Insights – Melannie Thomas

Recently I wrote about getting ready for winter, focusing on the home.  Earlier this month I had to have tires and brakes all round, new shoes for my trusted transport.  Then yesterday I needed to have a jump to the battery when my car locked me out and the problem was not my Karr alarm system. 

An ensuing discussion with the quite affable knight from AAA about my car ended up on the subject of the timing belt.  As he described what happens when it breaks, I knew I better not put the work off any longer.

As the storm door has opened early here in Northern California, I realized I need to get some other things done; new windshield-wiper, anti-freeze, battery check, air-filter, and my timing belt appointment has been made.

It is so easy to overlook getting our car or truck ready for winter especially when you live in a mild climate.  However, it is so important and can save so much hassle especially in bad weather.  By paying attention and taking advantage of the reminder that the universe so kindly sent my way, I am confident I avoided some nasty car karma.

I could say, ‘a fine feline line’.  We have a plus 20 year old cat who has lost her companion of as many years.  She is inconsolable; her cries of grief are so powerfully poignant that they bring tears to our eyes.

We are doing our best to comfort her.  However, she is quick to take advantage.  She has always been the ‘diva’,  the ‘queen’ of the realm.  She is able to keep up her vocal demands for attention for hours.  

I very much value her expression of her grief.  It is healthy.  I know that she will begin to heal, as we all will.  In the meantime, we talk to her, we pet her, she gets plenty of lap time.  It is a fine line. She already is demanding more and more.  So, we are giving her what she wants (she loves Doritos).

Just like we can trust that the pain won’t last at these levels of intensity, we also need to believe in our own capacity to heal.  I can extend this to her, knowing that she too will move past the pain and find her own capacity for healing.  We are walking the fine line together.

A beautiful granddaughter was born yesterday into the family of a best friend.  It is her second grandchild.  Everyone is full of joy.

This morning I found myself pondering the future of this coming generation and what wonders they will see.  My Grandmother witnessed the invention and production of the automobile; my Mother saw the development of radio and television for the masses; and I have been awed by cyber-technology and the Internet.

It is hard for me to phathom what will come next; successful ‘cold fusion’, teleportation, emancipation from fossil fuel technology?  All senarios that play around in my head. 

The real question for me is, what we humans will become.  Will the path of greed continue to grow until we reach anarchy?  Will the spirit in man be able to hang on to it’s nobility? 

This coming generation needs our guidance and our prayers, for much of that future is in their hands.

Although it is not yet Halloween we have had some fair rain in our neck of the woods and temperatures are cooling.  These changes serve as good reminders that it is time to ‘get ready’ for Winter.  The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting rain above normal in our Pacific Southwest, so time to get a move on.

Our preparation list includes gutter-cleaning, changing furnace filters and making sure flashlights and lanterns have fresh batteries and fuel.  We live in earthquake country so this seasonal change is a good opportunity to check and rotate water and food reserves, make sure our first-aid supplies are in order, our portable radio has new batteries available, emergency phone numbers, as well as family numbers are readily available, that our computer and other major appliances and electronics have updated surge protection, and that we have made provision for our pets and animals too.  We keep a good supply of candles at hand, cards and games, and some fun foods.

Putting the yard to rest for the winter, wrapping outdoor piping to protect from bursting,  cleaning and  storing away our patio furniture, BBQs and fire-pits, are also part of the preparation for the coming cold season; as is moving winter clothing, gloves,hats and shoes to the forefront of the closet/bureau and putting away our summer frocks.

Keeping your gas-tank full and some cash on hand can make wheathering a severe storm or other emergency far less stressful.

Winter is a cozy time of year.  Getting prepared and being ready for the cold and stormy season will enhance your enjoyment of this special time of year.

I meant to blog about ‘retreat’ Friday, but alas, the day’s preparations rushed me away toward the Sonoma Coast. 

As it turned out my daughter and I arrived early.  We began the retreat by stopping at the Tides where she treated me to an artisan beer.  Very friendly atmosphere, very relaxing beginning to our getaway weekend.  Arriving at our rental home in Bodega Bay we eagerly awaited the arrival of our retreat sisters.

This special time away from phones, including cell phones, Internet, the hustle and bustle of the daily grind are truly sacred.  We rest, we eat, we catch up with each other, we share the latest successes and sadness’s, we hot tub, we meditate, we hug, we breathe, we laugh…we relax.

In our busy culture this one time a year is really hard to carve out, especially for busy women; women with careers and families.  Yet we manage to pull it off year after year, because it is such a valuable and priceless time for us. 

 Not only is the relaxation important but there is research that suggests that friendships with other women are vital to reducing our stress and improving our health. I invite you to find time to retreat with your friends, for a few hours, hopefully you can find a precious few days a year.

The miracle of the miners.  The whole world has been witness to the courage, endurance, community, technology, and amazing faith of so many.

I take with me into this day the inspiration of this miraculous event.  A reminder for me to be grateful for all the beauty that surrounds me, and the tenuousness and preciousness of life.  Take a few moments today to acknowledge the miracle.

Be well!

The past several days have been difficult.  As we know living is not always easy.  I found myself unable to blog, so I posted quotes.  Yesterday it took me a couple of hours to find a quote and I was thinking that I could write something in less time.  Later in the day I was reflecting on the nature of this blog.

Cued by the ‘Moods’ post, I decided that I would continue to post information and inspiration, but that I would also put myself  more actively into the daily message;  not easy for me as I am a  private person, and making myself vulnerable is this manner is uncomfortable to say the least.

It’s morning.  As I ambled down to get the paper at about 5:15am, I stopped and studied the sky.  A crisp and clear sky full of  stars.  Breathtaking, humbling, and a good reminder to me that I am not alone.  I want the mood of the past week to shift.  I know well that grief is a process and the shift will come…is coming.  That this too shall pass. 

 It is warm in wine country.  The intense beauty of fall presses hard into my senses.  I am comforted by the sights, the sounds and the colors.  And another day begins….

“Today I will be master of my emotions.”

“It is one of nature’s tricks, little understood, that each day I awaken with moods that have changed from yesterday.  Yesterday’s joy will become today’s sadness; yet today’s sadness will grow into tomorrow’s joy.  Inside me is a wheel, constantly turning from sadness to joy, from exultation to depression, from happiness to melancholy.  Like the flowers, today’s full bloom of joy will fade and wither into despondency, yet I will remember that as today’s dead flower carries the seed of tomorrow’s bloom so, too, does today’s sadness carry the seed of tomorrow’s joy.”

The Greatest Salesman in the World, Og Mandino

“One thing is certain: you can’t correct mistakes if you feel ashamed of having made them.  Those who secretly believe themselves deified are chagrined when something goes wrong.  Being saints, and utterly wise, their conduct should of course be perfect.  The rest of us know how easy it is to be at fault.  We’re making mistakes all the time–and patiently correcting them.”

“Hell is in your memories.  The cauldron of remorse for what you did not dare to do is worse than any pain from wrong efforts.  A forthright striving, whatever its outcome, gives one protection by its very strength.”

The Art of Selfishness, David Seabury (1937)

“The trick of living is to slip on and off the planet with the least fuss you can muster.  I’m not a professional philanthropist, and I’m not running for sainthood.  I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer who puts back into the soil what he takes out.”

Paul Newman