I love love love books… I’ve been building my library by adding lots of new material. It’s so exciting.
My dogs react to sirens by howling… It’s fun to howl with them. They’re always a little surprised, but they seem to like it! It’s a fun way to bond with them.
I’ve been having a lot of dreams related to this topic lately. They’ve been teaching me to de-sensitize my emotional “reactive” part when it comes to other’s bad behavior towards me. The dreams have shown me I don’t have to “re-act”... but use emotional restraint and an emotionally “centered” response, or no response at all.. not to internalize.
I have been researching and working on this project quite a lot lately. It’s biographical about a specific woman. I do not want to profit in ANY WAY from this book… It is strictly designed to dignify, illuminate, honor, and preserve the dignity of a person I feel has been horribly exploited and abused for the sake of profit… even after her death. It seems a bit lofty, but I really feel it needs to be done. The exploitation of women (even by their own kind!) needs to be stopped.
I love his kind face! I listened to his book on CD, “How to Practice…’The Way to a Meaningful Life”
It was a first step into my deeper exploration of Buddhism. I have a tough time with some of the cerebral aspects of the teachings… which first caused me to tune out of Buddhism some time ago. But this was all in all a good experience, and felt it offered me some valuable lessons. The philosophies of morality in Buddhism resonate for me.
I greatly enjoyed learning about His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his own words.
I’ve been putting all the little things considered “office supplies” into a large basket. Now I know where to find the stapler! If only it was Milton’s red Swingline stapler from “Office Space” !!
Make a list of 43 things I know very little about, & then learn at least 3 things about each of them (read all 3 entries…)
I have an exquiste vine covered garden mini-pavillion… I wasn’t sure the blue morning glories would take…. but they have just errupted into an explosion of vivid greens and blues! Unfortuneately, Japanese Beatles found it very attractive too… and began to devour the leaves… There were as many as 15 beatles on one leaf! (the leaves are quite large) I was very upset by this… I didn’t want to kill the beatles, but I certainly couldn’t allow them to destroy the gorgeous folliage. I did a little research, and discovered there are pheromones which attract the beatles without killing them or using pesticides. I refused to use pesticides as they are dangerous to wildlife. Well.. I found a product called “bag a bug”.... it has the pheromones beatles are attracted to above an hourglass shaped bag. The beatles flock to it, and fall into the bag but are not painfully killed. Now I have a bag of beatles and intact vines… But what to do with the Beatles?! I put some leaves in the bag for them to munch on.
I LOVE BOOKS!!! I started to rebuild my library and have added some really beautiful art books, biographies, self improvment, and home improvement titles. Yay.
“What is done, cannot be undone.” From Mom. She told me it was something her mother used to say. It helps when dealing with the past and shedding regret for some unfortunate choices.
find at least one thing each day that makes me happy and record it everyday for a year (read all 11 entries…)
The squeeling and greetings of my guinea pigs! They are so precious and sweet. Their cheerful little voices lift my spirits.
I did some really great cleaning not too long ago. I have fallen behind again… But I did buy a nice vacuum cleaner, steamer, and carpet cleaner which have helped immensely!
right now I’ve really been enjoying a delicious cup of coffee everyday. That’s about it for my treats.
1. I took a hot bath for the first time in a while. It was relaxing.
2. I heard some exotic birdsongs outside my window
3. I have all my fingers and I can use them to type out the things I’m grateful for
4. My father called me today… He hasn’t called me in over a week which is very unusual. It was really nice to hear his voice. I love my Dad.
5. My brother has been very understanding about my difficulty getting out. He has been so gracious and considerate towards me. I’m so grateful that we can tell each other “I love you” so freely.
6. I spoke to my sister for the first time in almost a year. She’s having a baby soon. The conversation was so comforting… it’s like there had never been a rift. I lost her in my life for quite some time when I was with my abusive ex… she had a hard time getting over feeling abandoned by me. She is very supportive in helping me deal with my PTSD. She’s like my twin even though we were born 6 years apart.
For a while there, I was getting out A LOT!! It was very liberating and enjoyable. Lately, I have been very reclusive. It’s not agoraphobia… but anxiety that has kept me in. I have been afraid to go out because I have been getting harrassing phone calls from my ex and recently saw his father driving by my house… (btw, he lives an hour away!) This has caused me feelings of great anxiety. Maybe revisiting 43t will help me revive my self confidence shed some of the anxiety.
A woman I know is being abused…. she told me under her breath when I was picking up a prescription. She told me NO ONE knows.
I brought her some information about domestic violence and resources for victims of DV.
She’s from another country and didn’t know that she can get help.
I gave her my phone number so she can call me any time. She doesn’t drive, so I told her I would pick her up at any time if she needs a ride.
No matter what you have suffered through, be it domestic violence, violent crime, verbal abuse, assault, robbery, or any other misdeed by another…. you can help others get through their similar experience.
It helps you STOP BEING and feeling like A VICTIM. Whatever you have been through, stay strong. Love.
Although he is schizophrenic, my brother has been coming over every week to help me get my house in order.
He has been amazing. I’m so grateful for his help. He has gotten my house relatively de-cluttered. He’s also going to help me tackle the big cleaning projects around here… prepping the floor so we can put the new bamboo flooring down.
I have gotten through a great deal of the laundry that has piled up, and also all the dishes that have been soaking (as I have no kitchen or dishwasher at the moment.) I can’t believe how much we’ve gotten done.
I’m starting to feel human again.
An old gentleman neighbor who passed away years ago made me a wonderful birdhouse. I absolutely adore it. Every year, a nest of sparrows builds a home and starts a family in in.
I can always hear the chicks chirping when I am near it. The other day, there was no chirping. I discovered that the bottom of the birdhouse was loose, and hanging open a small amount. Although I couldn’t see inside the birdhouse, I could tell the babies were not there anymore.
I found a chick on the ground. It hadn’t been dead for long. I was so upset. I felt terrible. I thought about the little family and it grieved me.
I buried the little chick and planted a flower on top of the site. I re-secured the birdhouse…. and placed some tiny roses and birdseed on it’s ledge.
RIP little ones.
:*(
My mom and dad always had a huge garden. As a kid, I hated weeding. Now, I love gardening… although I still don’t like to weed, I am so grateful that my mom (and dad) through their example, taught me to love the earth and how to nurture mother nature.
My mother always told me….
“A weed is just a misplaced flower.” She learned this from her mother.
