Yesterday, I took my own advice and I searched “epilepsy” on my blog and I read some of what my son, myself and my family had gone through last fall. And I was utterly shocked to remember how differently I felt, than I do right now, with my son’s epilepsy stabilized and things going generally well for me and for my family. I have always preached to myself, and to my family and friends, and to you readers of the blog, that your life is the endless blue sky, and no matter how dark and torrential and scary and unrelenting they be, the storm clouds always, always pass. The human spirit is amazingly hopeful and resilient and irrepressible. Look at holocaust survivors. Look at wounded soldiers. Look at prisoners of war. Look at the survivors everywhere. We are all survivors of different storms and we shine. We look to the sun, and we reflect the hopeful sunshine. We shine through. Our peaceful, hopeful, sanguine feelings come back when the storm clouds finally pass on by.
Sundays are devoted to poetry on the blog. Today, I didn’t have a poem in my heart to write. So, in the spirit of the strong and the valiant and the hopeful, yet repressed people of the world, I thought that I would look up poems about sunflowers. There are hundreds of poems about sunflowers listed on Google. This one spoke to me. I recommend that you look up the one that speaks to you. Or better yet, write it.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Happy Friday!!! Happy Favorite Things Friday!! I tried to kill two birds with one stone, by sharing a meme that tickled me and showing you the beautiful sunflowers which we picked at a local sunflower farm yesterday, at the same time. If you ever want to feel your soul cleansed, take a “bath” in a field of sunflowers. The sun loves these huge, gorgeous flowers, and so do the bees, and so do I. My dear friend told me about this farm that typically attracts large, eager crowds to their sunflower fields in May. This year, due to corona, the farm owners are being very stringent, requiring advanced and limited ticket purchases, strongly encouraging masks, and strictly enforcing 6 feet social distances between family groups. It was a unique experience, yet the magic was not lost. Sunflowers are my number one favorite, today. New readers, Fridays are dedicated to the frivolous and fun in life. On Fridays, at Adulting-Second Half, I typically list three favorite items, books, songs, stores, that have made my life just a little more full of life, and I ask you to share your favorites in the Comments section. Please check out previous Friday posts for more favorites.
Sunflowers are my number one favorite today. A picture says a thousand words. Sunflowers scream of huge, happy hopefulness. They aren’t necessarily sophisticated flowers, but there is probably not a more cheerful flower on the face of the planet. Nature has been my sanctuary more than ever, throughout this pandemic. The healing properties of the soft grass beneath your feet, the harmonic songs of birds, the new, bright blooms on a recently dormant plant, the meditative sound of slow, trickling water, the sun glowing through the trees, are all of the many buoyant assurances and signs that life goes on, and that life goes on optimistically and confidently and assuredly and abundantly. Nature’s constant promises are a much needed element for our robust health. Nature heals holistically. Nature quiets our minds, soothes our souls, and reminds our bodies that we all have connected roots to the whole system of Life. Let nature’s good medicine fill you up, this weekend, friends. It is strong, good medicine.
No Mo-Stache – I bought this little tin of wax strips on a whim a few months ago in Target. I guess that I have good intuition. Typically, I go to a salon for my waxing needs, but we all know the rest of that story. I’m a wimp about doing my own facial hair waxing, but this little kit is surprisingly effective, yet not incredibly painful. It also has a little packet of aloe cream, included. No Mo-Stache has been one of those unexpected, surprising gifts, through this whole virus mess.
Dakota Extra Strength Elderberry Gummies – I’ve mentioned before that I take about 800 supplements a day. Lately, my supplement intake has been geared towards tricking me into believing that my immune system is bullet-proof. (the placebo effect is stronger than you think, look it up!) These gummies are delicious. They are like gummy bears that are good for you. They have elderberry, Vitamin C, bee propolis, zinc and echinacea. I got mine on Amazon. As always, please check with your doctor first before taking any supplement. I am not a medical expert.
