Lots of Light

I recently read that the United States has more lighthouses than any other country – more than 700. (Michigan has the most lighthouses, at 129). Figuratively, I suspect that the United States has more “lighthouses” than we could possibly count. I believe that the whole world is filled with “lighthouses.” I have benefited from so many examples of light in my own life, in my own little corner of the world. Who hasn’t?

My horoscope from Holiday Mathis the other day said this: “You’ve been influenced by memorable people. If not for the lasting impression they made, you wouldn’t be following their advice and examples. You’ll now consider how you can create such memories for others.”

It’s so true, isn’t it? In our own lives, so many other lives have served as beacons of light and love and hope, to us. These impressions and examples have only added to our own inner light, which hopefully, in turn, serves as a tall, shining lighthouse to help and to serve others, who may be feeling a little lost at sea. And even our mistakes don’t go to waste. Even our own worst examples of our own darkest selves, can inspire others to desire to be, and to act, nothing like us. That, too, is a good thing, in the long run. Everything that we do, and that we say can be turned into some form of good and light, in the end.

Another thing that I read recently suggested that we spend a lot of time trying to turn the darkness around us into light. This is a waste of time and energy. Our job is to become the light, and thus the lighthouses, that helps to lead others out of the darkness and murkiness, and into the safety of the solid shores, where we can all stand tall and share the light. We just need to shine light on the darkness around us and when we do this, we see that the darkness was mostly a mistake, made of our own whirling fears and uncertainty, which made us turn away from the light that is always there.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Friday Props

Happy Friday, friends!!! Happy Best Day of the week!! My daughter starts college in a week, as she opted to start her university experience, during a summer session. (I keep telling her, and myself, that she’s really just going away to summer camp. 😉 ) I drive a teeny convertible and we went shopping for dorm stuff yesterday. If I showed you all of the stuff that we were able to cram into said convertible (with the top up, mind up – it’s been crazy hot here the last few days), you would believe that clown cars are real, and not a trick. Seriously. I now believe in clown cars.

On Fridays, here at the blog, I don’t delve deep. I don’t want to think deeply on Fridays. Do you? On Fridays, I stick to the superfluous stuff in life. I list a favorite thing, or place, or book, or website, or movie, or beauty product. Please check out previous Friday posts for more favorites and please share your favorites with us in the Comments section. Sharing is caring.

Today’s favorite of mine is for the beach. I am one who likes to lie on my towel versus always being propped up in a beach chair. I like to feel the firmness and the heat of the sand underneath my towel, contouring to my body. That being said, I’ve often thought it would be nice to sit supported, while still being able to feel the firmness of the sand underneath the towel. So I was delighted the other day to find a beach pad that folds up for easy carrying ability, but has a rod so that you can sit up, or lie flat on the sand. This product at Kohl’s is similar to what I purchased:

https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-640029/picnic-time-beachcomber-beach-mat.jsp?skuid=90987225&CID=shopping15&utm_campaign=SUMMER%20FURNITURE&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=google&utm_product=90987225&utm_campaignid=9733267174&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzLCVBhD3ARIsAPKYTcRGzc5MqUwwEixfiudqckKSaY8jepvspVfV3qBScW7YpiDyADfePAIaAtisEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

That’s what I love about new inventions. They don’t have to be high tech and they always make you think, “Duh, now why didn’t I think of that?”

Hope you are enjoying a great summer, friends!! Stay hydrated!!

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

The Rainbow Connection

Happy birthday, to the love of my life, my husband, my adventurer in co-parenting, and the co-creator of my most fun adventures and greatest joys! There is no other person in the world who I would rather be quarantined with, and I know how lucky I am to feel this way. Of course, I am also greatly looking forward to being “un-quarantied” with you, too, so that we can continue with even more wondrous adventures than ever!

To be clear, my husband and I, and our children, are well, so far. I am not sure what the word is, for the current lifestyle which we are all leading these days, but other than dog walks and very occasional grocery trips, we stay home. It sure as hell feels like a quarantine to me. But if our current lifestyle helps to save even just one life, than it is of little concern to us. Of course, we want to do our part to tamp down this horrific virus, anyway that we can.

The pictures below are of my beautiful collie, Josie. Her favorite spot in the house is lying on the cold, smooth, tile floor. She is very strategic about how she lines herself up. She likes to be in the direct line of rainbows.

They say that we learn much more from children and animals than we ever teach them. Children and animals trust their innate connection to the rhythms of life much better than we do. They don’t have a “programmed up” brain, full of stories and explanations and constant voices and hang-ups about “the shoulds”, like we adult humans do. Today, I wish for me, and for my birthday boy, and for all of us, really, the peace and the contentment that I see and that I feel emanating from Josie, when she lies in direct connection with her rainbows – those beautiful, calming colors sent from above, surrounding her and surrounding us and everything on earth, even when there isn’t a prism to remind us that the light is always there.

“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.” ― A.A. Milne

“How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand. Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul.” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett

“Animals are born who they are, accept it, and that is that. They live with greater peace than people do.” ― Gregory Maguire

 “Animals are the bridge between us and the beauty of all that is natural. They show us what’s missing in our lives, and how to love ourselves more completely and unconditionally. They connect us back to who we are, and to the purpose of why we’re here.” ― Trisha McCagh

Just Shine

“Is your glass half empty or half full?” asked the mole.

“I think I’m grateful to have a glass,” said the boy.

From The Boy, the mole, the fox, and the Horse

This quote was brought to my mind, when my husband gave me an excellent article from the WSJ, written by Peggy Noonan to read. She talked about a conversation she was having with a great artist on New Year’s Eve. He was asking her if she was optimistic or pessimistic about the upcoming year. She answered this way:

“I will simply think I am here/I am here/I am lucky/I’m alive.”

It is my own spiritual beliefs, that life is mostly just meant to be a grand, awe-inspiring experience. I think that before we got on to this Earth plane, we were just tiny, little sparks of Creation, just begging to give real, tactile, sensual, emotional Life on Earth, a try. We were like shiny, beautiful droplets of Light, in a line full of other droplets of starlight, feeling very excited, very anticipatory, full of wonderment about what our turn on the roller coaster ride on Earth was going to be like. We were jumping up and down, saying, “Pick me! Pick me! Me, next, please! Please! Please!!” Back then, we intuitively understood that it was just going to be a thrill ride – a chance for us to really, fully and truly experience the larger wave of Creation, experiencing the Greatness and infinitely creative versions of Itself, here on Earth. The ride would have its ups and downs, of course. Some parts of it would be scary. Some parts would be exciting. Some parts of the thrilling ride experience would help to give us a better bird’s eye view and perspective of the overall Life experience. Overall though, back then, we knew that it was just a ride, a ride that would be over more quickly than we could ever imagine. Even if the ride was too thrilling, or too overwhelming, we knew, surely and faithfully, that this ride on Earth, would bring us back to a safe end of the adventurous experience, back into the arms of the bigger wave of Oneness, back with all of the other droplets of Love and Light, the ones who we intimately know and love and experience Oneness and wholeness with together. We didn’t have fear when we were just teeny, tiny beautiful droplets of Light (and Love). We only had excitement, and wonderment, and zest for the upcoming creative experience. But then, in our human form, we sometimes forget where we came from, and we take the life experience WAY too seriously. We forget that many, many tiny droplets of light, together, make up the most beautiful, powerful, clean light, shining from the sun, and the moon and the stars. We think that we are separate from the whole, and we grow dim with fear and worry and mistrust and trying to do it/fix it/be it, all alone, just by ourselves, forgetting that this is not possible nor necessary nor wise. Silly us! Perhaps if we could sit back more, and just enjoy the ride, enjoy the experience, be in total awe of what the Oneness of us has created, is creating, and will forever create, we could just let it all go and just shine . . . . .

Image result for particles of stardust quote

Tenderness, Courage, Hope

Merry, merry Christmas, my dear family, friends and faithful readers. You mean so much to me! Last night we attended a candlelight church service. At the end of the service, the pastor remarked on the fact that he is always in awe of how much light can come from just one small light. The large, packed church was illuminated so brightly and beautifully by all of our candles, yet every single candle in the church had been lit from the small, ordinary original candle that the pastor was holding.

I took from that message, just how important it is to spread your own light. Spread your own love. More comes from that, than you could ever know. Your light has touched my life in such a beautiful way. By writing this blog, something has awakened in me that was lying dormant for years. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your kindness, validation and steadfastness. It is so appreciated. You are one of my greatest gifts of 2018, as I find myself reflecting on this past year.

“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” – Garrison Keillor

Thank you for agreeing to reflect on this Second Half of Adulting with me. Thank you for taking this journey with me with the light of curiosity, hope, connectivity and humor. Merry Christmas to all of you – you are beautiful lights in my life. We are in this, together. We are strong, capable and have a lot more to give, do and be, before our light fades.

“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.” – Agnes M. Pahro