Today I had to go to the hospital for a work injury. I could elevate the ordinary by appreciating my light duties for 10 days, instead of feeling sorry for myself. It could be a time to just enjoy the nature around me that I am privileged to work amidst for this month.
I reached out to my former co-worker for advise about work and I am glad I did. I now have some better insight about my co-worker and I possible job sharing next year. The fight isn’t over lol
I also awoke to a beautul pink sky this morning and had to take a photo!
When I was in the fifth and sixth grades,
we students,
as precocious as we were,
were punished for our transgressions
by writing the times tables over and over and over again,
ad nauseam,
sometimes in our workbooks
and sometimes on the blackboard.
I hated the repetition,
but admit today
that I still can recite those times tables
if asked.
I can even do it with feeling,
and make an embroidered sampler,
embellishing it
with birds and flowers,
fish and trees and musical notes
as we girls did as children,
when sewing our ‘Ten Commandments’ samplers,
and maps of the United States . . .
these were later washed of our sweaty little fingerprints
and put into wooden frames
by proud mothers,
no longer ordinary lessons,
but raised above
as testaments to our learning skills.
So,
although I have never liked reiteration,
I have learned to appreciate it,
for it is still teaching me to find new ways
of saying the same thing
into which creeps
a hint of new learning
in spite of myself.
Repetition
is a form of practice,
and that is what I am doing in this Life,
which also teaches me
that there is nothing boring or rote
about ‘ordinary’
after all. ♥
I have had a lot of practice with a shovel, dear Sparrow. I can look around and see what that practice and patience has resulted in over the years. Thank you for the reminder.
Ah me,
dear Joseph . . .
I too
have had repetitive relationships with shovels.
I have one that is my favorite,
and yes,
looking back,
they are definitely worth the trouble.
Practice may not make perfect,
but it does make better. ♥
Several opportunities today. I’m getting ready to visit my Mom. Sometimes I enjoy my visits, sometimes I find them to be upsetting, often they are tiring. It helps to be more responsive to her, and less reactive. I have a hard time not absorbing her depression and anxiety. Sometimes she is up, other times down. I have the opportunity to be centered within myself today, be positive and loving with my Mom, but hold a boundary around my heart. Peace and love to all.
I remember you mentioning this before,
dear Mary,
that visiting your mother
was hard on you . . .
I can see though,
that you have been working on this.
It is so good of you
to continue giving your mother this gift,
and I think it benefits her
more than you know . . .
it may be starting to benefit you
as well. ♥
I think an ordinary thing for me is my commute to work. I am happy and fortunate that I can commute with my husband too. I think elevating this commute to make it a bonding time for him and I is an important and fairly easy thing I can do.
I will be going to pick up my lunch at the Council on Aging feeding site. Every time I go I check on several other seniors who eat there and I always come home in good spirits and hope they do, too. I’m reading a powerful novel called “This is How It Always is” and learning so much about the struggles of trans kids and their parents, the struggle of Third World countries populations. I’m very grateful to its author Laurie Frankel. She is definitely elevating my awareness in so many ways and nurturing the importance of compassion.
Also, I thoroughly enjoyed getting so many messages from you all yesterday. They were uplifting. Wish we could all get together for a big breakfast!
Another one to consider reading: Woodworking, by Emily St. John, about the struggle as an adult to acknowledge and live who you really are, with a major high-school aged character as well.
I will find opportunities to elevate the ordinary wherever I look for them, since we find what we’re looking for if we’re paying attention. I’ll go elevate a shower next, then breakfast, then my work day with the first of many meetings.
Approaching this and my interactions with humans, plants, and animals with a conscious pause to appreciate and enjoy are opportunities to elevate the ordinary today.
I was thinking of a visual to answer this question. What if I enclosed my opportunity in a beautifully wrapped package. As I gently, excitedly open it, the contents looks very new and sparkly. Then I can look at all the bright colors of foods or the packaging in a delightful way.
I have a lot on my list today. I will attempt to be as present as possible. I’m off to a good start. I woke up and looked outside, in the predawn darkness, to see the crescent moon, and Jupiter right below it.
Beautiful.
I’ll practice Stoic negative visualization today. The question to ask is, “What if this were one step worse?” The result is that you want and savor what you have.
For example, if I had bad coffee instead of good coffee this morning? I would grimace at my coffee and hurry to get it down. What if I didn’t have enough food for a filling breakfast? I would walk out of here feeling hungry and trying to convince myself it’s okay. Instead, I have wonderful rich coffee, and enough breakfast to feel pleasantly full. I can do this practice throughout the day.
So interesting, Drea. This puts things into perspective.
We can choose whether to focus on being grateful for what we have, or we can focus on not having enough.
The same situation viewed through different mindsets.
You made me think of a line from one of Arlo Guthrie’s talking blues . . .
~ The Pause Of Mr. Claus
”During these hard days and hard weeks, everybody always
has it bad once in a while. You know, you have a bad time of
it, and you always have a friend who says “Hey man, you
ain’t got it that bad. Look at that guy.” And you at that
guy, and he’s got it worse than you. And it makes you feel
better that there’s somebody that’s got it worse than you.
But think of the last guy. For one minute, think of the last
guy. Nobody’s got it worse than that guy. Nobody in the
whole world. That guy…he’s so alone in the world that he
doesn’t even have a street to lay in for a truck to run him over.
He’s out there with nothin’. Nothin’s happenin’ for that cat.”
I think of these lines sometimes
when I start to complain about my lot in life . . . ♥
Ohh thank you Sparrow, I hadn’t thought of Arlo Guthrie for a long time and you just brought him back for me. I’m listening and it’s perfect for my evening.
Today I’ll go to campus for my group facilitation class. This class is a great opportunity for me to improve my social skills and practice teamwork with my peers.
I’ll be at a community meeting mid afternoon, I’ll focus on putting some zip into how I help facilitate it. Sometimes there’s “people drama.” I’ll be in a listening mode. Prayers for the safety of all educational facilities, students and staff, as schools all begin again. ☮️
Putting a little extra shine on everything I do. Breathe a little deeper. Linger a little longer, fold the napkin a bit more carefully. Be present and aware.
Today is another Menards piano day. Being able to have a laid back work life of a few part-time piano jobs is something only a very few can say. I remember my first day going to church, my pasture, Jason, talked about the ability to do the same thing with the same people for 20+ years.
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Today I had to go to the hospital for a work injury. I could elevate the ordinary by appreciating my light duties for 10 days, instead of feeling sorry for myself. It could be a time to just enjoy the nature around me that I am privileged to work amidst for this month.
I reached out to my former co-worker for advise about work and I am glad I did. I now have some better insight about my co-worker and I possible job sharing next year. The fight isn’t over lol
I also awoke to a beautul pink sky this morning and had to take a photo!
When I was in the fifth and sixth grades,
we students,
as precocious as we were,
were punished for our transgressions
by writing the times tables over and over and over again,
ad nauseam,
sometimes in our workbooks
and sometimes on the blackboard.
I hated the repetition,
but admit today
that I still can recite those times tables
if asked.
I can even do it with feeling,
and make an embroidered sampler,
embellishing it
with birds and flowers,
fish and trees and musical notes
as we girls did as children,
when sewing our ‘Ten Commandments’ samplers,
and maps of the United States . . .
these were later washed of our sweaty little fingerprints
and put into wooden frames
by proud mothers,
no longer ordinary lessons,
but raised above
as testaments to our learning skills.
So,
although I have never liked reiteration,
I have learned to appreciate it,
for it is still teaching me to find new ways
of saying the same thing
into which creeps
a hint of new learning
in spite of myself.
Repetition
is a form of practice,
and that is what I am doing in this Life,
which also teaches me
that there is nothing boring or rote
about ‘ordinary’
after all. ♥
This reminded me that I wanted to share a poem on your post yesterday about gardening. I just added that as a reply there.
I’m pleased that you mentioned this,
dear Barb,
and went back to read the poems . . .
a beautiful reflection
on being a good steward of plantlife. ♥
I have had a lot of practice with a shovel, dear Sparrow. I can look around and see what that practice and patience has resulted in over the years. Thank you for the reminder.
Ah me,
dear Joseph . . .
I too
have had repetitive relationships with shovels.
I have one that is my favorite,
and yes,
looking back,
they are definitely worth the trouble.
Practice may not make perfect,
but it does make better. ♥
Several opportunities today. I’m getting ready to visit my Mom. Sometimes I enjoy my visits, sometimes I find them to be upsetting, often they are tiring. It helps to be more responsive to her, and less reactive. I have a hard time not absorbing her depression and anxiety. Sometimes she is up, other times down. I have the opportunity to be centered within myself today, be positive and loving with my Mom, but hold a boundary around my heart. Peace and love to all.
I remember you mentioning this before,
dear Mary,
that visiting your mother
was hard on you . . .
I can see though,
that you have been working on this.
It is so good of you
to continue giving your mother this gift,
and I think it benefits her
more than you know . . .
it may be starting to benefit you
as well. ♥
Good luck Mary, what you described does not sound easy, on many levels.
I think an ordinary thing for me is my commute to work. I am happy and fortunate that I can commute with my husband too. I think elevating this commute to make it a bonding time for him and I is an important and fairly easy thing I can do.
Nothing ordinary about that,
dear Elizabeth! ♥
What a wonderful upgrade for both of you.
I will be going to pick up my lunch at the Council on Aging feeding site. Every time I go I check on several other seniors who eat there and I always come home in good spirits and hope they do, too. I’m reading a powerful novel called “This is How It Always is” and learning so much about the struggles of trans kids and their parents, the struggle of Third World countries populations. I’m very grateful to its author Laurie Frankel. She is definitely elevating my awareness in so many ways and nurturing the importance of compassion.
Also, I thoroughly enjoyed getting so many messages from you all yesterday. They were uplifting. Wish we could all get together for a big breakfast!
That would be marvelous, Carol Ann.
You are loved,
dear Carol Ann. ♥
Oh, I remember loving that book.
Another one to consider reading: Woodworking, by Emily St. John, about the struggle as an adult to acknowledge and live who you really are, with a major high-school aged character as well.
Barb, thanks for the book recommendation.
Oh, yes!!!
I will find opportunities to elevate the ordinary wherever I look for them, since we find what we’re looking for if we’re paying attention. I’ll go elevate a shower next, then breakfast, then my work day with the first of many meetings.
Barb, Yes, the attitude of gratitude!
Approaching this and my interactions with humans, plants, and animals with a conscious pause to appreciate and enjoy are opportunities to elevate the ordinary today.
I was thinking of a visual to answer this question. What if I enclosed my opportunity in a beautifully wrapped package. As I gently, excitedly open it, the contents looks very new and sparkly. Then I can look at all the bright colors of foods or the packaging in a delightful way.
I had to smile,
dear Yram,
at your lovely visual,
and felt just as excited as you. 🙂
I like this, Yram. This moment as a gift.
I have a lot on my list today. I will attempt to be as present as possible. I’m off to a good start. I woke up and looked outside, in the predawn darkness, to see the crescent moon, and Jupiter right below it.
Beautiful.
Indeed,
you are off to a good start,
dear Charlie . . . ♥
I’ll practice Stoic negative visualization today. The question to ask is, “What if this were one step worse?” The result is that you want and savor what you have.
For example, if I had bad coffee instead of good coffee this morning? I would grimace at my coffee and hurry to get it down. What if I didn’t have enough food for a filling breakfast? I would walk out of here feeling hungry and trying to convince myself it’s okay. Instead, I have wonderful rich coffee, and enough breakfast to feel pleasantly full. I can do this practice throughout the day.
Thank you Drea, I never heard of Stoic negative visualization – I am sharing this with my kids and best friend.
So interesting, Drea. This puts things into perspective.
We can choose whether to focus on being grateful for what we have, or we can focus on not having enough.
The same situation viewed through different mindsets.
You made me think of a line from one of Arlo Guthrie’s talking blues . . .
~ The Pause Of Mr. Claus
”During these hard days and hard weeks, everybody always
has it bad once in a while. You know, you have a bad time of
it, and you always have a friend who says “Hey man, you
ain’t got it that bad. Look at that guy.” And you at that
guy, and he’s got it worse than you. And it makes you feel
better that there’s somebody that’s got it worse than you.
But think of the last guy. For one minute, think of the last
guy. Nobody’s got it worse than that guy. Nobody in the
whole world. That guy…he’s so alone in the world that he
doesn’t even have a street to lay in for a truck to run him over.
He’s out there with nothin’. Nothin’s happenin’ for that cat.”
I think of these lines sometimes
when I start to complain about my lot in life . . . ♥
Ohh thank you Sparrow, I hadn’t thought of Arlo Guthrie for a long time and you just brought him back for me. I’m listening and it’s perfect for my evening.
My son has a saying when I’m struggling to accept something. “Mama, it could always be worse!”
It could! Somehow thinking of things one step worse makes me really gain something (vs thinking of worst-case things).
Today I’ll go to campus for my group facilitation class. This class is a great opportunity for me to improve my social skills and practice teamwork with my peers.
I’ll be at a community meeting mid afternoon, I’ll focus on putting some zip into how I help facilitate it. Sometimes there’s “people drama.” I’ll be in a listening mode. Prayers for the safety of all educational facilities, students and staff, as schools all begin again. ☮️
Putting a little extra shine on everything I do. Breathe a little deeper. Linger a little longer, fold the napkin a bit more carefully. Be present and aware.
Yes,
dear Mary . . .
we can become polishers of our lives,
by giving every moment
special attention.
Thank you . . . ♥
You are welcome, Sparrow. « Polishing » added some simple beauty to my day today.🌺
Yes, the key to everything is Presence! Presence always nurtures awareness!
Amen Sista.🌸
Today is another Menards piano day. Being able to have a laid back work life of a few part-time piano jobs is something only a very few can say. I remember my first day going to church, my pasture, Jason, talked about the ability to do the same thing with the same people for 20+ years.