admin, Author at Adulting: Second- Half

Sacred Places

Where we are staying there is an ancient Native American Burial Mound on which less than sensitive white settlers, placed a Gazebo on top. Many people have commented on how obtuse and crass the person was, who dared to plant the Gazebo on top of sacred ground. Still there is an argument, that had the Gazebo not been placed there, the mound and its remains, would have most likely been mowed down and forgotten like so many other ancient, sacred places. That reminded me of the parable of the old farmer questioning whether the labels of “good or bad” ever fit any situation. Often things that are good for one group, are not so good for another group. In short, when considering most happenings, it is what it is, and you can find good and you can find bad in just about anything, if you spend enough time pondering about it. But, I am digressing. Back to the scene: within half a mile of the mound are two beautiful, old charming protestant churches. The whole area looks like something out of a story book. Each quaint church has its own tiny little courtyard filled with fading tombstones, decorated with colorful flowers and ribbons. The ultimate truth of this lovely space on earth is that many, many different people from different cultures and from different periods of times in life, considered this very spot of land to be sacred enough to honor their dead. This lovely place which I am visiting is hallowed grounds. And I can feel that sacredness in the depths of my heart, as the memories of many, many lives spent in these parts, are carried in the gentle autumn winds, swirling around in the fallen leaves.

“There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.” – Wendell Berry

Monday Fun-Day

I don’t think that I’ll be getting one of these for the Christmas tree. How about you??

I’m on my last day of my trip in the mountains and I finally had an incredibly good night’s sleep last night. Why does that always happen? Just when your body gets settled into it’s new environment and routine, it is time to leave. 🙁

I have to admit that this is a really good way to do a Monday, however. Have a great day and I great week, my dear friends and readers.

Soul Sunday

Good morning, friends and readers. I’m away from home, in a spot of lovely nature. The peace and calm and mystery of it all, is so regulating. Nature is God’s form of a reset button. Sundays are devoted to poetry at Adulting – Second Half. Sometimes I write a poem, and sometimes I borrow one. Today I share a borrowed poem by a brilliant writer, Rudyard Kipling. Please share your own poems in my Comments section. May you all feel restored and reset and revitalized by the end of this lovely Sunday. Do whatever you need to do, to get to the place of reset wellness.

The Way through the Woods

by Rudyard Kipling

THEY shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate,
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few.)
You will hear the beat of a horse’s feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods.
But there is no road through the woods.

Three Things

When I was a child, my grandmother passed on the superstition to me that “everything happens in threes”. Sometimes this lead to fearful anticipation. If something really bad happened, it gave me the idea that there was more to come, but there was also a feeling of great relief when the third of a frightful situation or sequence occurred. You could breathe a deep sigh of relief that the worst of all of it was over.

This idea of occurrences happening in threes comes from the Latin “omne trium perfectum” which means everything that comes in threes is perfect, or everything that happens in threes is complete. Scientists say that we have a tendency to group and categorize things that are actually unrelated. They call this “apophenia”. I personally like my superstitions. They give me a sense of comfort and control. I always feel like I can handle three. Three gives me a beginning, a middle and a definitive finale. Most lessons can be fully understood and incorporated, after three experiences or teachings.

A lot of good things happen in threes, too. Three is many people’s “lucky number”. I purchased a gorgeous coaster depicting three koi fish from a quaint gift shop a couple of days ago. I love it and I have always considered three koi fish to be a fortuitous symbol. I am sitting here, peacefully writing, as I gaze out of the window, looking at a gorgeous, green valley, sitting calmly next to a clear, flowing river, with a majestic mountain top in the background. My three loyal dogs are at my feet. Morning, noon, and night, my life flows on.

Sarah Kay Quote: “Remember that good things come in threes and so do bad things and always apologize when you've done something wrong but ...” (11 wallpapers) - Quotefancy

13

Throw some salt over your shoulder: All the best 'Friday the 13th' memes – Film Daily

Happy Friday the 13th, 2020! (don’t be scared – HA!) My regular readers know that I usually call Fridays, “Favorite Things Friday” and I typically list three favorite things or products or songs or websites, etc. which have added to the delight of my life. I love Fridays and I keep ’em light. This Friday, I happen to be with my all-time favorite people (and pets), my family. With the kids getting older and moving into their own adult lives, these times aren’t as prevalent as they used to be, so I feel the need to keep the focus and my attention on this precious time with my family. So, please forgive the short post. Please check out previous Friday listings for some good stuff to buy or to eat or to listen to or to consume. And please add your own favorite anythings to my Comments section. Have a wonderful Friday, my beloved readers!!!

TY Vets

Veterans Day 2020 free meals, deals: Dunkin', Starbucks, Denny's, more

I am in a beautiful part of a beautiful country right now. I took a peaceful morning walk, in wooded bliss, with our three dogs who seem to think that they have died and gone to doggy heaven. I walked along a lush carpet of wet, colored leaves with my bare feet, something that I haven’t done in a long, long time. I feel utter peace and awe right now. It is not lost on me that I am able to do this, in part, because of the selflessness of brave men and brave women who have served, and some of them have even given their lives, in order to protect the freedoms of our great nation. I greatly respect and honor all of you. I am in total gratitude to all of you who have served the United States of America. You are our blessing. I extend a special shout out to my grandfathers, my father, my father-in-law, my sister-in-law, my uncle and my cousin who have all served in our steadfast military. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Quotidian

Quotidian – ordinary, every day, common, conventional, unexceptional, commonplace, mainstream, nondescript, characterless, colorless, pedestrian, uninspiring, garden variety.

Due to the coronavirus (and my chosen response to the coronavirus), my every day life, perhaps, could be described as quotidian. I have tried to spice things up by bringing a third dog into the raucous mix. I have invited drama into our lives by allowing our sons to go back to college. I’ve conjured up old, barnacled ghosts, by bringing the thrills and perils of boating back into my life. I have read many new books, and I have spent much time walking and thinking and ruminating on life’s mysteries. Still, I am honestly at a point of restlessness in the ho-hum doldrums and tedious mundanity, of my every day life. Thus, I have created a road trip for myself, to a destination unknown to me, and to my family. I always get jittery and excited before trips, and I am fortunate enough to have explored some truly fabulous places in this world, but the level of excitement that I feel right now is unexplainable. You know that you need a change of scenery, when the idea of another day in your own company, makes you want to throw up, and to make excuses to not meet up at the mirror. In the words of “The Boss”, Bruce Springsteen, “I’m just tired and bored with myself.” I need a revived version of myself to keep me interested. Trips have a way of waking up my creativity, and of reminding me about the dusty corners of myself that I had long forgotten existed. Of course, the trip planned is to a remote place of limited habitation (thanks again to the coronavirus), but still, places of limited habitation are typically full of rare and beautiful and wild species rarely seen in quotidian life. I plan to fully immerse in the delightful, untamed energy of it all and to report back to you daily, hopefully in a more lively, un-quotidian style.

253 Inspirational Travel Quotes From REAL Travellers To Fuel Your Wanderlust | Bel Around The World

Monday Fun-Day

~repinning because all of my older lady friends at work tell me this... it comes with age!

Sadly, I think that this was really me, most of my life. I just worry about it less now. Monday, Fun-Day friends!! According to scientists, play is important for adults because it helps to relieve stress, it helps to improve brain function, play stimulates creativity, it is good for relationships and finally, playing keeps you feeling young and energetic. Don’t forget to add some play into your day!!

Soul Sunday

Good morning, my beloved friends and readers. My regular readers know that Sundays are devoted to poetry here at Adulting – Second Half. Please write a poem today. I would love it if you would share your poem in my Comments section, but even if you just share it with yourself, you will feel such movement and release in your heart. Poetry is the song of the soul. Here is my poem for today:

The White Rose

I noticed you huddled on the shores.

We had anchored the boat and we were quietly floating,

So softly, it was like we had melted into the rhythm,

Of the steady wind and lapping waves and passing clouds.

He was fishing, my own thoughts were meandering,

As I sat silently and deliberately,

Watching all of you as an uninvited and un-noticed observer.

You embraced each other.

Some of you kept your heads hung,

Too heavy to lift,

From your hurting hearts.

Some of you seemed eager to leave,

Uncomfortable with the feelings, brimming in the moment.

Yet others were obviously lingering,

Feet solidly sunk into the slushy sand,

Not wanting to say good-bye.

After a while, the shore was emptied and slowly flowing to the boat,

Came a parade of beautiful, brightly colored roses.

Celebrations of a life, colorful collaborations,

Streaming easily on the surface of the lapping water.

I picked up a white rose that floated right next to the boat.

It felt uncomfortable, like perhaps a desecration.

But I wanted to feel the essence of, and to honor the soul,

That had so easily come my way, inviting me into the ceremony.

I thanked you for the love which you had so obviously,

Created and shared and multiplied, into this world.

You were clearly missed. You were totally loved.

Next, I slowly and deliberately, placed each white petal,

Back into the sea. One by one, by one, by one. . . .

Tears for a beautiful life that merged with the water,

And softly floated towards the light of the horizon.