12.28.2015 Walking in Winter Wonder

1

With a temperature of 27 degrees f. outside, it was fun to walk around in crunchy deep snow because the mid-day sun was beaming down on Omak.  Extra confidence for safety was found by strapping spiked tread attachments on the soles of my boots. After an hour of sipping coffee over conversations with friends, it felt good to walk to the post office and the computer shop before the weekly trip to the grocery store on my day off work.  A Monday, three days after Christmas, with lights and colors of “Seasons Greetings” still glowing, and the spirit of a special birth still in the air.  

This close to year’s end, former New Year’s Resolutions come to mind, such as, Eat Right, More Exercise, Do Better… resolutions which were usually soon forgotten.  So this year-end, the aim is also sustainability of change.

12.22.15 More Blessed to Give than to Receive

12.22.15  More Blessed to Give than to Receive

My heart warmed each time I thought of the gift I had carefully prepared a few days ago for the white elephant party attended with friends today.  In that way the anticipation really did bless me more to give than to receive.  It was fun to add a written blessing to the gift for random exchange, with no way of knowing who would receive it.  Over the years, some very interesting items show up at these things, like the mounted singing fish that has been a big hit for several years in a row at  another annual white elephant party .  

The item I carefully wrapped in Christmas decoration was not as important as the message I wanted to give.  The blessing I really wanted to give someone, my prayer for that person, was what I wrote on the attached card: “May the magic of this season come alive for you, so you keep a song in your heart, and enjoy not only the best in 2016, but in many more new years to come.”  

12.21.15 Season of Winter Solstice

New fallen Snow measuring a foot or more, has provided a beautiful covering to the hard frozen ground, making everything look bright and clean.  At the same time, it also cautions us to respect changing conditions around us.  We need to watch for slick icy patches, or take a different route when the slush and snow is too deep on the hills, to be more careful as we travel about.  

Though the snow preceded the seasons change, fall will turn into winter Tuesday, 12/22/15, as indicated by the winter solstice, that phenomena of nature, based on the earth's relationship to the sun.

12.11.15 Momentum

12.11.15        Momentum

Reflections on Awareness and Joy

The force that keeps one moving, or keeps an event developing after it has started, is one definition of momentum.  A dictionary example is “once you push something, it keeps going under it’s own momentum.”  Thank God for commitments and routine that push me to keep going when my attention gets disrupted.

After receiving sad news about a close friend, disciplined habits got me through what felt like a few dark days .  For a time my thoughts became so distracted by worry that I forgot my focus.  Physical energy slowed down, strength waned, and fear gripped my thoughts.  The fright of losing things is small, when compared to losing peace of mind when things go wrong.

12.3.15 Shifting the Focus

Mindfulness is being fully present!

The question was posed after broadcast of yesterday’s violence, “Has the threat gotten that much worse, or has our awareness of the information changed?”   While some built backyard Bomb Shelters in the mid nineteen-fifties, public schools practiced local safety drills instructing us children to take cover under our desks.  Yet during those elementary school years, I heard of not one bomb going off, not anywhere.  Sixty years later, violent attacks on public gatherings are all-too frequent world-wide news-making headlines.

Repeated exposure to threats or detailed reports of tragedy can naturally produce fear if not anxiety and depression.  When reports of bad news are accompanied by blame and negative predictions, it can change our perception of people and of the world, but we must not let it change us.

12.01.15 "Giving Tuesday" or Giving It Away to Keep It

12.1.15  “Giving Tuesday” or Giving It Away to Keep It

Wisdom within Reach

Today, December first was designated as “Giving Tuesday,” but I started out receiving help first thing of the day.  My dog, Tuggy-bug-the-pug, was a 6:00 a.m. alarm clock, who helped me start the day by waking me up, and secondly I was looking forward to receiving the daily early morning live message for my meditation topic.

My work day consisted of taking the beautiful weekly drive in crisp winter weather to Tribal HQ, 40 miles east into Frontierland.  The drive, and the day, seemed uneventful until the significance dawned on me of sharing the routine ride with a young co-worker.  She, a new employee at my office, is new in her career, and new to the professional field that I’ve loved working in for about the last 30 years.