Resolutions

Happy New Year to everyone!! If you are like most people you have a long list of resolutions. If you are like most people you’ll have broken those resolutions within the week. If you are like me you hate New Year’s resolutions! I feel that resolutions are ultimatums that we give ourselves- do this or else!!!
But starting a new year is a great time to rethink our lives and see if we want to make changes. One of my favorite sayings is “Hate something? Change something!” So go ahead -set some goals for yourself. Unlike resolutions which have you jumping over tall buildings in a single bound- goals are like climbing a ladder to the top, one rung at a time. It doesn’t matter how fast or how slowly you climb. The only thing that matters is that you just keep climbing.
Big goals are easy to break down into little goals. And each small goal you achieve gives you a feeling of success. That feeling keeps you motivated to continue the climb. It works something like this- I want to lose 60 pounds (BIG goal). I keep thinking about it and thinking about it. Sixty pounds, wow, that gets more overwhelming the longer I think about it. By Monday, I’ll have self talked myself into the impossibility of it and eat some donuts!
Now let’s break that down a little bit:
1- I will go for a walk 3x a week.
2- I will eat a good breakfast everyday.
3- I will eat more fruit less sweets.
4- I will do my yoga dvd 2x week.
5- I will write down everything I eat.
Do you get the idea? Instead of setting yourself up for failure you are making it easier to win! This technique works with all types of goals. You can even break the small goals down to tiny goals- I’ll eat one bowl of oatmeal with skim milk and Splenda every morning (#2). I will walk around the block once(#1).
Now you are a winner!! You can do anything! Just remember this quote-“Goals are stars to guide you NOT sticks to beat yourself up with!”
Be safe this holiday- I’ll see you next year! That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Would you like to walk home?

My ex mother-in-law used to tell us about the time two of her sons were fighting in the car. It had become a regular occurrence and she was tired of it! She pulled the car over, kicked them out and told them to walk home. They were about 10 and 12yrs old at the time. It was a nice day. The walk was about 2 miles on a country road. She drove off leaving them in a cloud of dust.
They remembered how lonely and abandoned it felt to watch her drive off. They remembered being mad at each other at first but as they walked along that wore off. They were hot, dusty, thirsty and repentant when they made it home.
She remembered that from that moment on, any disturbance in the car was easily stopped by the question, “Would you like to walk home?”
Fast forward 30 years- I am driving home with my children. My oldest three are fighting. I’m sick of it. The eldest is about 10yrs old. Since Grandma’s story is a favorite- I ask the inevitable question after trying several other techniques- “Would you like to walk home?” It has worked in the past.
Imagine my surprise when a defiant “YES” comes back to me! Now what do I do? I pull over and let my 10yr old out. We are about a mile from home. I drive off with the rest of my gang. By the time I’ve driven that mile, I have imagined all sorts of things. What was I thinking? It’s not the 60’s- it’s the 90’s. Yes, it’s a country road but what if someone nabs him? What if he goes swimming in the pond and has a problem? What if he takes a shortcut thru the woods and gets lost?
I turn around and go back for him, my heart racing. There he is still marching along the road. Thank you, God! I tell him to get in. “No way” is his reply. I yell at him- “Get in the van, NOW!” “NO!!” What the heck am I going to do? The only thing I can. I follow along slowly behind him to make sure he arrives at home safely.
A car on the other side slows, the window rolls down, the occupant is speaking to him. My heart races again, my mother feathers start ruffling but they drive off. This happens two more times. I can’t take it any more I’m in full blown panic. I pull up to my son and ask him, “Why are those cars stopping? What did those people want?”
“They wanted to know if I needed any help and if that lady following me was causing any trouble.” Yup, it definitely was not the 60’s anymore. Needless to say I never used Grandma’s technique again. That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

The Star Spangled Banner

Last week a friend posted a story being told on you tube by Dudley Rutherford. He tells the story behind the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner”. I thought that I knew the story. I only knew part of it. The entire story is something that everyone who lives in this country should know. I don’t think anyone can hear it and not change the way they think of our national anthem.
I have tried several ways of attaching/sharing it to my blog but I’m just not computer literate enough. I can pass on the address- www.youtube.com. The story behind “The Star Spangled Banner” told by Dudley Rutherford.
Taking the 10 minutes that accessing and listening to this is well worth it. I believe that it will change you. It did me. Please, please take the time to listen to the rest of the story.
As most of you know I have sons serving in the military. I have a daughter in law who may be sent over again. I am so proud of them. I’m so proud and thankful for all the sons and daughters through the years who have served so selflessly. “No greater love hath man than to lay down his life for another’s.”
Check out the story. May God bless those who serve and those who wait at home! That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Insane in the Brain

Hello blogging world…this is Kathy’s son Kevin. I have decided to overtake my mother’s blog for a day and share “the view from my side of the street.”
This holiday season started the same as many do. My wife decided that we needed to create a budget so that we don’t over spend for Christmas. I laughed at her, which is my common response anytime she brings up the word budget, but cordially went along with her plan. We started our shopping sometime after Thanksgiving and actually did a decent job sticking to “our” budget. We wrapped up our shopping and were perfectly ready for the holidays. Her family was going to Hawaii and mine lives out of state so we were going to do our own thing for Christmas. That was the plan, until 24 hours ago…that’s when the insanity broke out.
All of a sudden I got the urge to pack up my wife, our 2 boys and our entire Christmas and drive to my mom’s. I’m never spontaneous so my wife took my temperature and when she deemed me healthy decided to go along with my plan. The next thing I know we are packing up the car, doing some last minute shopping for people we didn’t anticipate to see this year and trying to decide what in the hell would possess us to pack up a 2 ½ year old and an 10 month old and drive 10 hours through the night to surprise some family. Family that we will inevitably regret going to see after we annoy, pester and piss off each other to the point of no return and then leave wondering why do I subject myself to this insanity?
The answer is quite simple…for 6 weeks a year we decide to live our lives with a new motto. What is this motto? Peace on earth, good will to men. For some reason every year as soon as Thanksgiving is over and we are all on Turkey overload, “tis the season” mode kicks in and we actually begin to care about other’s well beings. We decide that maybe peace on earth and good will to men is attainable. Yet as we throw away the Christmas tree our mood changes and all we can think about is returning the gifts that we hate and begin the process of looking forward to next year.
I’ve been called a scrooge for many years because I don’t get over excited about Christmas and decorations. Perhaps it is because I don’t want to be a hypocrite for 6 weeks of the year. What would happen if we made the choice to act the way we act for the holidays all year long? What would happen if instead of throwing our good cheer out with the tree we choose to keep good cheer in our hearts and cared about the well being of our fellow man all year long? For one brief moment, I succumbed to the insanity, got in the holiday spirit and now I’m sitting in my mother’s living room watching Christmas Vacation…absolutely loving it. That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?
Merry Christmas and God Bless Us Everyone!

SUV's and the Superman Complex

My little area of the world has a moderate climate. Coming from the Northeast as I did- I have been very amused with the “extreme” weather forecasts. A snowstorm here is what we would call flurries back home. School and other activities are cancelled if there is an inch of snow. Our small town’s snow removal equipment is a pickup with a plow attachment.
However, I am very careful about driving anywhere. This is not because I’m nervous about the roads. It is because I am scared to death about the other drivers out there. This blog is for them. I doubt that any of them will ever read this but I want to say these things anyway. In the past few days I have witnessed several accidents and have been told about several more. I will try to make this simple.
We have had a few inches of snow over the past week. The days have been warm enough to melt some of it but the nights have been cold enough to freeze what has melted during the day. That creates ice. It particularly creates black ice. It is called black ice because you can’t see it. All you can see is the black road. It is dangerous! Drive carefully!
The temperature changes have also been causing fog. Fog makes it hard to see ahead of you. I came upon an accident scene that occurred because one driver was being careful and going slowly due to almost zero visibility. He was hit by a driver that was not driving carefully and slowly. That driver was driving along at the speed limit-65mph. He didn’t see the other car until he rear ended it. If you can’t see, slow down!!!
Driving an SUV or pickup (even if you have 4wd) does not make you Superman or woman!!! It doesn’t help at all in low visibility or ice situations!! Every single accident I have seen or heard of involved at least one SUV or pickup. I have literally watched them fly by me on the freeway and seen them off the road or flipped over a few miles ahead.
There have been deaths, serious injuries and much heartache this past week. All of it was caused by human error. It’s Christmas time people!! This is NOT how you want to spend it!! So slow down- drive carefully- be alert and maybe we’ll all manage to survive!
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Christmas Mourning

Almost three decades ago, just two weeks before Christmas, my first husband died unexpectedly at work. I had been out with a girlfriend doing our Christmas shopping all day. This was before cell phones so I was out of reach until I returned to an empty house with packages and a toddler in tow.
Not being home was very unlike him. The meat I had left out to thaw was still on the counter so I knew he hadn’t come home and then left. I called a few friends. They downplayed my growing concern but they didn’t know Ron like I did. He was a man of habit and routine. Something had to be really wrong for him to break out of his regular schedule.
All of a sudden, the phone and doorbell rang at the same time- I froze in my living room. I knew of a surety that I did not want to answer either one. That moment felt like forever although it was only a few minutes. I had just entered the time warp that accompanies mourning.
I answered the phone- it was Ron’s boss. I asked him to wait a moment so I could get the door. There was a police officer telling me that I was needed at the hospital. I went back to the phone and received the same message. I left my toddler with a friend and headed to the hospital.
Ron was already dead but hospital policy stated that only the attending doctor could give me the news. Again it felt like hours as I waited. I’m sure it was not. But it would be weeks before the fog that enveloped me would begin to dissipate. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
My three year old was inconsolable. Even in his sleep he sobbed. And it was Christmas. After about 10 days I ventured out with him. I had not taken him to see Santa yet. We went to a large, noisy, crowded mall. We felt like one big open wound. I wanted to scream! I wanted to say to everyone there, “Can’t you see the world has stopped? How can you go on acting like nothing is wrong? Everything is wrong and it will never be right again!!!”
It was then I had an epiphany. I had formed the opinion that the old tradition of wearing black for a period of mourning was barbaric. Even the early 1900’s habit of wearing a black armband to signify one was in mourning had irritated me. Well, now I understood!! It was an outward expression of an inward broken heart. It said, “Treat me gently, please, I hurt so much.”
Since Christmas for most of us is the celebration of the birth of He who heals all broken hearts, let’s give the gift of kindness and gentleness to those around us. Having just been asked by Santa what he wanted for Christmas, that crying three year old on Santa’s lap may be answering, (as my son did), “Santa, I want my Daddy back.”
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Bah-Humbug!

The following is a quote from the book, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. “Then said a rich man, speak to us of giving. And he answered: You give but little when you give of possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
I was reminded of this last night when I brought cookies to some of the people that live in the complex we used to work at. Of course, they were appreciative of the cookies but they found more delight in the fact that I was visiting them. I recognized it so I did stay and visit with each one although that was not my original plan.
EVERYTHING around us at this blessed time is screaming out shop, shop, shop!! Then it’s- gotta go to this house, and that house, and again another place for parties. Let’s not forget the office parties and the school events! We can’t forget the stack of cards waiting to be finished and mailed. And the endless batches of cookies that have to be made.
We’ll be up all night at least once just to get all the gifts wrapped (one year I wrapped over 200 but that’s a different story). Everyone is cranky- our regular routines are disturbed- we are exhausted! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! HO-HO-HO! BAH-HUMBUG is more apt to be the way we are feeling.
So I’m going to tell you something- S…l…o…w…d…o…w…n…! Take some deep breaths. Then write down everything you think you have to do before Christmas. Now go make a cup of hot chocolate. Sit back down with your list- place a star next to the very most essential tasks/activities. Hint- memory makers/traditions are essential. Sip your drink. Now, put a checkmark next to the tasks you can give to someone else. Hint- young children LOVE to do the cards, the people who receive them will be tickled pink. Take a few more sips. Now put a line thru the things that really aren’t going to matter. Hint- your sister’s best friends children’s concert can be skipped.
Try giving the gift of quality time- instead of purchased gift cards at great restaurants for your parents; make your own gift card good for a night out or in together. Make free babysitting cards for friends, backrub cards for your spouse, I’ll clean your room once for you cards for your children. The list is endless.
And take the time to stop and visit those in need of visiting- it will uplift and refresh you, too. That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Crying- a strength or a weakness?

I just participated in an online poll for the first time. While this signifies that I am getting more comfortable with my computer, it also shows how ticked I was. Usually, I don’t care enough to use my time that way. The question was- “Is it alright for men to cry in public?”
This question disturbs me in so many ways but there is only one I will address here. My vote was yes. My accompanying comment was this- “It takes real strength to show our true emotions.”
Let me tell you a story. I spent 40 years not allowing myself to cry. I expounded much energy in making sure that NO ONE knew how I truly felt. I kept every little hurt tucked away in my “I don’t care” closet. I kept the big hurts tucked away in my “I won’t think about any of that” closet.
I stayed in several abusive relationships- spousal and others- because I denied that they were damaging me. How could they damage me? I was strong, invincible, nothing hurt me! People came to ME for help. I didn’t need to go to anyone.
In addition to that, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe in forgiveness, turn the other cheek, they don’t know what they’re doing, etc.
The experts say that anger/hurt turned inwards is the definition of depression. And boy, did I become depressed, and more depressed, and even more depressed. I became so depressed that for almost a year I fought off suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. When I could no longer think of any reason not to do it, I reached out from the depths of my black, black hole and sought professional help.
The journey that followed was rocky indeed. It included medicine, therapy, and a complete change in my thought process. When asked why I didn’t ever cry I replied, “I’m afraid that if I start I’ll never be able to stop!”
Cleaning out emotional baggage is a lot like cleaning a house. You can throw all the clutter in the closet or under the bed. You can sweep the dirt under the rug. You can cover the holes on the walls with pictures. Everything can look OK but you still know it’s all there.
Or you can “spring clean”. In which case, you have to make a mess before you can actually clean. Everything MUST come out from under the bed and out of the closet. Then you can examine it. You can keep what you want to, throw away what you need to and put it all back in order. In other words, you can find healing and peace.
I thought I was being strong by keeping it all in. I’ve learned that it takes more strength to let it all out. I also found out that forgiveness and the other virtues I wanted to achieve came easier after I stopped bottling up my hurt. How can you forgive someone for a hurt that you are denying even happened?
As a matter of fact, I’ve been thinking about going back to therapy. I cry about everything now! I cry when I’m happy. I cry when I’m moved. I cry when I’m angry. I cry when I’m hurt. I cry when I’m sad. They never did teach me how to stop! And to tell the truth, I really don’t want to know how.
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

The Hokey Pokey

Last summer I saw a wall plaque that read- “What if the Hokey Pokey IS what’s it’s all about?” I laughed and then felt a little indignant since I have a clear idea of what “it’s” all about. Since then I’ve seen the same question in a few other places. So I’ve decided to take it on.
My husband and I spent 2 years teaching toddlers at our church. We loved it!! We played the Hokey Pokey frequently. The whole class loved it including the teachers and visiting parents (who were required to join in). Here are the things we learned from doing the Hokey Pokey:
1. We learned to listen carefully to instructions. They were apt to change regularly.
2. We learned to watch and follow the leader’s example.
3. We took turns being leader so we all had a chance to learn about leadership.
4. We learned to work in a group. There wasn’t a lot of room in our classroom. Playing the game meant watching out for those around you so you would not hit them and they could not hit you.
5. We learned that some of us just march to a different beat and that’s OK. There were always the one or two who put their feet in instead of hands or head instead of feet. No one was allowed to criticize them.
6. We learned to mind our own business. We concentrated on our own actions not others.
7. We learned to help one another. Our class ranged in ages of 18 months to 3 years. The older children would often help the younger ones. Kindness and gentleness was highly encouraged.
8. We learned that to continue in the fun we couldn’t get mad, whiny or throw a fit of any kind. That ruined the game for everyone! Those who did were removed from the game until they could “play nice”.
9. We learned that sitting on the sidelines because of our own actions wasn’t much fun.
10. We learned that when we all obeyed the rules we all had a great time!!
And that’s what it’s all about!!! YEAH!! That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Computer Class

I just finished taking a computer class. At the first class the teacher asked each of us why we were there. She wanted to know what we hoped to get out of the class. My reply was “I want to know as much as my 2 yr. old grandson.”
Let me tell you what happened. My son and his family had come for a visit. My grandson wanted to play the WII. I was babysitting the 5 yr. old daughter of a friend at the time. My son set them all up with a driving game. He had to do it because although I own a WII- I am extremely limited in my ability to run it.
Chloe was having her turn but her car was stuck between a wall and a tree. Tyler had been jabbering instructions to her but none of us could translate “jabber”. She handed the wheel to him and said, “Can you help me?” I started to explain to her that he was too little. Before I could get all the words out he took the wheel, backed the car out, drove it to the nearest road and handed the wheel back to her. He continued to “jabber” instructions the entire time. I picked my chin up from the floor and asked his parents if they’d seen him.
Before they headed for home a few days later, I had seen Tyler set up his own WII games, use his father’s laptop and play with his dad’s phone. He could turn the phone on, find his game or movie, play them or select scenes to watch. I was still learning how to text!
I was busy having children when the technological age broke wide open. I was way too busy to acquire all the new skills involved in keeping up. Besides that when home computers first came out they were touchy and temperamental. If you breathed on them wrong they crashed. My kids never worried about it because they had no real concept of what the machines cost!
During the class, I came to another huge realization about why children, especially teens are so adept. After each class, the teacher would say the magic words- “go home and play around with it, you’ll find out a lot more that way.” My first response to that was who’s got the time? Daaah! Kids and teens!!!!!
I heard a comedian on the radio talking about this very subject – he said that he had always thought that he didn’t want kids but he’s rethinking that decision. He thinks now that having one might be very cost effective and think of all the time he’d save being on hold with the help lines!
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Twelve Minutes

What can you do with twelve minutes? Recently, I found that the answer to that question is quite a bit. I was making cookies- lots of cookies! I had my Christmas music going, candles lit, ambience grooving, etc. Each pan of cookies baked for 12 minutes. So I found myself with a number of twelve minute breaks to fill. Here are some of the things I was able to do.
1. I did the laundry- put washed load in dryer, loaded washer, folded and put away the dryer load.
2. I filled the dishwasher and ran it- cleaned up dinner dishes and cookie mess.
3. I wiped counters and swept the floor.
4. I changed the sheets on my bed.
5. I checked my e-mail and answered some- this took 3- 12 minute blocks.
6. I did my 20 minute yoga DVD in 2- 12 minute blocks.
7. I dusted and vacuumed the living room.
8. I cleaned out the fridge- throw old things away, wiped up spills.
9. I did #1 again 2x.
This brought me to a real discovery place. I realized that there are many things in our lives that we perceive as taking a long time (such as housework). Because we view something as a huge time taker we put off doing it. Then the job becomes larger in reality but also in our minds. So we put it off some more. The truth of the matter is that we’ll waste hours not doing a few minutes worth of work.
Time is not something you find. It is not something you can make. Every one of us gets 24 hours each and every day. Time is something we spend just like money. And just like our money we choose how and where to spend it. Just like money- once gone- we never get it back.
So I give you the advice that Indiana Jones received from the ancient knight, “Choose wisely”. That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

The Christmas List

One of my family’s Christmas traditions has been to help make Christmas better for someone else in need. I’d like to share one of those times. This particular experience was special for so many reasons.
One of my daughters had become close to a neighbor hood girl. She was 12. Her sisters were 14 and 16. Her mom was a single parent working a minimum wage job. Her father was in and out of jail regularly. He had no job so he gave them no money.
There was no car. They walked everywhere. Mom was a recovering addict but we didn’t know that at the time. I was a stay at home mom so all three girls found their way to our home on a regular basis. I encouraged this. They stopped by on their way home from school for cookies, milk and talks. We went to their sports and school events often providing rides. These girls were happy, close to each other and full of love for their mother.
Although we usually did our Christmas helping anonymously, this year we had no choice but to go through the girls. We had been in their home. It was clean, full of plants but not obviously lacking. My daughter was not one to notice what might be needed. So I confided in the three teenage girls that we wanted to help with Christmas. Could they come up with a Christmas wish list for them and their mom? They were so excited about doing it! Money was tight at our house that year so I was secretly hoping they didn’t want something really expensive.
I still have that list. I wept when I read it. Here it is: toilet paper, laundry detergent, dish detergent, shampoo, soap, something for their mom to put her craft things in and if possible could I get her a new bathrobe because she never had one. Not one thing for themselves! Everything on the list was to help out mom.
At this point, realizing how poor they really were, I went into the house when mom was working and made my own huge list. I called in the troops- everyone I knew- told them the story of the Christmas list and asked for whatever they could give. We received several cords of wood, blankets, mattresses, sheets, towels, new coats, gloves, hats for entire family, mom (and girls) received robes and slippers. At least a year’s supply of TP and detergents were donated. One generous donor gave a gift card so that mom could shop for her girl’s gifts herself. We brought it all together and delivered it while mom was still at work. The girls couldn’t wait until she got home!!
Seeing for myself that a lot of people giving a little each added up to a wonderful experience for three unselfish girls and their mother made this one of the best Christmas seasons for me and mine. We all have something we can give. Giving it brings such joy to the heart- remember that this Christmas season.
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Magic

He knows how. He did a good job of taking care of himself and his house after his divorce. But now he My husband does not do housework. That point must be perfectly clear for this story to mean anything. does the lawn, the wood, the garbage, the cars, etc. I take care of the house, bills, children, etc.
He will do housework if I ask him to but I rarely do. His jobs have always been time and energy demanding. What little time he has at home he needs for his responsibilities. He also works better if I let him plan his own time off. I’ll ask for a few “honeydos” ahead of time. If I leave him alone about them he’ll get them done in his time and way.
Now before anyone feels sorry for me, I need to say that while he doesn’t often do housework he ALWAYS cleans up after himself. He makes the bed if he’s the last one out of it. His dirty clothes are always in the basket- right side out and empty pockets I might add. He always rinses his dishes and puts them in the sink. When he makes his lunches for work everything gets put away. I have never had to pick up after him. This is huge! I really appreciate it.
He also never complains when the house is a mess. He knows that I will get to it as soon as I can and doesn’t bug me about it. If I leave a mess on the counter, it stays there until I clean it up. We both dislike clutter and mess so I never leave it long.
Which brings me to my story-my regular readers know what the night before Thanksgiving was like for me (see Thanksgiving reality). Thanksgiving Day went well. It was a little hectic because I had to clean up from the night before and remake three pies before making the actual dinner. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I took a nap which ended up being all night.
I woke the next morning with a groan- none of the dinner mess had been cleaned up. I was going to get to it after my “nap”. I dreaded going to the kitchen and chiseling gravy off everything. I was angry at myself for not having done it before lying down. I rolled out of bed, tried to put my game face on and headed to the kitchen.
When what to my wondering eyes did appear but a shiny clean kitchen done by my darling dear!!!!! The table was back to its normal size, the extra table put away. Pots and pans were in their proper places. Counters were clean, dishes were put away. It was MAGIC!
It was also his way of saying thank-you, I love you and I’m so sorry for turning on the wrong burner and blowing up your pie all in one big gesture. What a guy- I think he’s a keeper!
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?

Night walking

A few months ago, tired of trying to carve walking time out of my daily grind, I went for a walk after dark. I loved it! I try to go every night now -weather permitting.
I live in the country on a dead end dirt road so safety from humans is a pretty sure thing. I walk with my big protective dog so safety from animals is a pretty sure thing. I take my cell phone so safety from myself (I tend to be a little accident prone) is a pretty sure thing. I do not take a flashlight. I do not take an Ipod.
I love the solitude and peacefulness of the night. I love the star filled sky. I love watching the cycle of the moon, waxing and waning as the month progresses. I love the night sounds, so different from those of the day. I can hear the electricity crackling in the power lines above me.
It’s incredible to walk on a full moon night, so bright and clear I can see everything around me. It’s also incredible to walk on a cloudy moonless night when I must choose my steps carefully and focus on just what’s in front of me.
I have some friends who think it’s a crazy idea but one older, wiser friend understood. As a matter of fact, she and her husband used to walk at night quite often. She said it was my time to listen. She also understood not using artificial light. She remarked that it’s hard to commune with nature when we are driving it away with outside sounds and lights.
I’ve thought about her comments a lot. It IS my time to listen. Of course, I’m listening to the many things happening around me as I walk but I don’t think that’s what she meant. I listen to what is going on inside me even more. I listen to my thoughts. I listen to my feelings. I take events of the day and replay them to carefully digest them. I take the time to properly sort and file them.
And I come home refreshed in body but more important to me is I am also refreshed in mind, heart and spirit. I’m learning how hungry I’ve been for such a time and how rarely any of us get time like this anymore. All too often, times we could use in this way, we fill up with sound and activity. Exercise time, commuting time, waiting time, etc. we fill up with Ipods, phones, computers, etc.
When did you have listening time? I’m giving you homework- 15 minutes of do nothing but listen time a day. Stay in an upright position so you don’t fall asleep. If you can, go outside. It will feel a little uncomfortable at first but if you do it for over a week, I think you’ll like it.
By the way, a little side effect I found- I sleep better! No tossing and turning while I try to shut my mind off. I’ve already listened to it. It’s happy to go to sleep with the rest of my body now! That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s your’s?