Fairy Thought

Habituation is a falling asleep or fatiguing of the sense of time; which explains why young years pass slowly, while later life finds itself faster and faster upon its course.
–Thomas Mann

Our routines can become so rote that we’re unaware of making choices. Suddenly, we realize we haven’t done many of the things which matter most to us. With this realization comes another: sometimes making no choice is, in fact a choice in the same things, saying the same words, living a copy of the day before — we have chosen to live safely. But we may think, I wish I had…

We don’t have to completely change our lives in order to make better choices for ourselves. All we have to do is see all the choices open to us.

What and how I choose makes every day different from the last.

Daily Fairy Reading

If you're going through something in your life that isn't what you planned, a transformation is at hand. While we might prefer to be transformed in the twinkling of an eye, it usually doesn't happen that fast. It takes all the moments added together, and sometimes those moments go on and on. But one day when you least expect it– a phoenix rises from the ashes. That phoenix is you.

Some of us encounter a lot of pain. Some of us have less. If I could sit across from you right now, I'd look into your eyes and say these words to you: "I know you've been through a lot. But there's a new cycle coming. You're going to learn about joy."

Life is going to take you on your own journey of personal transformation. You may have let go of some things. But don't worry, you'll get some of those things back. And sometimes when we think something is lost, it's not. It's just moved to a different place. No pain, no gain, is what many people say. And usually they say that because when the lesson is learned, the pain stops. But then something happens. It just clicks in. The moments start getting better and better. And it's not because of what we get. It happens because we've surrendered. And although it looks like what we've surrendered to is pain and heartache, we've really surrendered to God's will.

There's a world out there– right outside your door. And the key that opens the door is in your hand. The ultimate lesson is learning joy. Put your fears aside. Live your life, whatever that means to you today. It may happen today, tomorrow, next week, or in ten years. but you won't be able to help yourself. You'll throw your hat up in the air, look around, and shout, "Oh my God, how sweet life is."

Captured Memory #50

Wisdom

A white-haired couple sits on the park bench,
Reading the paper, discussing the day's news.
He repeats a poem, learned in his youth;
She finishes the stanza as he nods in pleasure.
At twilight, the air seems clearer than noon.

In past times, educators emphasized memorization. You can still meet older people who can recite certain poems, passages from classics and religious texts, or mathematical formulae. In fact, some people assert that those who remember more are wiser.

Young people often have a mania for more and more information. But mere accumulation is not enough. The more you take in, the more that data needs to be managed. Without that, you have encyclopedic knowledge and minuscule wisdom. True wisdom is a qualitative value built on a quantitative foundation. The vital elderly did not become venerable through good memory alone. They also learned to manipulate those facts. They mixed their knowledge with a healthy dose of experience, experimentation, and contemplation. It takes time to intuit special connections between facts.

One might say that wisdom is not simply a mental process but the sum total of a human being.

TFTD

We are born in innocence. Corruption comes later. The first fear is a corruption, the first reaching for something that defies us. The first nuance of difference, the first need to feel better than the different one, more loved, stronger, richer, more blessed–these are corruptions.

–Laura Z. Hobson

We are corrupted. To be a human is to be corrupted. Our corruptions interfere with our happiness at the very time we are seeking happiness. When we think if only we were prettier, smarter, had a better job, then we'd be happy, we are giving in to corruptions. And these corruptions stifle our growth. We are each who we need to be. We have a supporting role in one another's lives. We can teach and learn from one another.

Change and growth is choosing to help ourselves and one another to be as we are; to quit making comparisons; to understand our equality as human beings; to celebrate our differences, knowing they give intensity to life's colors for us all.

Captured Memory #49

Things that make me happy......

....a hairstylist that knows how to razor cut hair.  Woohoo!!

....the penguin crew that sits at the front door, guarding my huose from evil cold air door drafts that himself says we don't have.  Duh!  Because the penguin crew is doing their job.  :-/

....the oversized pencil that holds sidewalk chalk.  Wooohoo!  No more scraped knuckles.  Bring on the springlike day.

....tacos for dinner yesterday.  Cuz it means nachos in the livingroom tonight.

....ohhh...cheese, dill pickles, grapes and creamcheese fruit dip in my lunchbox.  Weird, but it's awesome at lunch time.

....the tangerine orange sunset last night.

....prezzies in the mail, even if I order 'em myself.

I got a prezzie!!  I got a prezzie!!

TFTD

I will pay attention to guidance from within and without. There are moments when I know I am doing what lights my spirit and challenges me. Moments when I feel alive and in tune; in touch with a force beyond me that is guiding me towards something that’s right for me. Those moments are golden. They carry me through my fears and hard times, they sustain me when inevitable doubts creep in, they give me strength to carry on and stay on course.

.

Captured Memory #48

Thought for Today

If I were a good person, I wouldn't get angry…. If I were a good Christian, I wouldn't feel angry…. If I were really using my affirmations, I wouldn't be angry…. Those are old messages that seduce us into not feeling again. Anger is part of life. We need not dwell in it or seek it out, but we can't afford to ignore it.

We learn we can shamelessly feel all our feelings, including anger, and still take responsibility for what we do when we feel angry. We don't have to let anger control us, but it surely will if we prevent ourselves from feeling it.

Being grateful, being positive, being healthy, does not mean we never feel angry. Being grateful, positive, and healthy means we feel angry when we need to.

Captured Memory #47

Rut Roh Reorge

Seriously....

WHY do I have to function like a web page gone wrong when I have an opinion?.....

It's like my brain gets inundated with pop-up after pop-up that I can't close fast enough.  And every single pop-up wants me to buy all this...crap.
Think he's an arrogant *******?  ....pop-up, pop-up, pop-up--YUP....see!!!.... proof that he IS!!!
Think it's dumb you have to do this? .....pop-up, pop-up, pop-up---YUP, dumb!!
Think other's don't see value in your work, pop-up, pop-up, pop-up pop-up pop-up!!!  Nope...they don't!!
Think nobody knows what the **** they're doing? Pop-up pop-up pop-up pop-up pop-up!!!  (Wait....there's more....we have LINKS as unmitigated PROOF!!!)

*sigh*

I need a 'reboot' for malfunctioning moments like this.
OR an 'off' switch.

Maybe that's why people take naps!!!

A.  That ain't happening.
B.  Pop-up pop-up pop-up pop-up pop-up!!!  LOL!!!

Today's Thought

Stop ruining your fun

Stop comparing and judging. Those two behaviors can drain all the joy out of a perfectly good life.

We compare this time in our lives to another time. Then we decide that this time is worse, not as much fun. Or we compare our life to someone else’s, and we decide the other person is having more fun and success than we are.

Comparison is judgmental. We judge this to be better than that, and this to be worse than the other. By comparing and judging, we deny ourselves the beauty of the moment and the wonder of the life that’s in front of us now.

Instead of deciding if a situation is good or bad, just be thankful for it– the way it is. Most things are neither good nor bad, unless we attribute those judgments to them. Most things simply are, and they are what they are, at this moment in time.

Go into the moment. Let it be what it is– free of judgments and comparison. Can you believe how beautiful it is, right now, right here where you are?

If comparing and judging is draining all the joy out of your life, start putting some fun back in it by applying a little gratitude, instead.

Winter's River

Daily Reading

Ill health of body or of mind, is defeat. Health alone is victory. Let all men, if they can manage it, contrive to be healthy.
— Thomas Carlyle

This message, on the surface, could be upsetting to people who are chronically ill. Can we be sick and healthy at the same time? We learn that we can. Even if we have an ongoing health need, we can still create a new frame of reference which allows us to be as healthy as we can. Rather than letting our problems run us into the ground, we can make the opposite choice.

We can choose balance in our lives, by deciding to put the problem in its place as only one facet of our lives. At the moment we decide, at the moment we make a conscious decision to be a fighter, we will be striving toward wellness once again.

.

Daily Reflection

When one is a stranger to oneself, then one is estranged from others, too.

—Anne Morrow Lindbergh

There’s a person inside each of us just itching to be known and loved. But if we don’t get to know and love that person, how can we expect anyone else to know us?

That’s why it’s so important to spend time alone getting acquainted with ourselves. And how do we do that? We can sit quietly with ourselves, thinking and listening. Then we can write our thoughts in a journal, or we can draw or paint them. If we play a musical instrument, we can put our thoughts and feelings into music.When we make the time and effort to know ourselves, it encourages others to want to know us, too. Since everything we do and feel begins inside us, we must feel good about ourselves in order to feel good about anything else. What wonders we are, that we have all the power we need to make our world a happy one.

Captured Memory#46

Fairy Reading

Please Yourself

I caused myself a lot of unnecessary grief by trying to be 'unselfish', to think of everybody else first, myself last, and to try to please everybody. But you can't please everybody.

You can knock yourself out doing this and that and the other thing to please your cousins and your sisters and your aunts, and you find out that they are not really affected one way or the other. Please everybody, nobody's pleased; please yourself, at least you're pleased.

Charity begins at home, and enlightened self-interest is a basic endowment of human nature. You can save yourself a lot of grief by admitting the futility of trying to please everybody, or of trying to please somebody who just can't be pleased.

.

TFTD

“For once a person begins on this path of knowledge they will only look inward, learning how to fix themselves, instead of trying to fix other people.”
—Rav Brandwein

Letting go doesn’t mean we don’t care. Letting go doesn’t mean we shut down.

Letting go means we stop trying to force outcomes and make people behave. It means we give up resistance to the way things are, for the moment. It means we stop trying to do the impossible—controlling that which we cannot—and instead, focus on what is possible—which usually means taking care of ourselves. And we do this in gentleness, kindness, and love, as much as possible.

Have you tricked yourself into believing there’s someone you can control? If you have, tell yourself the truth. Stop trying to have power where you truly have none. Instead, exercise your will in a way that will bring results. The one power you always have is the ability to let go and take care of yourself.

Oww!!

I have a new orthopedic surgeon....this one is for my hand/wrist.  I'm sure my leg doc will be jealous.
Nice enough doc.
He doesn't mess around.
Go in, do the tests, get 'er done.
You'd think with all the nerve pain medications I take this wrist crap wouldn't be bothersome....but there's the lump that I now know isn't a cyst....and I can't open dill pickle jars without pain....and now doing dishes has become painful.  I muddled through until this past weekend when himself bannished me from the sink.

It's nothing awful...
Radial Styloid Tenosynovitis
Synovitis And Tenosynovitis

And the "get 'er done"?? THERE'S the 'not so wonderful'  ......two, count 'em, TWO injections into my wrist/hand.
OMFG!!!
I suppose it's good that he didn't give me a lot of time to mull it over.  Two injections probably weren't on my "fun things to do today" list..... (...k...no 'probably' to that one....)

But it's all good.
I'm growing fond of the blue squishy ice bags.
AND those boring brown bandaides they stuck on the injection sites.....replaced by Dave the Minion!!

Captured Memory #45

Daily Thought

"See the pine trees and learn their lesson," a friend once said. "Pine trees are nature's reminder that growth continues even in the winter."

Winter is an important season in our lives. It is more than a time of coldness and snow. It's a time of going within. A time to rest from the work that's been done, a time to prepare for the lessons ahead. Long for the sun on your shoulders, but let the frost and cold come. The ground has been left fallow in preparation for nourishing the seeds of new llife.

Honor winter's lesson. Despite this time of lifelessness and inactivity, this is still a season of growth. Trust what's being worked out in your soul. The snow will melt. The sun will shine again. The time will come to remove your heavy garb and return to the activity of life.

Things that make me happy

....watching the Packers.  Nevermind they lost their conference game--more time for Rodgers to heal his injured leg.  (...k...I'm kinda pouting, but that'll pass....eventually....LOL)

....watching the herd of eagles that showed up for a convention in a field north of town.  (I'm sure it's a convention even though himself thinks it's more of a buffet--could be a salad bar cuz we all know MY eagles are vegetarians.  Pffft!!)

....getting ALL the holiday decorations put away.  Woohoo!!

....creating the CELEBRATE banner with the help of my new flower punchy thingy.

....Minion bandaides!!  Ohohoh...I can't wait to use one--I feel an owie comin' on....

....giving away gift cards--very fun to do, I must say.

....picking out the Bug's Valentine's prezzie.  :-)

Today's Reading

“When we’re through with this earth and all these problems, we don’t have to come back. But as long as we’re here we have a job to do and a purpose to fulfill and that means dealing with the circumstances around us.”
–Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE

We are put on the earth to participate in life. We have a beautiful mind, we have the ability to pray, we have the ability to change, we have the ability to accept, and we have choices. All things God created are constantly changing. This constant change causes our circumstances to change. Sometimes we say life is difficult. During these times we need to use our tools: the tools of prayer, and the tools of meditation. We are designed to change and live joyfully on this earth. The only requirement for living joyfully is to live according to the laws, principles and values given to us by the Creator.

Captured Memory #44

The Waiver Reading

Before you can jump out of the airplane, before you can fly solo in an airplane, before you can go on the whitewater rafting trip, before you can make a bungee jump, you have to sign a waiver.

The waiver is a document that says that you realize the dangers in what you're about to do, that you and you alone have made the decision to participate in the activity, and that you and you alone are responsible for the outcome.

You sign away your right to sue, whine, complain– to do anything except risk your life for a new experience.

You sign the waiver to protect others from being liable in case of an accident. I think waivers are a good reminder that ultimately no one is responsible for my life but me. There is no one to blame, no one to sue, no one to ask for a refund. I make my own decisions and I live with the results of those choices each day.

So do you.

It's your life. Sign a waiver saying that you take responsibility for it. Set yourself and others free.

Activity: Read the following waiver carefully. Fill in the blank and be aware of what you're signing. It is your life, after all. Take responsibility for what you do.

WAIVER
I._________,  understand that during the course of my life I will be required to make many decisions, such as where I want to live, whom I want to live with, where I work, how much fun I have, and how I spend my money and time, including how much time I spend waiting for things to get better and people to change, and whom I choose to love.

I understand that many events that occur will be out of my hands and that there are inherent dangers and risks in all decisions I make.Life and people have no obligation to live up to the expectations of anybody else. Life is a high-risk sport, and I may become injured along the way.

I agree that all the decisions I make are mine and mine alone, including how I choose to handle the events that are beyond my control. I hereby forfeit my right to recourse as a victim, including my rights to blame, complain, and whine or hold someone else responsible for the path I choose to take. I am responsible for my for my participation– or lack of it– in life. And I take complete responsibility for the outcomes and consequences of all decisions I make, understanding that ultimately it is my choice whether I become happy, joyous, and free or stay miserable and trapped.

Captured Memory #43

Just a day full of possibilities

What to do, what to do....  Winters create such possibilities.

Right now there's the coffee table that's covered with a paper banner, partially put together which, for some odd reason says "celebrate".  I'm sharing the couch with scraps of paper, hoarded packets of buttons and brads and anything that might look pretty or fun....and, of course, there's the required punches and scissors and glue.
I can rummage through the pretties and add or subtract, arrange or rearrange while I'm working on that cupa coffee that mysteriously appears....
And I can put together what do-dad I think would be perfect for the space that's got too much of a gap.

Of course it's not a do-dad I possess.  :-/
Which just means it's time to put shoes on and make a 45 minute drive to the 'other big city'.
And since I know exactly what I want, it's just a quick stop at the craft store.
Of course they might not have exactly what I want...which might mean going to the other craft store, across town....by the train yard.....next to the river....
Ohhhh the possibilities.

Himself won't ask why I'm taking the camera.
I have him well trained dontchaknow.  :-)

Reminder from the Fairy

There are as many ways to live and grow as there are people. Our own ways are the only ways that should matter to us.
–Evelyn Mandel

Wanting to control other people, to make them live as we’d have them live, makes the attainment of serenity impossible. And serenity is the goal we are seeking in this life.

We are each powerless over others, which relieves us of a great burden. Controlling our own behavior is a big enough job. Learning to behave responsibly takes practice. Most of us in this recovery program have behaved irresponsibly for much of our lives. Emotional immaturity is slow to depart, but every responsible action we take gives us the courage for another–and then another. Our own fulfillment is the by-product of the accumulation of our own responsible actions. Others’ actions need not concern us.

Today, I will weigh my behavior carefully. Responsible behavior builds gladness of heart.

Captured Memory #42

Daily Reminder

A little learning is a dangerous thing.
— Alexander Pope

Since childhood we've been told that education is the key to success, to happiness, to almost all good things in life. We gradually gain knowledge as we go through school and continue through life, and at each plateau we feel more confident. But a crisis may undermine that confidence. Problems within our families, such as alcohol or other drug abuse or a chronic illness, can sharply point out how little we really know. Our reaction differ — some of us dive into a frenzy of denial and activity, while others are immobilized by fear and uncertainty.

But then we remember: Learning is the key; we don't have to know instinctively what to do. We can turn to others who have greater knowledge. Organizations are three to give us well-qualified assistance. We want and need to learn the truth.

I don't have to have all the answers, just the right questions.

Daily Diddy

"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving."

—St. Francis De Sales (1567 – 1622) 

Daily Reading

“Parents have to demonstrate the value of trust, respect and honor.”
—Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders

Children learn more by watching than by listening. If we want our children to understand and value trust, they know it by watching how adults live their lives! If we want the children to be respectful, they will observe what the adults do and say to each other. We need to walk our talk. We need to remember the children are watching.

Late Night

I love those moments, Mel.....you're in the meeting and they've actually read from the BOOK and you get to share how those two paragraphs changed your life....and you actually get to listen to someone else talk like they MIGHT be getting willing to do some things differently.
(Seriously.....what's up with NOT reading from the BOOK at meetings around here.  And how come when I introduce the concept of maybe that being a good plan people get this deer in the headlights look going on.
Wait.... I know why this IS!!  It's because so few have actually bothered TO read the BOOK!....which, sadly, probably explains a few things....)

Right....sounds like someone MIGHT be getting willing to DO some things different and I, in all my infinite wisdom, offer up PERHAPS they might wanna get lined up with a sponsor that can go through the BOOK with them!!

Shush Mel...SHUSH.
It's scary for someone to get a sponsor.
Maybe they're not ready.

Maybe we just oughta let 'em die from the disease when they don't have to....  Maybe we just keep spending our time making it soft and cooshy for 'em instead of helping them work the steps and see how that turns out AGAIN, shall we?!
Maybe we need to be looking at WHAT FEAR resides inside US that we don't want to reinforce the need to GET sponsored.

*sigh*
Why....WHY is it I kick the soapbox away AFTER I've stood on it and spewed out what shoulda stayed in my brain until I could say what I needed to say in a way that was a tad kinder?
.....oh....cuz then it woulda FELT like I was doing what I was challenging?
*sigh*

"When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken.

On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives."

Yup.....I'll be up a while inventorying THIS one.  *sigh*

Today's Reflection

Today, I will walk the walk and talk the talk. It will not be good for me, ultimately, to half commit myself. In a way, the particular path that I take is less significant than that I take a path. I can second-guess myself and my experience. Commitment to a path is really commitment to myself. I am allowing myself to take a clear direction, one in which I can actualize my talents on a day-to-day basis, one that will allow me to build a foundation and a structure in which I can live. I will have a passion in life, a passion that takes me beyond myself, a passion to love, nourish, be led and challenged by. I will follow it, and it will follow me.

I deserve a passion in my life.

Daily Reading

Celebrate Holidays but Honor Your Holy Days

Holidays help us remember important national and religious events. Holidays are marked by the calendar.

Holy days are something else. Holy days are the days we remember not because they are marked on any calendar, but because they are important spiritual events to us. These are the days our souls remember. A birthday. The day a loved one left this earth. The anniversary of a significant change in our lives– the day we started something, the day we stopped doing something, the day we accomplished something important to us, a new beginning.

Celebrate the holidays marked by the calendar in whatever way you choose. Some of these may be holy days for you as well. But remember to honor your own holy days, the ones that are special to you.

Reminder from the fairies

It's hard to keep from trying to control the lives of others, especially in a family. We can learn from the man whose friend drove twenty miles to and from work on the freeway every day. "How can you do it?" he asked. "I've tried, and I can't go a mile in such traffic without screaming at the crazy drivers who cut in, go too slow, change lanes. Nobody listens. I'd lose my mind if I had to do it your way." His friend replied, "Your trouble is trying to drive every car around you. I relax and drive only one car—my own."

We have only our own lives to live, and this is usually enough to keep us busy. If we pay too much attention to how others live, we will neglect ourselves.

Captured Memory #42

The rewards of good behavior......

294 days until Halloween.

294 DAYS until Halloween!

Wooohooooo.....we're on the downhill slide.

And seeings how I spent the day cleaning out the guest room from all its dust bunnies, washing down walls and clearing out STUFF that didn't need to be in there..........I think I oughta free Stanley in the warmth of the basement.

*nodding*  I mean, it's a mere 294 days!

Gotta get those little spidery legs out and exercised!

See, THIS is the 'reward' I think I oughta get for spending a day ALONE in the confines of the house when I coulda been out creating all sortsa troubles.

Right.

Basement storage........it's orderly since we packed away the Green and Red Holiday stuff.
Easy peasy access to the box that poor Stanley has been confined in for 70 days!

OMG.....can you imagine being stuffed in a box for 70 days?!?!

Wooooooohooooooooo!!!!!  FREE THE SPIDER!!

*snickering*
Himself will be sooooooooooo pleased to see Stanley!!

Today's Reading

"Give to the world the best you have, and the best will come back to you."
—Madeline Bridge

We do reap, in some measure, at some time, what we sow. Our respect for others will result in kind. Our love expressed will return tenfold. The kindness we greet others with will ease their relations with us. We get from others what we give, if not at this time and place, at another. We can be certain that our best efforts toward others do not go unnoticed. And we can measure our due by what we give.

A major element of our growth is the focus we place on our behavior, the seriousness with which we tackle our inventories. We can look at ourselves and how we reach out and act toward others; it is a far cry from where we were before entering this program. Most of us obsessed on "What he did to me," or "What she said." And then returned their actions in kind.

How thrilling is the knowledge that we can invite loving behavior by giving it! We have a great deal of control over the ebb and flow of our lives. In every instance we can control our behavior. Thus never should we be surprised about the conditions of our lives.

Today's thought

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

Where's the fun in that......

I made it to work Monday....and left early so the doc could see me and tell me that he thought the rather large bump on my wrist was a cyst, but just to be certain and cuz it's rather inflamed and causing me pain while opening dill pickle jars (we can't have THAT, now can we!) he was referring me to an ortho surgeon (not of the "leg" type cuz I tried that idea...).
I didn't make it to work Tuesday.....bit of a snow on the road issue so I worked from the comfort of my home instead....if there IS such a thing given the fact that I can't open jars of dill pickles without discomfort!
I got to work on Wednesday courtesy of the busy highway snow removal crews.  And despite the -15 windchill factor today (bit warmer than the -34° with the windchill factored in the day before) I managed two days in a row.  Wooohoo!!  Score me!!!
And then this afternoon happened with snow squalls (total whiteout snow dumping) and a sudden appearance of "up to 50mph wind gusts" this evening with still more snow squalls and periods of fluffy white stuff of the non-squall type.
The driveway has a two foot drift across it already.  Wanna bet how high that'll be in the morning?

Makes me wonder what those open, rural areas look like with all that blowing and drifting.
NOT that I'll be checking it out this evening.  Heck, I couldn't even go to this evening's "in town" AA meeting without one of the old farts ringing me and telling me that he'd opened up for the meeting but was closing it up and.....he just called to tell me it was drifting pretty good and he didn't want me driving in the mess.

Awww....ain't that touching that he'd care about me driving into a drifting mess?  :-/
Odds are the roads won't be cleared up for the distance drive to work tomorrow.  (That'll make twice this week...)

And it's not like I had my coat, boots, hat and mittens on when the old fart called.....  *ahem*  I'm smarter than that.....geeze.....thinkin' I'd ignore himself's suggestion that I skip the meeting cuz of the "dangerous wind gusts and wind chills".....  (Dangerous.....pfffttt.....this is IOWA where we have SEASONS, not wimpy 43° is the LOW "winters".)

*ahemmmm*  k....


Spoiled all those donuts I was gonna do on the snow in the parking lot, too dangitall!!
:-/

Captured Memory #41

Fairy Reading

The simple, clear answer to life's situations can be easily found in the heart. Don't limit its wisdom to just one or two areas; let it guide you through all of your life.

Are you struggling with finances? Feeling overwhelmed by taxes? Not certain what to do to help someone you love? Do you have a problem with a friend? Has a business relationship gotten sticky, maybe hopelessly adversarial? Are you at war with the person you love? Problems with children? Problems with parents? A landlord who just won't get the job done? All of these areas, and more, can be brought to your heart.

Do you need to find a new hobby? Are you stuck on a project? Do you need an idea, some creative inspiration? Do you need a new place to live, or a way to fix your current home? Take it all back to your heart.

Calm your mind. Let go. Get quiet. You don't have to know the plan. Just put out the question, then listen to your inner voice. It will guide you through any maze you've been lost in.

Don't complicate things or try to figure it all out. The answer is simple: look in your heart.

Daily Thought

"Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another."
—Erma Bombeck

The most precious time we will ever have we give away by doing volunteer chores to help others get more out of life. There is no material wage for this kind of work, but a host of emotional rewards. The height of volunteer giving is doing an act of kindness or love so quietly that none but ourselves will ever know we had a part in it.

What great humility this can bring to us, who live in a world where selfish people often insist on credit for all their deeds—often things they had nothing to do with.

All we need do is think of all we have received without deserving it or asking for it. By taking part in the giving end of life, we find the true wealth of our own generosity.

What secret gift can I give today?

The "I love getting legos, I love building with legos, I love playing with legos that I got, and I'm NOT brushing my hair all day long!!" look......

Daily Reminder

Each day provides its own gifts.

–Ruth P. Freedman

We are guaranteed experiences that are absolutely right for us today. We are progressing on schedule. Even when our personal hopes are unmet, we are given the necessary opportunities for achieving those goals that complement our unique destinies.

Today is full of special surprises, and we will be the recipient of the ones which are sent to help us grow–in all the ways necessary for our continued journey. We might not consider every experience a gift at this time. But hindsight will offer the clarity lacking at the moment, just as it has done in many instances that have gone before.

We are only offered part of our personal drama each day. But we can trust our lives to have many scenes, many acts, points of climax, and a conclusion. Each of us tells a story with our lives, one different from all other stories and yet necessary to the telling of many other stories too. The days ahead will help us tell our story. Our interactions with others will influence our outcomes and theirs. We can trust the drama and give fully to our roles.

With great love

Fairy Reading

You Are Being Led

You are being guided. You are being led. I say that a lot because I need to hear that a lot. The more I hear it, the more I believe it. The more I believe it, the more I see it.

There are times when life flows along, when it’s easy and natural to believe we’re being guided. But there comes a point in any journey, in even the most magical of trips, when we look around and say, I don’t know where I’m going. We have no plan, we’re short on ideas, and we’re plumb out of vision. We’ve gone as far as we could see.

Now is the time to practice what you know. Let go. Stay as peaceful as you can. Stay right here in the present moment. Sharpen your tools—your intuition, your inner voice, your consciousness, and your awareness. Do the little things, the small actions that appear right, the things that are right before you. Feel your feelings. Move through the fear. Wrap up in self love.

Then let the journey unfold. Trust that you are being guided and led.

Captured Memory #40

Powerful Thought for Today

Much of our journey involves learning about power. We learn about the powers we don't have– the power to control others, sometimes ourselves, and fate. We discover our true power– the power to take an endless journey into freedom and love.

We talk about, experience, and experiment with many kinds of power along the way. The power of authority. The power of money. The power of prestige. The power of control. The power of rage, anger, intimidation. We see many kinds of negative powers– manipulation, deceit, fraud. We see people trying to steal power from others. We see people letting others take their power away, crawling into shells, hiding, and being dragged along by others.

We see that many forms of power are illusions. Money goes just so far. Prestige is fleeting. Popularity holds no immunity from life's experiences. Control is only momentary, we turn our backs and the situation reverts.
We trudge the road searching for power, learning about our own. Somewhere on the journey, we begin to see the truth. It awakens quietly within us, shaking our soul, transforming our vision, teaching us what we knew all along. The power that lasts, the power that stays is the power of the heart.
Stillness. Faith. Gentleness. Kindness. Compassion. Joy. Forgiveness. Comfort. Vulnerability. Honesty. Courage. And love. NOW we're talking about power.

Captured Memory #39

Assimilation

It's official.
Himself has been assimilated.
Bin has become trash.
Soda has become pop.
AND he's rushed off to stock up on groceries because there's a snow storm coming.
Nevermind it's 1-3"s they're forecasting.
One to three INCHES.

It's happened.

Off to the grocery store he went.
And back he came with groceries.
We're not just talkin' a few groceries, ohhhhh no no no...
We have a stuffed refrigerator.
There's so much food in that sucker that he's put the pop (not soda) in the garage (yes he still says GARage).

Wanna have fun with he-who-got-all-comfy-in-the-recliner?

Try *tap tap tap*  "Ya know that subzero follows snowstorms, yes?  Just saying.  It could get really interesting in that GARage...."

I timed him.

Took him all of 1 minute 24 seconds to get the pop, not soda, moved outta the garage and into the back entryway.

That's about how long I let him get all comfy in that recliner before I broke it to him.

"Ya know it takes several consecutive days of subzero to make pop go kaBOOM...so....no rush, really....."

*snickering*

Daily Reminder

Life is the enjoyment of Emotion, derived from the past and aimed at the future.
– Alfred, Lord Whitehead

Life sails by much more quickly than we expect it to. When our children were young, it seemed as if endless years stretched ahead for us to nurture and teach them; suddenly they are in college, or married with children of there own.

Each day must be lived to its fullest, for we shall never be able to recapture it again. The memories we create today can enrich the present, and even the future years. Making good memories serves us well.

It is our wish to fully enjoy life and if we can't, to attempt to correct those problems which keep us from fully enjoying what we do have. Than we can once again look to a full and wonderful future.

I will work to deal with those facts of my life which cause me pain so I can fully enjoy today.

Reflection

We are powerless over the outcome of all events involving us. And we are powerless over the lives of our friends and family members. We are not powerless, however, over our own attitudes, our own behavior, our own self-image, our own determination, and our own commitment to life.

Power aplenty we have, but we must exercise it in order to understand its breadth. We’ll find all the day’s activities, interactions, plans decidedly more exciting when we exercise control over our responses. We don’t have to feel or respond except in the way that pleases us. We have total control, and we’ll find this realization exhilarating.

We are strengthened each time we determine the proper behavior, choose an action that feels right, and take responsibility where it is clearly ours to take. The benefits will startle us and bring us joy.

Fairy Reminder

Every experience we face in life is a function of choice; choices made and choices resisted. Until there is conscious choice, one will live in default as a victim of circumstances, accepting whatever comes along.

With conscious choice, one is empowered. Choice is in fact, an empowered yes or, an empowered no. By choice we say yes to those things we do want and no to those things we do not. Choice is directly linked to and produces the manifestation of beliefs.

Whatever is held in conscious-ness, whatever one believes about self, life, and the world at large will influence or dictate choice. However, by making a new, conscious choice, one can override beliefs which have been long held producing negative or undesirable experiences.

Learning to make self-supportive choices is one of the most difficult challenges of life's experience.

Until one is willing and ready to choose from the level of the authentically, empowered Self, life is a series of mishaps which we resent or avoid moving through.