A Few For “The Bucket” December 31, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Humor, Magick & Mystery.comments closed
I crossed a few items off my Bucket List in 2015. And not just mundane stuff, like traipsing through IKEA for the first (and last) time . . . real stuff which gave us a chance to explore new-to-us vistas, venues, and adventures.
At the Florida Railroad Museum, we went on a train ride . . . to nowhere. In a vintage rail car.
We chose to sit in the AIR-CONDITIONED lounge car for the hour long trip from Here to There and back again.
As the journey unfolded, we noticed an “elephant graveyard” filled with side cars that had been side-lined.
We toured the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa where Teddy Roosevelt stayed with some of his rough riders at the turn of the last century.
We wandered around Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island the day before the Gasparilla Inn and Golf Course opened for seasonal snowbirds.
The greens (and blues) invited us to linger longer.
This mission’s shady courtyard invited us in.
On our way home, we stumbled across the Hatch Gallery in Placida.
And another charming cottage gallery in Placida . . . which gave me an idea for Halloween (see below).
But before we get there . . .
Did you hear the one about the pirate, the cat, and the vulture?
Me neither! I always thought pirates preferred parrots the way gentlemen prefer blondes!
Well, if pirates can reject standard stereotypes, so can I! So I dyed my hair purple for Halloween.
So what if it looked more mauve than purple . . . I didn’t want to stop traffic!
Let’s see . . . what else? Oh, yeah . . . I won a Hula Hoop Contest.
My secret weapon? No other contestants!
And I went snow tubing. In flip flops! At a Taste of Chanukah.
After sliding down the slippery slope of snow and landing in a slush pit at the bottom, I refueled by noshing on potato knish and latkes.
Woot! Woot!
We joined a Full Moon Meditation on the beach to create positive intentions and to release bad habits . . . by setting fire to them!
It’s working! Now I always know what to do . . . except when I don’t.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Natural Resolutions & Remedies December 29, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Gratitude, Health & Wellness, Humor.comments closed
If your New Year’s Resolutions focus on Health and Wellness, here are a few natural remedies to consider:
Turmeric has been touted as a “brain health miracle.”
I’m not surprised.
I’ve eaten turmeric and curry for most of my 121 years.
And my memory is still as sharp as a pillow.
* * *
I’ve heard that 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar may aid digestion.
That makes sense to me given the enzymes and the acid which help to break down ingested matter.
But life is uncertain . . .
So eat dessert first!
OPA!
* * *
And last, but not least . . .
Switching the broadcast from “gripes” to “gratitude” ALWAYS pays B~I~G dividends.
Gratitude magnifies happiness.
And it’s HEART healthy.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related posts: Calcium in Plant-Based Diets (PCRM); Honey & Cinnamon (Snopes)(great for everything from colds to cancer); Space for Gratitude (Find Your Middle Ground)
A Last Request December 26, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Joke.comments closed
A plane passed through a severe storm. The turbulence was awful, and things went from bad to worse when one wing was struck by lightning.
One woman lost it completely. She stood up in the front of the plane and screamed, “If I’m going to die, I want my last minutes on earth to be memorable! Is there anyone on this plane who can make me feel like a WOMAN?”
For a moment, there was silence. Everyone stared at the desperate woman in the front of the plane.
Then a man stood up.
He walked up the aisle, unbuttoning his shirt as he went, one button at a time.
No one moved.
He removed his shirt. Muscles rippled across his chest.
She gasped . . .
Then, he spoke. “Iron this – and then get me a beer.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Source: e-mail from unknown author (sent by Joe M.)
May the Season’s Best Be Yours! December 25, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Happiness, Less IS More.comments closed
Aah . . . that’s better!
I Hope He Laughs December 23, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, People.comments closed
We have a neighbor who loves to play the labeling game.
His view of the world is the only view of the world.
People who don’t share his perspective (like me!) are judged, labeled, and cubby-holed.
There is no room for gray in his life.
* When he realized I did not embrace Rush Limbaugh as a modern day sage and savior, he called me a “brainwashed, socialist, communist, liberal sympathizer.”
You know . . .
* When he ranted about “short-sighted and misguided” environmentalists who block progress by opposing drilling for oil and gas in pristine wilderness areas, I tried to share a few thoughts on the benefits of sustainable and renewable energy sources ~ like wind and solar.
He interrupted with a snort and informed me I was “living in a dream world” and “needed to get my facts straight” because sun and wind cannot provide the energy we need “to keep moving forward.”
He then added, free of charge, that he hated debating issues of importance with people who argue from an emotional frame of reference rather than from an intellectual point of view.
WTF?
Did he just call me stupid???
One night at a wine tasting, he and I were seated at a table for eight when someone I’d met that evening asked me, “What do you write?”
Not wanting to get bogged down in particulars, I tossed out, “Oh, lots of things ~ poems, essays, several unfinished novels . . .”
At that point, our neighbor jumped in with a gleeful pronouncement, “You have ADHD!”
Startled at his outburst, I replied, “No, I don’t . . .”
“Yes, you do! You just said that you didn’t finish a project that you started!”
“So? Not finishing a novel doesn’t mean I have ADHD. I have no problem concentrating for sustained periods . . .”
“Then WHY didn’t you finish those novels?”
“Because I didn’t want to.”
“BECAUSE YOU HAVE ADHD!”
Without abandoning his initial hypothesis, he switched gears, “Why are you getting so defensive? I was just being funny.”
I looked around the table and saw several mouths agape. “Really? How come no one is laughing?”
“Because YOU ruined the party for everyone by becoming defensive for no reason.”
“And what was the alternative? Letting you put words in my mouth and yet another label on my forehead?”
“No, you could have just laughed. Your problem is that you don’t have a sense of humor. You need to lighten up and stop being so serious.”
“If you wanted me to laugh, you should have said something funny.”
Taken aback, he sputtered, “Well, this is a free country and I can say whatever I want . . .”
“Duly noted. But, since this is a free country, we don’t have to laugh on cue.”
At that point, his wife intervened and suggested we change the subject.
I nodded my agreement.
Seeing no one jumping to his defense, our freedom-loving friend switched from FIGHT to FLIGHT and beat a hasty retreat from the restaurant, his wife trailing behind.
I apologized to the rest of the table, amid a chorus of “YOU have nothing to apologize for.”
Hmm . . .
While I appreciated the show of support, it takes two to tango and I did my part to keep the dance moving in a downward spiral.
I could, of course, muster all sorts of justification for the barbs I’d tossed his way. I could rationalize that he is a bully used to getting his own way, and that fighting back was the “right” thing to do.
But I won’t.
Because I saw his face as he was leaving the restaurant.
The sadness registered there made me wish I had just laughed at his initial “ADHD label” rather than engaging in a pointless debate about “nothing.”
Oh, well, live and learn.
I’ve added him to my Christmas Gift List and I know exactly what to get him . . . a Dymo label-maker!
I hope he laughs.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Photographs & Memories December 21, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Humor, Life Balance, Mindfulness.comments closed
Memories are funny beasts.
Resurrecting sad moments may encourage sorrow to re-surface.
But even the happiest memories can make us sad as we reminisce about “the way we were.”
Moreover, memories are easily misfiled, mislaid, muddled up, and manipulated.
For a fascinating (and memorable) article about the way photographs erase and distort our memories:
Shutterbug Parents and Overexposed Lives (New York Times, 2/22/15)
When we disrupt an experience to capture a photo, it hinders our ability to store the memory intact.
As Dr. Linda Henkel, the noted psychologist, notes:
“We’re collecting trophies of our experiences rather than being engaged in the experiences.”
Now, smile and say, “This is NOT a Kodak moment.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
A Damned Fine Sermon! December 19, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Humor, Joke.comments closed
A man went to church one day.
Afterward he stopped to shake the preacher’s hand, “Preacher, I’ll tell you, that was a damned fine sermon…. Damned good!”
The preacher said, “Thank you sir, but I’d rather you didn’t use profanity.”
The man said, “I was so damned impressed with that sermon I put five thousand dollars in the offering plate!”
The preacher grinned, “No shit?”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Source: E-mail from unknown author (sent by Joe M.)
Big Magic ~ Creative Living Beyond Fear December 17, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Magick & Mystery, Writing & Writers.comments closed
In Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame) addresses some of the challenges people face when creating.
In my words, not hers:
Don’t let fear of being rejected, ridiculed, or misunderstood stand in your way . . . you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Create for yourself.
When ideas come to you, you can grab them and express them to the world as part of your portfolio . . . or let them drift off into the ether. If you drop the ball, the Universe will toss it to someone else because ideas want to be expressed.
When you feel inspiration tugging on your sleeve, be curious and follow it to see where it leads. Curiosity and Creativity are congenial companions.
You don’t need a signed permission slip to live a creative life or attend a fancy ball dressed as the Court Lobster.
You don’t have to be original to be authentic. Share whatever you care to share.
It is not your job to save the world through your creativity . . . it is your job to express yourself to the world.
Sometimes the well runs dry . . . and sometimes “inspiration arrives, out of a clear blue sky.”
Some ideas arrive in full regalia, ready for transcription. Other ideas require a bit a coaxing before coming into being.
What you write, paint, sculpt, cook, or sing doesn’t have to be important. It can be silly, amusing, confusing, or whatever. Do what you do because you enjoy doing it.
When you feel genuine enjoyment while creating, you win, no matter what happens with your work “out there.”
You don’t need a professional degree or fancy credentials to create beautiful art. Just do your thing.
People aren’t thinking about you, they are thinking about themselves . . . so do what you want to do.
Don’t strive for perfection . . . good enough is good enough.
Aah . . . that’s better!
“The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
What Does Green Mean? December 15, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Magick & Mystery, Mindfulness, Spirit & Ego.comments closed
If we are busy thinking, analyzing, judging, comparing, contrasting, or ruminating on Rumi, we have stepped out of pure awareness.
Instead of experiencing “this moment” directly, we are filtering “this moment” through the cloudy lens of past experience and future expectation.
We lose touch with the Now.
As we SIFT through Sensations, Images, Feelings, and Thoughts, a ticker tape of memories broadcast from the cluttered storehouse of our monkey minds causes our consciousness of experience to SHIFT.
No longer fully present in the fullness of the present moment, we hurl through crowded mental corridors populated by echoes of the past.
Now, let’s mindfully shift gears.
Imagine trying to explain “green” to someone who is color blind and has never experienced any of the colors of the rainbow.
Wow! That would be . . . challenging.
We’re apt to become “lost in space” as we consider what “green” might mean to Hueless Hugh.
It’s no wonder we get bogged down when we ask questions like, “Who Am I?”
Instead of experiencing “I” directly, by letting go of thought (perhaps while meditating on the mantra, “I am that I am”), we engage in amusing musings about what “I” might mean.
But if we can’t explain what something as simple as “green” might mean to someone who has never experienced it, how can we hope to comprehend what “I” might mean without first experiencing it?
To shift back to pure awareness, we might follow Lao Tzu’s thread instead:
Just remain in the center, watching.
And then forget that you are there.
~ Lao Tzu (c.604 – 531 B.C.)
Aah . . . that’s better!
Attempting to understand consciousness with your mind is like trying to illuminate the sun with a candle. ~ White Fire, Mooji
Related post: Mindfulness is the Opposite of Neediness (Raptitude)
Challenging Times December 12, 2015
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Joke, Word Play.comments closed
Hunter was 4 years old and was staying with his grandfather for a few days.
He’d been playing outside with the other kids, when he came into the house and asked, “Grandpa, what’s that called when two people sleep in the same bedroom and one is on top of the other?”
His Grandpa was a little taken aback, but decided to tell him the truth. “Well, Hunter, it’s called sexual intercourse.”
“Oh,” Little Hunter said, “OK,” and went back outside to play with the other kids.
A few minutes later he returned and said, “Grandpa, it isn’t called sexual intercourse. It’s called bunk beds! And … Jimmy’s mom wants to talk to you.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Source: E-mail from unknown author (sent by Joe M.)
Spirit Lights The Way 