Say Hey (I Love You) July 25, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Exercise & Fitness, Happiness, Music & Dance, People.comments closed
A friend from AMI introduced me to this song on FB a couple months ago ~ Thanks, Nicole!
Since then, I’ve picked up a few facts about Michael Franti and Spearhead . . . all of it good.
* The band recorded Say Hey to cheer people up about the state of the world and remind us all that it’s worth fighting for.
* They’re playing a Peace Concert in Golden Gate Park on September 11-12, and a new album, The Sound of Sunshine, releases on September 21st.
* Michael has gone barefoot for 9 years to show unity with barefoot kids (and with people, like me, who hate wearing shoes).
* Michael’s into yoga, and has health and fitness links on his website. The week Say Hey hit Billboard’s Top 40, before he could celebrate, he suffered a ruptured appendix. He survived.
Now you know that . . .
The more I see, the less I know. But I know one thing . . . they can rock the house!
Awesome song (shades of Santana and Marley) designed to get everyone in hearing range rockin in the dance hall movin’ wit you.
Love is such a big word, it really should have more letters. ~ Kobi Yamada
You’re Getting Warmer . . . July 25, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Magick & Mystery, People.comments closed
As we travel along the Spiritual Path, we switch from using an external reference point (advice from others) to rely more often on Inner Wisdom.
As we prioritize our days (to decide what to be, say and do), we are in the driver’s seat. Spirit assists by helping us navigate around pebbles and potholes in our path ~ unless a head-on collision is part of our journey.
Instead of using external roadmaps, signposts, and landmarks to guide us from starting point to destination, we rely on our internal SPS (Spiritual Positioning System) to lead the way.
An SPS is similar to a GPS, but with less specificity and uniformity.
For example, when traveling from Point A to Point B, a GPS provides specific distance and direction instructions which we can follow to the letter:
“Turn left in 500 feet.”
And we know exactly when we’ve arrived because GPS tells us we’re there:
“You have arrived at your destination.”
An SPS will not reveal the ultimate destination, answer us when we ask for certain information (such as “are we there yet?” or “how much longer?“), or tell us how to get from where we are to where we want to be.
Instead, it merely signals when we have gone off course.
It’s like that child-hood game we played:
You’re getting warmer . . . warmer . . . warmer . . . colder . . . colder . . . oh, wow . . . you’re freezing.
If you’re enjoying yourself, you’re getting warmer. If you’re not enjoying yourself, you need to make a course correction.
Don’t look at me . . .
I can’t tell you what to do. I don’t know whether you need to turn left, right, or make a U-Turn. I have no way of knowing whether you’re just beginning, or nearing the end.
All I can do is encourage you to stay on the path.
Caribbean Cabbage Salad July 25, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Sustainable Living, Vegetarian Recipes.comments closed
Another recipe from my cyber pal Beth (who made her début appearance with Mango Salsa). As indicated by its preamble, this recipe is rather fluid in terms of both ingredients and quantities to use:
I don’t measure when I cook, so here’s the best I can do for a recipe . . .
Caribbean Cabbage Salad
1/2 large head of cabbage, sliced
1 cucumber, diced
3-4 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 to 1 head of broccoli, chopped
2-4 carrots, shredded
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup oil
about 2 cups boiling water
Mix veggies together in bowl. Mix sugar, vinegar and oil together, then pour over veggies. Pour boiling water over it, stir, then cover. Let sit about 20 to 30 minutes, then drain fluids off, and serve at room temp. or refrigerate.
The veggies become slightly soft (kind of wilted) but still kinda crisp. It’s a great summer salad. You can add or omit anything . . . very versatile.
Apostrophes: A Tricky Business July 25, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Mindfulness.comments closed
Like much of the English language, rules governing the use of apostrophes are murky.
For example, there is a difference of opinion, which may be geographic in nature, about whether inanimate objects take the possessive apostrophe.
We say chair leg, computer keyboard, TV remote, and camera lens, NOT chair’s leg, computer’s keyboard, TV’s remote, and camera’s lens ~ no apostrophe needed.
An apostrophe is used in time and money references, such as one hour’s respite, two weeks’ holiday, a dollar’s worth, five pounds’ worth, or one mile’s drive from here. See Apostrophe: Wikipedia
Why?
Just the ordinary possessive use of the apostrophe: one hour’s respite means a respite of one hour (exactly as the cat’s whiskers means the whiskers of the cat). Id.
Exceptions may be discerned in the same way: she’s three months pregnant does not include an apostrophe because, in modern usage, we do not say pregnant of three months. Id.
OK, so what does all this mean to you?
If you refer to this post, consider tossing an apostrophe into the mix . . . “one of today’s posts on SLTW addressed apostrophes.”
Why?
“Todays post,” and “today post” look naked. And wrong. As if you’ve rushed out of the house without remembering to clip on your bow tie.
Maybe it’s because “today” isn’t an “inanimate object” at all. After all, today is where your life begins . . . something that no chair, keyboard, or camera could ever claim.
As always, be guided by your own preference. I resigned my post as chief of the Grammar Police ~ Apostrophe Division years ago.
Life is way too short to engage in battle over punctuation rules . . . or rules of punctuation.
Quote: It’s a wise dog that scratches its own fleas. ~ Strunk & White, Elements of Style.
How To Be Happy NOW July 25, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Health & Wellness, Humor, Mindfulness.comments closed
If you want to be happy, if happiness is a priority for you, here is a step-by-step guide to being happy right HERE, right NOW:
1. Start by observing your thoughts. Watch them as they arise and drift across your brain. Don’t chase after them. Don’t hang on to them. Just watch them.
See yourself not as the creator of the thoughts arising in your mind . . . but as the detached observer of those thoughts.
2. If a negative thought enters your consciousness, ask first if it is true.
Hmm . . .
3. If it is just a “lie” (e.g., it’s IMPOSSIBLE for me to lose weight“), let it drift away to be replaced with a more positive thought.
If it refuses to leave, wave your arms like a whirligig and scare it away: SHOO! SHOO!
4. If it’s the truth (e.g., blackened pelicans are dying in the Gulf of Mexico), ask whether there is something you can do either right now or in the immediate future to ease the suffering.
Hmm . . .
5. If so, make a list of things that you can do to alleviate the suffering. Pick one item from your action list and do it. Don’t think about it. Just do it.
Caveat: If executing the CEO of BP is on your list, cross it off. Killing people is sure to bring you bad Karma, if not in this lifetime, then in the next.
6. If there is nothing you can do about the situation at present, let the thought drift away of its own accord. Let it go.
If it lingers, promise that you will gladly give it ALL the time and attention it deserves on TUESDAY!
If it still won’t leave, chase after it with a broom: GET OUT!!!
7. If the thought is true, determine whether it is a “current” issue (e.g., my husband died yesterday). If so, allow yourself a reasonable time to grieve your loss.
Just remember to return to the land of the living as soon as possible. We’ll leave the light on for you.
8. If the thought is a sad, stale memory that keeps surfacing (e.g., no one liked me when I was in high school and I still can’t figure out why), let it go.
Picture a memory graveyard in your mind, and lead the funeral procession. Bury it once and for all.
You are no longer that person being tormented in the corridors and dusty hallways of the past by a bunch of Broccoli Heads. The Broccoli Heads who tormented you have moved on too ~ they are now married with children. Let them carry their own Karmic baggage.
9. Once you have chased away unproductive negative thoughts, look around you. Find something positive, uplifting, happy, or joyous to smile about ~ a butterfly, a lovely sonata, a baby bunny, the perfect peach.
If you don’t see, smell, hear, taste, or feel anything worth smiling about, keep looking until you find something.
10. Still nothing??? Pull out a sheet of paper and make a list of things that you’re grateful for.
(1) I’m breathing. (2) Someday I’ll stop breathing. (3) Chocolate.
11. Still nothing??? Read through the last 13 posts on Spirit Lights The Way until you find one that tickles your Funny Bone Chakra.
May I suggest Spread Joy! for your first course, with a side of Laughter is NOT a Luxury, followed by a heaping helping of I Feel Good! for dessert???
12. Still nothing??? Then smile about nothing. You have reached rock bottom and there is nowhere to go but UP.
Smile, smile, laugh for awhile. Good Times don’t come easy . . .
13. Great, you’re smiling! Let happiness flow through your being, recharging your batteries. Smile. Feel your mood elevate. Smile. Relax into the blissful current of life in the now. Smile.
Aah, that’s better.
You didn’t change a thing . . . except your perspective.
Quote: Don’t be the prisoner of your past. Be the architect of your future.
Related post on Uphill Writing: The Horror That Is Fate
Spirit Lights The Way 