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Sparks of Light

Young male holding a globe reflecting sparks of light, with huge sparks of light in the background

“Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we’re so deeply interconnected with one another.”                                 ∼ Ram Dass

During the aberrant quietness of shelter in place, I’ve reflected more deeply on this statement and how our thoughts and actions produced the position we are currently in, and will also create the outcome. My hope is that increasing sparks of light will escort our minds and hearts through the darkness to an enlightened world.

What have we done? Where are we going? And as Lao Tzu says, “If you do not change direction you may end up where you are heading.”

Strongly independent with a passion for personal freedom, choice, natural healing, and the environment, I am troubled by government’s increased control of our lives. Coronavirus mandates for our protection churn memories of how quickly and quietly 9/11 created the Patriot Act and TSA.

Smothering personal freedoms in any capacity is disquieting and largely why I avoid privacy invading sites like Facebook and Google. Being tracked — whether its purchases, conversations, photos, driving habits or associations incites my neo-Ludditism. Just because devices are marketed as convenience items doesn’t mean they are solely for our convenience.

shock waves of darkness emitting from a bright core
Photo by Sebastian Kanczok on Unsplash

GAFAM (Google-Apple-Facebook-Amazon-Microsoft) are essentially transforming humans into algorithmic clones by snuffing out personal connection while stoking social media propaganda and fake news. Devices were extinguishing human connection but now we are mandated to not touch. Device addiction deters exercise and absorbing Vitamin D through sunlight which impairs cognitive performance. Blue light disruption of circadian rhythms deprives users of sleep. Sleep deprivation is effective mind control…

But wait, if this resembles a hellfire reality of controlling the masses, consider Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai’s illuminating sentiment, “Freedom of thought promotes truth, health and choice.” Remember the day when we could think for ourselves?

There’s a reason they say, “Follow the money to the truth” and “The truth will set you free.”

A long time advocate of naturopathic and holistic medicine, I also support functional medicine, and the health aspects of nutritional foods and a clean environment.

Unfortunately, America turned the light out on natural health care once money entered the equation in the early 1900s. My personal eye-opener was the FDA removing a safe, natural remedy that cost around $8 only to replace it with a more costly Big Pharma drug. And when I say costly, I mean in both dollars and side effects.

Photo of person engulfed with flames
Photo by Giovanni Miccio on Unsplash

I’ve subsequently witnessed western medicine’s attempts to discredit and silence natural healers and healing through the guise of authoritative agencies like the FDA, CDC, NIH and academia’s play for pay studies.

Being a gardener, I dig beneath the dirt to expose the root of bias — is it for humanity’s sake or profit driven? As in the coronavirus stimulus, Big Business and special interest groups benefit most — not the desperate jobless or taxpayers incarcerated with more debt. Have you considered how much money Big Pharma will make through mandatory vaccines?

Don’t worry, I’m not proposing a conspiracy theory here. I’m proposing this virus can galvanize us to think for ourselves, to go deeper than what we are told and fan the fire of optimal health for we the people and planet.

“All of us come into this world with different perspectives, and the only way we can approach the truth in any situation is to meld perspectives into a more comprehensive view…You are my travel companion, just as I am yours.”    ∼ Derek Lin

If we no longer have common sense, can we still be reason able?

While safety protocols seemed sensible at first, I am deeply concerned that governments will use this opportunity to douse more of our personal freedoms. Still, I do not support protesting shelter in place measures — and certainly not healthcare workers — for what must be done right now.

But, incendiary group think and promoting mandated vaccinations is alarming. Denmark’s new law allows authorities to force testing, vaccination, and quarantine. On the surface, this may sound necessary when everyone hasn’t complied with common sense measures. But, it also means losing control over what is done to our bodies, including being micro-chipped and tracked. (Possibly not a worry for techies but deeply troubling to this privacy loving, natural health practicing neo-Luddite.)

Photo of drone flying near house
Photo by Michel Bosma on Unsplash

These sci-fi like scenarios during the coronavirus are infiltrating reality with a police state. Extreme measures like China locking people in their homes, governments using drones to enforce staying in place, groups not allowed to assemble, and neighbors encouraged to become “minders” spotlight other dark moments in history. And ones I do not want to rekindle.

A healthier paradigm does exist.

My intent of this post, by the way, is not to fuel more fear but to encourage and energize empowerment. Other less dehumanizing approaches for coronavirus protection do exist. Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai (aka Dr. Shiva) who holds four degrees from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) including a PhD in biological engineering, has emphasized there is no need for country-wide shutdowns. His more reasonable proposal has been to not quarantine all citizens but categorize them into four groups which would also keep economies more stable:

  1. Those who test positive for COVID-19
  2. Those who are hospitalized and in critical condition
  3. Those who are immuno-compromised
  4. Those not in the three above groups
A lone person walking through brush with backdrop of sunrise
Original photo by John Forson on Unsplash

Pioneers have the most arrows in their backs.

Dr. Shiva’s suggestions are ways to grow out of the pandemic rather than be engulfed by it. Sure, there are those who want to discredit him. Natural healers are often labeled as quacks by western medicine. (Although the benefits of acupuncture and yoga have existed for centuries, western medicine refused to acknowledge their efficacy until 40 years ago.) So, when someone or something is being discredited, I dig again to discern the motivation — is it for humanity’s well-being or for power and control?

Note: there are other longer videos establishing Dr. Shiva’s credibility versus the corruptive practices of Big Pharma, NIH, CDC, and academia. Of course, you will find videos and posts to discredit him as well.

Examine what you are being told. Is it rooted in fear mongering and control…or encouraging empowerment over your own health?

My personal experience aligns with Dr. Shiva’s position that the pandemic is not only about the virus, and we do have a choice in how we deal with it and its potential outcome. But, will enough people demand government change its ways and act in humanity’s best interest and ultimately that of the planet?

5 KEY POINTS OF DR. SHIVA’S TO CONSIDER

  • Corruption is widespread through medical infrastructure.
  • Big Pharma educates western medicine with a complex approach of “needing” pharmaceuticals (e.g.  mandated vaccines) rather than effective, simpler and less costly solutions.
  • Media sensationalism ignores our crises of greater numbers. If an average of 15% of people are infected in past viruses and .3% die, even doubling those numbers now does not meet the 600,000-700,000 deaths from heart disease, 500,000 from cancer, 440,000 from medical error, and 200,000 from drugs — yet we do not declare a state of emergency or economic shutdown.
  • Fear mongering weakens the immune system as well as poor choices and failing infrastructures with dirty air/water/food.  Cleaning up pollution will make us healthier overall.
  • Viewing the immune system as the “operating system” for the body is an empowering and healthier protocol.

For a month I have complied with safety protocols. But, warnings sound when the government mandates further protection for my good. Omitting details on how to keep an immune system healthy helps sell drugs. Sorry! The truth hurts, I know. But, it does set us free if we are willing to look beyond the smoke.

You can easily support your immune system right now.

I began using supplements years ago after pharmaceuticals didn’t help. Having no profit to gain by sharing this, my motivation is similar to Dr. Shiva’s for personal well-being. While waiting a year or so for a vaccine, why not use this time to build a strong immune system, and particularly if a second wave of the coronavirus is forecasted? Here’s an inexpensive, basic protocol available right now:

Photo of colorful candle in the green grass emitting uplifting sparks
Original photo by Skyler Gerald on Unsplash
  • Sunshine, Vitamin D3
  • Vitamin A – Rich, deep green veggies
  • Vitamin C – citrus fruits
  • Zinc
  • Omega 3s
  • Eliminate white sugar (it weakens the immune system)
  • Good nutrition
  • Reduce stress (it also weakens the immune system)

I will add that sleep rejuvenates the body. Melatonin helps me greatly in this area. And if I really have trouble sleeping, I listen to a Yoga nidra CD which puts me in a deeply restorative state and feeling refreshed. My favorite is Experience Yoga Nidra: Guided Deep Relaxation by Swami Janakananda.

Likewise, my other stress reducers are: meditation, Qigong, music, gardening, hand drumming, discussion groups such as the Tao, and uplifting readings from authors like Alan Cohen, Norman Vincent Peale, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. You know what your modalities are. Dedicating time to them promotes and defends your overall good health.

Lastly, Dr. Shiva also suggests fixing infrastructures to rid our environment of dirty water, dirty air and dirty food which are imperative to improved health but these solutions must be demanded from government.

Fill your head with the positive and I can promise you will feel less anxious. Take control of your health and I can promise a better outcome — for everyone.

Will humanity begin to balance darkness and light?

Darkened tunnel with green, healing light at the end
Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash

Through the Tao, I understand light and dark naturally coexist in the harmony of life. I see the coronavirus as a manifestation of imbalance in humanity and the environment. Yet I also see sparks of optimism, spirituality, envisioning, creativity, and fiercely challenging the status quo of power, greed and fear, igniting universal light. We are being given a choice. Do we continue spiraling down the darkened path or stride toward the light?

 

 

“There is a LIGHT in this world. A healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometime lose sight of this force when there is suffering, and too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.”    ∼ Richard Attenborough

Change your life and change the world.

Simple choices like protecting the immune system, voting, boycotting unsavory companies, thinking for ourselves, and living sustainably, enliven our personal and global worlds.

Ask yourself, “How do I wish to live — being shut in my home, forbidden to congregate, and forced to have a vaccine…or to live responsibly autonomous and hug friends and loved ones? Whose words do I wish to follow — those of fear, hate, and control or ones of love, health and empowerment?” As Dr. Shiva says, “Know the truth, be the light, find your way.”

“There is a great God – a force of unbelievable Love – not the “love” of “I love you” – but the Love that connects you, back to YOU, that knows you are eternal, nothing can harm you, & brings forth the Courage to be an uncompromising Warrior for Truth Freedom Health. Be the Light!”                                             ˜ Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai

May these sparks of light guide your way to revitalizing life for humanity and our planet.

Be a spark. Unite for light!

Blue green heart composed of sparks lighting the dark
Original photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash
Notation:  While I have reported on academia’s play for pay studies, I have included some of them along with other references for those who still view these organizations as the “top” authorities.

 

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Looking to Ancients, Artists and Antecedents for Answers

Red mushroom growing out of dirt and darkness
Black foamy sea churning
Photo by Matt Hardy on Pexels

Contrary news reports on the coronavirus got you feeling confused? Everything changing too rapidly to absorb? Feeling like you’re churning in a sea of uncertainty? No worries (unless that’s what you choose to do.)

Mountain of sand shadowed over, half dark, half light like a Taijitu
Photo by Fabio Rose on Unsplash

Look at the bright side. Yes, there is always a bright side, as the Tijitu depicts and notables observed:

  “Confusion is the welcome mat at the door of creativity.” ∼ Paul Cezanne

“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.” ∼ Pablo Picasso

“Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not yet understood.”                                                            ∼  Henry Miller

There is an alternative to the negative energy of panic and hysteria that the media, skeptics, and worriers incessantly project with paintbrushes of gloom and doom. Change the lens of annihilation to burgeoning creativity and watch positive changes explode. Think mushrooms.

“Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”∼ Edward de Bono

“Order and creativity are complementary.” ∼ Lewis Mumford

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” ∼ Albert Einstein

Note:  in seeking creativity, I’m not suggesting you become as reckless as the youth on Spring Break. While we are advised to remain home, limit and distance contact (sounds like most who are usually glued to devices at home anyway), there is another suggestion I like. A fellow blogger passed along the simple and safe greeting of Namaskar.

Anjali Mudra hand positioning
Photo by Veit Zahlaus on wikimedia.org (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buddha_anjali_mudra.JPG)

Namaskar. Hmm. That intrigued me. Years ago I learned in Yoga that namaste meant “the beauty in me sees the beauty in you.” Lovely sentiment, but it felt odd greeting others in my western culture with Añjali Mudrā (hands placed together prayer-like and close to the chest while bowing the head toward the other person). After all, I grew up giving hearty hugs to friends and family then firm handshakes in business.

But now, now that close contact can be downright dangerous, fist bumps are considered risky, and elbow bumping feels like the chicken dance, there IS a better way.  And one that’s survived the test of time and viruses too.

Greeting others with Añjali Mudrā and saying Namaste or Namaskar perfectly solves the coronavirus admonition to physically disconnect. But, it’s the beauty beyond the surface — a profound connecting while disconnecting — that attracts me.

While various explanations exist for the differences between namaste and namaskar, I like the ones best on detechter.com. Either greeting is said to develop a spiritual connection with the person being greeted. More poignant than a casual “Hello,” “Hi,” “Cheers,” or “Ciao,” I love this greeting of respect and honoring the other person. May its use continue to outlast any virus. 

The coronavirus is tragic, I agree. But, here we’ve learned something joyful amidst the corona confusion. Flourishing in the creativity of chaos can lift humanity to another level. The choice, as always, is ours. Let it begin with me.

Namaste Khush Raho (Be happy)

Namaste Jeete Raho (God bless you)

Woman lighting a succession of candles
Photo by Héctor Martínez on Unsplash

 

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Locomotive Holidays and the Christmas Train

Santa Claus boarding a holiday decorated train

Loco Emotions

Have you noticed how emotions buildup steam around the holidays, emulating a runaway train? Far reaching stressors often halt the holiday joy ride — be it time with difficult personalities, over-spending, trying to mirror picture-perfect celebrations, too little rest, dashed hopes on a “Dear Santa List,” and of course alcohol consumption (usually in excess at this time of year). But those unscheduled stops don’t have to become your final holiday destination.  

Switching point of train tracks
Original photo by Frans Van Heerden from Pexels

Board the Observation Car

This may be a time of traditions but it can also be a time of breaking them. Are you the caboose chugging along well-worn tracks, or the engine choosing more fulfilling activities? Only you know how you feel around the family contrarian, when you over-indulge in special holiday treats, or struggle to pay bills. No matter when or how holiday difficulties appear, step back to see how to handle them differently, rather than traditionally.

 

Challenging opportunities can be unexpected sources of strength when initiating change to rise above them.

Photo by Joan You on Unsplash

Using the Communication Cord

When approaching a disquieting juncture, try the unfamiliar. Respond instead of react. Shorten the visit at difficult family get togethers. Politely walk away from an argumentative platform to an affable track. Prioritize time-sensitive tasks on the schedule, and include self-care on the timetable. Ask yourself if overloading on those tempting holiday sweets is worth risking diabetes. Good old fashioned discipline still works. Set a budget for gift giving and stick to it. Better yet, offer a gift from the heart. Most of all, be kind. To yourself and others.

love trainProven Tracks

A few sayings I find helpful, and particularly at this time of year:

  • Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
  • Nothing changes if nothing changes.
  • Let it begin with me.

May your holidays fill your heart with joy, peace and love.

Olive branch
Olive branch photo by Janine Joles on Unsplash
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Clearing the Way

Snow covered pathway toward sunshine

“You spend the first half of your life acquiring

and the second half discarding.”

Red pick-up truck loaded with cabinets, chairs, washing machine

Loading the pick-up truck with things too good to discard, I recalled traveling this multifarious path before. Most of my life actually. From Mom setting up our apartment after my parents divorce, to my returning home from college…to storing relics in my barn while building a dream home…to housing family memorabilia upon my father’s death, then brother’s divorce – one and two, and mother’s passing. Soon my life became crammed with mementos of everyone’s past. Things too good to discard. Things once thought they couldn’t be lived without…have become things forgotten about.

Reuse and recycle is anything but new.

Materialistic I am not. Scottish resourcefulness and being raised by parents of the Great Depression indoctrinated me with environmental concepts early on. That includes donating gifts I’ll never use (but also means holding on to some “just-in-case” items that might not get used).

If something comes in, something must go.

While crazed Black Friday shoppers raced toward the acquisition gate, my wish list focused on meaningful experiences — engaging time with dear ones, sensational restaurants, bucket-list travel, living theater, musical concerts of varied genres — non-materialistic things that proffer a pleasing energy without depleting space. Kind of like “green giving.”

Face unused possessions with, “Do I really need this?”

Tidbits of loyalty complicate clearing away. How could I discard my mother’s high school class graduation photo? It feels disrespectful to give it to the Salvation Army (Would they want it anyway?) and Heaven forbid, I could not throw it in the trash. I just couldn’t. Yet, what am I going to do with it, except store it in the basement…like the dusty china and crystal rarely used…or my dad’s wartime souvenirs, drawings, and bosun’s whistle that I’m still secretly hoping some organization would want to display.

Stuff carries personal and planetary responsibilities.

When I pass, will my remaining belongings wait for a stranger to unload...along with numerous other keepsakes and prized possessions of each person in my life? Is that the usual way out…leave heaps of stuff for someone else who holds no attachment? It would be easier emotionally for them to clear out but an unfair and monumental task. Besides, what about the planet?

Like the environmentally-conscious youth culture who rejects using existing quality made, real wood furniture, opting instead for put-it-together junk composed of compressed wood chips and plastic veneers that won’t last — it doesn’t make sense to me (or for our rapidly filling planet).

How we deal with stuff can mirror how we deal with life.

Boxes of hats, shoes, purses, furs, evening wear to get rid of

After decades of carrying boxes from place to place, and shuffling moments from one building to another, I’ve realized I often compartmentalize emotions in challenging times, putting them in boxes until I can appropriately deal with them. Same holds true for family stuff. My mom became a hoarder who couldn’t let go. My brother tossed things from his immediate sight. I’m the organized one…with the boxes.

Saying, “It’s served its purpose,” makes it easier to let go.

When it gets too much, and the clutter of memories swallows up my space, I need to let go. Now, that I have so many of my brother’s belongings I’ve begun clearing more of my mother’s past. The evening gowns, furs, and hats that she could never vacate from her apartment are leaving my home.

Mother Nature naturally knows how to clear the way.

After delivering 17 jam-packed carloads of my mom’s stuff and 15 of my brother’s to charities, and a lot of my dad’s history to the auctioneer, I’ve sworn I would never do this to my benefactors. Making arrangements for one’s personal belongings — no matter how small, is a loving but often forgotten piece of estate planning. Even Mother Nature, when overloaded with piles of leaves or debris, sends in sheets of rain or a gust of wind to clear the wreckage of the past.

Colorful autumn leaves blowing in the forefront of an evergreen forest

Do you consider what comes into your space? Have you cleared out family possessions? Are you in an acquiring or discarding mode? 

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Opening the Door to Transformation

Photo of long hallway with door at the end

Synchronicity delivered timely and profound guidance to me before my mother’s passing. Surprisingly, it originated from a talented Spanish guitar musician (and yoga instructor) whose concert I attended just months earlier. Johannes Linstead’s message radically shifted my thoughts about death and erased any long-held fears. Since that time, it’s become my mainstay. I’ve included his epistle in sympathy cards and received numerous responses that his message also eased their grief and sorrow. In asking this guitar guru for permission to share his words of wisdom, he kindly replied:

Thank you for reaching out. I am so touched that my writings helped you through such a difficult time. To have experienced 15 deaths in such a short time is not easy, especially losing your brother. So sorry. I would be happy for you to share my writings as hopefully it can help others. By the way, my writings are being compiled into a book which I hope to release next year.

Thanks and blessings,

Johannes

Single chair in barren room with bright lights and windows above and bright and dark entrances and exits
Original photo by Alessandra Onisor on Unsplash

May this original message from Johannes help anyone else experiencing loss and processing grief:

“The End is Transformation”

All that is here and within you is sacred. All that is here and within you is divine. The earth, the animals, the waters, the trees, the rocks, and every human share the same sacredness and divinity. Even with this inherent sacredness and divinity each will come and go in accord to its own destiny and cycle. In life and in death, there is no difference and there is no separation, only transformation.

All in the phenomenal world is birthed into creation, has its lifespan, and its death. But this death is not a real death. The word “death” evokes a feeling within the mind that denotes finality and finality causes a fear. Many people are afraid of the cessation of life, whether it be their own or the life of a loved one and this fear subtly suppresses the ability to truly live. To truly live is to be fearless, to embrace each moment with a complete joy, and to rejoice with a sense of abandon. 

The fear of change and the fear of death are two things that if one can learn to accept will make life a benediction for they are the two things in life that cannot be changed. Resistance only causes anguish. To change your relationship to these two supposed enemies requires contemplation, and contemplation requires courage. The spiritual path is a path that requires great courage, which is why some people call it the Way of the Spiritual Warrior, for it is a fight, a daily battle to not get trapped into the trenches of the mundane but instead fight with every breath of your life to reclaim your true domain – the domain of the soul where love, light, truth, and kindness prevail.

If you can reach the breakthrough point of acceptance then your life will be forever changed, joy and peace will enter your heart and fill your being. Being filled with joy and peace no room will be left for delusion, anger, hatred, jealousy or greed. As you transform, the world around you will also transform. The only death you need concern yourself with is welcoming the death of the darkness within you. 

Sat Nam,

Johannes ~ Sevaji

As you can tell, Johannes Linstead is a deeply spiritual person. He is the founder of Divine Earth (divineearth.org), a humanitarian organization promoting meditation, yoga, holistic living, and the healing power of music. Johannes says, “I use music as a way to express what words cannot say. Every note contains a part of me and all the love, joy, hope and compassion in my heart. I believe that music has the power to uplift humanity — I see it all the time at every one of my concerts. To be able to bring happiness to so many people is a true blessing.” Here’s just one of his many expressive songs:

To learn more about Johannes Linstead ~ Guitar of Fire! please visit his website:  www.johanneslinstead.com

 

Open gate to illuminated pathway
Original photo by Pixaline from Pixabay
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Constancy is Unnatural…

Tornado touching land from storm clouds above

…and will change. At some point.

Dark skies with objects hurling in the air and a collapsing house from a cyclone
Photo by Jonny Lindner on Pixabay

This summer of exhaustive change whirled like a tornado snatching dear ones from my path. In three months I’ve experienced rapid and complete loss from news of 14 deaths — nine of them close to me. Barely catching my breath, we’ve also just lost the healing space where we’ve hand drummed for over 15 years.

I admit, change often feels like a blustery, cold wind in my life rather than a soothing, summer breeze. Raised in a dysfunctional home, I became an ACOA and HSP — frazzled by chaos and discord, and craving stability and harmony.

If I continually resist change, though, the Universe sweeps in, eliminating any more chances or choices to get on board. Suddenly, (at least it feels that way, even if I’ve dilly-dallied for ages) I’m hurled with hurricane force into new situations — whether desired or not, whether I like it or not, and whether I feel courageous or not. So, instead of latching on tightly and refusing to let go, I’m more inclined now to accept and release. Note:  it’s not always immediate and it doesn’t mean I always like it.

Change is welcomed when we are the ones initiating it.

 But, when it’s thrown upon us, our response is often quite different.

The calendar indicates when I can reasonably expect to see leaves falling, snow flying, buds blooming. Even if it isn’t exactly on schedule, I feel comfortable knowing that the next season is around the corner, hence, what to expect next. It’s the unanticipated adversity —  like tornadoes, Nor’easters (and precipitous deaths) that jolt me.

Rocks Jutting through the Water
Photo by Frank Winkler on Pixabay

Still, I’m learning like everyone else on this journey called life. My headstrong adolescence pressed through storms, and my unguided young adulthood blindly maneuvered rocky, melodramatic situations. In mid-adulthood, the fog began lifting, offering clearer, smoother sailing — but only through a widened perspective and attitude of enhanced acceptance.

My Five Stages of Acceptance

By that I mean growing out of questioning, “Why me, or us or this?” to lamenting disappointment, to bemoaning perplexity, to the sighing resignation of “It is what it is,” to realizing the changing nature of the seasons is the flow of life. Change is the perfectly natural progression. For it to be anything otherwise equals stagnation and death.

As my perspective changes, so does my life.

ishant-mishra-K8hLK2M1ZBw-unsplash
Photo by Ishant Mishra on Unsplash

So now, when immense change occurs, I endeavor to exchange fear or disappointment with faith and acceptance that everything is working out exactly as it’s meant to be. While intellectually understanding death as transformation eases the loss, it doesn’t completely erase my feelings. For other changes, I remind myself that space is being created for something better…and that the gift may not always appear how I envision it — another reason for due diligence in living consciously and welcoming doors of opportunity.

Each of us processes life and change differently, and at different times in our life.

While still feeling an emptiness from losing Bess and other friends this summer, my heart slowly mends by shifting focus from loss to fulfillment. Having more leeway to be away from home now I’ve planned two bucket list journeys for 2020 — Turks & Caicos and Cotswolds, England.

A close friend processed her loss quite differently when her dog suddenly died this summer. (He was panting at 7PM and dead by 10PM.)  Feeling so distraught, she brought home brother and sister puppies a week later. While they are adorable, she forgot how much work they are and is now so tied to home, she cannot leave even for day trips. Change comes in all sizes, just like pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters…

How do you process change? Has it been the same throughout your life, or evolved one way or the other? Do you welcome change or close your eyes and shut the door on it, only to have it forced open later?

 

 

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Nature Teacher: Change

Look at the movement of the clouds

and understand

life is change.

Don’t waste your time

lamenting

things are not as they were

and will never remain so.

That is not the truth of reality.

Forever cannot be.

Look at the clouds

long stratus

puffy cumulus

and feel their struggle and joy.

Clear skies,

when things are going smoothly, no issues to deal with so to speak,

are also transitory.

“Go with the flow,” others say.

The clouds already do.