Monthly Archives: November 2020

AWAKENING TO GIVE THANKS

Posted on November 26, 2020 | 2 comments

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey

Susie Q

I hope you enjoy this post from a few years ago. It says so much that I think is relevant during these times and any others. This honors Thanksgiving but also Susie who has aged considerably and may not be around as long as we would like. So Happy Thanksgiving to you All!

For the last several years, I have focused on the philosophy that Oprah espouses, and it has served me well. It has reprogrammed my previous disappointment with the specific aspects of my life with a belief that there is more good than bad in the challenges I’ve encountered. I have grown in many ways that have made me a wiser person because I have often been forced to change the way I see things.

Pets Offer Us to Love

I know that most people prefer dogs, but I’ve always preferred cats. They’re so cuddly like holding a baby in your arms, and they take care of their own cleaning, eat when they feel like it, and use a litter box so you don’t have to walk them on rainy days. They are much easier to live with than a dog if you live in apartments as I usually have, and their need for some “private time” works nicely with my need for time alone. While many people see them as indifferent, I have always felt very loved by my cats.

I never wanted a dog. You have to walk them, bathe them, give them lots of attention, and they are rather scary if they don’t like you, especially if they are large. However, I’ve been around many dogs because I live in a dog-loving city where many people have bumper stickers that read “Dog is Love” and take their dogs into stores and out to dinner with them. Asheville has been called “The Paris of the South” partly because it has so many restaurants with outdoor dining areas. Personally, I believe these areas were created for the customers who refuse to be separated from their dogs even for a meal.

Receiving Two Gifts, Not One

I never expected to have a dog in my life on a daily basis, but here I am, the adopted mother of a dog named Susie Q. She is in my life because one of the great gifts I’ve received this year is a relationship with a loving man, her “daddy,” a man who has all the qualities I had on my list for the perfect partner. I didn’t realize when I started seeing him that I had received two treasures, not just one.

Dogs Can Teach Us to Be Thankful for Small Things

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t choose to be involved with a man who deeply loves another woman, but I decided to make an exception in this case, and I’m glad I did because Susie Q is a wise woman dog. She has taught me so much about love and thankfulness. In a time when people often don’t say thank you when you open the door for them, I truly appreciate how thankful Susie is.

Each time we meet, she is so excited she comes running up to me with her tail wagging, barking, and jumping around like a happy little kid. When I pet her, she looks at me with her dreamy brown eyes like I’m the most wonderful person in the world. She shows her affection for me by sitting on my foot, or if I’m sitting, she sweetly lays her head on my shoe. If I would let her, I’m sure she would crawl into my lap, but she’s a little large for that.

Animals Demonstrate the Love They Are Shown

With a tail that wags “thank you” for each good thing she experiences, no matter how small, she reminds me to appreciate all that I experience in life. She accepts me when I am joyful, and when I am sad, she is nearby looking for an opportunity to show her concern. It is clear to me that she is able to love so much because she has been loved and that says a lot about her “daddy” –a man who knows a great deal about giving and receiving love. Susie Q and I are very lucky women.

Be Open to Unexpected Gifts

So, on this day before Thanksgiving, with the first snow of the year falling, I am reminded that some of our greatest gifts come from unexpected places in unexpected ways. If we are willing to keep an open mind, we will be present to accept them.

Thanks to each and every one of you who read and follow my blog.

May you have an abundant Thanksgiving!

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Posted in Inspirational Posts

Tagged #WPLongform, Abundance, Dog, Gratitude, Positive thinking, Receiving Love, Spirituality, thanksgiving

AWAKENING TO PLAY

Posted on November 18, 2020 | 1 comment

“The one thing that nobody else has is you, your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” Neil Gaiman

What is your favorite way to play? Is play a regular part of your life? How does it make you feel?

I love to play with words! Crossword puzzles delight me and I do one every morning even when I need to get help from my husband whose broad vocabulary includes sports terms I’ve never known. Sports have never interested me except for gymnastic events.

About once a week I lure my husband into playing Scrabble with me. Even if he didn’t play with me, I’d probably just play with myself because the challenge of trying to create the word combination with the most points is fun. It’s a great distraction from ordinary daily activity.

Reading and Writing Create New Experiences

But the ultimate word game is writing. Of course, it is about much more, but at a creative level each word counts more than in Scrabble. My word choice describes an action, a thought, an emotion or physical aspect of a person or place. One word can bring a scene or character to life.

During this quarantine, I’m especially grateful that I love to read and write because there is little I can do away from home. While I can’t play with the words I read, I often admire the way an author uses them to create images and actions that draw the reader into the story. Reading also makes me think and there’s plenty of time for that – to allow my mind to wander and explore the best solution for a challenge in my life.

Exploring Ways to Play

As adults it’s not unusual for us to have forgotten how to play unless we have children who will be only too happy to demonstrate for us. For those of us without young children, we have to find our own ways to play in order to lighten our mood and give us joy.

Where I live we can hike or drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway although it is sometimes crowded and hard to find a safe place to get out. We also have three small lakes nearby to walk around and watch the ducks and geese. Near us is a golf course where people play, keeping their distance. Walking in the neighborhood with plenty of trees and dogs is very pleasant.

Playing Together On The Internet

I’m grateful for Zoom because it allows us to see others at meetings or book groups even when they are states or countries away. If the time conflicts with dinner, we can still attend the event, eat, and participate at the same time. This can also be helpful for parents who have to stay at home to watch their kids.

While I’m not always happy with Facebook, it is another way to play with life. I am grateful because it allows me to see photos and videos of my grandnieces and grandnephews playing sports or cheering. Friends make me laugh with their posts of amusing animal photos or humorous quotes or cartoons. Others love the outdoors and share sunsets over the mountains, paths through the forest, and brightly-colored flowers and leaves. Song writers even post their latest compositions or even offer a concert on line.

Playing With Inner Peace

While it is important to find ways to play when life is so restricted, there is also a need to play with inner peace. None of us remain happy all the time, but how we interpret any experience is affected by our mental and emotional condition. When we do activities that we consider fun, the positive energy uplifts us. But there are times when we do not find an experience to be fun because our negative mental energy pulls us down. When that happens, we need to take the time to “play” with our minds by sitting quietly in a meditative way, take a deep breath and exhale, letting the negative energy leave us.

What we feel at this time may be a form of anger, depression, or boredom, but at the core of all negative emotions is fear. Sit quietly and see yourself surrounded with light. As you inhale, breath the light into your body and on the exhale allow the darkness of your negative thoughts to leave your body. If you are feeling many different things, focus on one at a time until you feel it release.

When we are able to spend some time in this peaceful place, we are more able to “play” with the restrictions of our lives. With time and practice, this experience of meditation can bring us the peace to experience life in a more positive way. Wishing you a safe, joyful, and playful week!

AWAKENING TO OUR COMFORT

AWAKENING TO DEEPEN OURSELVES

LIGHTING OUR DARKNESS

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Posted in Inspirational Posts

Tagged Creativity, Dance, Draw, Going Deeper, Joy, Meditation, Release Fear, Spiritual Journey, Transformation, Vision, Write

AWAKENING TO TODAY’S TRANSITION

Posted on November 11, 2020 | 1 comment

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” Eckhart Tolle

How do you feel about the political transition we are all in? Is there also a personal transition in your life? How are you dealing with the changes that need to take place?

It’s a gray, rainy day and I wish I had a cat. I used to have two cats and loved the way they snuggled with me in bed or when I sat on the couch reading. Their warmth and fuzziness were comforting and it was difficult when both had passed.

Dogs can be comforting too, but our current dog Susie is on her last legs, literally, and spends most of the day sleeping on her bed. There was a time too when she climbed onto a human bed to comfort my husband’s former wife when she was ill. But now it is difficult to see Susie slipping away although we all have to make the ultimate transition sooner or later.

In some sense we are all in transition at this moment in our country. Unfortunately, it isn’t looking like a smooth one. We all have experiences in life when we need to move on, but the change may feel difficult and uncomfortable. We may resist because it is disappointing to leave a good job, to lose the person we love, or see the candidate we supported lose an election. Accepting the discomfort of this situation allows us the opportunity to recover and move on.

Changes Are Reality

When we refuse to accept the inevitable, we harm ourselves and often others. President Trump’s refusal to concede ignores the value of a peaceful transition that benefits all citizens and himself. But his attitude indicates that he values himself only when he has power over others. To have one’s self-worth based on such an idea leads only to disaster.

At first, I was only angry when he refused to concede. Now that he has proceeded with trying to change the election results, I’ve realized he is even more insecure than I suspected. Despite his attempts to create difficulty for President-elect Biden, his aggressive behavior will only turn more people away from him. This is a democracy. The people have made a decision, and it’s time for Trump to move on.

There are always things we need to do to prepare for a transition when we are aware of it in advance. If the transition is the result of losing a loved one, we may shed tears, reach out to friends who have hopefully reached out to us, and give ourselves time to see what changes we need to make in order to move on.

We Can Learn From Losses

My maternal grandmother was the one person in my life who totally accepted me. She always expressed her love, accepted who and where I was, and supported me without judgement. Losing her was devastating and I grieved for a long time. But with time, I understood that her love would always be with me, that I truly was the good person she saw me to be, and after I grieved, I understood she would always be in my heart.

I’ve also made many transitions moving from place to place. Naturally, the moves required much preparation: physically packing, hiring a moving van, and finding a new place to live. Although difficult at times and not always a desired transition, something good invariably came into my life. I had a better paying job, made new and interesting friends, or lived in a healthier environment.

When we choose to stay stuck, we close our minds to new possibilities that may expand our lives. We shrink our possibilities. When we are forced into a transition that we do not desire, it is a rich time for reflection. What have we been doing wrong? What have we been doing right? Change presents an opportunity to learn, and we all need to be life-long learners.

Being president has made Trump feel more powerful than ever. Anything else, he considers a loss. Instead he needs to realize the opportunities that being an ex-president offer. Having served in this office gives him influence that persists, but his inability to move on, his desire to destroy what he can to make the transition difficult for Biden only diminishes his own power. Yet he cannot see that. How sad.

As Trump leaves office, I have only these words for him: the more you destroy our democracy, the more you are personally diminished. Leave office with the elegance of the king you wish you were.

Related Articles:

AWAKENING TO TRANSITIONS

AWAKENING TO RELEASE ILLUSIONS

TRANSFORMING THE FEAR OF CHANGE

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Posted in Inspirational Posts

Tagged Change, Consciousness, Courage, Growth, Inspirational, Letting Go, Positive thinking, Power, Spiritual Awakening, Transition

AWAKENING TO THE OTHER SIDE

Posted on November 4, 2020 | 1 comment

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Marie Curie

How do you feel about the election? Does the late counting disturb you? How will you feel if your candidate doesn’t win?

This election has created heightened anxiety for many of us and it may be days before we really know the outcome. Initially, Trump is doing better than I expected and some seats in Congress and the Senate aren’t going in the direction for which I had hoped.

I often walk around shaking my head. How can so many people vote for a man whose words are often so demeaning? How can they vote for a president who has refused to help people struggling during this pandemic? How can women vote for him when he often acts so disrespectfully toward women?

I don’t understand. Obviously, there are people who think like him, who have the money to do what they want and buy what they want, who don’t need government help even in this trying time. Do they like him because they share his values? Do they like him because he pushes people around and disrespects them to show he is powerful or to prove how manly he is?

Will they vote for anyone who attaches the label Republican to their campaign? Are they afraid that their family or community will reject them if they don’t vote for him, even if they don’t agree with him in all respects? Or do they vote for him because they actually think he will help them in some way although his actions so far prove otherwise?

I often feel like I’m living on another planet although fortunately I live in a very caring and aware community that takes seriously police reform, affordable housing needs, and the goals of Black Lives Matter.

While some of the election results are not what I wanted to see, I have to be hopeful to the end. I refuse to give in to the darkness that hovers over us and the fears that our democracy will soon be destroyed by a man who admires Putin and Hitler, who loves to create fear in people by threatening to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, the only income and medical insurance many older people have.

Years ago, I watched one episode of his reality television show The Apprentice. The way he treated and manipulated people frankly grossed me out. It disturbed me to think that people actually enjoyed watching him act like this. After seeing this program, why would anyone want him to run the country? Perhaps many of our citizens have become so addicted to the characters on television that they have begun to believe that is real life.

I guess all we can do today and for the next few days is to take quite a few deep breaths, pray for peace, and love all those in our lives regardless of their voting choices. Maybe one day, we will understand. And by all means, remember to love yourself as well.

To learn more about how to release your fears read the following:

AWAKENING TO RELEASE OUR FEAR

AWAKENING TO UNEXPECTED FEAR

AWAKENING TO THE PEACE AND WHOLENESS BEYOND FEAR