New Year's Eve, Eve

I don't know about you, but, for me, 2015 has flown by.  This is the first year in a while where I can say there has been more light than darkness for me.  This is not to say that there haven't been some struggles, but I have found, with the love of friends and family, a few classes, and sheer will, I am able to shine the light.  I must include being able to share with you as a major contributor to this. Thank you for coming with me from all over the world.  I feel as if we are all holding hands and sharing our love and commitment to making this world a better place one step at a time EACH DAY.  The darkness cannot live in the light.  So keep your hearts open, pay attention to what is going on, and if it doesn't feel right CHANGE IT!  Do not go along out of angst, or misplaced anger.  We have the power, together to make this world safe, and equitable for all people with love, not violence. JOIN ME in making this happen.  Think about it EVERY DAY and DO YOUR PART!  This next year will be a shining example of who we really are. 

Today is

my 900th post.  That is a lot of thinking and writing!  It has not been hard because I love to write and there is a lot to talk about. I want to thank all of you who have stuck with me all this time, and I look forward to all the new people who join us.  All I ever wanted was for us to think about the ways to become healthy and to share love and peace.  I know life can be hard, but there are ways to make it better.  Continue to hang with me, and share this with your friends.  Together we can make a ripple and make the world a better place.

Watch

your feelings come and go.  No one says that we have to stay mad.  No one says that we have to say sad.  No one says that we have to constantly worry.  And yet, sometimes these places are where we live.  It is not a good place to be.  I have, for some time, given myself a few minutes a day to get mad or feel upset about something.  If I can wait until the allotted time, I usually forget what I was upset about.  I have a little more problem with worrying about stuff.  I am working on a meditation where I imagine it is a partly sunny day, the sky is blue with fluffy clouds and a little breeze.  If I can put my worry on one of those clouds, and watch it float away, that seems to help.  What I am saying is that we can, with some practice, let the feelings come and go.  It is unhealthy to do otherwise, and we make things worse for ourselves if we don't.  So try my meditation, it may help you, too.

So I am thinking about

this past year.  I always take time to do this reflection between Christmas and the New Year.  Some of the choices I have made have been good ones.  In particular, I have tried to expect and give goodness.  Some of the choices I have made have allowed me to be sort of "stuck."  I guess we all do this.  As I look out into the mountains of snow, I see the beauty of all that has built up, but I also remember what I didn't get to take care of before it arrived.  I guess life is like that.  Stuff gets buried beneath other stuff.  Well, not being a fan of "resolutions," I have just decided to dig below the "stuff" 
 and see what is there that I can use, or lose.  I would like to start the New Year, "New,"  just for a change.

What's your's is mine,

what's mine is mine. Someone in this house is a bit of a pig cat.  Every time a new blanket arrives, it belongs to him.  Every new pillow, his.  For Christmas I got my daughter a stuffed bear.  (We have no age limits to getting stuffed bears in our house) can you guess WHO has a new stuffed bear?  That would be C@boy.  At nearly 20 years old, no one ever argues with his proclivity toward thinking every thing and everyone is his, so why try.  He is really happy with his new blankets, which he sometimes shares, and with his new bear.  I figure if he is 136 years old, he can have WHATEVER he wants.

Welcome Sweden

We are so glad to see you!  Please come back and visit!

Left over gifts

It is my fervent wish that you had a heart-warming Christmas.  But what about the left-over gifts?  We can share baked goodies we won't eat with our neighbors.  It will contribute to all of us exercising.  Sometimes, though, we forget that gifts can be given every day.  There is the gift of a smile for a stranger, the opening of a door, or even a kind word.  These gifts can be given every day of the year.  The food bank always needs contributions, sadly people are hungry all the time.  The good news is that these people can take a few dollars and turn them into several meals for a family.  If we live where it is snowy, we can shovel someone else's snow.  We can spend some time cleaning out our closets and giving away things we no longer use.  Let the gift giving become a daily habit. Give someone some joy, shine the light on them.  All these things cost nothing but a little energy on our part and we have no idea what they send out into the world.