What's Up?

I have come to the conclusion that we as human beings spend too much time looking down.

Not long ago I stepped out onto our back deck to gaze at the night sky with my husband. I never cease to be amazed, awed, and intrigued by looking at the stars...

I remember when I was young and I would stretch out on my back on the lawn at night and look up at the sky and get lost in the stars. It was very comfortable space travel with the solidness of the earth just beneath the cool grassy carpet against my back and the soothing cool night air breathed in lazily. Of course I experienced  the standard feelings of smallness and insignificance but I was also visited by a curiosity that took up residence in my soul--a deep wanting to know---how I fit into something so vast, why I was where I was--or when I was or why--- I was...

Getting back to that night on the deck ...I looked up and saw a multitude of stars but there was one spot directly above me that captured my attention. There was a small cluster of stars and as I looked at them I glimpsed for a moment so many more stars beyond that cluster--beyond the reach of my seeing-- that I could almost see--but not quite. I was fascinated and excited by the idea that the number of stars I could see with my naked eye were like grains of sand that brush across the tops of my bare feet when walking on the beach compared to the number of grains of sand that make up the entire beach...

As I have grown older when I look at a starlit sky I still feel small but at the same time I feel important precisely because I am so small and insignificant and that is at once humbling and comforting.  In comparison to the universe I am but a speck of life but I do live and breathe and think and feel and laugh and love and hurt and take and give...In the Bible we are told that a sparrow does not fall without God noticing and that the hairs of our heads are numbered. LDS scripture tells us that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. I am small and insignificant but I believe God knows my name and who and why I am. Perhaps we need to feel small before we know that we are a part of something bigger and more important than ourselves.

The night sky tantalizes the human mind with possibilities and a depth of meaning that tugs at us as we feebly but persistently scratch away at excavating the treasures of our souls. The term 'naked eye' so often used in connection with star gazing is an interesting term---one that gets me to thinking about just how much we can see with our naked eye and the sometimes astonishing amount of things we miss with our naked eye---like walking past a window several times a day and not really seeing what's outside...

I see more and more people, myself included, spending a significant amount of time looking forward at a movie screen or a computer screen or looking down at a phone or an IPod---I think if we spent more time looking up both literally and figuratively we would feel lighter somehow and we would see more or the possibility of more...

Ramblings---Toward the end of May I got bronchitis which made it a bit taxing to walk to work. Luckily my work is not far from home so it was survivable. When I was on the mend I needed throat lozenges to help keep me from coughing while walking and one day I started coughing soon after I put in the throat lozenge. The lozenges did such a good job of keeping my throat from getting dry they caused my mouth to generate too much saliva and that made me cough. For some reason it made me giggle to think of the irony of choking on a throat lozenge---luckily I didn't giggle too much or I would have choked...

Since getting a part-time job my existent appreciation for women who work has deepened. My job involves a small number of hours each day but I still find it challenging to get everything done. It seems it is getting harder for me to pack my days full. I should just take the same approach to packing my days as I do to packing a suitcase. I usually fit everything I need and a few things I want into my suitcase. However, when packing I usually take a lot of things I don't need. Do I do that when packing my days? Yes. (I didn't have to think about that for long at all)

 By the way, walking to work is quite delightful. We miss a lot when we drive.

Yesterday I ate a perfectly ripe pear. Before I ate the pear I tried another pear that I thought was ripe but as soon as I started peeling it I knew I was wrong. It was crunchy. Crunchy is good in apples but not so much in pears. Anyway, I was musing about how when we pick a fruit that isn't ripe we are disappointed but we usually don't blame the fruit. We realize it was an error in our judgement that made us pick the fruit before it was ready to meet our expectations. But when it comes to people if they are disappointingly under-ready we tend to blame the person without thinking it could be an error in our judgement in expecting them to be perfect. Something to think about...

I have decided yet again to try and develop a healthier relationship with food. Perhaps I have mentioned before that I have more than one sweet tooth and I sometimes eat like a garbage disposal. I am always going to start eating better tomorrow but then tomorrow turns into Monday and Mondays are lousy days to start diets so that turns into the next day or maybe the day after whatever holiday is approaching...You get the picture. I know at my age I am embarking on an uphill battle when trying to lose weight but I am tired of bulges. Jiggling is fun when it comes to Jello but not when it comes to one's body.

I define a healthy relationship with food as one in which I do not think of food as my best friend, my confidante, my designated driver (as in motivator), my drug of choice, my crutch, my comfort---or my tormentor, but I think of it as fuel. Food enlivens and invigorates. Eating is one of the most pleasurable uses of our senses and seeing  food for what it really is doesn't mean we can't fully enjoy it. So I am trying to make wise choices and give my body what it needs to perform at its optimum level. I am eating less and exercising more. I am going to try and take the time to really get to know the food I eat. I will be a thinking eater but be careful not to over-think---if that makes even a tiny bit of sense. I want to savor and appreciate food and it is easier to do that if I go for quality and not quantity.

My daughter found a great quote that says something like this---If hunger isn't the problem then food isn't the answer---I need to repeat that to myself frequently.

Enough about my weaknesses---I scrubbed my kitchen floor today, emptied a bag of dog food (that was in the way) into the dog food bin, vacuumed and dusted, polished cabinets and counters---and all of that mostly before noon. Household chores can be very cathartic. We make things clean, smooth, shiny---we straighten, fold, and tuck...everything in its place. Housework is good because we can see immediate results (again and again). Now there are all of those other areas like improving my skills, mothering, being a good wife, doing family history, being a good friend and neighbor, working on goals -those big ongoing projects that crowd around me breathing down my neck reminding me they need attention---I think I will go iron. Then I can hang up all of the nicely pressed items and feel accomplished while trying not to think of all the wrinkles that still need to be ironed out...

Like is truly good

Easter

Hard to believe that Easter has come and gone---now it is time to emerge into the light and feel the warmth of the sun, stretch our winter stiff limbs and shake off the weariness of our hibernation---
I found a lovely quote by Katherine Lee Bates (yes she wrote America the Beautiful) describing Easter---
It is the hour to rend thy chains
The blossom time of souls (Doesn't the blossoming of souls sound miraculous and splendid with a promise of being everlasting)

Easter is not merely a holiday---it is a celebration of life.  It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his gift of resurrection to all mankind and on a deeper level it is a time to ponder the significance of the Atonement to mankind as a whole and individually. Yes there are Easter eggs and beautiful new dresses and bonnets all arrayed in the pastel palette of earth as it takes a breath of fresh new air----tender new green grass, baby pink buds on the trees,  blushes of lilac, the soft blue of the sky ----all warmed by the gladsome yellow glow of a stronger sun....everywhere we look the earth is returning to life and within us seeds of hope are stirring...

Easter at it's most joyous is a personal celebration---a cherishing of a gift given selflessly and at great cost---a gift given out of a love so pure it is almost incomprehensible to our mortal understanding but a love we so much want and need to understand---a love that brings joy too great to hold in small hearts--a love that expands hearts...

I do go on---again and again. Anyway, we were able to attend a Presbyterian Easter service last Sunday and hear our daughter play in a bell choir as part of the service. It was a unique experience. I especially liked something called 'passing of the peace' where everyone was encouraged to shake the hands of people near them and wish them peace. It felt good to connect with people in that manner. It was also wonderful to hear the choir (and anyone from the congregation who wanted to participate) sing the Hallelujah Chorus. I have always associated that with Christmas but it is inspired music that is very powerful---that reminds us that we truly are spiritual beings having an earthly experience and it felt right to hear it expressing the joy that is Easter.

"There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection."
Gordon B. Hinckley

I guess what I really want to say is that I had nice Easter---I hope you did too!

Fun With Leafy Green Vegetables

It's a rainy day and I have long loved rainy days. They make me want to curl up under a grandma quilt and take a nap or take a cozy journey through the pages of a good book. We have a high likelihood of flooding this year though so as fond as I am of rain it isn't the best forecast right now...

The other day when I was grocery shopping I was passing through the produce section on my way to the check stands and I heard a noise behind me that sounded a bit like heavy footsteps. When I turned around to see the source of the noise I saw that 4 or 5 heads of lettuce had fallen on the floor. There was no one else in the produce section but me (which was actually a bit odd now that I think about it) and I had not touched the lettuce.

Why did they fall at that particular moment in time??? Had one bold head of lettuce decided to set off on an adventure and convinced others to follow? (Come lett-uce go...)
Had several heads gotten together and simultaneously made a daring leap---perhaps cheered on by the other heads of lettuce?? (lett-uce entertain you)
Was it a sign that I should eat healthier???

Well Mondays can be hard enough without subjecting you to any more produce puns---so perhaps I will attribute the strange timing of falling lettuce to the more logical and scientific explanation offered by my husband---things settle and the settling of the lettuce could have been triggered by the intermittent sprays of water---definitely plausible but not nearly as much fun... Besides...somewhere in the back of my mind I vaguely remember a similar occurrence recently with something else falling off of a shelf when I was the sole person in the vicinity. Either I need to lose more weight than I thought or there is just something about me that seems to upset the balance of things. That is kind of an unsettling thought...

Other things to ponder about the produce aisle----
Why do I always want an apple or orange that is on the bottom of the pile---maybe I should just walk past and the one I want will fall onto the floor...
One sure way to learn patience is to try opening a plastic produce bag----without spitting on your fingers...
 I worked with a girl once who would break of the bottom of broccoli because she didn't want to pay for a part she wasn't going to use--a part that accounted for most of the weight. I guess that is why broccoli crowns are more expensive--you are paying for someone else to break off the useless part---(actually broccoli stalks are quite good but you have to peel them) I could kind of see my co-worker's point but following that line of thinking would lead to people peeling their oranges and bananas before buying them--- and what about eggs--we don't eat the shells...

I think I will go find my book now --and a quilt--

Come To Your Senses

Just wondering... The other day when I was putting on my deodorant I couldn't help but notice how similar it is to the stick stain treater that I use with the laundry and I was wondering if somehow the two could be combined---then when you put on deodorant you would be preventing/treating underarm stains at their source at the same time you would be dealing with perspiration and odor... What about a dog brush that attaches to your vacuum---seems like giving your dog a thorough vacuuming could save you from vacuuming pet hair from the furniture...the attachment could be made to feel like fingers so it would remove excess hair and give your dog a soothing massage... How about hairspray that would be a kind of a finishing spray---that wouldn't just hold your hair in place but would keep your makeup looking just-put-on fresh and your clothes from wrinkling. Think of how helpful that would be when it came time for family pictures---you could just get the whole family spruced up,tell them to smile, and spray---everything would stay in place---including the smiles... I recently noticed reserved parking spots just outside the front door of a fitness center. That seemed a little funny to me---it's a fitness center---you would think they would want to encourage their patrons to park farther away...Maybe there should be parking spots way out in Egypt(or whatever colloquial label you prefer to call the nether regions of the parking lot---obviously you wouldn't refer to it as Egypt in Egypt)marked as reserved for health conscious people--it would be interesting to see people fighting over those spots---and of course highly unlikely---and what if the prime parking spots were marked as reserved for lazy people????? After such goofy, random thoughts... I was thinking about how wonderful our five senses are---how they help us fully partake of this wonderful world Heavenly Father created for us and help us enjoy and appreciate our physical bodies. Through our senses we are able to create mental images that we can use as building blocks for imaginative pursuits or detailed memories. Our senses supply our minds with information, stir our hearts with strong emotion, touch our spirits, and indeed feed our whole soul. Of course our senses can bring in positive or negative stimuli but I would like to focus on the positive for the moment. Think of how refreshing a fresh-peeled orange smells or how satisfying a slice of warm homemade bread with melting butter and honey or fresh strawberry jam tastes. I love how soft lamb's ear plants feel(I just stepped outside and noticed mine have come up and I felt them and they are oh so soft) or a bunny that is so soft you almost can't tell when you're touching it--or the sweet softness of a new baby's skin. I have a bouquet of flowers sitting on my table that my husband so thoughtfully surprised me with and I keep looking at them (and sniffing them) because they are such beautiful, colorful, and delicate creations. Our three large trees along the fence in our backyard have all died and even more than their shade I miss their sound---the lovely sound of the leaves brushing against each other in the wind---a gentle, soothing rushing water sound... It is interesting that when we wax poetic our senses can become interchangeable or flexible in their descriptions. For instance I wanted to say that I can't get enough of drinking in the beauty of my flowers--of course they do not quench my thirst but I soak in their lovliness like dry earth soaks in rain--thankfully and eagerly and deeply. Women often refer to babies as being delicious (most often older women)--well thankfully we aren't referring to tasting the babies--perhaps just nibbling on their tender little ears--but babies do sate a hunger for innocence and purity and hope. We speak of tasting things that are not eaten, seeing things that cannot be seen, smelling emotions instead of odors...I think one reason we do this is because we have a desire to more fully use and understand our senses. I go through too many days under-utilizing my senses and that can be like just using paper to write on or just using a blanket for warmth. Paper can be used to make airplanes or hats or dolls or decorations...Blankets can be used to build tents or make super hero capes or to give someone a ride on...Too often I just use my eyes to see where I am going and not to see what I can see along my way--too often I use my ears to hear big loud sounds and miss the little soft sounds like birds chirping--often I see how pretty the roses are but I don't take time to smell them and touch their softness--feel their life--their spirit---or I garden without fully appreciating the feel of the earth--much too often I eat without really tasting--savoring... How fortunate we are if we have the use of all five of our senses. Think of experiences in which you can use all five senses---like walking through a garden--your eyes taking in the shapes and colors--your ears hearing the buzz of bees--your skin feeling the warmth of the sun--your nose breathing in the rich floral and earthy scents--and your tongue feeling the cool wet of water from a garden hose... The phrase 'coming to your senses' is most often used to mean becoming more aware-more connected-more sensible. I think when we take our senses for granted then we are just letting them bring things to us. Maybe we need to stop once in awhile and actively reach out with our senses---like a blind person reaching out to feel someone's face to 'see' what they look like---we need to reach out with our senses and see, hear, taste, smell, and touch our world--our existence to 'see' what it is really like... Gives new meaning to Extra Sensory Perception--- Enjoy!

Do You Have To Act Like Such An Animal?

Monday's Wash Line--- I have come to the realization that I frequently get very angry with my dogs for acting like dogs--which is kind of similar to getting very angry at a 2-year-old for acting their age--it is more stress than I need and a waste of energy. I quick-mopped my floor today and I let my dogs back in the house while I was on the phone--which prevented me from yelling at them but also caused me to just watch helplessly as one of my dogs tracked mud all over the very floor I had just cleaned. He was very excited so he ran ALL over. Why can't my dogs stop and wipe their paws before coming in the house. Don't they see the mat? It is such a waste of all those cute mats that say 'Wipe Your Paws' when I have yet to meet a dog that reads...I think it is safe to assume that my dogs don't stop and think about the difference between the ground and a kitchen floor. They're dogs. Not long after the floor incident I was once again getting angry at the same dog for standing too close to the open refrigerator and sniffing food I dropped while trying to look for something. He's a dog and he's a dog from a hunting breed that is always hungry. If I had it wired into my genes to hunt for food (well I think maybe I do) and ate the same food twice a day everyday and could only eat when someone fed me then I would probably be excited when someone opened the refrigerator too and I would most likely even look longingly if something appetizing fell at my feet. Well---I found myself so irritated that I told my dog to get out of my face---this is the dog that only chooses to respond to food, dinner, treat, and his name ---did I really expect him to listen? After all, he had 'found' some very good food--why should I be mad at him??? If only he could show a bit more restraint---but he's a dog. Later I spilled some cream of chicken soup on the floor (did I mention the floor was clean?) and my same trouble-making dog had the audacity to run right over and start licking up the spill--getting his toxic dog spit all over. Why couldn't he have waited for me to wipe it up and then politely ask if he could lick the can? Because...he's a dog---he saw an opportunity and he took it--besides, he sees no problem with having dog spit on the floor--there is dog spit in my other dog's dish and he thoroughly enjoys licking it--there is dog spit on the cushion he likes to sleep on and he finds it very comfy--and there is dog spit on him and he never worries about how he smells...he's a dog. I was talking with my oldest daughter about my dogs and how embarrassed I am about their behavior and she said that between the two dogs we almost have one good dog. That's true. My mess making, nosey dog is good with people and doesn't bite their heels in an attempt to herd them and he isn't neurotic. My other dog is neurotic and scares people but she doesn't chew up things when she gets bored or try to take food off of the table. Luckily for them they each have some redeeming qualities---which is why they both still have a place to rest their furry heads and leave their spit. I need to be so much better at training my dogs---as soon as I get better at training myself---and it's fine to have high expectations for them but I do need to remember that they are dogs and they are going to act like dogs. Sometimes I even like it when they act like dogs. After all, none of the human members of our household look so ecstatic whenever I come home or are willing to do several tricks for one small treat or cozy up to me when I tell them to get out of my face or are so patient or forgiving as my dogs are because well..they are only human...

Monday wash line---my hair seems to have become resistant to hairspray. I have tried a couple of different kinds of hairspray and they hold for a short time but I find myself needing to re-apply several times a day which is unusual for me. Perhaps this is another one of those changes that go along with growing older...or maybe my hair has just finally built up an immunity to hairspray. It is an interesting problem especially considering that usually these days I am more concerned about parts of me being too good at stiffly staying in place...Maybe companies that sell hairspray decided they could make more money if their product's effectiveness was shorter-lived.

Anyway...I have now had a week to get used to Daylight Savings Time and I am still disgruntled about losing an hour. My husband is convinced that congressmen just want more golfing time...what's funny about that is I recently learned that the concept of saving day-light is credited in part to an outdoorsman who did actually want more daylight in order to have more time to golf. I was wondering what would happen if some people got increasingly greedy and pretty soon we would set our clocks ahead not one but six hours. At least then teenagers could sleep almost until noon and still be up at sunrise. .. and people could have plenty of time to golf after work...so that probably won't happen...I just don't take kindly to people messing with time (unless it is for time travel but everyone knows you need to be really careful with that) and I especially don't like losing an hour of sleep! I have always been a bit obsessive/perplexed/frustrated/fascinated about the passage of time.

A bit obsessive---I am a clock watcher. I think that is one reason why I do not wear a watch (that and the fact that I forget to wear one---it is one more thing to leave lying around) because I would probably spend too much time looking at it and I would rather guess-timate what time it is. I wake up several times during the night to look at the clock (notice I do not call it my clock) on my nightstand. I started doing this as soon as I reached an age where I needed to get up at a certain time each day. This can get a bit annoying and tiring to the point of sometimes covering the clock so it won't sit there daring me to look but I do find delicious comfort in waking up and looking at the clock to discover that I still have several hours left to sleep before I need to get out of bed. I never just look at the time when I wake up during the night---I automatically start doing a countdown of slumber time remaining. I do something similar on vacations... I begin from day 1 to figure how much time I have left on vacation---I have 5 nights and 4 days left---3 days left---1 day left---4 hours left until the vacation clock stops...I do this no matter what the length of the vacation. It is kind of like the opposite of watching the clock during the last hour of the school day or work day and counting down the minutes remaining. At least I know I am not the only person who does that.

My parents were both very punctual people. My father was in the army so being on time was essential for him. It was a matter of respect. When I was growing up our family was usually first to arrive at most functions. My parents thought if we weren't 5 minutes early then we might as well be late. I grew up being seriously concerned that the world would come to an end if I were late. I still frequently have nightmares about being late for important appointments. This would probably come as a surprise to several people because I am very often running late. You see when I married the man I love he helped me realize that the world doesn't come to an end if you're a few minutes late. That is a good thing but I became a little too relaxed by this new revelation. I think I am naturally a person who enjoys taking my time---who balks at the constraints of time---I am proof that punctuality is not genetic. My mother would always recite to me the old adage 'Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today' and I was quick to revise that, much to my mother's dismay, to 'Don't do today what you can put off until tomorrow'.

A bit perplexed and frustrated--- It seems odd that a clock-watcher like myself could be often running late or that someone with such an acute awareness of the passage of time could be a procrastinator...I seem to be always struggling for control when it comes to time. Time management can be quite the conundrum...you see in order to control time you need to allow yourself to be controlled by time...I get frustrated feeling like I do not have enough time and I watch the clock and fool myself into thinking I can somehow manipulate time in my favor. It's like leaving yourself 20 minutes to make a drive that you know takes at least 25 minutes on a good day or fooling yourself into thinking that you have plenty of time to do that important something you know you should do ---that you have an endless supply of some days---when deep down you can feel a clock ticking because it is a fact that each of us has a time limit on this earth. Maybe punctual achievers respect time and procrastinators fear time...I don't know...I will give this further thought--- tomorrow.

A bit fascinated--- I remember when I was very young I saw a movie called King's Row and I was positively intrigued by how a 2 hour movie could cover a life time. I was so fascinated by the passage of time and how the characters aged. I have always been equally captivated and frustrated by stories that play with time---recently I got sort of addicted to netflix streaming of the show 24 that spread twenty-four hours in one day into twenty-four episodes spanning several months. It was an innovative concept but it was too violent and it would raise my blood pressure to unhealthy levels(probably because it had a running clock in the corner).

I find it interesting how many analogies can be drawn between time and money. Actually a phrase is often used in the working world---'time is money' that defines time as valuable. We can make, save, spend, waste, and invest time. I can picture each of us being given a sack filled with time---golden dust---sands of time---at the beginning of our earthly journey and we are told to use that sack of gold dust wisely on our journey. Some of us decide we want to save our sack of golden time until we get where we are going and we are so focused on reaching success that we fail to notice that there is a small hole in the bottom of our sack and as we move along in our journey the precious time gradually runs out. At some point---for most of us closer to the end of our journey---we realize what is happening. Some people try to move faster before the bag is empty. Others move more slowly thinking that will prevent the gold from running out so quickly. Some panic and stop in the middle of the road trying to fix a hole that can't be fixed. Some plod along murmuring that others seem to have fuller sacks. The smart ones press forward finding good things to do with the gold that they have and with gratitude for how far they have come---similar to the parable of the talents.

Frequently the words to a hymn pass hauntingly through my mind. It is called Improve the Shining Moments. Time flies on wings of lightning; We cannot call it back. It comes, then passes forward Along its onward track. and if we are not mindful, the chance will fade away, for life is quick in passing. 'Tis as a single day. Sobering...

As I have been contemplating the fascinating topic of time I have thought of another song---Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce, who interestingly enough left this existence after quite a short period of time. Think of having bottles of time next to bottles of peaches and salsa (cans in my case) in your storage room. Who wouldn't feel secure having shelves of bottled time with labels like---Time to visit with old friends--Time to cradle sleeping children--Time to learn new things--Time to ponder life--Time to sit in the shade--Time to read a good book--Time to make gourmet meals--Time to do your nails--Time to smell the roses--Time to appreciate good people in your life--Time to express heartfelt love--Time to travel--Time to clean the top of the refrigerator...What would your labels read?

I remember hearing a talk about time management and the speaker said that each of us is given 24 hours in a day and that when we say we didn't have time to do something it would be more honest to say we didn't 'make' time. We can all make time---we have the recipe with our individual adaptations---but sometimes we spend too much time looking for it.

I guess it is better to try to keep time on our side than to race against it and that it is foolish to look forward to having the time of our lives when we are having the time of our lives. Well, I had better go because the clock in the corner of my computer is really making me nervous...today I think I will time how long my hairspray lasts---it could be useful information...