Solo journey

In the midst of the woods, at the top of a hill

Worthy of the climb--the path littered with aged roots demanded downcast eyes

Ceasing the progress--it was the quiet rustlings of scurring critters, the dance of light amidst the colours...the solo-ness of the moment that gave for the dismissal of things unimportant.

I thought it fitting--the compass in stone.

It's not that I was lost.

It was a matter of direction....of which direction next.....

The howscome of it.....

I'm somewhere between here and where I wanna be.
Truth be told, probably where I 'need' to be and not simply where I 'wanna' be.

I can be so fickle some times.

WPIML assured me that the way to wherever I'm going is through....which, ironically, is exactly where I am. In the 'through' part of the deal.

Go figure the through part is a bit tenuous at times.

Through involves acceptance.

Through involves surrender.
It probably involves a bit of my cooperation......go figure...

Sometimes I'm cooperative.
Sometimes--ummmmm....notsomuch......

Here's not a 'bad' place.....it's just 'here'. Leastwise, that's what he tells me.

There's no value, no judgement......it simply 'is what it is'.

If it involves a good cuppa coffee--I'm good with that.
No coffee=BAD

I don't care what he says.......
I can decide that has value if I wanna! Pfffffft!!!!!

*sigh*

Sometimes I'm such a dweeb.

It's not like I don't KNOW what he's telling me.

It's not like I don't KNOW I don't get to change others/the world around me/the circumstances at hand.
It's not like I don't KNOW.
I do.

Liking 'stuff' isn't required.
Doing in spite of.....is.

And I can do.
I can even 'act as if'......and sometimes buy into the feel of the moment and actually go with it.
But through is a bit tenuous some moments.

And it would seem that I let myself get snagged by how it all 'feels' and I buy into THAT being the whole shebang--when I know it's not.

Ewww.

Feelings jazz.....
Through ALWAYS seems to involve that feelings jazz......

Ick.
I'd rather colour on the sidewalk, thankyouverymuch......

Ah!

THAT'S why there's rain in the forecast for the whole weekend!!!!

*laughing*

SEE!!!! It IS all about MEMEMEMEMEMEME!!!!!!!

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!

Midpoint

Today's Fairy Reminder

Sudden obstacles, barriers in the way of our progress, doors that unexpectedly close, may confuse, frustrate, and even depress us. The knowledge that we seldom understand just what is best for us comes slowly. And we generally fight it, even after we've begun to understand. Fortunately, the better path will keep drawing us to it.

We may wonder why a door seems to have closed. Our paths are confounded only when our steps have gone astray. Doors do not close unless a new direction is called for. We must learn to trust that no obstacle is without its purpose, however baffling it may seem.

We may also need to remind ourselves that fighting an obstacle, pushing against a closed door, will only heighten our frustration. Acceptance of what is will open our minds and our hearts to the better road to travel at this time.

The obstacles confronting me invite me to grow, to move beyond my present self. They offer me chances to be the person I always dreamed of being. I will be courageous. I am not alone.

The rooted path

Things that make me happy

....sunshine on bare feets.

...the new super duper ball whirling, music makin', cup stacking, twirling palm tree, monkey popping toy.

....sharing syrupy zanthum gum pancakes with the bug.

....stolen adventures.

....hopping, plopping frogs.

....blossoms on the apple tree......(future thieving material dontchaknow)....

....mud! :-)

Fairy Reminder for Today

We do not have to work so hard at gaining our insights. Yes, we're learning that painful and disappointing things happen, often for a reason and a higher purpose. Yes, these things often work out for good. But we don't have to spend so much time and energy figuring out the purpose and plan for each detail of our life.

Sometimes, the car doesn't start. Sometimes, the dishwasher breaks. Sometimes, we catch a cold. Sometimes, we run out of hot water. Sometimes, we have a bad day. While it helps to achieve acceptance and gratitude for these irritating annoyances, we don't have to process everything and figure out if it's in the scheme of things.

Solve the problem. Get the car repaired. Fix the dishwasher. Nurse yourself through the cold. Wait to take the shower until there's hot water. Nurture yourself through your bad day. Tend to your responsibilities, and don't take everything so personally!

If we need to recognize a particular insight or awareness, we will be guided in that direction. Certainly, we want to watch for patterns. But often, the big insights and the significant processing happen naturally.

We don't have to question every occurrence to see how it fits into the Plan. The Plan - the awareness, the insight, and the potential for personal growth - will reveal itself to us. Perhaps the lesson is to learn to solve our problems without always knowing their significance. Perhaps the lesson is to trust ourselves to live, and experience, life.

Today, I will let things happen without worrying about the significance of each event. I will trust that this will bring about my growth faster than running around with a microscope. I will trust my lessons to reveal themselves in their own time.

The fruits of yesterday's wanderings

Today's Thought

The prize we each have been given is our ability to offer full and interested attention to people seeking our counsel. And seldom does a day pass, that we aren't given the opportunity to listen, to nurture, to offer hope where it's been dashed.

We are not separate, one from another. Interdependence is our blessing; however, we fail to recognize it at our crucial crossroads. Alone we ponder. Around us, others, too, are often suffering in silence. There is value in breaking the silence. The secrets we keep, keep us alone, separated and stuck.

Our emotional well-being is enhanced each time we share ourselves - our stories or our attentive ears. We need to be a part of someone else's pain and growth in order to make use of the pain that we have grown beyond. Pain has its purpose in our lives. And in the lives of our friends, too. It's our connection to one another, the bridge that closes the gap.

We dread our pain. We hate the suffering our friends must withstand. But each of us gains when we accept these challenges as our invitations for growth and closeness to others.

I will listen and share and all will be well.

Sooooooo.......

I might not have gone straight home from the Administration Meeting today....though the stupid meeting did last longer than usual today....three hours. THREE hours...

Yeah, well....

I mighta not gone straight home from the meeting.....

I mighta detoured and taken a bit of a walk.

And I mighta toted my camera in the car today cuz it mighta been a bit premeditated....so--notsomuch a coincidence....maybe....

(how'm I doin' on covering my bases? LOL)

The sun was out.
Stuff was greened up and blossoming, even.
And it wasn't so cold you couldn't enjoy yourself--if you were walking the trail.....which I mighta been...



I LIKE crispy food!

HONEST.

(how'm I doin'? LOL)

April Flowers

Five days of grey and cold.....and wet.....

I'm ready for a bit of sun--any bit.

The moon's full--not that I'd know.....it's been cloud covered.

The patio has had bits of me, huddled under the blankie in defiance of the stupid weather.

But the grass grows.
What's up with that?
I'm not sure how that works--but I'm guessin' it's a conspiracy with the lawnmower manufacturers.

Any bit of sun will do....

Today's Thought

How sick and tired we may become of people telling us to be patient or to learn patience. How frustrating it can be to want to finally have something, or to move forward, and then not have that happen. How irritating to have someone tell us to wait while our needs have not been met and were in the midst of anxiety, frustration, and inaction.

Do not confuse the suggestion to be patient with the old rule about not having feelings.

Being patient does not mean we go through the sometimes-grueling process of life and growing in it without having feelings! Feel the frustration. Feel the impatience. Get as angry as you need to about not having your needs met. Feel your fear.

Controlling our feelings will not control the process!

We find patience by surrendering to our feelings. Patience cannot be forced. It is a gift, one that closely follows acceptance and gratitude. When we work through our feelings to fully accept who we are and what we have, we will be ready to be and have more.

Today, I will let myself have my feelings while I practice patience.

Fairy Reminder

Each of us is special to one another.

And we are special to this very moment.

Because what is past can't be repeated, let's remember to enjoy every moment as it comes.

Let's pay close attention to each person, each activity that we encounter today.

It's not what we do today, but how we do it that counts.

*sigh*

No more bug.

No more groaning to get up off the floor for the bazillionth time.

No more cleaning up puddles from a splashy bath.

No more scrambling to catch up with the energetic explorer.

No more lap sitting and Pirate Pete reading.....

k........it's too quiet......

Pinks

Today's Reading

Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light.

—Jennie Jerome Churchill

Taking our friends and loved ones for granted, expecting perfection from them in every instance, greatly lessens the value we have in one another's life. Being hard on those closest to us may relieve some of the tension we feel about our own imperfections, but it creates another tension, one that may result in our friends leaving us behind.

We need the reminder, perhaps, that our friends are special to our growth. Our paths have crossed with reason. We complete a portion of the plan for one another's life. And for such gifts we need to offer gratitude.

Each of us is endowed with many qualities, some more enhancing than others; it is our hope, surely, that our lesser qualities will be ignored. We must do likewise for our friends. We can focus on the good, and it will flourish--in them, in ourselves, in all situations. A positive attitude nurtures everyone. Let us look for the good and, in time, it is all that will catch our attention.

I can make this day one to remember with fondness. I will appreciate a friend. I will let them know they matters in my life. Their life will be enhanced by my attention.

QOTW 4/24/10

Do you trust people?

Yup. I do.
I trust they're doing the best they can at that given moment in time.
I don't have to like it or approve....or judge it as 'good' or 'bad'. But I really do trust folks are doing their best under whatever their circumstances are.

Now--given that, I'm not stupid.
People have agendas......as do I.
There's a purpose to what we do--every time, conscious or unconscious....we're purposeful creatures.....

But...... Trust is a choice--not a feeling.
I used to use 'trust' as an excuse to stay stuck, to keep doing what I was doing and make myself out to be the victim of not being able to 'trust' given the experiences in my life.

I'm clear if I'm in the middle of the ocean, about to go under for the last time-- I want a life preserver.
I don't care who's tossing it in my direction.
I don't care what their agenda is, how tall they are, or if their food touches on their plate!

Toss me the freaking life preserver!!!!!!

"Excuse me--do you let your food touch?" is a non-issue.

I make the choice TO trust--and I do that over and over again.
Even when it doesn't make sense to the rest of the people around me.

And just for the record-- I do hear "why did you trust THEM!?".

I not always graced to know the power of that moment AT the moment I make the choice.
But I've come to know the power of trusting 'regardless'.
It's a way cool thing.....
It's a way loving thing.

Why would I wanna go backwards?

Still waters

TFTD

Our happiness is not a present someone else holds in his or her hands. Our well-being is not held by another to be given or withheld at whim. If we reach out and try to force someone to give us what we believe he or she holds, we will be disappointed. We will discover that it is an illusion. The person didn't hold it. He or she never shall. That beautifully wrapped box with the ribbon on it that we believed contained our happiness that someone was holding - it's an illusion!

In those moments when we are trying to reach out and force someone to stop our pain and create our joy, if we can find the courage to stop flailing about and instead stand still and deal with our issues, we will find our happiness.

Yes, it is true that if someone steps on our foot, he or she is hurting us and therefore holds the power to stop our pain by removing his or her foot. But the pain is still ours. And so is the responsibility to tell someone to stop stepping on our feet.

Healing will come when we're aware of how we attempt to use others to stop our pain and create our happiness. We will heal from the past. We will receive insights that can change the course of our relationships.

We will see that, all along, our happiness and our well-being have been in our hands. We have held that box. The contents are ours for the opening.

Toddling....

Hands in the air, swatting away anyone's hand that tries to take hers--Off she goes!!
It's laughable watching granddad trying to reason with her.
It's equally laughable listening to Mel telling the bug how it's gonna be--and having he-who-is-an-overprotective-neurotic whisper the undoings of that in her ear.


Okayyyyyy then....

Well, abject lesson in grand-parenting is about to happen for the granddad.

Nana is going to work this morning.

Granddad--will be getting his grandparent work-out.

Tell her 'NO'.

"Oh, c'monnnn....how can you say 'no' to that face?"

Simple. "NO bug." Shake the head at the same time--work on building those 'non-verbal cues'....save time and embarrassment later.

"Oh, be still. She's just a baby."

HA.
He's a bigger sucker than I am.

*shaking head*

I warned him.
I also gave him permission to let the bug play with Nana's new super duper ball whirling, music makin', cup stacking, twirling palm tree, monkey popping toy!

:-)

Reminder from the Reading Fairy

There are things that you can change, and there are things that you cannot change.

Both have much value.

The things you can change can enable you to create, to achieve, to express yourself, and to improve the world in which you live.

The things you cannot change give you the opportunity to grow stronger, to develop real wisdom, patience, acceptance, flexibility and effectiveness.

There is much you can learn from the things you cannot change.

And there are countless ways to positively apply that learning toward the things you can change.

NO (yes) Trespassing

Today's Reading

Just because you appear foolish, doesn't mean you are. In fact, some of the most brilliant, creative people can often appear to be quite foolish at first.

Anything that's out of the ordinary can seem foolish. Yet the way to make real progress in discovery is to go beyond what's ordinary and expected.

Don't live in fear of looking foolish. Because you'll discount your best ideas before you even have the chance to explore them.

There's nothing to be gained by proving how ordinary you are. Instead, find the great value in your own uniqueness and let that value become a part of you.

Oh LOOK!!! A chicken!!!!!

It's a wonder I get anything done....
And in all honesty, it's a task to make sure 'stuff' is getting done.

Himself tells me it's gotten wayyyy worse in the past few years.
Himself also gives me grief and wants me to feel nutzo cuz then he'll feel better about HIS quirkiness......so do I think he's credible?! Absolutely not.
I do blame myself for that -- afterall, you can only hang around the barbershop for so long before YOU end up with a haircut, dontchaknow....
And I do like messin' with him.....

But honestly--I have the attention span of a flea. I just go hoppin' along from one thing to another--midstream I'm off and running on something else.

Do I mind that there's a broom on the patio?
Nope. I swept it--and promptly found the sidewalk chalk......and the bubblegun (which, by the way, won over sidewalk chalk for a second day in a row).....until I discovered I needed a sweatshirt--and maybe a candle cuz I thought I saw a bug.....so I grabbed the bug zapper thingy which required a trip to the kitchen for new batteries, which meant that I needed to grab something to drink while I was there......which meant that I had to move the limp and ucky rusty coloured lettuce that was in the way of my vitamin water with electrolytes and minerals.....which meant tossing the lettuce and deciding the trash needed to go out--which meant a new liner for the trashcan....which took me to the pantry where I discovered there were pickles next to the soups that simply didn't belong there.....oh....and since when did we have a package of bunny marshmallows--which led to the question I hollered down the stairs that got me the answer 'The bug's coming?'.......which reminded me that I needed to call the girl--which I promptly did.

"Ummmmmm......'what am I doing?'......well, that's a good question that I can't remember the answer to. I think I was gonna get something to drink maybe?"

Shoot.

I FORGOT TO MAKE BUBBLES!!!!!!

Rawrrrrrr!!!!!!

Reading for the Day

What you tell yourself most frequently, you will believe. What you truly believe, you will incorporate into every aspect of your life.

It doesn't matter if it is objectively true or not. What you continue to tell yourself, day after day, becomes true for you and has a profound effect on your life.

Great power lives in the fact that you can choose what to tell yourself, again and again, in the thousands of moments that make up each day. With focus and intention, you can upgrade your beliefs about yourself.

You can upgrade your beliefs about what is possible for you. And by so doing, you will in fact expand your access to the very best of your possibilities.

You'll go precisely as far as you believe you will go. So there's every reason to believe the very best.

If some is good.....

Somehow I think we'll be having bitty ground squirrels this spring.....

It was a long winter....

Things that make me happy

....singing frogs.

....waddling duckie butts.

....fuzzy slippers.

....a new bucket of sidewalk chalk! :-)

....an adventure to the park--any park!

....pulling thin strips from string cheese.

....wee bitty sprouts from the seeds I planted. :-)

Today's Fairy Reminder

Acceptance

Surrender to the moment. Ride it out and through, for all it's worth. Throw yourself into it.

Stop resisting.

So much of our anguish is created when we are in resistance. So much relief, release, and change are possible when we accept, simply accept.

We waste our time, expend our energy, and make things harder by resisting, repressing, and denying. Repressing our thoughts will not make them disappear. Repressing a thought already formed will not make us a better person. Think it. Let it come into reality. Then release it. A thought is not forever. If we don't like it, we can think another one or change it. But to do that, we must accept and release the first thought.

Resistance and repression will not change a thing. They will put us at war with our thoughts.

We make life harder by resisting and repressing our feelings. No matter how dark, how uncomfortable, how unjustified, how surprising, how inappropriate we might deem our feelings, resisting and repressing them will not free us from them. Doing that will make them worse. They will swirl inside us, torment us, make us sick, and make our body ache, compel us to do compulsive things, keep us awake, or put us to sleep.

In the final analysis, all that we're really called on to do is accept our feelings by feeling them, and saying, Yes, this is what I feel.

Feelings are for the present moment. The more quickly we can accept a feeling, the more quickly we will move on to the next.

Resisting or repressing thoughts and feelings does not change us or turn us into the person we want to be or think we should be. It puts us in resistance to reality. It makes us repressed. Eventually, it makes us depressed.

Resisting events or circumstances in our life does not change things, no matter how undesirable the events or circumstances may be.

Acceptance turns us into the person we are and want to be. Acceptance empowers the events and circumstances to turn around for the better.

What do we do if we're in resistance, in a tug of war with some reality in our life? Accepting our resistance can help us get through that too.

Acceptance does not mean we're giving our approval. It does not mean surrendering to the will and plans of another. It does not mean commitment. It is not forever. It is for the present moment. Acceptance does not make things harder; it makes things easier. Acceptance does not mean we accept abuse or mistreatment; it does not mean we forego boundaries, our hopes, dreams, desires, wants, or ourselves. It means we accept what is, so we know what to do to take care of ourselves and what boundaries we need to set. It means we accept what is and who we are at the moment, so we are free to change and grow.

Acceptance and surrender move us forward on this journey. Force does not work.

Acceptance and surrender - two concepts that hurt the most before we do them.

Today, I will practice accepting my present circumstances and myself.

I will begin to watch and trust the magic that acceptance can bring into my life.

In case you were wondering where it was off to.....

........you can find it on the patio.

It's kinda cool to be told that.

No.

It's very cool to be told that....

Every once in a while it's good to be reminded of the power of sharing bits and pieces of your life. No, it's not always the 'pretty' bits and pieces that I share....sometimes it's the ugly, scary ones someone else needs to hear.
I don't always get to know what sharing something will bring to another person. But I know what 'not bothering to say what's true' brought into my life... It was that sense of alienation, of 'what's wrong with ME....'

Go figure--I do a lot of sharing.
People have asked me if I've ever shared 'too much'......
No--but I've shared too little at times, convinced that it said something about ME to share some things......convinced that 'this one I'm better off just keeping to myself'...... I was a secret keeper. I grew up a secret keeper and I got darn good at it....sad but true. It's what kept me 'stuck' over and over again and again.....

So when, after a cuppa coffee or two, and a bit of sharing I get to hear "Thank you--sitting on your patio has given me hope that I'd lost...." .....I get humbled and grateful.



Isn't it amazing how hearing that was enough to restore some in me.....

Two days in a row!

Yup--to the park again!

Only this time the girl had the camera and Nana had the bug.

Slides.... and swings.....and teeter tottery whozits...

.....tubes to crawl through with bubble thingies to look out of and everything!

OH! And a bouncy bee!!

We liked that one muchly, thankyou!!

TFTD

If we were logical, the future would be bleak indeed. But we are more than logical. We are human beings, and we have faith, and we have hope, and we can work.

—Jacques Cousteau

What is faith? It is believing in possibilities. It is the ability to carry on with our plans or to be true to our work even though we feel discouraged or tired. It is staying active in relationships even when we receive little in return or when our friends aren't able to respond.

If there were no doubt, there would be no need for faith. Faith is temporarily putting our doubts on the shelf and working toward our goals. Faith is trusting that help and support will be there for us even though they're not in view. It is looking at a map and choosing a new destination, getting on the road to go there, and trusting the marks on the map symbolize a real place that we will find.

I will leave room for my doubts and discouragement, but I will not indulge them. I will choose to go with hope. I will give my energy to the better possibilities.

Today's Thought

Truly courageous people know themselves.

They have been around enough to have depth to their souls, to let themselves love, and to feel the pain of life.

Today, I am grateful to know and share my feelings and to have genuine relationships with those I love.

We went on an adventure!

We saw turtles and duckies and geesies and mudcranes and muscrats and STUFF!!!!

AND.........

We saw trains!

:-)

Blooming yellow

Dear G-d--

I am not amused.

Don't get me wrong--I'm pleased the bug didn't get but a scratch. And I'm even sorta kinda glad she got the cookie and the kisses AND the Scooby bandaid....I mean, she's a wee thing and I'm a big people. I lived. AND I got a bandaid himself coloured on (even if I had to google it to get it!)

But I ain't amused....

I've done the ibuprofen.
I even did demerol cuz I wanted to function. k.....that was a bad choice cuz one doesn't really 'function' on demerol, I guess--but you know what I mean....
I called the physician.

I picked up the muscle relaxers and the less than demerol painkillers that DO allow for functioning without feeling stoned.....much wiser choice for me, ty.
I've resorted to stupid exercises from the back surgery from once-upon-a-time.
And I've even stopped kvetching about it and given to silently sucking breaths in when I move 'wrong'.

I'm NOT amused.
I said I'd give it til Monday.
That means THIS WEEKEND it needs to go away.
THIS WEEKEND.

k....just checkin'.....feeling the need to reiterate it.
........again......

Oh--and to remind You that I SAID I wasn't going in that tube again NO MATTER WHAT and I MEAN IT.

k...
If it's Your will....it's Your will....

Amen.
(which, of course means--'but you know what I want......')

Lemme say that again....

A M E N.

:-/

TFTD

Sharing our many experiences with others helps us understand how very similar we all are. We are unique only in the sense that each of us has a special contribution to make in life, one not quite like anyone else's.

Keeping secrets from others can make us fearful. We think: Could they really like me if they knew this? Yet we feel profound relief when we share our most shameful secrets and the one listening to us don't blink an eye.

We no longer find rewards from pretending we're someone we're not.

Our greatest reward now is the peace we experience from not having anything to hide.

We have learned genuine humility and that we are equals with other people.

No better, no worse.

Housesitting 101

I'm house sitting for the neighbor dontchaknow.

I'm a good little house sitter--I promised to steal his asparagus AND take care of the outdoor plants.

Soooo.....I'm watering his lone dandelion. Poor lonely dandelion....

And I'm encouraging my flowers to grow forth and populate.
Oh noooo no no--that's not my patch of violets.
That's his.

They grow around the asparagus I'll be responsibly stealing.

MY violets are purple.
HIS violets are contained in one bitty spot. Stifled. Imprisoned. Poor things...
Fancy spraying, flower killin' fella comes monthly to the neighbor's house, dontchaknow.

There's something very sad about the imprisoned violets and I feel it's my neighborly duty to do something about it......

Yup.
I'm gonna free some violets.
I have a spade and I'm not afraid to use it!

Fairy Reading

It's not as difficult as it may first appear to confront fear and anger with love and understanding.

The decision to do so is the first step.

Making this decision every morning is the second step.

Observing the success of this choice every night is the third.

Nothing will ever be the same again when we make this a daily practice.

That lives in the house that Mel built.....

.......yeah yeah......mighta been an excuse to remind folks about what's REALLY important......

Yup.

198 days to go!! :-)

TFTD

To use the past without being controlled by it - that is our responsibility to history.

Because the past is irrecoverably vanished, it's sometimes tempting to forget it or to falsify it.

But being true to ourselves means being true to our history.

Past cruelties can remain powerful in our lives - yet to take possession of our history means to free ourselves of bondage to past events.

Nothing can ever change them.

If we are to make the future good, we'll learn what the past can teach us.

But our freedom requires us to make choices based on the needs of the present, not the past.

I can act at every moment in such a way as to honor the past and enhance the future.

QOTW 4/14/10

Lost your car lately?

*hanging head* Yes....

But not like I lost it at the 2000 convention in Minneapolis. OMG
In heels, wandering through the parking -- from top to bottom for better than an hour. Up down, up, down.....I figured out who I needed to call as I headed back to the convention, figured I'd just go enjoy the rest of the afternoon, given I wasn't going anywhere. I mean, you can't rightly go anywhere without your car -- it was just a matter of telling the friend I'd met up with at the convention that my car no longer was 'resting' in the multi story car park.

Uh huh.
There were two carparks and I'd spent an hour searching the wrong one.

And Saturday--when I zipped into Menards to pick up something....coulda swore I parked by the exit doors.......

*sigh*

Nothing like a good stroll through Menard's parking lot on a Saturday afternoon, right?!

Today's Reading from the Reading Fairy

Much harm is done by people who are absolutely sure they are right at all times.

If I'm to follow my principles, I should hold to the idea of seeking the best outcome for everybody concerned.

If I seem to win when I'm wrong, I will lose in the long run.

If I seem to lose even when I'm right, I can know that there's a just resolution of everything in time.

I will always win, however, if I keep my thinking straight and take care to avoid resentment and bitterness.

As human beings, we cannot expect to be excluded from conflicts.

There is, however, a means of dealing with such conflicts effectively when we respond according to principle.

Unpleasant as any conflict may seem, it does give me an opportunity to learn and to grow. I will seek to benefit from any such conflict today.

Things that make me happy

....free treasures on the railroad tracks.

....grape hyacinths.

....asparagus about ready for the stealing.

....the lone dandelion standing proud in the neighbor's 'perfect yard'. LOL

....freed fishin' worms!

....swifts zoooooming over the lake waters.

....lots and lots of bubbles!