I wrote this poem several years ago. It was republished today on One Woman’s Day by the Story Circle Network.
Poem for Today
Inspired by a friend’s poem, I decided to take a look at some of my book stacks and write a poem from their titles–in honor of National Poetry Month.
Now Is the Time to Open Your Hearts
the tongue’s blood does not run dry
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
A Simple Havana Melody
Alejandro Blue
The Spirit of Indian Women
Still Life With Bread Crumbs
Ring of Fire
Gardens in the Dunes
Daughters of Fortune
The Way to Paradise
The Bingo Palace
Uppity Women
How We Became Human
Close Range
Native Guard
Things Fall Apart
Gone Home
Poem for Today
April 7 – Neighborly Compassion
This story quietly reteaches the old adage: “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. I find it is a lesson I need to remind myself occasionally. It is human nature to make those “first sight” judgements. When we do, we often miss out on the truly meaningful.
Driving on Your Own in Costa Rica–Hotel Playa Negra
On March 17, I related the story of having to leave the first hotel in this area after dark with nowhere to go–see first post on driving on your own. It was not until I awakened the next morning, dressed, and went in search of coffee, that I realized just how lucky we were. I left my daughter and grandson asleep and ventured toward the restaurant indicated by a small sign. I had not walked far when this scene greeted my eyes.
Horses right by the beach. Perhaps these were the horses one could ride–I had just seen a sign indicating horse back riding was available. Then I walked a bit further and these scenes welcomed me.
Except for the two dogs you can see here, no one was at the beach. The tranquility amazed me.
I walked back inside the restaurant–here I am standing at its edging looking toward the beach–ordered cafe con leche and luxuriated in our incredibly good karma. This place exceeded all expectations considering our experience the previous night.
This photo was taken from the beach looking back at the restaurant. Except in colder areas like San Jose and Monteverde, I never saw or ate in any enclosed restaurants. Even the fanciest are open air like this one. Hotel Playa Negra is the only hotel near Playa Negra next to the beach. It is a quiet, peaceful place with yoga, horse back riding, surf boarding lessons–the surf here is for beginners. The restaurant serves a wide variety of food, but since I especially like the typical cuisine, it seemed perfect–more gallo pinto, platanos fritos, cafe con leche.
Sleep, Fitbit, and Essential Oils
Several months ago I won a Fitbit at work. At that time my main concern, heath question, was this: Am I getting enough exercise? Quite quickly I realized I was concerned about the wrong health issue. I apparently get more exercise on a normal day than I ever imagined, just doing what I do: yoga in the morning, walking around the building at work, feeding my horse, chores. Much to my horror, however, I discovered that I was getting way less deep sleep than recommended by every article I had seen. It became such a concern that I was getting less, not more sleep. I decided to investigate. If you want to track the stages of sleep, forget Fitbit. You may be able to use it as some sort of general guide but nothing definitive. To actually know how many hours and minutes of various stages you sleep, you must go to experts and they must measure your brainwaves. Predictably, once I learned that, guess what, I immediately slept better.
If you have sleep issues or just want to go to sleep in a fabulous smelling atmosphere, try essential oils. You can go online and find a list from various “experts” outlining the top ten for relaxation and better sleep. These include lavender, myrrh, Roman chamomile, cedar wood, sandalwood, neroli–the list varies slightly depending on the site. Plus, everyone differs so experiment to see what works for you. Here is what I found works for me: diffuse lavender and melaleuca in a diffuser next to your bed (melaleuca or tea tree does nothing for sleep but is good for so many other things; I also use doTerra breathe for allergies), rub several drops of cedar wood on both feet, rub several drops sandalwood on your wrists. This combination has improved my sleep greatly. I read yesterday that mixing lavender with Roman chamomile is effective, but I have not tried that yet.
I would be interested in hearing from others what works for them. Happy Dreams!!
Four Reasons We Need To Reclaim The Power of the Divine Feminine Now by Mary Petiet
Why is the divine feminine so important? What does it promote that values others, our planet? This says everything I could have said myself.
(Spoiler alert: She’s already here)
The power of the divine feminine taps into the power of life. The power is accessible to everyone as the equal opportunity energy surrounding and connecting all living things. The power is ancient, and meditative practices such as yoga, which in Sanskrit means linking to the divine, can connect us to this power. When we make the connection, we find the balance we need to realize our highest selves, and through that balance we can realize the highest self of the larger society. To reclaim the divine feminine, we need only remember, and as more and more of us remember, we heal first ourselves, and ultimately the planet.
1. She is the route back to the self.
In her mother aspect the divine feminine offers a route back to the self and She is all-inclusive. She embraces all of creation, men, women and nature, and we…
View original post 501 more words
Jesus and Easter
Yesterday, I learned several new aspects of the religious debates surrounding the teachings of Jesus, Christianity, Mormonism., and how Easter is viewed. Mostly, it followed a discussion on a post about Jesus, Good Friday, and Christian politics. Whether most modern Christians want to believe it, Jesus’ teachings were radical, revolutionary. However, most modern Christians pay much more attention to the teachings of the misogynist Greek, Paul. The debate centered on comments after this particular post about the politics of Christianity.
It centered on Mormon beliefs about Easter. According to the comments, Mormons do not use crosses because they focus on the teachings of Jesus and his life. They use these teachings and his life as a guide. I thought to myself: what a good idea. If the whole world followed his teachings, the world would be a much better place full of peace, equality for all, not just the powerful few, tolerance, understanding–the list is long.
The contention of many of the so-called Christians commenting is that true Christianity focuses on the death of Jesus and his subsequent rising from the dead, that what matters is that he died for their sins, and rose on the third day, that Mormons are not Christians because they focus on his life. Really?? Not only did I find this information new–and perhaps this is what many Christians believe–but astonishing. Although my family celebrated Easter in a big way, I was always taught that Jesus’ teachings held the center of belief.
I will admit that although I grew up in a mainstream Protestant, Christian denomination, I no longer consider myself a Christian. I firmly think (notice I did not use the word believe) the world would be a much better place if everyone followed the teachings of Jesus!!!! Religion, as most practice it, is ruining the world. Perhaps if everyone focused on Jesus’ teachings instead of arguing over who is right, we could attain some sort of mutual respect and peace. As Jesus taught:
-respect one another
-love one another
-share
-treat others as you hope to be treated
May your day be filled with joy and peace!!!
#ImWithHer: Excuse Me, I’m Listening—to Her by Marie Cartier
This post states about everything I myself could say on this subject. People vote how they vote for a wide variety of reasons. I vote on social issues. Often voters fail to realize that, like it or not, we are intricately part of a global economy. What occurs even in some remote part of the world affects everyone else, economically as well as socially.
My wife and I attended a panel discussion last Sunday with Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of the Democratic nominee presidential hopeful, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Chelsea was accompanied by the famous and beloved Superstore and former Ugly Betty star, America Ferrera and also uber- television entrepreneurial juggernaut, Lena Dunham , creator and star of Girls. The event was meant to highlight that millennials, particularly female millennials, are supporting Hillary Clinton. Obviously the event was meant to counteract the prevailing media notion that millennials are not supporting Hillary—whether or not they are female. And certainly some millennials are not—but, as this event pointed out, many are.
Ferrera opened and talked about her immigrant parents saying that she would not have been able to receive an arts education if not for someone like Hillary fighting for better public schools. She was one of the children who needed the free lunches, coming…
View original post 1,865 more words
Chocolate and Personality
Did you know you can be defined by the type and shape of chocolate you eat? New Mexico State University researchers study how ethnicity, fashion, economic status, and religious practices relate to food. Basically, what you eat symbolizes who you are.
A New Zealand therapist carries this further in his book, “Chocolate Therapy: Dare to Discover Your Inner Center”. Langham, the therapist, provided a variety of chocolate choices to his patients, began noticing patterns in the shapes and types of chocolates different patients chose. The book goes so far as to suggest a game you can play with friends when they visit your house. Provide a wide selection of chocolates, watch them pick one, and then use the book to read what it says about them. His claim is that they will say, “This is so me.”
To give a couple of examples:
-A lover of milk chocolate likes to live in the past emotionally, loves the sweet smooth feeling this type of chocolate provides, remembering his or her childhood.
-A lover of dark chocolate looks forward, thinks toward the future.
-A lover of bitter chocolate prefers the fine things in life, knows what he or she talks about, specializes.
The book also contains an analysis of shape choices and how the shape you choose relates to your inner self.
writingontherim 