Pete the Pelican

Last spring I had the delightful and memorable experience of meeting Pegleg Pete the Pelican. Somewhere along Pete's life he had lost his leg. He could have gotten tangled up in fishing line nor assorted other litter and debris, he could have gotten an infection of some type or, horror of horrors, he could have lost it in the jaws of a gator. In any event, he not talking about it. He's doing just fine. He's learned to hang out at a marine gas station that sells bait fish to fishermen along with other supplies. He's after the fish, of course, and he's very selective, refusing anything that is not to his taste.

I'm always amazed at how animals, without whining or complaining, never give up, until the day comes when they must. They accept whatever befalls them with grace and dignity. Oh would I live so cheerfully! Acceptance, surrender...yes, but not with an attitude of defeat. Rather an attitude of cheerfulness and creativity. As it has been said, "When one window closes another door opens."

The smallest and, seemingly, least significant member of the non-human world can illuminate truth, if only we have the eyes to see.

Today take a moment to look, really look. And see.

Blessed

I am a blessed woman

Grace is bestowed, indeed abundantly showered, upon me daily.

Stillness opens the floodgates to the beauty that surrounds me and flows through me.

I can only access that stillness in the present moment. You, too.

Right NOW.

Stop.

Breath.

Feel the wondrous beating of your heart.

You are not beating your heart.

It is being beat for you.

You, too, are blessed.

Amazing.

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.

Lao Tzu

Shrinkage

I've shrunk...like literally. I've gone from the amazing gargantuan height of 5'6" to 5' 41/2". What a blow!

Seriously, this is devastating! I'm too young too shrink.

This morning I opened the door heading into work and at that moment remembered today was the health screening day. Right off the bat I got weighed...that's a separate story and one we will NOT explore today...and then my height was measured. This is when I received the horrible news. I made the lady do it 3x because I just couldn't believe it, absolutely certain she was incorrect. Finally, she allowed me to read those awful numbers. My eyes blurred with emotion. How could this be? When had this happened? Why didn't I know.

I'm too young too shrink! Shrinkage occurs when you're like 70 or 80...not at my still youthful age!

At this rate I'll be eye level with my mini-doxie by next year!

Should I put lifts in my shoes or hang from the door jams for hours or submit to a torture chamber stretching rack?

OMG...I'm too young to shrink!

THE QUEST

To dream ... the impossible dream ...

To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...

To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...

To run ... where the brave dare not go ...

To right ... the unrightable wrong ...

To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...

To try ... when your arms are too weary ...

To reach ... the unreachable star ...

This is my quest, to follow that star ...

No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ...

To fight for the right, without question or pause ...

To be willing to march into Hell,

for a Heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest,

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm, when I'm laid to my rest ...

And the world will be better for this:

That one man, scorned and covered with scars,

Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,

To reach ... the unreachable star ...

"If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens."

Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet

I awoke this morning, the darkness of dawn still sneaking through the blinds, to the delicious sound of rain on the aluminum roof of the screen porch right outside my bedroom. I love the rain. I breath in deeply at just the word “rain”. As I snuggled under the covers, listening, I determined that today would be a bread-baking day.

I, HAD, originally intended to go kayaking today but an injury to my foot caused my plans to change. Last week-end I stepped with all my barefooted weight, onto a blasted bougainvillea thorn. It penetrated my heel so deeply that it required pliers to remove it. Can’t tell you how sore that was and it necessitated a trip to the doc for a tetanus shot and a round of antibiotics. Yup, that is just the way I wanted to spend my money, right? Plus walking around on the sole of my foot caused other body parts to react…and not nicely. Anyway, didn’t think kayaking would be the smartest idea and then the rain this morning…so…making bread seemed a nice diversion.

I stopped by the French bakery near my home on my way to the store to get bread-baking supplies and bought two chocolate croissants…OMG they were heavenly. Still warm from the oven, the crust flakey and tender and the chocolate warm and delicious. A Saturday morning doesn’t get any better than this!

I decided on a San Francisco sourdough recipe that I’ve had for 40 yrs but haven’t made for a while so it required making the starter so I won’t actually be making the bread today. It takes a few days for the starter to…um…start. My second bread is a quick, non-yeast batter bread with sunflower seeds and a yummy date-butter. I’m salivating on the keyboard as I think about how good this one is. Again, I’ve had it for many years.

If any of you want these recipes, just leave a comment and I’ll be more than happy to oblige!!!

Have a wonderful weekend.

I love you all.

"Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts."

James Beard (1903-1985)

Meet Mr. Jim Roan

During my many years of pet sitting in which I spent hours every day in the car listening to audio books in just about any genre, I grew a list of my favorite authors and favorite topics. In the self-improvement area, my all-time preferred and much loved, was and still is, Jim Roan. He did not start out as an author and speaker but developed into a great one with time and by working on himself, developing his craft and his skills. By the time I was accidentally introduced to this amazing teacher, he had already become articulate and so inspiring to me and I’m sure thousands of others.

Check him out by listening to his audio book, The Art of Exceptional Living. I think you may be moved to take action as I was. One of his more profoundly insightful points is this: “Just a few small errors in judgments committed every day will, over time, result in "MISTAKES COLLOSAL!”

He uses several well known and humorous examples to illustrate his points. I listen and listen again to this phenomenal speaker and teacher. How I wish I had his style and communication techniques.

Well, I AM working on me.

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

Robert Collier

Feline Philosophers

In the past…and not too terribly distant past…I often have found myself, chameleon-like, morphing into someone I am not, adapting behaviors that are so unlike my true nature, in order to please and appease the object of my affection. Now I am extremely aware of how toxic, twisted and unhealthy this is but nevertheless, I do it. A friend of mine, upon first meeting a new love interest of mine, took me aside and said, “Linda, you are not acting yourself and I think that stinks because you are very cool just the way you are!” I would wave her away, thinking she pretty much had no idea what she was talking about but yet…in the end…she knew.

Rather than confront either the apparent mismatch of the match or stand up to an issue, I, unconsciously restrain myself, physically, mentally and emotionally, to adapt to the energy and expectations of the other. Sooner or later that MUST result in an explosion, inner, outer or both. I believe my inner organs cannot take the pressure and I’ve experienced some dramatic physical manifestations merely by trying to maintain status quo.

Cognitive dissonance sets in and severe consequences result. “Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Dissonance is also reduced by justifying, blaming, and denying.” Wikipedia

I have three cats, actually, the youngest, Georgia, is the only one who chose me and I chose her. Willow, my 9 yrs old cat was left with me by an ex-lover years ago and Morey, somewhere in her late teens, was left with me by my most recent ex. I can’t help but notice that these cats do not suffer from this co-dependent behavior. They do not concern themselves with pleasing the other to the point of losing who they are. The younger one seems to watch over the older one, but also continues to roll on her back in the sun, suddenly jumping up to attack a leaf, never worrying that the older one does nothing more than lie in the sun, napping all day long. The older one suffers no guilt when she throws up her breakfast and the younger one does not appear to care either. At times there appears to be real affection one for the other but without duty or guilt.

So I strive now to be myself, my wonderful, invaluable, brilliant, lovely and powerful self.

Come with me. Let’s meet at the top.