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for an unspecified period of time

There’s a book written by Byron Katie, A THOUSAND NAMES FOR JOY. The book is easy to read. It reminds me somewhat of Eckhart Tolle’s book, THE POWER OF NOW, in that both books stress that pain and suffering are caused by our thoughts. Sometimes you just have to spend time with books that don’t assault the senses, and are a pleasure to read.
www.thework.com www.eckharttolle.com

I experienced a flash after reading a passage from A THOUSAND NAMES FOR JOY. It was this: all books, newspapers, magazines, televisions, radios, computers, and telephones-even paper, pencils, pens-were wiped away, as in, gone, (for an unspecified period of time). Now it’s up to us human beings to come to a greater understanding about Life.

Yes, all these things are gone and are replaced with a gift of time-time to understand Life within and without. And something becomes available to us. Us! Yes, we become authentically available to ourselves and then to others. In this flash of mine, we’re able to tap into parts of ourselves we never knew existed because we previously depended too much on information coming at us full speed 24/7.

And the information age returned, but not in the same way ever again because people discovered incredible things about themselves, and they began living their own authentic way instead of ways dictated by others.

Well, perhaps in lieu of the disappearance of the information age, some of us can strap on a backpack, find a feel-good place in the world, and for an unspecified period of time, begin to uncover parts of ourselves waiting and wanting to be revealed. If not that, than we can find a place within ourselves.

Imagine what could happen, what would happen.

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sacred places

An amazing world opens to the one who reads the book SACRED PLACES How the Living Earth Seeks Our Friendship by James A. Swan. In SACRED PLACES we read about the deep connection and love the American Indians had and have for the earth, And read stories of the many ways nature has of communicating with us, and we learn that at times those who seek the earth’s ancient places have found unusual experiences that have significantly changed them. We begin to understand that the earth truly is our friend, and for us to not know this-to never give a thought to this-to not have utmost respect for it, tells a lot about us, about our civilization. When we are looking for answers, when we find ourselves depressed, when we need a friend, when those things we rely on fail us, nature is there waiting. We need to know this, and “…acknowledge guides from the various earth, air, water, fire, plant and animal kingdoms.” -Guenn Nimue. It has things to teach us that are impossible for us to imagine. And in the book are amazing stories of how the earth calls for protection to those who are listening.

Simply by reading SACRED PLACES I began to feel a greater connection to the earth. I know this is a small start, but it is a start. I also began to understand that for us to not seek what it offers is our huge loss. How does one feel close to the earth when it’s not been one’s lifestyle? I want to find out. I have to admit that when I first bought the book, I wasn’t sure why. I left it on a bookshelf for quite a few months. Then one day I began reading it. It took me awhile to be comfortable with it. But as I read it became more and more meaningful. The words ooze with power from the pages and give the reader a sense of wonderment.

“Simply be aware of the oneness of things.” -Lao Tsu

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the rain, the beach

Rain, it feels good. All right, we’ll do rain today. Those people on vacation at the beach need to have a Scrabble game going, or find a few great movies to watch, or get a party going and have people bring whatever they want. Nothing else said, anything they want to bring is fine-a couple gallons of ice cream, a dvd, a game, lots of music, a plan, etc. Or today can be a carefree day at the beach, walking solo without an umbrella, getting soaking wet, feeling the natural surroundings.

Ah, the beach. There are people who have striking year-round tans and a love affair with the sun and beach almost since they were born. I love the sun, but in a different way. For me sitting on the sand facing the ocean on a very hot day has to be early in the morning or after 3:00pm, otherwise it’s pure torture. I’ve never been able to understand the joy of baking in the hot sun, dripping sweat, oily sticky body, sand on oily skin on a sweltering day. Hmm, what fun! Once I was at a beach in Panama, and after 5 minutes turned beet red. Oh, yes, it was intense. I know that if a sun worshipper were writing this this paragraph would be entirely different.

Have a wonderful day. Enjoy it with or without your umbrella.

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it’s frittata night

When I’m at a loss as to what to have for dinner, or when it’s a lazy evening, or if I’m a guest somewhere, and happen to be the designated cook, and if no one’s craving a hearty meal, then it’s frittata night. Yeah! If the right ingredients are in the fridge, then it’s an absolutely delicious frittata night. The right ingredients could be:

good quality olive oil
8 great tasting organic or fresh from the Farmers’ Market eggs, mixed thoroughly in a suitable bowl
onion, whole or half, sliced or chopped-depending on taste
1 garlic clove, diced
1 tomato, chopped
1 potato, chopped and cooked
vegetables on hand, bite-size, cooked asparagus, broccoli, fresh peas, whatever you think is a good combination, don’t overdo quantity
meat, if you fancy it, cooked, don’t overdo quantity
fresh herbs, basil, rosemary, or tarragon, to taste
a wonderful cheese, perhaps freshly grated parmesan-do we agree, nothing processed?

Now this is all easy and fun: A BROILER PROOF heavy 10″ skillet is needed. Let’s put it all together-

This is quite fast as most ingredients are already cooked.

Add enough olive oil for the following, perhaps a few tablespoons, then:
saute a whole or half onion. When onion is translucent, or when your eyes tell you it’s done, add garlic and saute a few seconds, then add the chopped tomato to heat, the chopped potato, the vegetables you’ve chosen, and meat. Stir together to heat. Sprinkle on the herbs and stir. Pour the eggs evenly over the contents of the pan. Sprinkle the cheese over contents. Watch the flame, not too high. Let eggs set, Pay attention to how things look. Lift the edge to determine doneness of eggs. Place in broiler. It cooks VERY QUICKLY UNDER THE BROILER, so keep an eye on your frittata. It’s going to be HOT when you take it out. Don’t BURN yourself.

Tasty! Right? And fun? You could add a loaf of great bread, or a salad, maybe a glass of wine. And there you are.

Experiment, make it your own using different ingredients.

Whatever you do, enjoy.

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doormats

Ever notice how one thing after another happens to some people? They believe, “Life’s a bitch.” I don’t like that saying; it’s a puny description of life. If you say it often enough, life pays you back and it becomes that way because the Universe is listening. If you allow it, your heart can break for these people. But you can’t let it; it won’t serve you well or them. Eventually you might find yourself right there with them. And how will that help anyone?

The people who claim “Life’s a bitch” are often the people who can’t quite utter the word “no.” And because of this, they’re physically exhausted doing for others, and emotionally wrapped up in other people’s problems. And as awful as it sounds, in time, they’re taken advantage of – they’ve let themselves become doormats.

How can they be helped? Sometimes listening is all you can do, as long as it doesn’t impinge on your energy. There’s a difference between people who can genuinely help others, and people who make other people’s problems their problems. Trusting that people can solve their own problems without interference, and learn from their own experiences, sets up the right energy for possibilities.

“To know how to live is my trade and my art.” -Michel De Montaigne

“I’m not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” -Louisa May Alcott www.louisamayalcott.org

“Give yourself abundant pleasure, so that you may have abundant pleasure to give others.” -Neale Donald Walsch www.nealedonaldwalsch.com

“Always look for creative solutions to everyday challenges.” -Deepak Chopra
www.deepakchopra.com

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on flying

Emi is on her way to Japan at the moment. Have a happy and safe flight, dear Emi. And a trip that makes your heart sing.

Flying, especially on a 13-hour flight, tends to dehydrate the body. Bringing and drinking lots of water will minimize jet lag and give a boost to the body, and get us to our destination in good shape. Honest. And having an aisle seat close to the lavatory is a good idea. If an aisle seat is unavailable and your seat mate tires of shuffling around to allow you to pass by, just smile and say thank you. Exericise on a flight is important, that includes walks to the lavatory. Also, it’s good exercise for your seat mate to get up and down to let you pass by. I hope you brought lots of bottled water, Emi.

What about all those stories about flight delays, flight cancellations, and added time spent at airports. Hmm! Getting upset is quite useless. We can’t get that plane moving any faster. In the Jan/Feb 2007 Spirituality & Health magazine is a write-up on page 36 titled, “The Simple Kindness of Sharon Salzberg”. And in that write-up it says that “Salzberg embodies the potential in all of us to live steady lives of nurturing and peace,…”. She wrote a book, The Force of Kindness. Perhaps we should all slip that book into our luggage when going to an airport. And should a voice on the loudspeaker announce you know what, we’ll simply pick up that book and bury our face in it. Reading about kindness when waiting at an airport could be a very good thing.
www.sharonsalzberg.com

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muffin top

Muffin top! It’s a silly name and we’re hearing it more and more-mainly because of those low-rise jeans. Silly people, wearing ill-fitting jeans deserve a silly name to describe the silly look they’re trying to achieve. If you’ve ever sat on a subway or a bus and have come eye-to-eye with an over-extended muffin top, or someone’s butt (let’s say derriere), facing you, you begin to understand how ridiculous it all is. I think the designers are having a field day with this look, They have one over on the public because they’ve created this silly look and people are falling for it, not realizing that there are very few (size 0-2) people who can pull it off. I think that designers don’t have our interest at heart with this one. I could be wrong, but in looking around….

Twenty years from now those who are not a size 0-2 are going to look at photos of themselves wearing those undersized low-rise jeans and possibly say, “What was I thinking!”

This past month in NH I had a chance to look at some very old photos of my parents, our relatives, and their friends. I hadn’t seen those particular photos. They were in a box more or less forgotten in a basement until someone suggested having a photo party, and the box was brought upstairs. All I have to say is that things have changed. No need for anyone in those photos to say, “What was I thinking!” This is not to say that in today’s world some people don’t dress beautifully. It is to say though that as a whole it sometimes looks as if we’ve become rather lazy. Or should we say that we’ve become sloppy?

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about everyday “news”

So many things are happening in the world, and although I don’t read newspapers — the news still comes. Have you noticed that the news is rarely uplifting? That being the case, it’s up to us to see the goodness of life in all its forms and let it infect family, friends, community, city, country, world. I don’t believe life is meant to be a drag and when we’re aware of how everyday news can dissipate our energy, and leave us feeling sad, fearful, anxious, sick, we can take steps to bring things into balance so that our view of life is not lopsided. There’s no balance in the news so it’s up to us to produce it in our own life.

“As long as we believe in our heart of hearts that our capacity is limited and we grow anxious and unhappy, we are lacking in faith. One who truly trusts in God has no right to be anxious about anything.” -Paramahansa Yogananda
www.yogananda-srf.org

“Be undisturbed by a situation and it will fall away of its own weight. There is an occult law of indifference, ‘None of these things move me. None of these things disturb me. ‘ ” -Florence Scovel Shinn

“Come to the edge he said.
They said, ‘we are afraid.’
‘Come to the edge.’ he said.
They came.
He pushed them. . .
And they flew.”
-Guillaume Apollinaire

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a train, a river, a city

There are times when there’s something magical in riding the Hudson Line. The reason I say this is that I’ve had the most intense conversations – happy and enlightening ones – with strangers, strangers who ask a question and the question turns into 90 minutes of non-stop talk after which we either say goodbye at Grand Central Terminal as if saying goodbye to a dear friend, or we exchange email addresses. www.grandcentralterminal.com

Of course there are times when it’s nice just sitting alone by a window with a view of the River. I used to bring a book for the ride, not anymore. Summertime is lovely, riding alongside the River’s edge allows passengers a perfect view of activities on the water. There are days when kayakers are out on the River. Some move in a slow rhythm relishing the simple pleasures of man, boat, river, on a lazy sunny summer day. Other kayakers seem to race against themselves quickly and gracefully. Boats can be seen at a distance from the train. And people standing on the River’s shore sometimes turn to wave as the train passes. The other day we saw a few water skiers. One fell as the train passed by. Interestingly enough the passengers on the train either laughed or gasped as the skier struggled to get up. Did he know he had an audience or was he focused on other things?

Then as the train nears Manhattan the energy quickens, The towns the train passes look more serious. Even the River takes on a different look-not good or bad-just different. And passengers begin to brace themselves in preparation for the big, beautiful, bustling city of Manhattan.

It’s the end of the line.

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philly, it’s a wonderful city

I find it hard to believe that I hadn’t been to Philadelphia until this past weekend. It’s a wonderful city. And it’s easy to navigate many of the neighborhoods by foot. My cousin Norm, cousin-in-law Pat, and I stayed at Courtyard by Marriott at 21 N. Juniper Street. It was a good choice. We arrived in Philly on Friday evening and like all good tourists proceeded to lose our way to McCormick & Schmick’s where we had a dinner reservation. We had to ask for directions. We backtracked and there it was, so close to the Courtyard. There’s nothing like walking in the wrong direction when you’re looking for a place. We came upon Reading Terminal Market on our roundabout walk to McCormick & Schmick and made a mental note to go there for breakfast. Our dinner was very good. It’s a restaurant chain, but the service and food are always dependable.
www.marriott.com
www.mccormickschmick.com
www.readingterminalmarket.org

Reading Terminal Market is mostly about food. There’s a lot going on in that huge space. The Amish influence is there, the Farmers’ Market, many different kinds of eating establishments, crepe counter, bakeries, good coffee, chocolates, etc. We ate breakfast at the counter at an open-style coffee shop where people stood waiting for a seat the entire time. People from other neighorhoods in Philly shop here. So it must be good.
www.yelp.com/biz/reading-terminal-market-philadelphia

Philly is made up of many neighborhoods and one flows into the other quite nicely. We found a lovely park called RIttenhouse Square Park. Saturday was a beautiful day and people slowly gathered there. I’ll dispense with naming all the stores in that area. Suffice it to say that if you’re in the mood for shopping, you won’t be disappointed. Listing all the museums, cultural events, family activities, historical sites, waterfront district, etc. would take a long time. It’s fun to just arrive and decide at the moment the kind of day you wish to have. Philly is easy, pick a spot and go. Information on the city is everywhere. Wherever we were, when we stopped to look at our map, someone came over to ask whether we needed help. Philly is a friendly city.