Guess what, you guys? The edge of Hurricane Irene's storm is supposed to graze us here in Southeastern Pennsylvania this weekend.... it's supposed to hit hardest along the coast, and as far as 40 miles inland, from North Carolina all the way up to New England. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a little bit nervous about this.
The last time that the edge of a tropical storm grazed us, which was earlier this summer, the wind almost took me into the neighbor's yard, and the screen door got ripped back, almost off the hinges. The pneumatic arm pulled out of the door frame, and the door was shoved out to the other side of the metal awning that covers the back porch. It was crazy! And those were "only" wind gusts of around 60 mph. This one is supposed to have 100+ mph winds. Scary, right?
Now, we just had an earthquake in the area a few days ago... I didn't feel it, but other people here DID feel it. I can totally handle an earthquake. Especially one that's only 5.8. However.... hurricanes are another story! I'm not familiar with them, and so I'm getting a little anxious. It's all I can do to NOT turn on the weather channel and feed into the panic that this force of Mother Nature is currently generating.
I'm going to acknowledge my fear, and then get on with the plans I made for today. It's all I can do. As a matter of fact, the weather at the moment is lovely. There's a bit of fog outside, and there's no wind.... the sun is peeking out of the spaces in the clouds. It's really quite calm. I'm planning to bake a pie today, and then I will go to the post office. It's all good. When things around me get ramped up to fever pitch, I ask myself, "How do I feel RIGHT NOW? What is going on in my experience RIGHT NOW?" The answer at the moment is that RIGHT NOW, everything is peachy keen, Jelly Bean! So I have no reason to panic. In fact, K just went to the grocery store last night, and we're stocked up with groceries. We have flashlights with good batteries, we have candles and matches. We're prepared in case of emergency, so panic is ridiculous. If I weren't prepared, then now would be the time to GET prepared, not to panic. The trick is to focus in on THIS moment, and not to let other people's drama freak you out.
With that being said, I'm going to leave you, dear friends, and bake a delicious Lemon Meringue Pie for K's birthday! I'm going to enjoy my cup of coffee, and make myself a nice breakfast. I hope that you're staying calm in the midst of the chaos, too. Remember not to waste the present moment. It's named "the present" because it truly is a Gift.
xoxox
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| Photo by me |
Computers are a mystery to me. This morning, I turned on my computer (couldn't let it just sleep with a crazy thunderstorm going on all night) and with my cup of coffee, I started reading my favorite blogs. For some reason, I can't comment on most of them, but not all of them. I can see that other people have commented, so I'm pretty sure this problem is on my end. But why is it happening?
Guess it's time to reboot. That's the solution for most computer problems, right?
"Have you restarted your computer?" is always the first question that the IT guys used to ask anyone who called in with a problem. I learned quickly to do that before calling, and typically, it would solve whatever problem I had. Wouldn't it be nice if Life had this function? Just a quick reboot, and anything that was glitchy would be miraculously fixed! I sometimes think that getting a good night's sleep was a kind of reboot for the human body. I feel so refreshed after a good night's sleep, or meditation. Problems don't seem as big or insurmountable, and the aches and pains of yesterday are gone or greatly diminished. But when I don't get such a good rest, things seem more difficult. The colors are more gray, and it's not just the clouds outside making it seem that way.
Maybe the reboot isn't just rest, though? Maybe there's a way to mentally reboot your brain by choosing to see things in a better way? (You DO have a choice, after all.) I've done this before, successfully, and I know other people have, too. You need to sometimes push aside that {awful} voice in your head, who is telling you negative things, and you need to CHOOSE to be positive, and CHOOSE to see the good things over the bad. The more you do this, the easier it becomes! Truly!
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| Photo by me |
At times, what is happening will seem like it's a "bad" thing. But if you allow it to be, accept that it is what it is, then choose to move on, without clinging to that situation, then you'll find that life becomes easier. It's an interesting idea. What you resist persists, right? So stop resisting the things you perceive as negative, accept that they ARE, and then take the next step, without clinging to those negative thoughts or feelings you may have had.
It works with physical pain. I've tried it. Recently I stubbed my toe pretty hard. After my initial hopping about and cursing, through which my pain seemed the worst, I then thought, "Okay. I stubbed my toe. Let me feel what's happening in my toe with all my awareness, and let me see if it's really as bad as all that." As soon as I put my attention there and accepted it, the pain started to recede, and I could barely even feel the pain anymore! I also do this during Shark Week. (Some of you may know what this means? If not, well, it's when the red tide arrives...) When I get terrible cramps, I just put my awareness on the feelings, try to put my mind to the center of the cramps, and it starts to dissipate. It's pretty amazing, and it feels like I'm also becoming more intuitive, each time I do this.
I learned this technique from Eckhart Tolle. He wrote The Power of Now
, and it's a truly eye-opening book. If you want to find peace within yourself, and discover how to live life in a way that feels more vibrant and effective, you should read it, as well as A New Earth
. I gobbled up his books a few years ago, and have found the knowledge in them transforming. Okay, I hadn't meant to go here, but that's where I ended up. I'm not really one to preach ideas, but I do love helping people. So if this helps you, great!! That's what I wanted! If it doesn't, then I hope it at least gives you some food for thought. It's important to feed your brain, too, after all!
I hope you have a blessed day, and I hope you choose joy today and every day! xox
Have you ever felt yourself in the midst of a mind-flurry, and suddenly asked yourself, "What am I doing?" I think that all of us can sometimes (or often times) get caught up in our physical reality of what we think of as "Our Life," and forget to slow down.
I've read The Power of Now and A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle. I received so much help from his books, and I wanted to share a bit of it with you.
One of my favorite bits is my understanding of This Moment that we are conscious in. When we live our lives, our only true (and thus most important) experience is what is Now. The current moment of experience is all we ever can possibly experience. The past is what we have already experienced (past Now moments), and the future is what we will experience, but NOW is what we ARE experiencing, and thus is the only reality. This is a little boggling when at first you sort it out.... the past certainly informs our perceptions of things that happen now, but it's PAST. It's done. We are no longer living it, as we should not be. We should always try to find ourselves immersed in the present. The Present is the gift we are given in our existence. The Present is our experience. It is our Joy, Excitement, Happiness, Sadness... all of our feelings are experienced in the present. Of course you can remember past joys, or sadness, but it's only a shadow compared to fresh emotions and feelings.
I believe that one of our duties to the well-being of our souls and psyches is to try to be fully aware of what is happening NOW. Of what our perceptions are NOW. Don't sleep walk through this life of ours, Friends and Family of mine (as you all are to me). It all goes so quickly! Love in the moment! Do new things as often as you can! Stretch yourself as much as you can! Squeeze the marrow out of life... don't let it just fall through your fingers... slurp it up!
I don't mean to tell you that you always have to go somewhere, or do something... what I mean is simply to be aware of each moment and to live that moment fully. Every moment. Don't fiddle your moments away by living too much in the past or future... I believe it was Einstein who said, "I never think about the future, it comes soon enough." So true.
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