It is not fun to be stuck in one place. Instead of being captured by what’s in front of you, strive to broaden your horizons.
Perfect Liberty 2022.28
I picked up a magazine the other day to put in the bag i was putting together for the charity shop, I saw that I had a book mark on a page. ID your strengths… I must have been going to revisit the page. I had had good intentions.. date of the little magazine was 2021, January.
My eyes lingered on the one block on the page of strength, the issues was January so it is when everyone is looking at challenges we faced in the previous year and what lessons had we learned etc. It is an interesting list. I’ll share it with you.
Appreciation of beauty and excellence ……………. Kindness …………………. Leadership …………
Bravery ……… Love……….. creativity ……………… love of learning …….. curiosity ……… perseverance ………..
To cope with current problems, it helps to reflect on past successes .. and we are asked to look at what inner resources helped us to do this. Apparently psychologists call our “superpowers” signature strengths. is that a cape billowing behind you? Mine is tattered and torn in places, colours are faded,, but I won’t be trading it in soon…. I earned every wrinkle and stain… you?
Sometimes prayers are answered in a way that you don’t expect. Life has been busy, so busy that until it took its toll on me and I simply had no choice but to stop and unwind… I had no idea how brain fogged I was getting. We get busy, and we get into a routine of “doing” .. it is not until a friend mentions to you that you are always on the go. A friend actually was telling me that her friends were always telling her she was always traveling, and she didn’t necessarily see it that way, she saw herself as a stay at home person.
hmmmm. a little “bell” went off in my head. I was one of her friends who IF I thought of it, would think she did travel a lot. So when another friend said to me, “you are always on the go” I actually heard him, it wasn’t just words coming at me from across a room.
So… when a friend send me a link to pictures taken while he and his wife were on a travel vacation, I innocently opened up the files and WOW… OMG… this picture caught my attention, it literally screamed at me… if I was to visualize my inner thoughts and what was or has been going on in my gray matter, this picture said it all. Why? I don’t know.. it just drew me in, it captured my attention.
From my head to my toes, this picture could be an abstract picture of my emotions – all consuming yet not tangible. My life is so full in some ways, so content, so rich, so vibrant, yet… there is a part of me that seems to be simmering waiting to erupt.
Nick and Mel traveled through some very majestic territory.. they were exploring Yellowstone National Park… Some of Nick’s pictures were just too much to take in, I think it was the impression of the vast geography that they were experiencing, it was something that would be so totally mind blowing first hand. Thank you Nick for sharing, you gave me something that opened doors to possibilities.. more for me to think about .. LOL as always your sharing brings happiness and a smile
Make Today a memorable day. Let’s try to put our whole heart into whatever we say or do. as our unique signature.
Perfect Liberty 2022.26
Why I am so pulled in by this photo.. I have many thoughts on that… one of the PL Precepts is
When you get stuck – take a step back. when you are able to see things objectively, your viewpoint will change and you will receive new wisdom
Perfect Liberty 2022.23
Watching the birds. Yesterday as usual I spent time in the woodlands, just being there, listening to the birds, and taking in the silence. In the countryside, you catch a glimpse of the birds, but you don’t get to see them, just being themselves. A glimpse here and there, they might fly past or be perched on a wire or branch in a tree – but they are not up close and personal.
Since I installed a bird feeder station outside my living room window.. I have seen the birds daily and often. I get to see the mother bird feeding her youngster.. while it perches on a branch beside her, she dips into the feeder, than leans over and feeds it ..its mouth open waiting.. wings fluttering to balance. She is teaching it where to get the seed and how to balance on the feeder. I watched fascinated because behind on other branches patiently waiting for her to tend to her young, two adolescent starlings were waiting to be not at the feeder she was at but on the one the little one was balancing on. Not far from them was a couple more mature Starlings … they too waited for the mother to finish feeding and leave before they beelined it to the feeder they wanted, pushing and being aggressive.
The bigger birds push each other, shove and peck when they want something … yet when Mother bird was feeding her young one, they waited. The mother and baby were sparrows, so different and certainly not of the size of the Starlings.
I’ve noticed Blue Jays now come calling, as well as woodpeckers, cardinals and even pigeons. Yes, the squirrels come calling too. It will be most interesting to see, as the weather changes, who the visitors will be. As time goes on, I will also be able to see more of how the birds are in the community that has begun to take shape in my front yard. the Saskatoon Berry , the Cherry Tree and evergreens are always resting places for the birds.
Be in tune with the feelings of others. Let’s start by trying to understand other peoples’ feelings.
Perfect Liberty 2022.22
Love is not outside ourselves, but comes from within us. Be kind to yourself, be aware, Relationships are mirrors of ourselves…. ” listen ” to what you are feeling..
By remembering what inspired you in the beginning, you will feel a renewed enthusiasm.
A trip downtown yesterday seemed like a good idea. A friend drove me downtown to a very trendy busy, location .. where I could search out cigars for a friend. Simple enough.. the idea seemed good to me at the time, the place is bustling with tourists, visitors, shoppers and residents ..honestly I lead such a quiet life I was totally unprepared for the hustle bustle and activity that was a constant buzz and roar from every direction. On one occasion as I talked with a shop owner in the shop .. she had to leave me to close the door for all the hollering, and cheering that was going on outside.
There is a stadium, and fairgrounds located in the area I was in, the shopping area is built up around it. The main street snakes for miles and ends up at parliament hill if one travels north. For those of you who know Ottawa I was in the Glebe around Lansdowne… Of course, it was a Saturday, but being retired, it just skipped my mind, Saturday to me is like any other day, I just “live it” “do what needs doing” I’m sure many of you can relate to this.
If you have been following me for years, you will recall that one of my activities was to have Brian drive me downtown and then I would walk home, 5, 8 miles probably more. Taking my time, lingering, window browsing, simply exploring. Since his passing I have not been downtown at all, never mind on a bus.
It didn’t take me long yesterday to realize that I was no longer that same person I was those many years ago…. the throngs of people, the heat, the noise, it was jarring. Ladies I didn’t even go into the shops I so enjoyed before, even the wonderful Glebe Trotters (shoe store) I ignored. I dug deep found the change required for a bus ($3.75) and hopped on a bus that would take me to the Rideau Centre (big shopping centre near Parliament ..) where I would than transfer to the bus that would bring me a block from home.
I had a delicious salad in a trendy shop $15 with glass of ice water to keep me hydrated, then began the bus ride home. At the Rideau Centre, there was over a half hour wait for the bus I needed. I had my fill of people watching by the time the bus came. I think I will no longer argue or poohpaaa when I’m told I’ve become a recluse, I now know without a doubt, I am happier in the woodlands, or by river/lake/stream where life is quieter and nature and wildlife abound.
Think of the timing before you say “but….” When stating your opinion, make sure you are being respectful of others opinions. Be mindful of this when you speak.
Perfect Liberty 2022.14
Today’s calendar quote… is about timing yes, perhaps had I gone mid week and not on a Saturday morning my downtown adventure would have been less hectic, busy… it also has to do with adapting to change, not only in my surroundings but IN my “self”
Positive – I had a wonderful experience in the store itself, the owner of this shop is also the owner of two other cigar boutiques in the city. I knew nothing about cigars .. I now know that there are a lot of cigar smokers out there and that it is a hobby with a lot of history and dimension. Yesterday I learned about the different colours of cigars, (the plant leaves) more and more I’m discovering about the tobacco world,. Life will keep on progressing… I will adjust … my choice though.. my preference… simplicity.
You can only change yourself. Before you start telling people how they should do things, think of how you can be more flexible.
Perfect Liberty 2022.13
Friends of mine are travelling in the States, sending back wonderful photos of the sights they are discovering. I asked Nick for this picture to share because when I saw it.. I saw and felt such wonder at the magnificence of this natural monument to change. The colours, the cleavage carved over time, centuries of weather carvings, that happened in miniscule micro moments. Nothing can compare to the abstract wonders Nature presents us on a daily basis.
Love comes when we least expect it. be ready when it does come. Prepare to be ready to nourish love, be open and receptive…
In the picture of this natural wonder that Nick took, I felt and saw raw passion, and tho’ the surface is hard to the touch, it left me with the impression of softness, tenderness and the meeting of yin/yang in harmony and balance.
When instead of still waters, the energy around you seems to be constantly stirring and charged with negative emotion. you can’t pin point where the “distress” is coming from… but.. you know its there.
I recall at the office opening an envelope one day, in it, one of the ladies from the accounting department had put in a sheet of paper, on it was a photocopy of a list of statements that were about aging. Some of you old enough to recall photocopies (these were the days when we sent memos and inter office communications via. internal mail systems that usually comprised of a “mail Person” … who went from floor to floor, office to office delivering the mail (internal/external) that had been received in the hospital’s mail room, sorted and then delivered
Anyway I digress. the sheet of paper was meant to be funny, and usually we all had a mini break of laughter as we read about – how at one time we knew where we were going, and now, we left the room and forgot why? Or couldn’t find the glasses we thought were missing, only to be told we had them on, etc. there was one, and someone out there can remind me if you recall the exact words, but was to the effect that our new friends now all had names like BenGay, Absorbine Jr. etc. and went on to name other over the counter creams/lotions, for people to deal with arthritic pain, sprains, muscles etc. I used to think, is that all people can talk about when they get older. their aches/pains/discomforts.. sore this, sore that, can’t do this anymore, can’t remember, always forgetting, being slower than before, blah blah blah.
OK I’m older now. and of the generation that no longer wants to leave the house at 9 or 10 o’clock because that is when things start to happen. (yes at night). Nor am I interested in attending the most amazing live concert at the stadium or some other event that involves hundreds and hundreds of people standing in line to get in and then standing or sitting packed together to listen or watch some event. (mind you with Covid that came to a standstill for awhile)
All this, if you think about it, is a way of complaining… it is seeing the negative and trying to accommodate it. Think about it. How often in the day, given a chance to say or express yourself, your response is about a negative. It’s soooo cold, a question like “how are you” .. elicits, “its been so hot, the humidity is killing me” ” I stood in the drizzle yesterday watching the dog run…or having a conversation..”
I realized that I was moaning and groaning yesterday, complaining about my aches, pains, and inability to do things like I used to… wow… voices from the past came crashing down on me. I was becoming a complainer, I need to focus more on the feel goods, the positives… then a little voice askes in wonder, how did this happen….???? and I don’t know that the answer jumps out at me. Today’s calendar says..
Express yourself clearly so others can understand you. When you can’t communicate clearly, it can lead to problems. Always express yourself carefully to avoid any misunderstandings.
Perfect Liberty 2022.9
In PL we learn to recognize when we are complaining, and we are tasked with the exercise of working on changing that habit. it is an ongoing exercise for me, picture a wee hamster in her cage with a treadmill.
When working on the pictures taken at Morris Island, I kept coming back to this one picture, cuz I felt it was “looking” .. at least I felt I was being looked at. I copied it to another file so I could isolate it and get a better look. Even in a batch file, I could see the face as plain as day .. can you?
Always aware of the energy that is around me, there are times I’m oblivious, it happens, however more often then naught, I am aware and open to the ambience around me. Since the storm the conservation areas are having to deal with a lot of damage, the balance that had been, is no longer. I visited P18 today, I had been told that the forestry department was finally tackling the debris.
From thisTo this
I was filled with such mixed emotions when I visited after the storm and saw the destruction. When I got there this morning, I was overcome with the memory of years past, the recent storm, and what I was seeing, now.
The only constant in life is -CHANGE-
PL Precept #16 All things progress and develop
PL Precept # 18 Each moment is a turning Point.
Life is always giving us the opportunity to grow, develop and adapt to changes – I wish I could do it with more appreciation,- I’m working on it….
TAOIST Life is Art (Perfect Liberty precept #1)
contact info.- via blogs
--- there are two energies, Yin and Yang = ONE
---to have balance we must live each moment
of our lives.. with Makoto (sincerity)
The only constant in life is change. I am grounded in the reality of Living.
This is true, in all worlds. RL or virtual. I am me and only me.
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