Sunbathing is an activity that Quin likes to take in when the sun comes streaming through the window. It also allows her to monitor her patient (me) who is still lingering under the covers with a miserable cold. Her brother is more hands on, he likes to be right by my head, I guess its to make sure I’m still breathing. I’m too tired to even be grumpy about it.
Express yourself freely within the rules
We are able to experience the joyof being creative because we have the framework of laws, morals and rules to follow.
I sent one of my gals on assignment yesterday, show us how many ways our readers can stop, sit, relax for a moment.. She travelled to a retreat… found a comfortable chair and … here are some examples of taking an “adult, TIME OUT” you can’t hear it but there is a water fall in the courtyard… it was very picturesque but you can sit anywhere, at any time… You just have to make the time, to STOP for a moment, and SIT …
I know it is hard.. every time I open one of my devices I find some kind of ad/commercial/video about how to get better, feel better, and how their product will be a miracle cure like no other.. All you have to do is send them your information and buy their product. This Time Out is free…it is all Y O U.
Ok you can do that if that is what pleases you.. but you can also try … listening to your body/mind…and you can’t properly listen if you are constantly on the go… or interacting with whatever noise is coming at you. BUT Y O U CAN…. stop for 5 minutes… and just sit down somewhere, close your eyes, and listen to nothing in particular.. maybe count your breath, in and out…
I recommend, you close your eyes, take a deep breath in… and tilt your head back, and just let it out with a huge big sigh… and feel how your body responds… as you exhale your shoulders actually crop slightly.. and wow it didn’t hurt at all, it wasn’t hard to do… you survived.. Try it for a few more minutes… I know you can do it… don’t be shy, let the sigh be audible if you like… its YOUR moment… After that hard workout… you can treat yourself to another quiet moment, maybe sip on a coffee, drink some organic tea… after all you took a TIME OUT… you deserve a reward… smile…
The best part is you can do it several times a day if you want… if its too hard, try it three for times a week… see if it helps…you can work up to doing it daily… Putting yourSELF first can at times be challenging .. but. you are worth it !!!
This is a cold hard fact…. no one but YOU can make changes in YOUR life, Things happen that we can’t control, but WE can control how we deal with/accept… the opportunities that come our way.
You have my permission to use any of the seating positions used in this blog as part of your exercise regime.* silly wink*
Homemade mushroom soup with Chinese Veggies (made 1 big bowl)
Dried Shiitake mushrooms 5 -6 small, 3 -4 medium size
fresh Shiitake mushrooms I used half the package
boiled salted peanuts with red skins (maybe I had about 2 tablespoons left in fridge)
diced garlic *- minced ginger *- small dash fish sauce* – mushroom bouillon powder *(Lee Kum Kee)
green onions (garnish) I had left over pieces of dry garlic beef kidney enough to add flavouring (handful)
gai toy (mustard green) – half a coup of sliced Brussel sprout.about 1/4 cup of st
about 1/5 cup of sticky rice left over from a dish I got with Chinese Sausage and BBQ Pork, (already cooked)
pinch of white pepper for added taste – I put in the remaining liquid (dry garlic) from the beef kidney cuz I don’t like to waste.
et viola, my supper last night. * note seasoning is to taste If I had, had kernel corn I would have added it for added flavour/colour
BE creative in your effort
If something is not going well, take a step back and look at how you are tackling the problem. There s sure to be something you can improve on.
PL2014
My cooking is all … in the moment, it depends on what is in my fridge/cupboards at the time. And I don’t measure. That comes with years of cooking this way.. and I mean yearS plural. AND I don’t add sugar, and seldom salt.,, I don’t even keep sugar in my house.
February is said to be heart month. Valentine’s day is the 14th. Will you remember to say Thank you! will you tell someone how much you appreciate them… as a friend, a family member, even a passing stranger? On the radio I heard an old time radio program.. where the husband forgot to get his wife a valentine and of course the whole show was about how he redeemed himself. It was a comedy, never-the-less… it is a shame that we have to put aside one day a year to tell a loved one/friend that we care and appreciate them.
WE are blessed in life with friends, people around us who care, maybe not in the way you would like them to care, but they do care…
Open up opportunities by being proactive
Opportunities don’t just come knocking on the door. Use your enthusiasm and energy to bring good fortune your way.
With the lunar new year not far off… I let my thoughts drift to another place and time… in my youth, I dreamed of being able to wander the grounds of a monastery high in the mountains. I knew I would feel at home .. looking out into the distance… hearing the soft chanting of the monks… the sweet smell of incense and sandalwood wafting through the air. I never made it to China but my Mom and sister did… . no their interests were not mine… but they did get to explore and bring home memories of a land that was very different from the world we knew. My time abroad was spent in Japan.. smiles with a soft stirring in my heart as I recall the cherry blossoms… and the rice fields as i wandered and took in life in Japan. I loved it there, but I missed hearing English and French, oui, je suis Canadianne …
We can’t always do all the things we want to… but we can explore and take in the world around us, every day there is something new to discover. We need only look around, and reach out, be open to try something new, something different, try something you have never done before. It’s a thought, think about it.
Once upon a time .. we used an expression, “arm chair traveler” have you heard it? do you know it’s meaning? Now I am an “internet buff” I use different platforms to explore my interests. In person, travel to far distant places is no longer a possibility for me, I’m just not interested in airports, long lines, customs, politics.. I simply want to enjoy life and the pleasures available to me. I am thankful for the experiences I have had, and the many wonderful people I’ve met along the way…. now I make no apologies for making time for ME… my interests, my joy at being able to explore places via the creative efforts of others.. I am learning and appreciating the talent and skills of creative minds that impact my world in a positive way.
I discovered I like being happy. I like sharing that happiness… and if it isn’t what others want who are in my space.. I move on. simply said. life is to be enjoyed.
Always express yourself for the happiness of others as well as yourself.
The happiness of those around you can lead to your own happiness. Cultivate a heart to always wish for the happiness of others.
Have you ever found you arrive somewhere and suddenly you know you are somewhere, but realize you don’t know or understand anything that is around you. It happens even when you are on home ground. You wake up and find that ..ok yes… you understand the language, but… the world around you, the voices you hear, even though they are speaking a language you know.. the meaning, the context, the way they see life is unfamiliar to you. Sometimes I feel transported by a Telephone Booth (Dr. Who) or I was highjacked by the Star Ship and I’m on a different galaxy. If I blink will it go away? Maybe Spock will walk around the corner. (fictional character from the Star Trek franchise. If I shake a strangers hand, will I get pregnant?
For awhile I thought, “it is because you are over 50 … you’re having a mid life crises.” But.. time moves on and no.. there is definitely a mis-connect. If on the computer, I would turn it off and do a reboot, or hit restart… But this is 2026… it’s real and I don’t think one can just reboot one’s life. I hear a meow and I look over and the cat is looking at me… I can see it in her eyes… you have to go now.. I’m waiting for you to open the window (she means the television, she wants to see the activity outside, YouTube has cat videos!) When I leave in the morning, my routine is to get ready .. I pull out my coffee (cold from the fridge, YES cold! I even fill it with ice cubes too !!) put it by the door and turn on the telly for them before I leave. They don’t even notice my leaving.
Today, I’m late.. getting organized, spent the night bleeding either awake or dreaming. I DO NOT usually dream… Maybe today I should seek out some ” Vulcan stoicism”. When I see the doctor today, I’ll ask him if he thinks my ears are somewhat pointed. OK everyone, have a good day.. Here is today’s PL message. (PL Perfect Liberty) philosophy from Japan.
Live with firm determination, thinking that “this will turn out for the best”
Everything in this world progresses and develops. Always be positive, knowing that everything will turn out for the best.
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.