Duck Dynasty and Hobby Lobby...that is supposedly current events...so sad.
That being said, the fact that everyone seems to be talking about one or the other (sometimes both), made me actually go and read multiple articles on both topics.
Hobby Lobby vs Obamacare (this has been going on for a while)
I am very split on this issue, but if I am objective it isn't really an issue, there is a very simple solution. Can a corporation entity claim the rights of an individual? Even from my hands off Libertarian stance I can't make that one work. Corporations employ thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of people of different creeds. Religion cannot dictate hiring OR firing practices so why should it be able to dictate health care...even poorly designed government health care.
Companies can be founded and run on deeply religious ethics (Chick fil A, In and Out, and Hobby Lobby) but you cannot affect the employees choices because of the founding ethics of the company. It infringes on the personal liberties of the individual and their ability to determine their own plan of care.
I am deeply faithful, and happen to support the Green's (Hobby Lobby's founding family) assessment that the morning after pill and some kinds of IUD's are actually abortion methods, but that is a personal belief. I would never propose a mandate that would define another person's right to make decisions about their care.
There are a few good articles about this issue if you want to read up on it, here are the links
CNN
Huffington Post
LA times
Moving on...
Duck Dynasty...really?!
In this day of reality TV, are we really surprised that some old redneck said something racial or inappropriate? That's what you get A&E! If you put opinionated people out there, they are going to spew their opinions...whatever they may be...all over the screen or page.
This isn't an important political figure, royalty, or even a charity worker! He's an old man, with old school values and no filter on his speech. He has a right to say whatever he wants to whoever he wants. And they have a choice to print it, film it, agree with it, or disagree with it! GQ printed an article, because they knew it would cause a stir, or because they agreed with it, doesn't matter what the reason they printed it...and yet Phil is getting lambasted.
This is not a story, get over it and move on, the man's too old to change now, and he's just living his life....agree or disagree and get on with life.
I am continually surprised by what gets the focus in social media and the news, you want to know what is really going on in the world around us? Check these two out, and tell me what is REALLY important.
BBC- Human species find
CNN- Surveillance program
...Nature girl
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Blast from the past
Today I had a client come in with the last name of LaBroad...unusual name and it got me thinking about a guy named Benson LaBord that I haven't thought of in years...my first real pen pal.
Now this didn't start out as an In Memoriam, but more of a joyful and hopeful thought process, but it certainly took a darker twist than I intended, sorry.
I don't know how old I was...it was one of those nebulous summers that somehow change you and you never know why. Somewhere, I still have those letters that we traded back and forth for those months. I remember sitting on the porch playing cards, just the four or five of us...Richie, me, Megan, John and Benson. Benson would sit and draw, and we would talk and play until it was time to go home. I saw Ferngully for the first time that summer...and I still love it!
Time is such a tricky thing...things that really get me, are the moments that seem so quiet, and yet stick with you for years.
The last letter I got from him was to tell me that his brother, John, was killed in a horrible car accident. I remember so clearly sitting on the stairs, blown away that this was what experiencing the death of a friend felt like. Totally different from losing a family member... It felt so much more poignant, and yet "less"...somewhat removed. When family dies, you have had a lifetime of memories to comfort you, but their death is close...personal...and their death is not usually sudden. I remember the ripping feeling of that loss which I imagine was a hundred times worse for Benson and his family given that this WAS so sudden!
After my client left, I started wondering about what happened to Benson, I never heard from him again after that last letter. Did he grow up, get a girlfriend, get married? Was his relationship with his family different without his brother? What kind of a person did he grow into, who did he become? Does he now have children of his own...maybe two boys?
Maybe the little poem about people coming into your life for a reason, season, or lifetime is true. Because of that little part of my life, I treasure my sister. I also learned that I will never be alone in my epilepsy, and it doesn't make me a freak (though I also learned that normalcy isn't something "better"). Most of all, I truly feel that snail mail will never be out of style because getting something personal in the mail can be a ray of joy.
So thank you, Benson, for teaching me about simple joys, accepting myself, and valuing time with family...God knows everyone needs to learn those lessons!
...Nature girl
Friday, October 25, 2013
Calendars
For some reason, maybe because I looked at a calendar right before falling asleep last night, I've had a phantom calendar at the front of my mind today. I can't seem to let go of the concept of time fitting into little boxes that describe the path of our lives. A lifetime broken down into years, years into months, months into days, days into hours, all to chronicle the events of our daily lives.
Today was a good morning, you know the kind. Those mornings where that extra ten minutes that the snooze gives you feels like an hour of blissful bonus time, and when you finally do get up you are charged and ready to go! I filled up my little hour slots with chores and getting ready, eating breakfast, and getting out of the house. I could see the little time slots filling up as I did the various tasks. I love this kind of morning...it is so rare for me, I'm NOT a morning person and I felt very accomplished.
On the way to work, I passed half a dozen sandpipers and I could imagine the pages of my life calendar flipping backwards to the late 80's early 90's. I always think of sandpipers as my grade school mascot...piper pride! And for me they embody that time in my life, limbs a little too long (long wings and legs), bold and full of curiosity - they may be some of my favorite birds.
I can feel that this is going to be my day for remembering. I feel nostalgic, like my brain is trying to make connections across my lifetime, flipping pages to connect two points in time.
There are two birthdays in my sphere today. One of a friend I have known more than half of my life, she is dynamic, and pushes herself to discover. The other has a life in flux, changing and morphing, forging a new path. Their paths are not mine, but in thinking of their spots on the calendar pages, I think of their personalities. They are a marker and a push for me today, to get out of my comfort zone, take risks and change!
Every time I think of them, especially at this time of year, I experience this need to break form...expand who I am. I feel like the margins on my metaphorical calendar are full of things I want to do, need to do, or dream of having. But very few of those things are written into the little boxes of my life - past, present, OR future. Looking at my actual calendar is a little demoralizing. It seems so empty for the life I am leading, and the life I want. It seems to be difficult to just start filling in the little boxes with new things, even scary.
There is a man here with a grocery cart full of signs, he's called "The Sign Guy". I don't know if he has a job other than the signs, but I see him all over the place. His signs are affirmations and encouragments of all varieties, "Be Happy", "Be the light you want to see in the world", "SMILE!", and on and on! I don't know what made him decide on a crusade of joy, but I long for his courage to commit to a thought and see it through. He is filling his calendar days and moments with smiles for other people. I wonder how he see's his life? Does he see little boxes?
...Nature girl
Today was a good morning, you know the kind. Those mornings where that extra ten minutes that the snooze gives you feels like an hour of blissful bonus time, and when you finally do get up you are charged and ready to go! I filled up my little hour slots with chores and getting ready, eating breakfast, and getting out of the house. I could see the little time slots filling up as I did the various tasks. I love this kind of morning...it is so rare for me, I'm NOT a morning person and I felt very accomplished.
On the way to work, I passed half a dozen sandpipers and I could imagine the pages of my life calendar flipping backwards to the late 80's early 90's. I always think of sandpipers as my grade school mascot...piper pride! And for me they embody that time in my life, limbs a little too long (long wings and legs), bold and full of curiosity - they may be some of my favorite birds.
I can feel that this is going to be my day for remembering. I feel nostalgic, like my brain is trying to make connections across my lifetime, flipping pages to connect two points in time.
There are two birthdays in my sphere today. One of a friend I have known more than half of my life, she is dynamic, and pushes herself to discover. The other has a life in flux, changing and morphing, forging a new path. Their paths are not mine, but in thinking of their spots on the calendar pages, I think of their personalities. They are a marker and a push for me today, to get out of my comfort zone, take risks and change!
Every time I think of them, especially at this time of year, I experience this need to break form...expand who I am. I feel like the margins on my metaphorical calendar are full of things I want to do, need to do, or dream of having. But very few of those things are written into the little boxes of my life - past, present, OR future. Looking at my actual calendar is a little demoralizing. It seems so empty for the life I am leading, and the life I want. It seems to be difficult to just start filling in the little boxes with new things, even scary.
There is a man here with a grocery cart full of signs, he's called "The Sign Guy". I don't know if he has a job other than the signs, but I see him all over the place. His signs are affirmations and encouragments of all varieties, "Be Happy", "Be the light you want to see in the world", "SMILE!", and on and on! I don't know what made him decide on a crusade of joy, but I long for his courage to commit to a thought and see it through. He is filling his calendar days and moments with smiles for other people. I wonder how he see's his life? Does he see little boxes?
...Nature girl
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Good 'old days
My Mom used to tell me that I was born into the wrong generation.
In kindergarten and first grade, I went through a cowgirl phase...complete with a denim skirt. In fourth grade all I wanted to wear was poodle skirts and pig tails. I came back around to western with a long denim skirt of Mom's and plaid in fifth or sixth grade. But when it was time for me to have my own style I picked the timeless style details like the boat neck collars, sundresses, and pinstripes.
Truly, I think that anywhere between 1940 and 1960 is where I would feel right at home.
Today at work I am having one of those moments where it doesn't matter what comes on the radio...I hate it. In desperation, I turned to trusty Pandora. Fun....nope, P!nk....nope...classical...nope! I even tried Vampire Weekend and Neon Trees, which are usually slam dunks to put a smile on my face...nope.
Long story short...Standards was the winner. No idea why that was the button today, but as soon as it came on with Ms. Ella Fitzgerald singing "Summertime" my entire mood changed! Now I'm calm, relaxed, and I feel right at home.
I'm convinced that standards are the cure for all ills. It is a genre full of creativity, life and...well...verve! These artists are the real deal! They are great performers, and intensely skilled in writing as well as executing their particular gift (singing, brass, piano ect.). Today's popular music just can't hold a candle to the greats like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Dean Martin, Etta James and Nat King Cole.
Now that's not to imply that I don't like, or appreciate, modern popular music - I love Fun. and P!nk, and all the others that I mentioned! But to soothe my restless soul, there is nothing like music from the good old days.
...Nature girl
In kindergarten and first grade, I went through a cowgirl phase...complete with a denim skirt. In fourth grade all I wanted to wear was poodle skirts and pig tails. I came back around to western with a long denim skirt of Mom's and plaid in fifth or sixth grade. But when it was time for me to have my own style I picked the timeless style details like the boat neck collars, sundresses, and pinstripes.
Truly, I think that anywhere between 1940 and 1960 is where I would feel right at home.
Today at work I am having one of those moments where it doesn't matter what comes on the radio...I hate it. In desperation, I turned to trusty Pandora. Fun....nope, P!nk....nope...classical...nope! I even tried Vampire Weekend and Neon Trees, which are usually slam dunks to put a smile on my face...nope.
Long story short...Standards was the winner. No idea why that was the button today, but as soon as it came on with Ms. Ella Fitzgerald singing "Summertime" my entire mood changed! Now I'm calm, relaxed, and I feel right at home.
Now that's not to imply that I don't like, or appreciate, modern popular music - I love Fun. and P!nk, and all the others that I mentioned! But to soothe my restless soul, there is nothing like music from the good old days.
...Nature girl
Saturday, October 12, 2013
In the weeds
It's a funny phrase isn't it... "in the weeds".
Yesterday was a strange day. One of those days where you wake up feeling great, and energized, and ready to tackle the day. Then, 5 minutes in, it feels like a giant sat on you.
In an attempt to recover from my metaphorical squashing, I spent a little time out on the lanai trying to rehab my one day garden. Right now it looks like this:
So as I was sitting in the weeds, pulling one little square at a time, I thought to myself "I am living out the phrase!". Faced with a giant task, a broken trowel (damn you plastic tool!!), and down to only a weed puller and my bare hands I started to laugh. My life seemed oddly poetic for a moment.
Then I realized I was sitting in weeds, barefoot, with dirt smearing my legs and ants starting to crawl on me....eew.
I gave up for the time, but suddenly I am really looking forward to soaking the ground and getting back into the weeds...I think that makes me crazy...and it will have to wait until Sunday. Will I be breaking the Sabbath or is gardening an approved task? Ah well, a topic for another time.
...Nature girl
Yesterday was a strange day. One of those days where you wake up feeling great, and energized, and ready to tackle the day. Then, 5 minutes in, it feels like a giant sat on you.
In an attempt to recover from my metaphorical squashing, I spent a little time out on the lanai trying to rehab my one day garden. Right now it looks like this:
It is small, and full of weeds, but one day it will be a lovely lawn for the pup (hopefully before he gets here the end of next month)...maybe. One of the big obstacles is the cement grid that the owner put down. In order to get the weeds out, I have to weed each one of the little squares, one at a time. Now this would not be so much of an issue but I have to sit in the weeds, or kneel on a pad and bend over to pull them out, and my back strongly objects!
So as I was sitting in the weeds, pulling one little square at a time, I thought to myself "I am living out the phrase!". Faced with a giant task, a broken trowel (damn you plastic tool!!), and down to only a weed puller and my bare hands I started to laugh. My life seemed oddly poetic for a moment.
Then I realized I was sitting in weeds, barefoot, with dirt smearing my legs and ants starting to crawl on me....eew.
I gave up for the time, but suddenly I am really looking forward to soaking the ground and getting back into the weeds...I think that makes me crazy...and it will have to wait until Sunday. Will I be breaking the Sabbath or is gardening an approved task? Ah well, a topic for another time.
...Nature girl
Monday, October 7, 2013
"What's with today, today?"
You know it's going to be a weird day when the first think you think in the morning is:
"Please God, don't let me be bored."
It's like praying for patience (Mrs. B said that's how she got her second child), or an exciting life, or to find treasure...somehow you never get quite what you were meaning.
It's a gloomy day in paradise today, and people are quickly going about their day, walking past my windows, full of purpose. I, on the other hand, am calmly sitting at my desk waiting for their day to intersect with mine.
Now, it's always a crap shoot when I am left to my own devices on days like this. I usually end up haunting iTunes, or cruising You Tube and I can't really say that today is different. People either look at me with complete understanding, or like I've grown a second head when I try to explain the black hole that both of these become - I like to call it iTunes/YouTube hell.
Say you start with this...my favorite Muppet video.
But somehow...you end up here...
This is YouTube hell. It's kinda fun once you get used to it, but you never get quite what you wanted. I was going for lighthearted cartoons...kid stuff...how did this happen? What's with today?
...Nature girl
"Please God, don't let me be bored."
It's like praying for patience (Mrs. B said that's how she got her second child), or an exciting life, or to find treasure...somehow you never get quite what you were meaning.
It's a gloomy day in paradise today, and people are quickly going about their day, walking past my windows, full of purpose. I, on the other hand, am calmly sitting at my desk waiting for their day to intersect with mine.
Now, it's always a crap shoot when I am left to my own devices on days like this. I usually end up haunting iTunes, or cruising You Tube and I can't really say that today is different. People either look at me with complete understanding, or like I've grown a second head when I try to explain the black hole that both of these become - I like to call it iTunes/YouTube hell.
But somehow...you end up here...
This is YouTube hell. It's kinda fun once you get used to it, but you never get quite what you wanted. I was going for lighthearted cartoons...kid stuff...how did this happen? What's with today?
...Nature girl
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Trust
I talked to a friend on Friday.
I didn't expect to get anything out of our conversation except the pleasure of talking to her, but despite the topics covered, or perhaps because of it, she taught me something about trust.
You see, for the last month or more my life has been a HOT mess. A quick move, a new job, a lack of support system and nothing but change (in my previously predictable life), had left me quite adrift and emotional. Trust was NOT something that I had an ample supply of. I "hoped" that things would work out, I prayed for clarity and patience, I tried to rely on the hubbs more. But looking back, trust was not something that I had...in faith, or in life.
It seems that trust is a more elusive concept than I thought.
During and after my talk with my "little sis" I found that I was lacking in my understanding of trust. Real wholehearted trust is not a feeling, or an ideal, it is a foundation that you build everything else on. It is what props you up in times of upheaval, and what pushes you to keep going after trauma or disaster. Trust is an acknowledgment and acceptance of the support that we have around us wether we are in a position to "make it work" ourselves, or not.
I am a very self reliant person, and tend to think that my way is the best way, that I "let" people help me, instead of actually "needing" help. But I think I am missing the point. Trust isn't about letting help come in, or even needing it to come; it's understanding that the choice to let someone in, really and completely in, is humbling your own pride and judgments and allowing the other person to become what THEY are designed to be.
It may be silly, and a little naive, but I believe that God designed each of us to grow and develop into a perfect foil for other people, wether in friendships, marriages, or work relationships. Humans are designed to be mutable, changeable, and many things for many people (mothers, fathers, siblings, cousins, co-workers, friends, and lovers).
But what happens when in our pride and self-centeredness, we stop someone else from fulfilling a role?
When we push friends away because "we can handle it".
Or when we get mad at our spouse for doing something "wrong" and re-do it?
How does that help the people around us to grow into what they are designed to be?
How is "trust" espoused when our own will is put in a higher position than that of our loved ones?
Trust is a gift to the people around us that our bumbling and tempestuous behavior is accepted. That as we are growing and transitioning we will still be supported and loved for the people we will become, and that the clumsiness of our growth will eventually fill in the spaces of need in our relationships.
Trust is being gracious, childish, angry, soothing, a shoulder to cry on or an ear to someone's frustration. It is also needy, selfish, funny, and a blessing. Trust is what we are to each other, a whetting stone to sharpen and polish not only ourselves but friends and family and the casual passerby.
Trust is an honest humbling, an acceptance of our own imperfection on a path to perfect design.
Trust is grace in the most human and expressive way - undeserved, unlikely, and transformative.
Just some food for thought.
...Nature girl
I didn't expect to get anything out of our conversation except the pleasure of talking to her, but despite the topics covered, or perhaps because of it, she taught me something about trust.
You see, for the last month or more my life has been a HOT mess. A quick move, a new job, a lack of support system and nothing but change (in my previously predictable life), had left me quite adrift and emotional. Trust was NOT something that I had an ample supply of. I "hoped" that things would work out, I prayed for clarity and patience, I tried to rely on the hubbs more. But looking back, trust was not something that I had...in faith, or in life.
It seems that trust is a more elusive concept than I thought.
During and after my talk with my "little sis" I found that I was lacking in my understanding of trust. Real wholehearted trust is not a feeling, or an ideal, it is a foundation that you build everything else on. It is what props you up in times of upheaval, and what pushes you to keep going after trauma or disaster. Trust is an acknowledgment and acceptance of the support that we have around us wether we are in a position to "make it work" ourselves, or not.
I am a very self reliant person, and tend to think that my way is the best way, that I "let" people help me, instead of actually "needing" help. But I think I am missing the point. Trust isn't about letting help come in, or even needing it to come; it's understanding that the choice to let someone in, really and completely in, is humbling your own pride and judgments and allowing the other person to become what THEY are designed to be.
It may be silly, and a little naive, but I believe that God designed each of us to grow and develop into a perfect foil for other people, wether in friendships, marriages, or work relationships. Humans are designed to be mutable, changeable, and many things for many people (mothers, fathers, siblings, cousins, co-workers, friends, and lovers).
But what happens when in our pride and self-centeredness, we stop someone else from fulfilling a role?
When we push friends away because "we can handle it".
Or when we get mad at our spouse for doing something "wrong" and re-do it?
How does that help the people around us to grow into what they are designed to be?
How is "trust" espoused when our own will is put in a higher position than that of our loved ones?
Trust is a gift to the people around us that our bumbling and tempestuous behavior is accepted. That as we are growing and transitioning we will still be supported and loved for the people we will become, and that the clumsiness of our growth will eventually fill in the spaces of need in our relationships.
Trust is being gracious, childish, angry, soothing, a shoulder to cry on or an ear to someone's frustration. It is also needy, selfish, funny, and a blessing. Trust is what we are to each other, a whetting stone to sharpen and polish not only ourselves but friends and family and the casual passerby.
Trust is an honest humbling, an acceptance of our own imperfection on a path to perfect design.
Trust is grace in the most human and expressive way - undeserved, unlikely, and transformative.
Just some food for thought.
...Nature girl
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Keeping tabs
The distance between me and my friends and family seems to be good for my relationships...weird right?
It seems that the closer you are to a situation or person the more you take it for granted. In the past few weeks I have realized that I didn't just move away from home, I moved out of that bubble that distorts your perception. Realizing just how much the people that I was lucky enough to have around me mean is a blessing. Their value has grown by leaps and bounds when I can't just drive to them for coffee. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" may not be such a antiquated phrase after all.
The silliest things make me think of the most random people back on the mainland! Steve has taken to the Passion fruit tea with 2 pumps of sweetener (that's a Mariah drink), and is obsessed with finding a way to get his Angels baseball (Scott, Steve, Mariah and I went to a game together)! We found this little place called Pho 1 ( I think about B&E, Megan and Jill and I at Chinese new year) and there is a store called Simply Organized (that's Jules...the most organized person I know) that I pass every day on my walk home from work. All these little reminders and a thousand others make me think of my loved ones, and people long gone from my life on a daily basis.
You may say that it's nostalgia and homesickness, but I truly feel that this is a way for me to process the true importance of people in my life. I have talked to my Dad more in the last four weeks then I did in the six weeks prior to leaving! It's as if removing the nearness and availability of people has let me look at my relationships with a clearer lense. Seeing which people and relationships are convenient and which are important and valuable. I am ashamed to say that some people I thought of as convenient are really valuable, and some that I poured effort into were only convenient.
Finding that I have a real overwhelming desire to be everyone's newest and dearest friend was a little bit of a shock. I always thought that I was thoughtful and deliberate in my friend group and that I was secure enough in myself to be discerning about what I needed in a support system...not so much, well, not as much as I thought. The great part about this realization is that I know it now; and I can cultivate those relationships that have fundamentally changed me, in a good way, going forward.
That doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly drop people from my life, I care for all my peeps, but I'm going to redirect my energy so that the people I love know it. People should know how important they are, by word and deed, because everyone should know their value, wether they are near or far.
...Nature girl
It seems that the closer you are to a situation or person the more you take it for granted. In the past few weeks I have realized that I didn't just move away from home, I moved out of that bubble that distorts your perception. Realizing just how much the people that I was lucky enough to have around me mean is a blessing. Their value has grown by leaps and bounds when I can't just drive to them for coffee. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" may not be such a antiquated phrase after all.
The silliest things make me think of the most random people back on the mainland! Steve has taken to the Passion fruit tea with 2 pumps of sweetener (that's a Mariah drink), and is obsessed with finding a way to get his Angels baseball (Scott, Steve, Mariah and I went to a game together)! We found this little place called Pho 1 ( I think about B&E, Megan and Jill and I at Chinese new year) and there is a store called Simply Organized (that's Jules...the most organized person I know) that I pass every day on my walk home from work. All these little reminders and a thousand others make me think of my loved ones, and people long gone from my life on a daily basis.
You may say that it's nostalgia and homesickness, but I truly feel that this is a way for me to process the true importance of people in my life. I have talked to my Dad more in the last four weeks then I did in the six weeks prior to leaving! It's as if removing the nearness and availability of people has let me look at my relationships with a clearer lense. Seeing which people and relationships are convenient and which are important and valuable. I am ashamed to say that some people I thought of as convenient are really valuable, and some that I poured effort into were only convenient.
Finding that I have a real overwhelming desire to be everyone's newest and dearest friend was a little bit of a shock. I always thought that I was thoughtful and deliberate in my friend group and that I was secure enough in myself to be discerning about what I needed in a support system...not so much, well, not as much as I thought. The great part about this realization is that I know it now; and I can cultivate those relationships that have fundamentally changed me, in a good way, going forward.
That doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly drop people from my life, I care for all my peeps, but I'm going to redirect my energy so that the people I love know it. People should know how important they are, by word and deed, because everyone should know their value, wether they are near or far.
...Nature girl
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Waiting
Waiting is what I feel like I've been doing for an unending amount of time. Let's just say that it's been a slow day at work. But aside from the lack of people to talk to today, I feel an undercurrent of anticipation lately.
Anticipation and waiting have always been tricky concepts for me, and they are intrinsically linked. Miriam Webster defines anticipation as a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen, or the act of preparing. One has to anticipate and then wait for the event to occur for resolution.
I have never thought of myself as a naturally patient person. I have learned patience out of necessity, but the idea of knowing something is coming (anticipation) and staying put (waiting) until it happens makes no sense to me... I guess that's why I used to search out my Christmas and birthday presents when I was little. The process of learning, solving a puzzle, seeing a problem and solving it as quick as I can has always been the preferred path for me.
This move has challenged me and forced me into a place of anticipation. Nothing is set yet, there is no firmament from where I can push off and go about challenging, solving problems, and indulging my curiosity. I am waiting. This feeling of waiting for the rest of our lives to unfold like a rolled carpet creates a nervous anticipation that is "itchy" and I'm suppressing the urge to kick the roll to make it all happen faster!
Watching me go through this must be both comical and distressing for my very deliberate husband. My unending attempts to "nest" in our new apartment, the obsessive habits and hyper focus are almost useless in distracting me from the waiting, but I do it anyway to fill up the time. Somewhere in my rational mind I know that this anticipation can only last for so long before it is realized, but the patience to get to that point is, right now, in short supply.
And so I wait, unhappily, and with attitude...but I wait.
...Nature girl
Anticipation and waiting have always been tricky concepts for me, and they are intrinsically linked. Miriam Webster defines anticipation as a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen, or the act of preparing. One has to anticipate and then wait for the event to occur for resolution.
I have never thought of myself as a naturally patient person. I have learned patience out of necessity, but the idea of knowing something is coming (anticipation) and staying put (waiting) until it happens makes no sense to me... I guess that's why I used to search out my Christmas and birthday presents when I was little. The process of learning, solving a puzzle, seeing a problem and solving it as quick as I can has always been the preferred path for me.
This move has challenged me and forced me into a place of anticipation. Nothing is set yet, there is no firmament from where I can push off and go about challenging, solving problems, and indulging my curiosity. I am waiting. This feeling of waiting for the rest of our lives to unfold like a rolled carpet creates a nervous anticipation that is "itchy" and I'm suppressing the urge to kick the roll to make it all happen faster!
Watching me go through this must be both comical and distressing for my very deliberate husband. My unending attempts to "nest" in our new apartment, the obsessive habits and hyper focus are almost useless in distracting me from the waiting, but I do it anyway to fill up the time. Somewhere in my rational mind I know that this anticipation can only last for so long before it is realized, but the patience to get to that point is, right now, in short supply.
And so I wait, unhappily, and with attitude...but I wait.
...Nature girl
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Feeling a bit....off....
Today is a strange day.
Oddly I feel that way a lot right now, but it's 11 o'clock here and I just feel like it's going to be an odd day. I have a lot of little things to take care of today and I feel sluggish to get them done. Four cop cars just screamed by and everyone here just stopped to watch them go by... it's just a strange day.
Sometimes I just feel like a lamp that isn't, quite, plugged in. A little glitchy, not quite fully plugged in and grasping for any extra power. But I don't think that there is anything causing this malaise, I think I just woke up fuzzy. I've been reading this book called "The 21 Day Conciousness Cleanse" and it's strange the things that it makes you think about.
For about a week and a half I've been thinking about my two best-friends from high school at least once a day. I meet people with their names or birthdates, see a trio of girls, or eat certain foods. Now thank goodness I've had a constant stream of support from friends and family regarding the move or I'd be stuck in the past! I don't know how they are doing or what they are up to past the basics of our shared friend group, but I still feel a strong connection to them. I wish them both nothing but happiness and stability, but sometimes I feel that connection and pull on my energies more than other times... it's a place that I still lose energy to after all these years.
It seems that there are people or events like this for everyone. Things that we can't quite let go of, people we wish we're closer, or events that marked our souls. The process of growing up and letting go, is an imperfect experience. I guess this is where the concept of regret comes from - wishing something had happened differently than it did. Love and peace and resolution are not things that come to people who did everything right the first time. They are gifts to be earned by those who did it wrong over and over until it was right...learning along the way.
...Nature girl
Oddly I feel that way a lot right now, but it's 11 o'clock here and I just feel like it's going to be an odd day. I have a lot of little things to take care of today and I feel sluggish to get them done. Four cop cars just screamed by and everyone here just stopped to watch them go by... it's just a strange day.
Sometimes I just feel like a lamp that isn't, quite, plugged in. A little glitchy, not quite fully plugged in and grasping for any extra power. But I don't think that there is anything causing this malaise, I think I just woke up fuzzy. I've been reading this book called "The 21 Day Conciousness Cleanse" and it's strange the things that it makes you think about.
For about a week and a half I've been thinking about my two best-friends from high school at least once a day. I meet people with their names or birthdates, see a trio of girls, or eat certain foods. Now thank goodness I've had a constant stream of support from friends and family regarding the move or I'd be stuck in the past! I don't know how they are doing or what they are up to past the basics of our shared friend group, but I still feel a strong connection to them. I wish them both nothing but happiness and stability, but sometimes I feel that connection and pull on my energies more than other times... it's a place that I still lose energy to after all these years.
It seems that there are people or events like this for everyone. Things that we can't quite let go of, people we wish we're closer, or events that marked our souls. The process of growing up and letting go, is an imperfect experience. I guess this is where the concept of regret comes from - wishing something had happened differently than it did. Love and peace and resolution are not things that come to people who did everything right the first time. They are gifts to be earned by those who did it wrong over and over until it was right...learning along the way.
...Nature girl
Moody blues
September 9, 2013
Well... today was not so good.
The puppy has had a growth on his paw for a while, and I thought it would be like his brother's bump and just fade away... It didn't. After pestering it long enough, he broke it open and had to go to the vet for an assessment. It's a growth and it has to come off, says the vet. And to make everything that much better (not) it seems that he is becoming worryingly aggressive and the vet recommends that we fix him. So there are two surgeries on his plate and I am far away in another state and can't be there for him-Yay!
...Nature girl
Saturday, September 7, 2013
The move
Aug. 27, 2013
You see, all of our stuff that we shipped from home just arrived! It has wedding gifts (never used), and clothes and sheets and all manor of fun stuff.
As I work my way through the bag of snacks and wait for my hubby to arrive, I am thinking that, somehow, everything has fallen into place so perfectly! I'm a big fan of a divine plan and I think that maybe...just maybe...we have stumbled our way into our corner of God's plan for us!
Though we are still sleeping on a blow up mattress, and don't yet have a table or chairs, it feels like things are gradually clicking into place. Keep thinking good thoughts for us and send prayers our way, it's obviously working!
...Nature girl
Current events
Sept. 07, 2013
Today I have a lot of writing to do, which is a little funny to me because I had paperwork up the wazoo yesterday! It seems that this is my lot right now.
Settling in to my new job has been stressful, it is completely different that what my heart tells me to do! It is meticulous, repetitive and rigid. Saying that, it also gives me a time to research, take care of things from the move and get us a little closer to being settled in this new environment. It also let's me write.
Right now I find that I am very distressed about our political foreign policies. If you know me, you know I am NOT a politico. I want to be left alone in my garden, loving people the way I was taught to, and enjoying life...barefoot if possible. But I firmly believe that we the people of this great country are being voted in to a war that the populace wants no part of.
Today I decided, after reading a message from a friend, that I would drag myself away from my hippie non-involvement and try to frame what has upset me so much. I sincerely feel that you cannot judge another for ANYTHING, before you are above reproach. Since that is an impossibility, no one person is perfect, and certainly no government is either, we need to "take care of our own house" before laying waste to someone else's.
The US has been at war since Sept. 11th, 2001, I was 21. I am now 32 and think of Sept. 11th like many may think of Pearl Harbor Day. It was the start of a change from peacetime to war, a total shift from how life had been the day before to how life will be going forward. I deeply and intrinsically object to the idea that war will be a part of my life that I cannot change going forward.
I reject the idea that in this great nation I can't say NO to a decision to start a new conflict on a passionate appeal with little factual evidence of responsibility. I will not blithely accept that my one day children will be born into a citizenship of war. What I want for my children, my nieces and nephews, and my friend's children is not to grow up hearing about a new conflict, a new obligation for our troops, or status on the current deployments!
My young life was peaceful with shocking points of tragedy; the Challenger disaster, Desert Storm, 9/11 - and removed tragedies like hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Up until 9/11 life went back to normal after each shock.
I don't want my life and the lives of our children to have a lifetime of battle with moments of peace.
The pattern our government is developing is a dangerous one. One where instead of the security and prosperity of it's own people, it is more concerned with the "rightness", and responsibility of other nations. The government has a duty to it's people, to keep them safe and secure, and to uphold international laws with that same thought in mind.
I guess that means that I don't feel safe, I don't feel secure, I don't feel obligated to go charging in to a situation without the support of allies and without the assurances of who is responsible for this atrocity on civilian life. We are not, as a nation, obligated to be the "bad guy" and "discipline" another country for how it cares for OR abuses it's people.
People are tired, over-extended, out of work, and emotionally beat down... I see it every day. A new conflict out in the world will not help that, but staying out of it, CARING for each other, nurturing OUR economy, and cutting waste from government as a gardener pulls weeds (no matter how pretty) from the earth... that just might help.
...Nature girl
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Geographical Change
Again, it's been a while (kinda failed at that keeping up with the blog thing)...But I've been busy.
As it turns out, the hubby and I are moving to Hawai'i. His job is changing and as a result, so is our address!
Life has been filled with the stress of moving in a very short time frame, making sure the dog is going to be able to come, finding a place, selling cars, training for new jobs and all the while still staying a normal...sane...person. I can't say I've been all that successful on the last part.
This is the last day before the craziness really kicks in, and the idea of a calm before the storm is a myth! It has been non-stop since the news came down, and I find myself MAJORLY overwhelmed. The days that I am excited for this move are fewer and farther apart. I know that everything will be fine, but the process is just SO tiring.
My workout regime has gone the way of my old clothes and stuff we don't absolutely need, and my diet has gone to the wind as well. Not sure how I'm going to handle all this change. I keep telling people that if I make it to the island in one piece I will relax, but I'm not sure that I will. At this point it is ALL a wait and see kind of situation.
More to come...keep your fingers crossed.
Nature girl
As it turns out, the hubby and I are moving to Hawai'i. His job is changing and as a result, so is our address!
Life has been filled with the stress of moving in a very short time frame, making sure the dog is going to be able to come, finding a place, selling cars, training for new jobs and all the while still staying a normal...sane...person. I can't say I've been all that successful on the last part.
This is the last day before the craziness really kicks in, and the idea of a calm before the storm is a myth! It has been non-stop since the news came down, and I find myself MAJORLY overwhelmed. The days that I am excited for this move are fewer and farther apart. I know that everything will be fine, but the process is just SO tiring.
My workout regime has gone the way of my old clothes and stuff we don't absolutely need, and my diet has gone to the wind as well. Not sure how I'm going to handle all this change. I keep telling people that if I make it to the island in one piece I will relax, but I'm not sure that I will. At this point it is ALL a wait and see kind of situation.
More to come...keep your fingers crossed.
Nature girl
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Progress
The definition of progress is the movement towards a goal or to a further, higher stage.
Right now I truly feel that I am progressing in my fittness. I have to say, this sucks and it is not easy. When I started P90X last week, I was uninspired about my ability to stick with the exercise at the pace recommended. There have even been a few times when I just didn't want to do it at all, throw in the towel and call it quits! But I made it through the first week and I feel pretty good. I haven't lost a bucket of weight, and I still make horrible food choices (ie. the pizza tonight) but I can feel something changing, and best of all, I'm trying!
I didn't think that just trying to do something would make the difference that it has, but it feels good. I feel willing, and I know that is a little strange, but I am starting to acknowledge that I have within me the ability to change something that I want to. I didn't realize that I had stopped trying, it is a little strange to think of living a life without trying, but a complacent life is what I feel like I was living. Un-plugged from my own life, I was just going along for the ride, rolling with whatever got thrown at me. A very stressful way to go through life now that I look at it.
Now I'm not saying that exercise has breathed new life into me, but there is lot that it has shown me. When you make a commitment to a person it's easy to just plod along quietly fullfilling it. But when you have to decide, every day, to do something to make your life better it's different! It makes you different. So keep your fingers crossed, it's a three month journey and I'm psyched for new stuff I will discover about me.
Nature girl
Right now I truly feel that I am progressing in my fittness. I have to say, this sucks and it is not easy. When I started P90X last week, I was uninspired about my ability to stick with the exercise at the pace recommended. There have even been a few times when I just didn't want to do it at all, throw in the towel and call it quits! But I made it through the first week and I feel pretty good. I haven't lost a bucket of weight, and I still make horrible food choices (ie. the pizza tonight) but I can feel something changing, and best of all, I'm trying!
I didn't think that just trying to do something would make the difference that it has, but it feels good. I feel willing, and I know that is a little strange, but I am starting to acknowledge that I have within me the ability to change something that I want to. I didn't realize that I had stopped trying, it is a little strange to think of living a life without trying, but a complacent life is what I feel like I was living. Un-plugged from my own life, I was just going along for the ride, rolling with whatever got thrown at me. A very stressful way to go through life now that I look at it.
Now I'm not saying that exercise has breathed new life into me, but there is lot that it has shown me. When you make a commitment to a person it's easy to just plod along quietly fullfilling it. But when you have to decide, every day, to do something to make your life better it's different! It makes you different. So keep your fingers crossed, it's a three month journey and I'm psyched for new stuff I will discover about me.
Nature girl
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Relief
Today was an awesome day!
It's strange to say that, but it is totally the case. There have been a lot of things in my life that have been completely out of my control, up in the air stressors. One of which is that due to some health issues, I have not been able to drive. But today that changed! I finally got word from the DMV that I am cleared to go back to driving, and I feel so free! No matter that I still have to go and fight my way through the agony that is the DMV office - I just know that, in this regard, things may actually be looking up!
My Professor this year told us that the number one reason for depression is a perceived lack or loss of control. I kind of brushed it off at the time because I know so many people that struggle with the chemical side of things. But now that I have sat with the concept for a while, I can see how it would diminish a person's idea of self.
Young or old, we as people pride ourselves on the things we can do, accomplish or complete. The ability to be self reliant, and provide for ourselves and families, and do the things we like to do. For me, not being able to drive was severely limiting! I never realized how much I enjoy just being impulsive in my actions. Going to the store, taking the dog for a walk somewhere different, leaving for work, meeting up with a friend for coffee, going to school etcetera, etcetera. Managing my schedule by fitting it in to everyone else's was SO stressful that if prolonged too much longer I could easily see myself getting beat down. Lucky for me, I had an extraordinary support group.
The amazing grace that I have been supplied with in the form of family and friends who were willing to let me impose on them is a bounty. Rides to work (and home), doctor appointments, out for food, out to socialize...picking me up and dropping me off has been a chore for my amazing group. I can't thank them enough for it! I realize that this is a minor thing in the grand scope, but I guess I'm a little thick and it took me loosing my freedom for me to appreciate it, and all it does to make me so happy.
I am finding that in my life appreciation for all your maybes, could be, might be, are not nearly as important as the I ams, I have, and I cans. Self awarness and growth are rough roads to travel, but the focus and clarity gained are invaluable.
Happy trails!
Nature girl
I am finding that in my life appreciation for all your maybes, could be, might be, are not nearly as important as the I ams, I have, and I cans. Self awarness and growth are rough roads to travel, but the focus and clarity gained are invaluable.
Happy trails!
Nature girl
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Snore-ring
I think some of the silliest sounds in life are snores.
Every single person has a different snore. Wether you are sick, or you are prone to doing it naturally...like my dog...or if your head falls off the pillow. Everybody makes a different strangled noise! It's a miracle of biology and hystericly funny - unless you are trying to sleep next to the snorer.
What made me think of it was Percy. He is curld up in my lap and he sounds like a trucker!! His little smooshed face makes him sore when dozing, but he is full in the throws of a dream and chainsaws have got nothing on him!
In my family alone I have three different snorers...including myself...and I feel like we should be categorized.
The heavy breathing snorer: This is not quite a full blown snore. It can be anything from soft breathing to sounding like you are sucking air through a foam mat, lots of effort put in.
The logger: (this is my favorite to listen to) smooth and rhythmic, this snore goes on for hours with no change in pitch or fluidity. I get the giggles with this one, because the sleeper is so completely out that you can poke, prod, or push them with no snoring changes!
Finaly there is the intermittant snorer: I swear that this is the most interesting one! The pace varries, the tone changes, or will stop without warning and all the while the person sleeps on unawares! Now I wake up if the wind starts blowing so this method is beyond me, but it usually transfixes me with the variety.
Now let us be clear... snoring can be really disruptive, irritating, and downright aggrivating... but it's also really silly. And I mean REALLY silly!
Nature girl
Every single person has a different snore. Wether you are sick, or you are prone to doing it naturally...like my dog...or if your head falls off the pillow. Everybody makes a different strangled noise! It's a miracle of biology and hystericly funny - unless you are trying to sleep next to the snorer.
What made me think of it was Percy. He is curld up in my lap and he sounds like a trucker!! His little smooshed face makes him sore when dozing, but he is full in the throws of a dream and chainsaws have got nothing on him!
In my family alone I have three different snorers...including myself...and I feel like we should be categorized.
The heavy breathing snorer: This is not quite a full blown snore. It can be anything from soft breathing to sounding like you are sucking air through a foam mat, lots of effort put in.
The logger: (this is my favorite to listen to) smooth and rhythmic, this snore goes on for hours with no change in pitch or fluidity. I get the giggles with this one, because the sleeper is so completely out that you can poke, prod, or push them with no snoring changes!
Finaly there is the intermittant snorer: I swear that this is the most interesting one! The pace varries, the tone changes, or will stop without warning and all the while the person sleeps on unawares! Now I wake up if the wind starts blowing so this method is beyond me, but it usually transfixes me with the variety.
Now let us be clear... snoring can be really disruptive, irritating, and downright aggrivating... but it's also really silly. And I mean REALLY silly!
Nature girl
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Little blessings
This is Percy, he is my 55 lb. boxer pup...he is two years old and he thinks he is a lap dog.
Every night he jumps up into bed while the hubby reads and then dutifully hops down when the book closes and the light turns off. He reappears around 6:30 am (oh how I hate mornings!) when the hubby gets up for work and it's just me in piles of sheets and comforters.
Now, if you have ever had a dog, of ANY size, you know that they take up three times their actual size on a bed at any given time! You could have a chihuahua and feel like you have a bull dog kicking you in the back as they dream.
I'm not quite sure how this transformation occurs but at night Percy is a loaf of bread, rolled up, round, and half his size. But come the morning, I end up hugging the wall, sideways in bed, or with a handful of covers and a frozen tush because now there is a horse in the bed!
The funny thing is...I love it.
These cuddle puddle times with my pup, husband and a quiet time of the day (or night) are my favorites. It seems like they quiet my soul, and allow me to be restful (which is no small task). I can just lie still and listen to dog snores and the sounds of my own breathing.
If only I could bottle that restfulness... Nothing cures the doldrums like feeling loved, and puppy cuddles or kisses are just the thing!
Nature girl
Every night he jumps up into bed while the hubby reads and then dutifully hops down when the book closes and the light turns off. He reappears around 6:30 am (oh how I hate mornings!) when the hubby gets up for work and it's just me in piles of sheets and comforters.
Now, if you have ever had a dog, of ANY size, you know that they take up three times their actual size on a bed at any given time! You could have a chihuahua and feel like you have a bull dog kicking you in the back as they dream.
I'm not quite sure how this transformation occurs but at night Percy is a loaf of bread, rolled up, round, and half his size. But come the morning, I end up hugging the wall, sideways in bed, or with a handful of covers and a frozen tush because now there is a horse in the bed!
The funny thing is...I love it.
These cuddle puddle times with my pup, husband and a quiet time of the day (or night) are my favorites. It seems like they quiet my soul, and allow me to be restful (which is no small task). I can just lie still and listen to dog snores and the sounds of my own breathing.
If only I could bottle that restfulness... Nothing cures the doldrums like feeling loved, and puppy cuddles or kisses are just the thing!
Nature girl
Monday, June 10, 2013
Day one.
I feel like this is going to be a short one...
Today was Day 1 of P90X and I know this one is going to be a steep hill. It was so difficult to do the whole 60 minutes that I modified or left out a lot of the stuff in the program. A little discouraging, but I am resolved to complete the program.
I had a shake and a granola bar for brekkis and somehow I feel like I am already doing better nutritionally than my cereal, scary right? I'm a little hesitant about the diet changes, but I'm going to give it a go. Hopefully no one gets hurt :)
I have a feeling I'm going to be totally sacked by tonight, but I'm trying to be positive...We will see :)
Nature girl
Today was Day 1 of P90X and I know this one is going to be a steep hill. It was so difficult to do the whole 60 minutes that I modified or left out a lot of the stuff in the program. A little discouraging, but I am resolved to complete the program.
I had a shake and a granola bar for brekkis and somehow I feel like I am already doing better nutritionally than my cereal, scary right? I'm a little hesitant about the diet changes, but I'm going to give it a go. Hopefully no one gets hurt :)
I have a feeling I'm going to be totally sacked by tonight, but I'm trying to be positive...We will see :)
Nature girl
Sunday, June 9, 2013
...a little twist...
This is my first blog in a few months. A lot has been going on and for the first time I feel like writing again. Good thing...right? It seems that at the greatest times of change or strife in my life is when I feel like writing. I can't tell if it's narcissism, or an attempt at finding answers to my questions.
For my whole life I've been on the "fluffy" side which is a funny way of saying overweight. In the past few months I have slowly crept back toward the weight I was at the most unhappy point of my life, which isn't a great barometer for how happy I am, but there it is.
Most of the time I am acutely aware of how blessed I am, how well supported, and how stable my life is, but at this time, all that is a little fuzzy. I still know all these things, but it seems a little removed from me. I have decided that being "removed" from your blessings probably isn't a great way of living your life. So on that premise I have decided to make a few changes.
First, I'm starting P90X. I feel a little like that may be extreme but I figure go all in or don't, right? I'm dragging my darling hubby down this road with me, and as supportive as he is I feel he still thinks I'm a little crazy. We've never done a structured work out routine past making sure the dog gets walked, and this may be above our heads but I'm making a commitment to 3 months.
Second, I want to be healthier and will be making a few changes to my diet. But I have this relationship with sweets. I feel like if I cut them out completely...someone is going to loose a limb. So I'm realistic about the things I can do, add a salad, drop a dessert here and there, and keep a food diary (my Fitbit Zip is going to help me there).
Third, I'm committing to my blog to keep writing. It might get a little squirly, and completely unrelated to this process, but it will be about the things I love to bring me back together, and in contact with all my blessings. I think that when you focus on the good things and address the things that make you pull away from joy, you can be clear about the beneficial parts of life.
Finally, I'm going to keep tabs on the changes on my life. This seems like a strange one, but you know what the definition of insanity is right; Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Well I feel like I have been forcing life to conform to MY plan and just getting upset when that doesn't happen. Total surprise, right? Well if I pay attention, maybe I will solve the mystery of why my metaphorical crowbar is so worn down.
Keep up if you can, I feel like this is going to be the kind of roller coaster I hate; fast with big hills.
Nature girl
For my whole life I've been on the "fluffy" side which is a funny way of saying overweight. In the past few months I have slowly crept back toward the weight I was at the most unhappy point of my life, which isn't a great barometer for how happy I am, but there it is.
Most of the time I am acutely aware of how blessed I am, how well supported, and how stable my life is, but at this time, all that is a little fuzzy. I still know all these things, but it seems a little removed from me. I have decided that being "removed" from your blessings probably isn't a great way of living your life. So on that premise I have decided to make a few changes.
First, I'm starting P90X. I feel a little like that may be extreme but I figure go all in or don't, right? I'm dragging my darling hubby down this road with me, and as supportive as he is I feel he still thinks I'm a little crazy. We've never done a structured work out routine past making sure the dog gets walked, and this may be above our heads but I'm making a commitment to 3 months.
Second, I want to be healthier and will be making a few changes to my diet. But I have this relationship with sweets. I feel like if I cut them out completely...someone is going to loose a limb. So I'm realistic about the things I can do, add a salad, drop a dessert here and there, and keep a food diary (my Fitbit Zip is going to help me there).
Third, I'm committing to my blog to keep writing. It might get a little squirly, and completely unrelated to this process, but it will be about the things I love to bring me back together, and in contact with all my blessings. I think that when you focus on the good things and address the things that make you pull away from joy, you can be clear about the beneficial parts of life.
Finally, I'm going to keep tabs on the changes on my life. This seems like a strange one, but you know what the definition of insanity is right; Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Well I feel like I have been forcing life to conform to MY plan and just getting upset when that doesn't happen. Total surprise, right? Well if I pay attention, maybe I will solve the mystery of why my metaphorical crowbar is so worn down.
Keep up if you can, I feel like this is going to be the kind of roller coaster I hate; fast with big hills.
Nature girl
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Nature Girl vs the life cycle
It has been a strange week for me.
I feel a little like a butterfly...in the most natural sense. The emotional metamorphosis of this past week has been, at times, radical and quiet at the same time.
The loss of a friend is an amazingly disturbing event. I have never attended a funeral of someone not family and I was surprised by the depth and intensity of the emotion. Though thinking about it in retrospect, I shouldn't be shocked, friends are the family you choose. No matter how close or distant the friendship may become, that voluntary tie binds fast.
Spending time with my brother and sisters, blood and not, was very soothing. The affirmation of relationships and experiences was a healing balm during a rough time. It's amazing to realize that the people who share your life stories have shaped you as a person. Sometimes you get to tell them, and sometimes you don't, but the important thing is learning whatever they were supposed to teach you.
I have been spoiled by an abundance of remarkable people. From the one taken far too soon ( who lived so fully that I'm not sure I can fill my remaining years with an equal amount of experiences), to one who embodies the idea of faithful at a surprisingly young age. I have been taught to stretch my idea of the world, be flexible in my treatment of others, be loving without judgment, and have patience with my own life. It is important to appreciate the arts, learn new things, fight for important things, and to identify family differently.
My family is the most fulfilling possesion I have - and it changes me (sometimes unknowingly) on a daily basis. My blood relatives taught me respect, joy, faith, and stability. My "family of choice" taught me to be vibrant, fulfilled, steadfast, carefull, patient and attentive. I am a conglomeration of family input, and all I can do is live out their grace, love, faith, and energy in a positive and energetic way.
I feel a little like a butterfly...in the most natural sense. The emotional metamorphosis of this past week has been, at times, radical and quiet at the same time.
The loss of a friend is an amazingly disturbing event. I have never attended a funeral of someone not family and I was surprised by the depth and intensity of the emotion. Though thinking about it in retrospect, I shouldn't be shocked, friends are the family you choose. No matter how close or distant the friendship may become, that voluntary tie binds fast.
Spending time with my brother and sisters, blood and not, was very soothing. The affirmation of relationships and experiences was a healing balm during a rough time. It's amazing to realize that the people who share your life stories have shaped you as a person. Sometimes you get to tell them, and sometimes you don't, but the important thing is learning whatever they were supposed to teach you.
I have been spoiled by an abundance of remarkable people. From the one taken far too soon ( who lived so fully that I'm not sure I can fill my remaining years with an equal amount of experiences), to one who embodies the idea of faithful at a surprisingly young age. I have been taught to stretch my idea of the world, be flexible in my treatment of others, be loving without judgment, and have patience with my own life. It is important to appreciate the arts, learn new things, fight for important things, and to identify family differently.
My family is the most fulfilling possesion I have - and it changes me (sometimes unknowingly) on a daily basis. My blood relatives taught me respect, joy, faith, and stability. My "family of choice" taught me to be vibrant, fulfilled, steadfast, carefull, patient and attentive. I am a conglomeration of family input, and all I can do is live out their grace, love, faith, and energy in a positive and energetic way.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Nature Girl and the Ultimate Facial
I love facials, and manicures, pedicures, or anything that allows me to spoil myself, and relax...optimaly, in my P.J.'s.
One of my favorite things about my foray into network marketing, and with Arbonne in particular, is that it allows me to do just that. Not only do I get to build a business on products that I love and believe in, but it allows me, and often requires me to, relax and spoil myself and others!
The Ultimate Facial is amazing and it uses all Arbonne products, based on the model of facials in high end salons. It shows the versatility, and quality of our products so amazingly well, that everyone should experience this! An Arbonne consultant comes to your home and teaches you how to use great products to spoil yourself! It's fun and informative and a great social event.
Step One: Cleanser - The super moisturizing, anti-aging cleanser or gentler FC5 cleansers gently clean without stripping away your skin's natural oils.
Step Two: FC5 New Cell Scrub - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this product! Small beads, and fruit enzymes gently buff away old dead skin cells and the smell is fresh and clean.
Step Three: RE9 Cellular renewal masque - Salicylic, and glycolic acids, pineapple, Vitamin C, and essential oils all work together to boost the skin's regeneration.
Step Four: Mask - many choices! Tonight I did an Ultimate Facial day and we even mixed it up a bit by using the Seasource Detox Spa Sea Mud face and body mask for our clarifying mask step. All of the product lines from Arbonne can be mixed and matched based on what each person needs or wants out of their experience. The mask had the typical Arbonne great fragrance, and everyone looked beautiful! A great addition to an already decadent event!
Step Five: Re9 Toner - our FC5 cleansers have toner in them to start, so this is just for the Re9 anti aging users.
Step Six: Eye Cream - I never realised how popular eye creams were, and how much they can do until I started this Arbonne journey - and our two different creams are light and incredibly moisturizing!
Step Seven: Moisturizer or Night Cream - a lighter SPF for day, or an intense moisture and nutrition burst for night!
Such a blissfully indulgent day, I can't believe that I get to do this for people and it's considered work?! Love, love, love this opportunity I have to help people make healthy, productive, beautiful choices - inside and out!
...Nature girl
One of my favorite things about my foray into network marketing, and with Arbonne in particular, is that it allows me to do just that. Not only do I get to build a business on products that I love and believe in, but it allows me, and often requires me to, relax and spoil myself and others!
The Ultimate Facial is amazing and it uses all Arbonne products, based on the model of facials in high end salons. It shows the versatility, and quality of our products so amazingly well, that everyone should experience this! An Arbonne consultant comes to your home and teaches you how to use great products to spoil yourself! It's fun and informative and a great social event.
Step One: Cleanser - The super moisturizing, anti-aging cleanser or gentler FC5 cleansers gently clean without stripping away your skin's natural oils.
Step Two: FC5 New Cell Scrub - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this product! Small beads, and fruit enzymes gently buff away old dead skin cells and the smell is fresh and clean.
Step Three: RE9 Cellular renewal masque - Salicylic, and glycolic acids, pineapple, Vitamin C, and essential oils all work together to boost the skin's regeneration.
Step Four: Mask - many choices! Tonight I did an Ultimate Facial day and we even mixed it up a bit by using the Seasource Detox Spa Sea Mud face and body mask for our clarifying mask step. All of the product lines from Arbonne can be mixed and matched based on what each person needs or wants out of their experience. The mask had the typical Arbonne great fragrance, and everyone looked beautiful! A great addition to an already decadent event!
Step Five: Re9 Toner - our FC5 cleansers have toner in them to start, so this is just for the Re9 anti aging users.
Step Six: Eye Cream - I never realised how popular eye creams were, and how much they can do until I started this Arbonne journey - and our two different creams are light and incredibly moisturizing!
Step Seven: Moisturizer or Night Cream - a lighter SPF for day, or an intense moisture and nutrition burst for night!
Such a blissfully indulgent day, I can't believe that I get to do this for people and it's considered work?! Love, love, love this opportunity I have to help people make healthy, productive, beautiful choices - inside and out!
...Nature girl
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