02.16.16 Funny Things Happen: Writing Teaches Me to See Things Differently Now

02.16.16 Funny Things Happen: Writing Teaches Me to See Things Differently Now

Valentines Masquerade Ball

Imagine my surprise for winning “Best Dressed Couple” award at the Symphony FundraiserValentine's Masquerade Ball, when we didn’t even know there was a contest.  We hadn’t planned to attend the event at all until given tickets from a friend.  It has just always been fun to dress up so this was a good occasion to wear one of the special outfits I’ve saved for the last 30 years.  

     

So my gown and matching bonnet looked like something Tara would have worn in “Gone With the Wind,” and my handsome husband looked like Rhett Butler in one of the only two suits to his name. Before dressing for the event he asked, “should I wear the suit that’s for weddings or the one that’s for funerals?"  It probably helped that he wore the suit for weddings.    We not only won a prize, enjoyed an eight-course gourmet  meal, but also spent the evening visiting with interesting new friends.  Watching good dancers swing in the background to live music from former decades of 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s was “icing on the cake” for this non-sugar-eater, non-alcohol-drinker.

Just like "Gone With the Wind"

It’s funny how attending the masquerade ball in a way reminds me of flossing.  I use to think flossing was for good appearance only, to keep my teeth in my head, and improve my smile.  Then upon moving to Okanogan County, and finding a new dentist, I was given an educational article telling how flossing teeth twice daily reduces risks of heart attack and stroke.   Cleaning bacteria from under gums and between teeth can help prevent clotting in the bloodstream.  The benefits of flossing are more than they appear.  In a similar life-enhancing way, the benefit of getting out to meet new people and do something different turned out to be a lively enjoyable experience.   In a Cinderella sort of style, I felt the same age as those much younger people we met.  

Okanogan United Methodist Church

Dressing up in a favorite outfit to go meet new people, listen to music, dance, and be rejuvenated is also a lot like the weekly experience Sundays at each of my two 105+ year old churches.  We only dress up if we want to, we fellowship with friends and extend a warm welcome to new people.  We participate in singing, and dancing in the spirit (mostly on the inside of our hearts where it doesn’t show).  We honor traditions for seeking holiness as during this Christian Season of Lent.  We celebrate sacred moments of being together for the purpose of connecting with the source of all life. We open our hearts and minds with gratitude that we can grow in more understanding and usefulness to each other and our community.

The Historic Rock Church Since 1909

We Practice Letting Go and Seeking New Ways

We stand in the gap with faith for those of every generation who have yet to discover their need for fellowship and connection.  We practice letting go of judgments and expectations of others while practicing patience, tolerance, kindliness, and love.  

Ageless Lessons from the Heart

Whether at the masquerade ball, when flossing, or planning for Sunday, the new found daily practice of writing is teaching me to look at things in different ways. It is becoming more natural to pay close attention to everything, look for more meaning, take time to notice more detail.  I now constantly ask the question, "what do I really see?"  Then I sense the answers in my body, as well as in my thinking and in my mind.  I hear guidance more clearly now, “...listen, this experience is trying to tell you something…” Thank you.  I want to see, to feel, to hear, and learn.