Deciding to Comment
This year, a friend gave me a book called Simple Abundance, A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. Each day there is an inspirational message, a profound thought, or a simple message to reflect upon. I've been reading it daily, for several weeks now, and find so much wisdom in it that I have to force myself NOT to blog about it daily and NOT to re-write her work for all to see. With the New Year about to happen, I feel nudged to post some thoughts and wonder how the rest of you feel about the ending of a year and beginning of a new one. I hope you will share your thoughts with me.
A case of year end grumpies
The Author (Sarah Ban Breathnach), from her unseen place in the universe, called me out in her message for 12/29. She writes " Today is the day the post-holiday blues usually drop in for their annual visit." Not that I had the blues per say, but I did have a mild case of the grumpies that was just under the surface and never would have admitted it if she hadn't caught me in the act.
As she points out, whether we are aware of it or not, we are balancing our personal books and tallying up the profits and losses. This is a time of year that we look back to see if we achieved our goals, surrender to expectations unmet, try to come to terms with situations we couldn't change, or just begin to acknowledge we could have made changes but chose not to. Even for those of us who have just completed a wonderful year, we still look back and find times we wished were different, adding a bit of melancholy to our moods.
No matter how great our year was, we are losing it. It will be gone forever. Pay no mind that a new one is coming. It is our nature to grieve a bit over the losses we had, no matter how small, and the fact that time has moved on never to be recovered.
She also notes that "we" are probably not feeling very well (physically) at this time of year, and should not be surprised if we have colds or chest congestion now (which I do, adding to my grumpiness). The author tells that "practitioners of Eastern medicine expect these illness in winter; metaphysically the lung is the organ that processes grief". Old pain, she says, has become a familiar friend (not a nurturing one) by now and is very difficult to release.
I think that having the grumpies, or feeling down, is natural part of the season; the ebb and flow of energy. Weeks of hype for the season, shopping, cooking, parties, family and activity all around us. In the final day or so before Christmas, my personal energy is draining and I find myself longing for the first week of January. Yet, when it all quiets down the few days after Christmas, it is quite a no-man's land for me. Not the relief I was expecting.
I don't rest as well as I thought I might. I don't want to shop, yet I want to be out. I need to clean, but I don't want to. I don't want to go visiting but I don't want to be home. Then, this all starts a mental discussion about how to get out of the funk and make the New Year even better than the last creating more stress and grumpiness. I just want to tell myself to SHUT UP!
Advice: Treat Yourself Kindly
The advice seems simple: when this (holiday blues/grumpies/letdown)happens, remember to treat yourself kindly. This is a time to trust, not to form judgements.
Trust that the kids will go back to school. Trust that the bills will get paid, the work will get done, the tree and decorations will get put away. Things will go back to normal.
Thank you Ms. Breathnacht, I was waiting for someone to recognize the problem and give me permission to fix it.
For me, treating myself kindly meant that yesterday I spent the day walking in the snowy woods, reading a book for hours, going to a movie at night, and letting the dishes and laundry wait.
It also means that I will not try to plan my new year today. I will not set any intentions today. I will not outline goals with dates and project notes. I will not rush around trying to beat the clock so my place is spotless by midnight (however I will vacuum up the dog hair - ugh!).
I WILL recognize that I need a bit more time to rest and enjoy whatever THIS day brings to me. I will not FORCE this day to happen as I have tried to force other days to happen.
Today, this last day of 2012, I intend to just notice the beauty of life as it is right now - not as it was or will be. I will be mindful of the miracle of my breath as it goes in and out of my body. I will observe the wind on my skin and wonder how it all works. I will try to see without judgement. A dog, a car, a business, a person. No judgement - just seeing - just observing. That, in itself, should free up a lot of mental chatter!
Tomorrow may never come. All I have is now. And I'm setting out to experience this time, the last day of 2012, with a fresh spirit, new eyes and a cough drop and a tissue.
Gotta keep it real. . . .
Happy Last Day of 2012 to all my friends and family.
Jackie
A few weeks ago, I posted a Christmas wish on the Mood Fabrics Facebook page that said something like this:
Dear Mood - all I want for Christmas is to win one day at Mood with a Project Runway designer to help me select fabric for sewing garments. PS - I'll even pay my own expenses!
Well, on Wednesday (12/19) I was at the end of my "sisters" trip and took off for the morning to fabric shop while they did more sight seeing. I got off the elevator at Mood and in the corner, I saw women taking photos with a Project Runway designer Kooan Kosuke. I just marveled at seeing a celebrity at Mood and tried to keep a respectable distance when I really just wanted to run up and ask for an autograph, but didn't.
As I was looking at the velvets, I heard a voice say "Can I help you?" and honest to Pete - it was him! I'd forgotten that Mood had recently hired Kooan to work at the store, and here he was before me, sales apron on with a giant smile ready to help!!
I was almost speechless! He helped me select a velvet and a tafeta and we talked about design elements for those, and a few other fabric choices. Pleated collar and cuffs? Yes - maybe.
We also talked about his current work, his desire to create a line for consumers, which would use other skills and require a different thought process to his normal designing. He does costumes mostly, and now working at Mood. He did say that when he creates non-costume garments, that he puts so much of himself and time into the garment, it is very hard for him to part with it.
So, my wish came true! I got the help of a Project Runway designer in a very short time after I placed my wish order with the Universe.
May you all be blessed with great dreams, and have strong visions of the life you desire. That is all you need to start the energy flowing, creating the environment to give you what you seek. But don't forget YOUR part in the process.
I had to get myself to NYC and walk myself to Mood before the magic could happen!
TTFN!
Jackie
Yesterday, I was at Rite Aid looking for a small bottle of pain reliever. What I really wanted was Excedrin. I LOVE how well Excedrin works for me. Never mind the generic or off brands, I love Excedrin.
Many months ago, I went to pick up a bottle and to my dismay, the shelves were empty. Someone told me that all the Excedrin products had been recalled and none were to be had. Around August, I gave up looking for it, and hadn't thought about it until yesterday.
Yesterday, I was longing for, wishing for, the return of Excedrin and wondering when, if ever, it was coming back. I had an entire mental conversation (at least I hope it was a silent discussion in my head) about what could have gone wrong at Excedrin? When was it coming back? Is it like Twinkies and Cupcakes now? Maybe I need to do a little Internet research and see if it was coming back soon.
Then, I simply forgot about it until today.
I opened my mail and there was a small, mysterious box. You guessed it! A bottle of Excedrin with a $1.00 coupon for a purchase and a Thank You from Rite Aid for being a valued customer!! I guess Excedrin is back!
In case you are an Excedrin lover, here is a link you might be interested in: Excedrin
I have to say, that in this particular case, I must have had my antenna up and got some "inside" info from the Universe. Kind of a pre-knowing I guess.
The only other explanation is that I sent out such a powerful "need" vibration that the Universe delivered as fast as it could without seeming un-natural.
Anyone else out there have a recent, similar experience to share? What is the last time you recall thinking about something, only to have it appear in very short order? Would love to hear your story - please share.
TTFN
Jackie (who is giddy over a little bottle of Excedrin - imagine if I won the lottery!)
This weekend, I flew on 4 planes to get to and from a wedding in South Dakota. I had various experiences on all of them.
On the last flight, I sat there thinking "boy, I wish the Airlines would offer me a satisfaction survey after each flight. Would be nice to have some venue for offering comments, ideas and relay experiences. Wonder when they will get on the ball and do that like the rest of the world?"
So today, I open my email, and there is the survey link for Delta! Cooincidence? Hah! I think my antennas were up and I linked into the Universe and grabbed that email while it was on it's way to me!
There you have it. Just another musing about the "cooincidences" in my life.
Anyone else have something like this happen recently?
PS - to be fair, I must also tell you I had a very vivid dream about being turned into a zombie. So far, that hasn't happened yet. However, I do think it is an interesting way for my psyche to show me the difference between "getting" reliable data from the universe, and getting the standard ridiculous, random vibes that are floating around out there. Yet, I am still a bit skittish about unknow folks who are trying to engage me in conversation. . .
TTFN
Jackie
