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Archive for October, 2019

Being Sunshine, No Superlatives Needed

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , on October 26, 2019| Leave a Comment »

And the moon said to me, “My darling daughter, you do not have to be whole in order to shine.” (Nichole McElhaney)

A dream. I’m lost in an unidentified city. The car, a nondescript beige, is parked somewhere. Peculiar since the dream didn’t include a sequence where I got out of the vehicle, much less abandoned it.

Via the same skip-the-details transport, I’m back-at-the-ranch or wherever the other conference women are staying. And my companions interrogate me about my problem. They don’t understand how I could lose a car. Mine. Foreign maker. Foreign experience.

While they berate me and my foibles, I’m slicing watermelon. Not sure why. The slices mock bacon. The meat-appearance is unintentional as well. Although, strange, I’m the only person who notices. The primary focus is on a car left in a well-set-up town.

I am grateful to wake into my semi-dark, semi-light, far more predictable, real-life room. The space is small and will never be chosen for a magazine cover. Yet it offers shelter. A home. My husband reaches toward me in his sleep. Neither one of us is perfect. We don’t need to be more than who we are. We do not need to be whole to discover goodness and light. Then share what we find.

Good morning…

Good afternoon…

Good evening.

May the good win in both full sparkle and murky shadow.

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A Salt-of-the-earth Acquaintance, or Two, or Three…

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 17, 2019| Leave a Comment »

It’s in those quiet little towns, at the edge of the world, that you will find the salt of the earth people who make you feel right at home. (Aaron Lauritsen, 100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road)

She hands me a five-dollar bill and I can’t think of any reason to refuse. The giver’s name isn’t necessary. She lives among the many who have more health-need expenses than income. “For Jay’s birthday present.”

I’ll think of some way to get the money back to her. In another form maybe. Although I need to admit the cash-concern is my problem, not hers. She gives because she is my friend. The salt-of-the-earth kind of acquaintance. The Matthew 5:13 variety. The kind who is entertained with a cup of coffee and background oldies music. And asks no more. “I’ll be your friend forever,” she says. I believe it.

Later that afternoon I glance around the neighborhood. The gentle couple next door. He cuts our grass and trims the edges. Both husband and wife watch our house when we aren’t home. Another couple, their friendly house on the corner—these two young persons have saved us more than they know.

Our little town. Inside a hostile world. Government crime and greed remain. I continue to work toward a better world for all. Yet, I’m not sure I would have the energy without companions who care on an everyday level. Thanks. May karma, the good kind, embrace you.

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Trick-or-Treat, Ella-style

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »

The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them. (Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.)

Ella and I play trick-or-treat any time of the year. Our version transcends reality. The costume takes over the wearer. A skeleton drinks apple juice and it passes from bone to bone to the front porch.

Today Ella wants me to be permanent trick-or-treater while she adjusts the treat to the visitor.

“Hi,” I say, then complain. “I’m a tree, and yeah, I know the peaceful nature scene. Quiet. The woods. All that. But I have bugs climbing all over me. Squirrels are nuts. They don’t just eat them. And the birds? That early morning song is nice enough, but the pre-dawn time can get on your sap after a while.”

Ella smiles and then takes on a composed expression. “Okay. Here’s a woodpecker.”

I’m immediately out of character. Our girl has a sense of humor. Down syndrome, yes. Up personality? No question about it.

 

photo a combination of pic taken in our backyard and portion of public domain pic

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Dubious Advice: A Poem

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 1, 2019| Leave a Comment »

 

Ah, how the seeds of cockiness blossom when soiled in ignorance. (Steve Alten)

DUBIOUS ADVICE

 

Take one opinion;

call it the whole.

Shout your words

with venom if necessary.

Cover your home,

your car, every space you touch

with bumper stickers, clever words,

succinct, biting,

so obvious, transparent,

you mimic a peacock flashing

your message across a zoo.

Then, well satisfied,

flick on the television,

curl up in your favorite chair,

or lie on a distant beach,

and revel in the comfort of your truth.

Relax, with food and wine within reach,

your part completed.

 

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