I go on about the matching. I am a recovering alcoholic/addict with 5 years clean and sober. I do not drink and I do not drug. My sobriety will not survive if I get into a relationship with someone who is not sober. When I was asked, "Do you drink?" I answered never. The next question was, "What would you be willing to accept from a potential partner?" I answered, "Drinks a few times a year." I was then asked how important this is to me and I answered very important on the sliding scale.
When I finished and checked my matches, everyone (there was 7 total) indicated that they drink several times a day! Are you kidding me? My only hope for a relationship based on this so-called psychological profile is to settle for a drunk? Can someone please tell me the name of any shrink that would say that I should date an alcoholic or drug user? I understand that this was only an online questionnaire, they do not know my past. But when I say that I do not drink and it is very important that the person I am with at the most only drinks a few times a year and I am matched with drunks, I tend to believe that the whole psychological profile stuff they are pitching is a load of crap. Not wasting my time on eHarmony."
And there is more:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/dating_services/eharmony.html
"I recently filled out a profile on eHarmony, complete with the personality questions they asked. According to eHarmony, this is a point by point personality profile based on psychological data, etc. in finding the perfect match. A little background about myself should be told before I go on about the matching. I am a recovering alcoholic/addict with 5 years clean and sober. I do not drink and I do not drug. My sobriety will not survive if I get into a relationship with someone who is not sober. When I was asked, "Do you drink?" I answered never. The next question was, "What would you be willing to accept from a potential partner?" I answered, "Drinks a few times a year." I was then asked how important this is to me and I answered very important on the sliding scale.
When I finished and checked my matches, everyone (there was 7 total) indicated that they drink several times a day! Are you kidding me? My only hope for a relationship based on this so-called psychological profile is to settle for a drunk? Can someone please tell me the name of any shrink that would say that I should date an alcoholic or drug user? I understand that this was only an online questionnaire, they do not know my past. But when I say that I do not drink and it is very important that the person I am with at the most only drinks a few times a year and I am matched with drunks, I tend to believe that the whole psychological profile stuff they are pitching is a load of crap. Not wasting my time on eHarmony."
And there is more:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/dating_services/eharmony.html
Happy 12/12/12!
My Dad (above) had a photographic memory. Mine isn't quite as good as his. But I do have his square face. See?!
Mom didn't. Nor did my bro. But I got her bunions.
Happy 12/12/12!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Interest
Last evening after a chat about December 21, 2012 I spoke about how economies are false. They are manipulated by humans. Below is a historical review of the prime interest rate. Mortgages are generally set 1% above prime.
As you peruse this, I am curious as to your thoughts given the history of our world. What do you believe justifies this. And please do not spew academic nonsense. This, too, is manipulated to answer the question.
Just 84 years ago this began at 2%.
1948 2
1956 4
1966 6
1970 8
1972 4.5
1974 11
1975 7
1978 11.75
1980 20
2012 3.25
This is quite of interest to this blogger. The burst in the bubble happened for a reason. Do you know why? Think human construct as you respond.
As you peruse this, I am curious as to your thoughts given the history of our world. What do you believe justifies this. And please do not spew academic nonsense. This, too, is manipulated to answer the question.
Just 84 years ago this began at 2%.
1948 2
1956 4
1966 6
1970 8
1972 4.5
1974 11
1975 7
1978 11.75
1980 20
2012 3.25
This is quite of interest to this blogger. The burst in the bubble happened for a reason. Do you know why? Think human construct as you respond.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
A Model Company - LLBean
Of course, I can't pretend to know what goes on in the board room, but I love dealing with LLBean. They are consistently kind, compassionate and caring. Speaking with them is like speaking to a long lost friend. It makes me want to buy from them.
They have a no-hassle return policy, too. Could it be the heartiness that attracts people to Maine? Maybe it is that the only people who survive in Maine are hearty. I don't profess to know which but I like them! Not too easy to know as a rule, but great folks often are not.
So while I had to tell the story about Comcast (they call themselves a communications company, too. They can't even stop the drop calls. Maybe they don't like Verizon Wireless folks?) because it is a story all too familiar for many of us. I wish them lots and lots and lots of competition. In the short run, competition (used) to ferret out the lousy customer service. That didn't hold to well with Frontier Communications (cough). Glad to be rid of them!
Here's to you, LLBean. The best in the coming year! You deserve it.
A loyal customer ~
They have a no-hassle return policy, too. Could it be the heartiness that attracts people to Maine? Maybe it is that the only people who survive in Maine are hearty. I don't profess to know which but I like them! Not too easy to know as a rule, but great folks often are not.
So while I had to tell the story about Comcast (they call themselves a communications company, too. They can't even stop the drop calls. Maybe they don't like Verizon Wireless folks?) because it is a story all too familiar for many of us. I wish them lots and lots and lots of competition. In the short run, competition (used) to ferret out the lousy customer service. That didn't hold to well with Frontier Communications (cough). Glad to be rid of them!
Here's to you, LLBean. The best in the coming year! You deserve it.
A loyal customer ~
Seven More...
Seven more phone calls (3-4-5 minutes holding time) before I am again disconnected. Getting clever this time I decided to go to customer service directly. Of course, I have tried that in the past with about a 30% success rate. Today I reached COMCAST MEXICO!
Twenty-three minutes into the conversation (a total of 10 minutes holding waiting for a Supervisor and then the Super's Super) these folks finally offered me something for their FIVE errors.
They will learn the error of their ways via karma. I don't like liars. Dishonesty. I found a bunch of them recently. This would never be my communication service of choice. But they communicate well. They want your money. Period.
Karma. It is already activated.
Twenty-three minutes into the conversation (a total of 10 minutes holding waiting for a Supervisor and then the Super's Super) these folks finally offered me something for their FIVE errors.
They will learn the error of their ways via karma. I don't like liars. Dishonesty. I found a bunch of them recently. This would never be my communication service of choice. But they communicate well. They want your money. Period.
Karma. It is already activated.
Thank you, Oprah
This blogger just couldn't say it any better.
"At the end of each school year in South Africa -- which is right now -- I teach a class to the 12th graders at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. It's my last chance before they move out into the world of college and beyond to try and cram everything I wish someone had told me into a week's curriculum... aptly called Life 101. If I had more time, it could definitely be a yearlong course. But because my obligations are as extensive as yours, I make the most of the week, highlighting my top five favorite lessons and starting with the Invictus poem I learned to recite at age 8:
1. "You are the master of your fate and captain of your soul."
2. You become what you believe, not what you wish for, and every choice makes it so.
3. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. Character or lack thereof always shows itself early.
4. My creed based on the third law of motion in physics: What you put out comes back always, in all ways.
5. Trust your gut. It's your spiritual GPS."
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/oprah-winfrey/oprah-winfrey-teaching_b_2232402.html
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Comcast Does It Again
What ever happened to honesty? Don't they believe in karma?
Several folks at the Comcast Corporation told me there is no additional charge for changing out the antiquated tv to a flat screen. I called three different employees at Comcast who all confirmed that. Even the technical person said the same box would be used.
I trusted Comcast. I can't even get in touch with them. I am always put on hold. Half the time they disconnect me after waiting 4-5 minutes. It is more than annoying.
I want more competition for this brute. I want honesty in business. Now.
Several folks at the Comcast Corporation told me there is no additional charge for changing out the antiquated tv to a flat screen. I called three different employees at Comcast who all confirmed that. Even the technical person said the same box would be used.
I trusted Comcast. I can't even get in touch with them. I am always put on hold. Half the time they disconnect me after waiting 4-5 minutes. It is more than annoying.
I want more competition for this brute. I want honesty in business. Now.
Coming Clean
Visiting a psychic/astrologer is a wonderful experience. It is by no way, a substitute for your own intuition. That must always come first. But a psychic/astrologer can clarify a few things for you. Mine sure did for me.
Not only did I learn that water can be very dangerous for me (I drowned in a past life), not honoring who I am can also. My past lives include living in England and living on a plantation in the south. I am told I was a southern belle by an astrologer who says she knew me then. We had an instant connection. I have never been able to watch ships sink. Clearly, I drowned on one. I closed my eyes during all the sinking scenes in the movie, The Titanic. Gasp.
I also had rough beginnings. We don't need to go into any of those but they all make sense. They always have. Often New Age folks believe they can skip their past but it doesn't work that way. You have to make peace with it and all the people in your life who just could not be there for you. It is hard for young children who didn't have a mother or father to go to. I know this well. Maybe that is why I am so sensitive to the emotions of others. It doesn't matter. I just am. I'm also a developing artist. Again.
As an intuitive, I learned young that I had this gift. I think I was about five years old when I had my first vision. I knew my father was having an affair, and that others in my life did, too. Over the years I would get a sense of marriages about to fold, including that of my parents. I knew when people would die and I could see their physical problems. It is especially hard when I know people are going to have a tragedy unless they get their act together. It does no good to tell them. They will do what they do until they want more. The same is true of me.
Sometimes I know when people are pregnant. I feel this energy. I feel earthquakes, too. And UFOs nearby. I feel fires and can see them. I know someone who was murdered but the FBI did nothing about it. I only do my part. The rest is up to others.
Tonight will change my life. Something will happen and it will set me on a new course. I am more than excited. I have no stake in which way this goes. None what-so-ever. Nor will I discuss it.
The purpose in writing this is to assist YOU, my faithful reader, in developing your own intuition. Being your own inner guidance system.
The days draw closer. It is time to come clean with what you want and who you are. Now.
Not only did I learn that water can be very dangerous for me (I drowned in a past life), not honoring who I am can also. My past lives include living in England and living on a plantation in the south. I am told I was a southern belle by an astrologer who says she knew me then. We had an instant connection. I have never been able to watch ships sink. Clearly, I drowned on one. I closed my eyes during all the sinking scenes in the movie, The Titanic. Gasp.
I also had rough beginnings. We don't need to go into any of those but they all make sense. They always have. Often New Age folks believe they can skip their past but it doesn't work that way. You have to make peace with it and all the people in your life who just could not be there for you. It is hard for young children who didn't have a mother or father to go to. I know this well. Maybe that is why I am so sensitive to the emotions of others. It doesn't matter. I just am. I'm also a developing artist. Again.
As an intuitive, I learned young that I had this gift. I think I was about five years old when I had my first vision. I knew my father was having an affair, and that others in my life did, too. Over the years I would get a sense of marriages about to fold, including that of my parents. I knew when people would die and I could see their physical problems. It is especially hard when I know people are going to have a tragedy unless they get their act together. It does no good to tell them. They will do what they do until they want more. The same is true of me.
Sometimes I know when people are pregnant. I feel this energy. I feel earthquakes, too. And UFOs nearby. I feel fires and can see them. I know someone who was murdered but the FBI did nothing about it. I only do my part. The rest is up to others.
Tonight will change my life. Something will happen and it will set me on a new course. I am more than excited. I have no stake in which way this goes. None what-so-ever. Nor will I discuss it.
The purpose in writing this is to assist YOU, my faithful reader, in developing your own intuition. Being your own inner guidance system.
The days draw closer. It is time to come clean with what you want and who you are. Now.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Life
Nils, the butler, is always ready to serve. Watching over gardens, trees and the preserve, a standfast servant. I liked him instantly.
Mountain high. Cool, crisp, pristine. It always takes my breath away. I wonder if it misses me as I miss it. I love this little town.
The path to the reflection bench. For years, I have raked it, keeping it unobstructed. It is closing in now. As a forest should be. It doesn't need human interloping.
A once beautiful preserve. Until the stupids destroyed it. It said a lot about those people and what they hold dear.
I chose not to sue these people who destroyed this pristine land. The forest, in time, would reclaim all of this and create the life stolen that September day. For eleven years, I enjoyed being the caretaker. It is time to release all of this to the next generation.
Mountain high. Cool, crisp, pristine. It always takes my breath away. I wonder if it misses me as I miss it. I love this little town.
The path to the reflection bench. For years, I have raked it, keeping it unobstructed. It is closing in now. As a forest should be. It doesn't need human interloping.
A once beautiful preserve. Until the stupids destroyed it. It said a lot about those people and what they hold dear.
I chose not to sue these people who destroyed this pristine land. The forest, in time, would reclaim all of this and create the life stolen that September day. For eleven years, I enjoyed being the caretaker. It is time to release all of this to the next generation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)