Friday, November 11

It is so very, very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. Doctor and dentist appointments, visits with family and friends. The stuff you need to do to keep moving through life.

I am busier now than I was when working full time in Corporate offices for high-level executives. Go figure!

Being honest, I am finally fully indulging my hobbies. Working to finish up a novel - and making excellent progress. Painting, both my oils and murals. I also do a LOT of reading :) Plus my volunteer work with the local Cultural Council and the library.

Murals. I have painted a mural in every single place I have lived since I moved out from my parents. Well aware I cannot take them with me, it is just me making a statement. "Hey! I was here! I enjoyed the space." Some of them I have put a lot of time and effort into (well, one). Most - not as much. That way if the next tenant / homeowner decide they hate it, well, it is easily painted over.

I do not move very often. I (and my kitties!) dislike the interruption. I have moved exactly 8 times in my life. More than a few places were long term (over 10 years). I did not stay long in my last rental; 4 years. I needed to move on and the house held far too many ghosts.

I have only been here a few years - coming up on my third winter. But it will be my last. Come Spring I will make my final move. To my "retirement" place and house farther north on the map. This has been planned for quite some time, actually, and I will finally realize my dream.

Go figure... one who is chilly even in summer (that would be me) moves farther north by several hours.

Perhaps I should just cut to the quick and head back to PEI. Or visit Newfoundland!

I have been weeding through things, thinking about the impending move. My brother and I will be sharing a property. When I moved here I had to go through far too much stuff that was not relevant and get rid of it. Still took 2 U-hauls (the big ones) to get me here. I have unloaded a lot more baggage since then.

But not my books :) Those stay with me. They nourish me. I read for several hours every night.

It will take me longer to pack this time as my health is not fantastic, and it takes me longer to accomplish tasks than it used to.

One of the best bosses I ever had gave me some excellent words of wisdom which I will never forget: you just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.

Yeah, you do. You keep moving through life.

I am so done with the ghosts and most  of the lifetimes past. Dealt with it. Moved on to a much happier and better place in life. I think I had forgotten, for awhile, who I really was. I did not reinvent myself. I re-discovered me.


Treat next week! My sister and her significant other visited wine country in New York's Finger Lakes area. Lots of pics she graciously shared with me, and quite an interesting trip and region :)

Monday, October 31 - Hallowe'en

It has been a few weeks since I posted. Sometimes life becomes so busy it's hard to stop and take a breath. I try to; I do not like to be overly booked or so busy I cannot take time for a loved one or friend or my hobbies. I love to read (it is a passion of mine) and like to spend at least a few hours every night doing so. And "life" stuff happens. I am busier now than I ever was when I worked for so many years. Not sure how that happened!

Chores, spending time with family, visiting is some of it. I am a member of the Town Cultural Council, and have obligations there as well. We get our annual grant requests at this time of year and meet in a few weeks to decide on them. Limited funds to try and stretch to cover valuable and needed community programs that will enrich and enhance lives of our local citizens. Art, music, science, theater. Programs the schools and library could not put on without our help. I also volunteer at the local library with some of their programs.

Paint and write in my spare (ha ha) time.

And tonight is Hallowe'en. I do not get trick or treaters up here in my apartment. I really miss that. When I lived in Webster I got a TON of kids every year. Went through 4-6 bags of candy! Plus I got to see a ton of cute and original costumes. I loved it :) And I gave out the "good" candy that parents hate but kids love - Snickers, M&Ms, Reese's, Milky Way.

Hallowe'en.... when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. Its origins date back over 2000 years ago when the Druids and the Celts celebrated the "in between" of autumn and winter with a huge bonfire and feast (to keep it simple - it is far more complicated than that). It was their New Year, and a time to remember the departed and ward off evil spirits.

The Church got involved in the 9th century when it was trying to convert people and rout the pagans. As in many other instances, the Church started its own traditions based on Celtic and Druid festival days. Pope Gregory (700s) moved All Saints Day from May to October 31 as one example.

The origins of Hallowe'en (Samhain, pronounced Sow'een) lie in Ireland and the UK. It is still celebrated by Christians, Pagans, Druids, Wiccans, etc. to this day. Pumpkins are carved, candles are lit, treats are shared. Thanks is given.

Enjoy your evening, folks! I am going to light a few candles of my own and celebrate :)

October 12 - Massachusetts

Awe.

Awe is that soul-stirring wonder experienced, sparked by a number of things. The night sky lit up with endless stars. Majestic mountains rising up and dominating the landscape.The ocean, full in its fury or calm.

Webster's defines it as respect, wonder, and fear. It is, all of that, and more. I know this for a fact first-hand.

I read an article in the paper last Sunday about awe which was so aprapos. Especially after my trip to Canada. My past travel experiences - the mountains, the oceans. I have seen and experienced Nature at her best and worst.

I have re-read the article several times. I was struck by its relevance at the point I am in my life now. I will quote a bit from the article, written by Paula Spencer Scott:

"Awestruck - altered in an instant by an electricfying emotion scientists have only recently begun to study. Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast or beyond the human scale that transcends our understanding of things" [Dacher Kelmer, head psychologist of UCal Berkeley's Social Interaction Lab].

"Kids and grown-ups alike have fewer chances these days to find such transformative moments".

Too much chatter; too many electronic devices interfere. I am guilty of the same at times

Awe is "a wow of astronomical proportions...our thinking shifts".

Awe is when we realize we are part of something so much larger it almost hurts to take it all in.
I think back on all my trips and realize how extremely fortunate I have been. To have experienced, taken in, and yeah, recognized that kind of Awe.

The kind that almost brings you to your knees.

All of the mountains - the Alps in their sunny glory or in a blinding snow. The Rockies, so brilliant under a late-winter sunshine. The White Mountains I love so dearly in any season.

The edge of the sea in Canada, even in the rain. Maybe even especially in the rain.

It is an amazing treasure  and not one to be taken lightly.

I, for one, do not.

Recognize those moments and hold them. Ponder them, and hold them closely.