Month: September 2021

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Picking up the pace

Or maybe it would be more accurately described as scrambling to catch up — and then hopefully keep up — with a life flow that seems to get faster and faster!

What started as the usual full but fairly normal week has been gradually picking up speed with more and more wonderful, yet time sensitive and distinctly unusual activities.

We learned today that the music ministry is going to be featured in the next fundraising appeal (yay!), but need to get testimonials and photos to the development team by tomorrow (yikes!); we had a last minute photo shoot with the incomparable Barbara Bingham after tonight’s rehearsal; we meet tomorrow with the “big guns” about music department finances and budget; then there’s another Christmas play meeting; and to top it all off, we received a request (also rather last minute) to provide music for Jyotish and Devi’s “Touch of Peace” book launch on Saturday night.

We were also invited to lead a virtual satsang for an Ananda group in Singapore on Friday evening, but thank goodness we listened to our intuition and suggested they schedule us for another time. I’m pretty sure adding that into the mix would have tipped us over the edge!

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The first olive

So, this little olive tree was munched way down by the deer (or other critters) about a year and a half ago.

But it was a birthday gift from dear friends, so I just kept watering it in hopes that it would rebound.

It’s had healthy looking new growth at the bottom for quite some time, but today — I discovered the first olive!

This is so heartening, on so many levels. đŸ„°

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Garden plans and woes

This azalea started blooming in May.

In late July it was still going strong (I even wrote a blog post about it).

Well, here it is late September, it’s still blooming like crazy, and I’m beginning to think this amazing plant deserves a nice big pot outside on the patio where it can really spread out.

Of course, that means figuring out a way to keep our resident deer from eating it up!

Which is particularly pertinent at the moment because the deer (or some other critters) have started eating the alyssum that I planted about a month ago — after researching and confirming that alyssum was something deer wouldn’t eat.

Ha!

I guess it’s time to call in one of our professional landscaper friends and get some down-to-earth advice before proceeding any further.

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What kindness can do

“Your kindness was like a bright ray of sunshine and made me forget my suffering for some time.”

No, I did not bake the muffins pictured above, but I was deeply touched by the writings of the woman who did. Her current blog post begins with the sentence: You can do everything “right” and things can still go horribly wrong. Lord knows I’ve lived that truth.

I’ve posted things by Rachel Macy Stafford before. Her Facebook page is titled Hands Free Revolution; she wrote the book Hands Free Mama, and I especially love her tagline: Letting Go… to Grasp What Really Matters.

“What really matters…” That’s something worth thinking about, isn’t it?

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Ah, Italia!

Musicians played Vivaldi atop the artist Livio De Marchi’s floating violin in the Grand Canal in Venice. Credit…Susan Wright for The New York Times

I’m so glad my friend sent me a link to this article about a giant violin floating down the Grand Canal in Venice. I mean, talk about thinking outside the box!

The entire article is well worth reading, but I was particularly touched by these paragraphs…

De Marchi named the work “Noah’s Violin,” because like the ark, it was meant to bring a message of hope after a storm, in this case a message that promoted “art, culture and music,” he said.

And…

Leone Zannovello, the president of the consortium, said that the project had revived enthusiasm at the shipyard on the island of Giudecca, where it was made, after the darkest days of the coronavirus pandemic. Companies and individuals who weren’t part of the group even offered to help out, he said. “It was something that united us even more,” he said. “We worked with our hearts.”

This reminds me of stories I’ve read about how Swamiji would respond to a community crisis by launching a big expansive project. Something to raise energy, generate enthusiasm, and bring people together.

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Something about the deer…

We see so many deer here at Ananda Village that you’d think it would become old hat.

But no…! Somehow I never get bored with seeing them, especially when there’s a fawn in the vicinity.

So, here’s a photo of some deer hanging out in our front yard when I got back from my morning walk.

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Celebrating a big win!

It’s official! As of this morning, I no longer take blood pressure medication. Whoohoo!

In fact, I had already cut way back about a month ago, and then stopped altogether two weeks ago. I did so because I was feeling tired and lethargic over a period of time when I was eating well and getting plenty of sleep, but my numbers were getting lower and lower.

I felt okay about experimenting a bit because I was in the habit of checking my BP every day, plus I already had an appointment to see my doctor.

So, this feels like the biggest win ever and I’m extremely grateful for the lifestyle changes that have allowed me to achieve it.

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Christmas is coming

Two of my three meetings today were about… Christmas! Yep, from a church musician’s perspective, it’s right around the corner.

So, all evening I’ve had this nursery rhyme in my head:

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please to put a penny in the old man’s hat;
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!

I would have shared the song but I couldn’t find a recording with the melody I know and love.

However, while double-checking the lyrics, I discovered that someone has written a version titled, “Christmas Is Coming and We Are Getting Fat!” Pretty funny.

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An unexpected gift

Today a dear friend served as Divine Mother’s emissary to me through a generous and completely unexpected gift.

But it was much more than the actual gift. It was love and support; seeing me and wanting me to feel seen and appreciated.

It was a powerful lesson in how to be a true friend. 💖