Moving Time!

Well, I have moved again, back to sunny Florida ( but been raining a whole week now) . We are settling in fine, just like slipping on old shoes and the job is like a new bra. I know it will be great once it’s worn in. 😂

BUT…I am sad to say I am moving to a new blogosphere. Too many technical difficulties here on WP and I need a fresh start all around. But I am posting the text from today’s thoughts here, along with the link to my new space. I do hope you will follow me there and I will certainly keep following you, my friends, to stay informed about your adventures.

Happy New Year!

The past year was a whirlwind of change for me. I suppose some, more stationary,  people might say my life has been like a whirlwind. We have moved more than a dozen times in 30 years and to different cities, states and even out of country! Before my sons were grown, these moves affected their lives as well. We have become known as “the gypsies”.

I am a water sign, a Cancer, which influences me to be a nester by nature with an adventurous spirit. It has been tested many times. I have laughed, cried, screamed at the walls and picked myself up by the proverbial bootstraps to carry on. When I was younger I bemoaned the people I left behind and envied those friends who stayed in the same house, the same town, the same city and state so that they were one with their surroundings, family and friends. I longed to hang onto what I had, like a photo in album that you keep forever. Yet we all know that nothing in this tangible world lasts forever. So I keep the images in my heart and memory and work to maintain those connections that mean the most to me.

Now that I am older and, as the natural order of things dictates, my feelings and introspections have evolved. Perhaps it is but another aspect of my nature to morph into my ‘now’ reality. Either way, I have begun to understand how blessed and fortunate I have been to experience so many lives in different places. My family has friends across the country that we remain connected to, and I have good friends who live in other countries. Too often those ensconced in their small protective bubble view life outside of it as foreign and strange, somehow something to be feared or misunderstood. We all must realize that the view of us from any of those places is the same for those living there. People are very different, but there doesn’t need to be a right and wrong side with regard to our geographical location. People are people within all races. There are times, in my experience, that people from different counties, parishes, cities and states within this United States can seem foreign to one another.

Let’s consider the name of this country. The United States of America. It is because the original colonists who settled here were from vastly different backgrounds, belief systems. countries and social histories that we had to come to a meeting of minds and accept that to succeed as a nation we must learn to integrate those unique aspects of all citizens in order to have order and community. It cannot be about one person or group speaking so loudly as to drown out another voice, another cry, another thought. That is why the Constitution was written-because we are all human, born with human frailties, opinions, prejudices and influences throughout our lives.

When I think of United States now, not only do I think of ‘states’ in terms of the designated geographical segments of land we confiscated, swindled and cajoled from the indigenous peoples of this country so long ago. I also think of the vast collection of states of mind, social states, emotional states, political states, financial and spiritual states that make up our country. These, too, must be United for our country to be great in any true sense of the word.

We do need order or else we are faced with chaos; but forced order based on a single mindset or influence is not true order and will incite chaos by its very nature.

I am not a world traveler and am still apprehensive when faced with great change. I like the familiar and expected with regards to a comfortable, safe life. I am also happy to say that I now honor my adventurous spirit and keep those fears tucked where they belong and defer to the joy of growth and continued learning. I meet new people every day. Some I would prefer to not be with again, but so many others I wish I had more time to visit with and get to know better.

Sadly, our young society as a whole is withdrawing from human interaction in favor of social media. On the plus side, it does provide a sense of security for those who might shy away from conversation and extroversion. Yet that same sense of anonymity affords the comfort of an invisible/invincible sense for too many. They speak without caution, let their most wild and intimate thoughts take center stage without caution, and use their cloak of perceived invisibility to wreak havoc, lash out and are not held accountable for the harm done.

I am not a religious person but am spiritual in every way. I believe in miracles and a higher power that existed long before we came into being. I trust that force to guide my life but am aware that the ultimate power to make change is in my hands. This life was a gift and I intend to take good care with it as with all gifts I receive-to honor it with appreciation and humility.

I promised you photos and poetry and I will keep that promise, for to me this dream is a poem-a story-waiting to be written. We are the authors, the creators of our living world. The question that remains is, “Who is the hero of your story, and how will it end?”

I vow to write a beautiful chapter  this year and I hope you will do the same!

You can follow me Here!

A Little Help #Nature

As usual, I spent time outdoors over the #Free48 and being in the garden means seeing some of my favorite tiny friends. I was preparing to fertilize my blooming plants and went for my hose when I noticed this lady in a bit of a treacherous situation. Within a couple of hours the sun would be scorching…

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I tried getting her rolled over with a stick but she just didn’t grasp it. I tried to pick her up but she got frightened and her wings went berserk. Eventually she clung to the stick and we got her relocated to a nearby potted plant. She quickly snuggled in among the leaves.

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I checked in on her throughout the day but she remined hidden in the plant. I hope it wasn’t near the end of her life;  but if so, at least she was able to slip away in the cool of the shadows rather than blister in the 90 degree torture.

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They are so other worldly looking..

This has been a record Summer of the Cicada around here and I consider it a good omen. Here is a bit about the nature and life of the Cicada as a spirit totem:

The cicada is an ancient symbol with themes of resurrection, imortality, spiritual realization and spiritual ecstasy.

For many,  the Cicada represent personal change, renewal, rebirth and transformation. Unlike the butterfly or moth, the Cicada does not go through a complete metamorphosis and has no pupal state. They represent what they were as a nymph and all the glory of what they become in their adult form.

The presence of Cicada teaches us about qualities such as restoration and tolerance as well as a strong connection with Mother Earth.

It represents a time to be honest with oneself. When we fall into the comfort of pleasing others we tend to live make-believe lives.

Through the connection of the soul to Cicada, one is able to remember all the truths that have been long buried. Forgotten thoughts and ideas rise to the surface once more, allowing us to tap into them easily.

Its voice assures us that we are of utmost importance and we can use our own voices to effectively communicate our true selves and there is no need to live under anyone’s shadow.

Plus, they sing so beautifully!

But only the males…big showoffs!

The Pooh in You

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How many times have I had this thought? How many times have I felt even smaller than my physical stature and emotionally ill equipped to compete in a world so driven by extreme emotion and knee jerk reaction? How many times do I compare myself to others so that I can look down on myself before anyone else does?

It took a lifetime to realize the true source of my misery. Some kind folks used to tell me, “Don’t let them steal your joy.” It made sense but still left me in the role of the victim. And how could I stop them? They were so much more confident than me-no one dared make them feel ‘less-than’. It was as if I had a neon bullseye attached to my heart that flashed out to the world, “Free shots, bring your really big guns!” So many days I have felt like a gunslinger, just waiting for the next rebel to call me out for a duel to the death.

Make no mistake. I was by no means a helpless rabbit. No, no, I am a Cancer on the astrological chart; and what Cancer does when cornered is pull out the really big claws. My fight or flight instinct has always been well honed, and I have been victorious over the long arm of evil doing on many occasions. I have to say that it was never gratifying because for we home bodied crabs,  a broken relationship is always a loss, a failure, and somehow all our fault. 

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Along the path I have walked, I have been blessed with angels and guides, coming in all forms, including those not so palatable ones; for I know that life lessons are manifest in all that we experience. Once I began to understand that what triggered me most negatively in others was often something I feared was within me, my ability to deal with these issues changed. When we accept negative aspects within ourselves and treat ourselves with love, compassion and forgiveness, we soon realize how very small the things that once loomed large and menacing over our relationships truly are.

When we accept that the sum of ourselves is made up of many different aspects, both positive and negative, we can then close the gap of separation that keeps us so often at odds with our outer world.

This way of being is not to be confused with passivity, for such a path dictates that we accept all wounds, absorb all negative energy and never fight back-all in the name of being peaceful. I believe it is possible to be at peace within while having a warrior spirit that is ready to defend and protect ourselves when necessary.

I have arrived at an emotional place where I accept that my world truly is one where I create the environment I exist within. When I feel a soul vampire (yes, they do exist but are not so honest as to be easily recognized) honing in on me, I shut down my own emotional response system and begin calling light energy to surround me and fill the space between us. I refuse to acknowledge the attack, turn away from my own need to defend, and soon they just stop. The first time this happened was so miraculous I wanted to shout to the world. Now, the greater question for me as the deep thinker that I am is:

Am I truly shutting them down defensively or is my refusal to recognize the attack making it not exist at all? Either way, my walk has become more peaceful because I made an adjustment to that advice given me so long ago. No longer do I say, “Don’t let them steal your joy.” Instead I have taken ownership of my well-being. Now I say,

“Don’t give your joy away.” No one can steal anything from you emotionally which you do not allow or give of your own free will. The devil can’t ‘make you do it’ and the Creator is not a Geni who grants wishes to the blessed and chaste few. Life is directed by the positive flow of The Creator, and when we are in sync with that fllow, our lives work-through good times and bad. We are spiritual beings in a world held together by extreme energy. Sometimes these things blend and excite for a beautiful existence while at others they clash to create storms that often devastate. Science and spirituality coexisting since the dawn of time. Perhaps they are one and the same.

Ask the ‘lesser’ creations….

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They go with the flow. They live to exist and exist because they are about the business of living. When one bird is aggressive, the other sits by until the he leaves. If the timid bird is hungry enough, she fights back, getting what she needs. I’ve never seen one off alone crying for lost bird seed, though. There really is more than enough of everything to go around.

I may not be able to change the world, but I can definitely change my way of being in it. If one is to believe in the Butterfly Effect theory, perhaps this is enough to effect some kind of positive change. And that is always a good thing.

I hope you all have a beautiful week. And if you have a chance, grab this little gem of a book. Be like Pooh. Because being a bear in the Hundred Acre Wood is a very zen thing. 😘

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My latest project in the works.