Hibernation sure sounds good to me (I have a feeling a lot of my friends can relate to this)!
This made me laugh
20th proposal anniversary 💝
Twenty years ago today this wonderful man asked me to marry him.
He had planned to wait for Valentine’s Day. But it was a relaxed Saturday morning; we had finished breakfast and were simply talking at the table. Still in our comfy meditation clothes, the conversation was intimate and deep.
Suddenly he said he had to ask me something and that was it. No hesitation, just an immediate YES!
So, today — twenty years later — he asked me again. This time with a diamond engagement ring. Took me completely by surprise!
And, through the tears, it was once again, YES! — now, today, and always. 💖
Ecco fatto!
I’m not entirely fluent in Italian, but I’ve spent enough almost fluent years that some phrases come to me in Italian instead of English. They just feel more right.
“Ecco fatto” is an example. I finally went through my accumulation of notes on random slips of paper and got them organized them into categories, which certainly feels like an accomplishment.
In English I could say, “done!” or “finished!” But “ecco fatto” somehow captures much more completely the utter satisfaction of the moment.
So much to be grateful for
Sure, there’s still no power, which is inconvenient.
True, we ran into issues changing phone providers, which was annoying.
Yes, it been raining a lot, which can feel a little oppressive.
But on the other hand…
Our heat is propane, so we’re nice and warm. We’ve got a small generator, so fridge and wifi work. We live in spiritual community, surrounded by friends. We love our work, which we get to do together.
And even more basic…
We have a roof over our heads, our roads aren’t flooded, we have plenty to eat, and no fear for our personal safety.
I mean, really…! I am extremely blessed, and I know it.
An evening of obstacles
A power outage. No wi-fi. No cellular on my phone.
It’s kind of a long story, but I had to borrow Ramesha’s phone even to write this much.
Oh well. Tomorrow’s a new day!
“I can’t keep up!”
I totally get where Snoopy’s coming from. That feeling close to panic at how fast things are going and realizing you can’t keep up.
I also totally get his (ahem) solution!
Honoring my hometown
I just learned that Milpitas turned 70 at the end of January (being incorporated as a city on January 26, 1954).
Although I was born in San Francisco, Milpitas is where I spent my formative years, from the age of four and a half until I moved out more or less on my own at eighteen.
Thinking about it brings back a lot of memories, especially of the beautiful foothills — vibrant green in the rainy season, golden brown in the summer — on the eastern edge of the town.
Feeling a bit nostalgic now. Sigh.
Taking on a new self-care challenge
I’m fairly challenged around self-care in many forms — getting enough sleep; making time to meditate; getting regular exercise; etc. But a self-care area that I’ve only tuned into recently is how little real cooking I do.
Usually when I make food at home it’s a super easy dish that is so habitual that I don’t even have to think about it. Like the exact same oatmeal breakfast every single day. Maybe scrambled eggs with toast for lunch. Occasionally pasta with broccoli.
Most of the time I still feel the compulsion to “eat out” — just like I did growing up in the Bay Area and later as a freelance musician living in San Francisco — even though there are virtually no restaurants within a ten miles of where I live now.
But a few months ago I happened upon a healthy eating program that caught my attention. It felt really different, largely because of its emphasis on getting back to cooking one’s meals at home.
The emphasis on “eating for nourishment and satisfaction” resonated deeply though it’s taken a long time to actually put it into practice.
But today was the day! So, here’s my “Skillet Lasagna,” which was quite delicious! (I’m patting myself on the back.) 💯
Notes vs notes
Music notes are one thing. I never find them overwhelming.
Well, certainly not now, when I never play music of any real difficulty. But even when I was a professional flutist, I had to learn lots of music that was extremely complex and downright hard. But I never found it overwhelming.
These kind of notes are another story altogether.
This is a stock photo, of course. Trust me, my accumulation of notes isn’t nearly this neat and colorful and fun.
I know, I know — there are better ways to jot down reminders and random thoughts than on little slips of paper, but I’ve never yet been able to consistently adopt a better approach.
So, I write the things I need to remember on a slip of paper. Then I remember something else that goes on another (but the same color) slip of paper. And I maybe accomplish one item from the first slip and two items from the second, but I can’t throw away the slips of paper because there are items that haven’t been completed yet. Which means I’ve already got a couple of slips at the start of the next day…and on and on it goes.
Until after a week (or a month…or more), I’ve got separate little mounds of notes waiting to be sorted through, organized, and discarded. Meanwhile, my brain is busy trying to remember the really important items for which I can no longer find the darn slip of paper!
And that’s what makes it overwhelming. But tomorrow I’m going to sit down with a notepad and the current accumulation and JUST DO IT!
(Wish me luck.)
Sheer beauty wins the day
It was time to write my blog post, but my mind was blank.
I reflected on my day. No ideas came.
I reviewed my notes of possible blog topics. Nothing appealed to me.
I resorted to scrolling through Facebook for inspiration. Nothing, nothing…
Until — at last! — this painting leapt out at me. I’m sharing it simply because it’s beautiful.
(I only regret that I couldn’t identify the artist in order to give them credit.)