Rising Moon Over Disorientation

The full moon energy is strong tonight. Mercury is retrograde for another week. In Vermont, we've already had May and it's only April.

No wonder my head is swirling.

On an earthly plane, very few words have been scribbled on this blog or notes strummed on my guitar in the past few months. The creative energy is on hold while I wrestle (once again) with the effort to pay bills on the table and gas in the car.

Intently focused for days in a row on that purpose, on the specific and unending tasks of putting order into my life, by tonight, my ability to concentrate seems to have vanished and I wander around in a daze. Doing a little carpentry, I can't find my tape measure. Researching the internet for details to put in a content article, I stare at the screen unable to discern which link I should click.

Where do I want to go anyway?

It is so easy for us to get lost in our minds, swept away by events of the day and endless tasks that must be accomplished. Our minds are focused and concentrated, yet we seem to be on auto-pilot, cerebrally detached from the activities in front of us.

The phrase "Stop and smell the roses" comes to mind. In this fog of over-activity, it is important to look around and remind yourself what this effort is for. We are so constantly bombarded with information and demands for our attention, we can lose sight of the real treasures. The love for what we do can fade into invisibility.

Breathe.

Turn away from the computer. Pull to the side of the road. Turn off the television. Lay down your tool. Look at the sky. Take in the magnificent wonder of the full moon as it rises over your life and reassures you that there is something deeper, far more powerful going on.

Sit down and stare at the water trickling past in a stream alongside or even out of the faucet. Drink of the sustenance that nature provides in every moment if we can only remember to consider its beauty. In every day, there must be moments when the rush and hustle of activity is suspended to exercise the vital organs within.

Full or new, the moon shines on us with love. The sun radiantly infuses us with energy. The spectacular mountain rising overhead is no more grand than the intricate anthill and its complex system of order and chaos. In every moment, there is the opportunity to rediscover the miracle of our lives.

Whether I write, sing or simply appreciate it in the silent moment of my own self, pausing to regenerate my spirit is the ultimate activity that makes all the rest productive with meaning instead of just one more over-whelming task.

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Guest Post: Kate Loving Shenk

As I have been so very busy of late pursuing other projects, I am pleased to present Kate Loving Shenk, an internet friend of mine met last summer through a telesummit about writing transformational books.  Kate is leaping forward with fierce determination to spread good prayers in the world and I invite you to get to know her work a little better.


(There's a pause button on the music icon to the right so you can hear her better)



Welcome to day # 3 of the Prayer Prescription: Spiritual Remedies For Long Lasting Health Virtual Book Tour! Kip is gracious to feature my book on his blog today, and I thank him very much.

I joke around in this video about Zen and the Art of the Prayer Prescription, a take off on Kip's own book, Zen And The Art Of The Mid-Life Crisis. Let's face it, we all have such a crisis, at one time if not more times in our lives. I started writing prayers as a last ditch attempt to save my own life, because various family issues were looming precariously over a cliff, and my beloved dogs were soon going to pass on to the next dimension.

Writing prayers has a calming effect on the psyche. When the inside is at peace, nothing on the outside can go wrong. The harmonizing effect of prayer tends to quiet the mind and brings peace to every other mind, also. It truly is a miracle.

Thank you for celebrating the publication of my book with Kip and me. The book is due for publication in mid to end of May.

-=-=-=-=-=

I'd like you to stop by my author blog. There's a lot going on there and we'll have an opportunity to connect there. Please be sure to introduce yourself!

http://katelovingshenk.com

Kate has been a practicing RN/CRNP for 28 years, and currently acts as a Labor And Delivery Nurse, which is very special, indeed.

Additionally, Kate is planning further “Prayer Prescriptions” books surrounding aging gracefully and Prayer Prescriptions For The Love Of Our Companion Animals.

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The Proof is in the Coffee

Like duct tape, Coffee, it seems, can cure anything. 

            Some times the simplest of tasks can cause the biggest frustrations.  We can have done something over and over, but for some reason, the tried and true method is bollixed by a flurry of miscues that makes you think the world is conspiring to ruin the result.

            This week it was a sink fixture that should have completed the shortlist for a renovation and allowed my friend to move into his new apartment.  What had begun as a simple concept for a short term transition between leaving one home and ending in another soon to be built had become stressful with complications. 

            My friend was impatient and unsettled, past ready to be free of the dust and unpacked, comfortable before his treasured 52" HDTV.  The clutter of construction within earshot of his business was distracting while the boxes of books awaiting distribution on newly painted shelves and bed requiring assembly was disorienting.  He desperately needed the kitchen sink to work to fix himself some calming tea.

            No problem, I assured him and set to work on the heavy cast-iron enameled monstrosity, purchased by my friend as a great deal from an architectural salvage warehouse, and the top-of-the-line famous name brand faucet to match from a box store chain.

            I attached the faucet, sprayer and double drains in good time, applied the caulk and laid the behemoth into the newly cut hole in the fresh countertop.  It was a struggle to align the two drains with the redirected main, but a little creativity accomplished the effort and all seemed to fit perfectly.  

            When I turned it on to test, however, the trickle of drops was disappointing (to say the least). While there was plenty of pressure in the pipes and had been to the previous sink, this flow of water would never wash a crumb from a plate.

            My friend, seeing both his job and personal life in chaos became more distressed and adamant that the fix must be quickly found, and in his upset, implied a threat to the very friendship itself.

            The name brand customer service was exemplary and over-nighted the only parts that could possibly be a problem.  In an hour, I took apart the sink, replaced the parts, the caulk and reset the weighty cast-iron kerthunk into its hole.  The flow was no better, however, and this time the drain dripped into the cabinet.

            To go through the entire process yet again, we decided not to risk the unlikely possibility that the flaw was in the design, so my friend went back to choose a much more standard faucet.  I took it all apart again, re-puttied the drains, secured the new faucet with separate sprayer, cleaned and reapplied the caulk, heaved the sink back into place and crossed my fingers.

            At least the pressure in the flow was much more acceptable, but now there was a leak in the same diverter to the sprayer as seemed to be the problem in the first faucet.  Cleaning and re-inserting the connection several times made no difference.  It seemed to be another faulty part, another faulty faucet from a different top-name brand and a different box store.

            What for so many years has just been two simple connections, in the name of progress and efficiency, has become much more complicated with parts to parts and a 14 step set of directions that begins with "Carefully remove items from the box..."  Apparently I had missed a step, but I was clueless as to a solution and formulating the words to inform my friend that a better plumber was needed and perhaps a better friend.

            The cup of coffee saved all.

            I walked away.  I filled my cup, took a deep breath, closed my eyes and imagined a soft sandy beach or blanket of powder snow.  I slurped and prayed and contemplated my navel and our great friendship for several minutes before heading back inside, motivated for a fifth and final attempt.

            This time, having done nothing differently but a few sips of coffee, after five minutes of vigilant and awestruck staring, I could find no leak at all and the steady flow at the tap soon put my friend's anguish to rest.

            Life is full of struggles large and small, but the solutions are not always easy to find in the set of directions that may or may not come in the package.  Items that seem like a bargin are often more problematic in actuality and old habits do not necessarily have to be updated.

            Sometimes there are no proofs at all, but spirit (however we want to define it), with a good cup of coffee, just makes it so.

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New Year Revolution

       With six loads of laundry folded before the sun was even up on New Years morning, I wish I could say I had felt accomplished.  The truth, however, was that in that damp dark dawn we call a holiday, I was awake too early and alert with fear and worry about what may or may not lie ahead.

       In the darkness, it is too easy to become overwhelmed by the prospect of matching all that should be done and could be done with what is realistically possible.  Like shadows against the moon, expectations grow larger.  Resources seem to shrink.  Complicating the perspective,  the prayers and concerns of family and friends have more influence, darkening the impact of what they might think should I succeed or fail.

       In the bright glare of the laundry light are three other men I know to be older and single doing this task at such a ridiculous hour because we have no one else to be with, a sad bond that none of us acknowledges with even a sideways glance.  In our own isolated worlds, we sort and fold and keep ourselves busy on the internet in between to keep ourselves intent on tasks instead of thinking.

Attitude is everything

       The fact is that the laundry is a necessary accomplishment and leaves me free to pursue other things in the day wearing the bright colors of my favorite shirt that had been stuffed away since last week.  The mind has created the fear while the body has actually crossed something off the list.

       The state of my own emotions project realities on myself and others that may have little to do with the actual truth, but only my thoughts are making it so.  None of these men may be as morose as I think, but are simply taking advantage of the time, doing their work and play, and are ultimately content. 

     Although I smell of loneliness at the laundry, in this version of a locker room, we have the opportunity to model for each other that life goes on even without a woman to feed and please us and more importantly to be a companion through thick and thin.  In this moment, my mind creates, defines and judges the difference.

Look Deeper and See the Surface

       I can trudge through the darkness full of weary sighs expressing the sad fact of such lonely feelings or step by step ponder the choices that have led me here to this place of quiet self-conversation.  The light and the darkness are both within my reach.  The steps I am taking are the same and only my head struggles to make sense.

       The chatter of many other voices can fill my quiet and surround me with coulds and shoulds from their own perspectives.  Having taken big risks and committed to love several times over, danced in the circle and held little ones close, plenty of eyes watch and wonder.  With the best of intentions and varying degrees of emotional investment, they are still waiting for something more solid to rise from the ashes and their anxious presence affects my mood.

       The challenge is to sit in the pre-dawn silence and listen to the song of my own voice.  These others are principals in their particular stories, but only characters in mine.  Focused on my own heart, I must apply filters and go deep within to find the clarity and assurance that will create the day of sunshine we all want for each other.

For Better or Worse

       The journey has brought me here.  My dusty floor and half-finished cabinets, this pile of laundry are evident because I have focused on scribbling these many words that have landed on the pages of my book instead of making my environment tidy.  That is an accomplishment!

       Some can do both.  I apparently have issues or at least value other combinations that may or may not make sense to even me much less to anyone else, but they are mine nevertheless.  I am not victim, but choose to wear them proudly on my sleeve.

       That we have choices is the key to remember in the darkness amidst the swirl of indecisions.  It is important to forgive ourselves for being occasionally immobilized or confused.  Without that, our footsteps get slower and slower, the laundry piles up and the bright colors of my favorite shirt remain buried where they have no chance to brighten my spirits.

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