Mama Raccoon

There were some hot days in the Pacific Northwest this summer! I don't do well when the temperature gets over 90 and we have had consecutive days when it has been in 100's!

I came home a couple nights ago and gazed out my kitchen window. A raccoon who inhabits a few wooded acres bordering my back yard appeared under the bird feeder. I was surprised to see two new babies with her. As soon as she was sure they were busy eating sunflower seeds she lowered herself into the pan of water I keep for the animals. Poor thing had reached her limit, just like me!

We set up a small pool with water and the next afternoon they were back. She cooled herself and then made sure each baby was soaked. She just grabbed them and rolled them while they squealed.

It was endearing and life affirming. Parents take care of themselves so that they can take care of their little ones. We have to do our best with what is offered when we are at the mercy of weather and elements. Basic survival can be as simple as cooling off.

I look forward to witnessing the growing and training those cuties are in for. They already have personalities. One is adventurous and a risk taker, the other stays close to Mom.

not all problems are meant to be solved

It has been suggested to me: 

that not all problems are meant to be solved,

that we can walk around obstacles obstructing our way rather than moving the obstacle itself,

that troubles are often the product of behavior over time.

So I need to give this some thought. In earlier years I had the energy and determination and belief that I had to "do something" in order to overcome my troubles. 

• What if I had simply looked for a path that would circumvent that mountain?  
• How different would my circumstance be had I "taken the road less traveled"? 
•  Would I or my circumstance be better, improved?

Can I embrace this philosophy today? 

For example: my house is a mess and I keep thinking all I need is a block of time and energy to get it cleaned up. The thought literally sees it as a mountain to be moved...one boulder at a time. But boulders break, rocks crumble and then there is the sand to deal with.

What if I step to the right of Mt Calamity? 

Will there be a road sign pointing me in the direction of avoiding future piles of paper. The challenge calls out "change the habit or accept it"!

I am thinking I want to try this if for no other reason than I worry and fret too much. I would rather meet the day with eagerness instead of dread or regret. It could lead me into a wilderness but that would mean I needed an adventure, right?

Am I true to my purpose?

Every once in a while I have to do an inventory and ask myself if I am staying true to the purpose of this blog. Are the posts pointing back to a reverence of life ?

My original goal was to share my own life in my chosen path of loving and respecting the world I walk in. I will have to let my few readers determine my score since I can't see the forest for the trees I love so much.

Can one take her convictions too far? Have I become blind in my commitment to "practice what I preach", "to think and do" ?

I will share two instances in recent days that may confirm that I have gone over the edge.

• I was sitting in traffic, to my right over a small bridge a construction crew was pushing an Alder tree 🌳  over. When it cracked and fell, I felt a pain in my heart as if a part of me snapped with it.

• A feather 🪶  floated down from above, right in front of me as I was walking and contemplating life. Fresh from its giver, soft downy gray. As I held it I felt hopefully connected to this tough yet fragile world.

I have hit the ? key often in this post. While I do not doubt myself, I question if I go too far. And just as importantly, I question if I touch anyone with the words and thoughts that I throw into the ether.

quiet yourself

"It does not matter what you do. What matters is whether your soul is harmed by what you do." Albert Schweitzer

Your soul suffers if you live at the surface without diving into your depth. As soon as you notice that you are indifferent or easily irritated, feed your soul. We all need a time to focus on our inmost self.

• Find a quiet place.
• Allow your thoughts to settle.
• Listen to your own breath.
• Hear the still small voice that brings peace.
• Your soul will tell you exactly what you need.
• Rest in that place of peace.
• Take as much time as you need.

Enter life once more. Is there hope in your thoughts? Are you more gentle?

not like we thought

I was restored after spending a few hours with good friends last night. There was laughter, tears and encouraging words. I am always inspired by these courageous and compassionate women. We come from different backgrounds and experiences, yet are kindred souls. To each other we reveal the layers of our days and marvel at the unanticipated, unplanned situations we find ourselves in.

On the drive home, as I contemplated our stories, the words floated across my mind, " Life wasn't supposed to be like this".

Our hopes and dreams are like birds perched on tree limbs, ready to take flight. But wait, here comes a bigger bird! Hang on, close your eyes, and hold your breath as the shadow passes. Exhale, open you eyes to a life that has changed.

I don't know if this is true, I read somewhere that when birds sleep their claws instinctively tighten around the branch so they won't fall. I think that when we humans get tossed or threatened we grab hold with our hearts. And that alone changes us, which brings change to someone else. And so it goes.

Back to my thought from last night. We think we have it all figured out, but that is an illusion. Things don't work out the way we thought they would. So then we have to decide, flap the wings for forward living or free fall into the muck at the bottom of this tree called life.

Whatever you choose, look for the good and acknowledge it. Sometimes that is all we can do.Thank you.

daily life on a journey

Dr. Timothy Johnson wrote, "if our daily life is only a small part of the journey, then shouldn't we be focusing on a much bigger picture than just our daily existence?" 

Add Schweitzer's words, "Reverence for life brings us into a spiritual relation with the world independent of all knowledge of the universe."

Daily living is the small step we take on a planet around a star in a galaxy. We are separated yet connected to a mystery, we journey together. 

My focus can be so small and centered on me. Yet when I allow myself to be open, that focus transforms into a joyful awareness ...we are all connected. Be it DNA or matter or some physics theory unknown as yet, the proven, unproven and the spiritual do a dance ...
we are all connected, plants, animals, dirt, stars, black holes.

I love the words, "be mindful". And it applies here; everything you do changes something else, somewhere else.

We become what we measure

"...The king was in the counting house, counting out his money..." 

Wish I had a kingdom 👑and needed a house for my riches. 

What a lovely thought. But what kind of life would I have  if the best part was sitting in the counting house?

Contrary to popular belief, keeping count will make us neither rich nor royal. What I have seen is, we tend to become what we measure. 

• How many hours, what was the score, calories eaten, dollars earned or spent, miles driven, temperature?

Keeping a running total is not a bad thing. There is satisfaction in making a goal, measuring progress and attaining the end.

Here is the rub, the focus and love of the "game " removes us from the essence of life. The nourishment and nectar is in the living.

If there is a pot of gold at the end of our rainbow 🌈, I hope I have the strength and wisdom to dance a joy dance, fill my pockets as full as I can and then get back to the journey. 

As Martin Luther King Jr said"...the means and the ends are inseparable".

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