If you had any idea how much you were being energetically and financially held back by the stacks of clutter you let collect in your life, you’d go on a purging rampage like never before. And you can keep whatever you want. Get a bunch of boxes and a giant magic marker, box it all up, stack it and label the boxes. You can’t expect anything in your world to change, you cannot expect to get out of your rut if you keep doing the same thing everyday, keep having the same thoughts every day and keep looking at the same stacks of clutter every day. A big step in pulling yourself out of your own rut is keeping the path clear so you can come and go as you please.

I had a misconception about the crock pot. For some reason I thought it was supposed to be easier. I thought I could skip all sorts of pre cooking steps and the crockpot would do all the work. I see now the crockpot just does the boiling. I would still have to saute and brown or roast and flavor each layer of ingredients the way I would a stove top soup or stew. So I’m actually using an extra pot and I still have to watch it the same as I would have to watch a pot on the stove cooking something for hours. For this soup, I began by sauteing my vegetables in olive oil and tarragon and rosemary to brown them, 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 8 cloves of garlic, 1 fat bay leaf, 1/3 head of cauliflower. I chopped 2 large potatoes and added to the crockpot and poured the sauteed vegetables on top. 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, 1 tsp tarragon, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, a few shakes of red pepper, I added a shredded ham hock from in the freezer then added 8 oz low sodium chicken broth, then added water to cover. I cooked it on low for 4 hours, then added half a bag of kale and cooked on low for another hour.

One thing I’ve noticed the last couple of days is that people are going out of their way to be nice to each other. I posted on Facebook, “Do you notice it, too?” I got many a yes but two friends wrote, “I’m seeing the opposite and it’s wearing on me.” Knowing bother of them, I knew immediately why that was.  I replied, “I have no doubt you two have a different experience than I have. You are both activists in the true sense of the word in your daily lives. You physically walk past many more people than I do every day and, being true protectors and moms, you are ever vigilant. You are quick to scan an area for who might need your help and you are both confident, vocal, articulate and pretty fearless.  You’re like the lifeguard on the beach so naturally you attract situations where your skills are needed. I, on the other hand, may be on the beach up in the dunes near the boardwalk and may ask a passerby not to flick their cigarette butt in the gutter but I’m not down at the shore where the real action is. So yes, when I work from home and the ones I talk to are homebodies like me, wrapped up in our own little projects and gardens instead of out in the hustle and bustle of city life and watching the news, yes, we’ll attract different experiences.”    Continue reading →

Oh, you have to laugh. Friends who posted hateful criticism of the administration for 8 years now lament the lack of positive Facebook posts and the media’s inflammatory coverage of the protests, saying it does no good to point out what’s wrong. They honest to God do not see that it is the exact same thing they have been doing for years.

“O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us, to see oursels as ithers see us.”

Chaos is an integral part of transformation. May we meet chaos with grace, understanding, dignity and gratitude. Germany survived its period of nationalistic fascism and is now one of the most sane countries on the planet. We will survive this. Don’t panic.

A man who lived on the northern frontier of China was skilled in interpreting events. One day, for no reason, his horse ran away to the nomads across the border. Everyone tried to console him, but his father said, “What makes you so sure this isn’t a blessing?” Some months later his horse returned, bringing a splendid nomad stallion. Everyone congratulated him, but his father said, “What makes you so sure this isn’t a disaster?” Their household was richer by a fine horse, which his son loved to ride. One day he fell and broke his hip. Everyone tried to console him, but his father said, “What makes you so sure this isn’t a blessing?” 

A year later the nomads came in force across the border, and every able-bodied man took his bow and went into battle. The Chinese frontiersmen lost nine of every ten men. Only because the son was lame did the father and son survive to take care of each other. Truly, blessing turns to disaster, and disaster to blessing: the changes have no end, nor can the mystery be fathomed.

The Universe is always sending us messages. A client texted that a light bulb just went off for her. She’s been trying to figure out the lesson with her emotionally manipulative boyfriend who always charms his way into taking advantage by doing the minimum. She texted that she just had an a-ha — her 10 year old son has problems in school with the same thing, down to the tantrums for not getting his way. If she substitutes son’s name for bf’s name, she sees it’s the same behavior. Everything in our life is a metaphor. The Universe is always sending us messages.

Glancing thru the political posts on Facebook, I smile to see the different perceptions people have. I think we can all agree that both parties lie and both parties lie about lying. Neither will likely do anything they promise. Most people we know are the same. Like all of us, their life is their message — inside and outside the political arena. I look to see who interacts with folks the way I’d like to be interacted with. I check in with my emotions to see how I feel watching one or the other when they are not posturing against each other. Sure, I’m most often watching a facade, but their choice of facade tells me as much as their lack of one.

They restored my power within the hour!

Yesterday morning I woke up to 4 big handsome men stomping through my east garden. Which I could now see since the oak that had come down right there during Hurricane Matthew had been chainsawed away the day before, leaving a big bright open space right outside the master suite sliding glass doors.  I heard big truck engines and got excited, then I heard crunching of work boots right outside. They were there to restore my power **happy dance**  They had to rehang the power cable that a pine branch brought down during the storm, which pulled my box off the wall as well.  Grand Electric came out and upgraded my meter box and riser, which I’d been meaning to do anyway.  When I saw the damaged box, my spidey sense said $800 and I was only off by $3.50. An hour later, power was on, wifi was on and the water heater was heating up. I took a lap through the house checking all light switches.  I flipped all breaker switches and  reset all GFI and everything worked. I had to replace the small bulbs in my salt lamps, they were the only ones blown.     Continue reading →