Last week a local storyteller came to my daughter’s school to share tales from different cultures.  In between the two performances she gave at the school to accommodate all six grade levels in a relatively small gathering space, she spoke to me personally about why she does what she does.  A storyteller is a person who shares tales to draw on the commonalities of humanity, to learn from the wisdom of others, and feel connected within our communities.  I felt such kinship with her intention, her purpose, and the importance of her words soaked into me.  She felt that if she could release her ego to allow a story to work through her that she could be a conduit for humor, life lessons, and binding the threads of our humanness. 

I walked away from the conversation carrying a lot of questions and solidifying some truths as well.  She told stories that reinforced thinking already present in me.  One was of a man who was a pot maker, had a few exciting adventures, gained wealth and fame, and after a short time of enjoying all of that – went back to being a pot maker because he enjoyed his work.  I liked this so much for the point of tasks that may be seen as menial by some bringing a great satisfaction to others.  Each task is needed.  Each job calls for fulfillment.  I think the most important question is, how is the work being approached?  Is it done well?  Is there love in the labor?

With the focus on positivity for Wednesdays, I am asking you to think on this with me:  If your heart did not lead you to your work, can your heart lead you to find the value in the task at hand?  Can you approach it with love and care?  If your heart did lead you there, is it a constant guide?

Here’s to loving what you do everyday!

I find myself thinking, ‘Oh these times are so uncertain.  These times feel so dissonant’.  Yet ALL times have always been uncertain.  Hugely so!  Yes, there are phases in history with beautiful ‘safe’ and ‘privileged’ groups, but phases are just that.  Temporary experiences that rise and fall, and the bigger or higher they are, the harder they fall.

This large picture of life is uncertain, however, this present moment, is certain.  We are in it right now and it is exactly what it is.  Breathe in it.  Sit with it.  Love in it.  SEE people right this very moment.  Make change now whether it be a tiny offering or a large community effort.  No worry for tomorrow or next week, breathe in, soak up and bring your complete kindness to this very moment.

On any given week or weekend we usually have a list of ‘To-Do’s’.  The simple workings of life; the cleaning, the shopping and the obligations can begin to feel like an authoritarian Task Master.  This Task Master can rule all and make the days to come feel more like a dread than a gift.

What if, instead of focusing on what we HAVE to do, we focus on what we GET to do.  I want to share a paragraph from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book ‘Fear’ that explains this simple idea very well.  

So along with the obligations, make time and note this weekend what you are privileged to do here in this day by day life of yours.  Plan a few little pieces of your day that are obvious gifts for simple and pure enjoyment.  Then look at your To-Do list with eyes of appreciation that another week or weekend has come to connect with others, to serve and to soak IT up.

I live my life with the same focus as I make pottery.

Imagine your day as being a lump of wet clay. 

Post and Photograph by: Cindy Weaver         

http://www.clwpottery.com/       

When you’re looking for a way to bring more positivity into your life, it’s easiest to place your attention on one thing that’s really good.  Find one thing that you’re pleased with and talk about it a lot.  This will spread the feeling and help it to grow larger within you.  As this becomes your practice and you create conversation about things you are grateful for that bring happiness, it will become second nature to find the good things in your life.

Tell everyone what’s good about today!

Something to ponder as the calendar year comes to it’s close, and the sun bestows more light upon us, gathering momentum for new cycles & growth…

“You are what your deepest desire is.
As your desire is, so is your intention.
As your intention is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is, so is your destiny.”

–The Upanishads

We dedicate so much of our focus to celebration and honoring family, traditions, and spirituality to this specific time of year which can result in unrealistic expectations as well as extra stress depending on the approach taken.

Watching the blossoms on my Christmas Cactus come to life, stretching out it’s joyful red petals, has caused me to pause for a moment and ponder the steady care required all throughout the year that produces these blooms at the holidays. The plant has reserved it’s blossoming for the closing of the year and holds symbolism of the fresh starts promised by a new year.   It reminds me to nurture those things I want to see blossom all along as the days pass and that with time, the care will produce little blooms unfolding all over the place! This is true of friendships, familial connection, workplace interactions, personal expression, and more!

Please remember to nurture yourself and others throughout the year and to allow things to flourish in their own way and time!

Pomegranate is a beautiful winter fruit for home and parties.  Not only are they delicious, they are SO good for you!!   https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318385.php

This link tells about the antioxidants, killing of prostate cancer cells, anti viral, digestion, protection against Alzheimer’s, just to name a few.

An easy way to pick a good pomegranate in the store is to look for flattened sides vs a fully round fruit and typically to go with a rich red outer color.  You can often buy the seeds in a container but choice carefully as these containers tend to go badly quickly.  A Tupperware of seeds that you plucked yourself will stay happy in your fridge for about 4-5 days.

Once it’s home, wash, cut in half put the 1/2 in a medium mixing bowl of water and invert the fruit by pushing on the lighter meaty spaces in between the fruit.  Large pods of seeds will invert out and then you are just plucking them out.  The benefit to a bowl of water is that the bright red juice won’t spray onto you and the seeds sink while the white pieces float – so it is fairly easy to drain and just get the mouth watering seeds.  They are wonderful as a topping, in handfuls (more effective than coffee at waking me up in the afternoon!) and amazing good with a few dark chocolate chips!

So try this beautiful winter fruit out and stay healthy this season.

Healing my tennis elbow became a very wonderful discovery into the world of mindful living.

Here is what I did, and the results have been more than interesting. I have felt a newness about many tasks that are so ordinary. You know, the ones that you do everyday, so many times, and usually can’t even remember whether or not you did them. I simply started using my non-dominate hand. Does that sound silly to you? Well, let me tell you, it is anything but. I began by brushing my hair with my left hand. Totally different feeling on my scalp, different pressure. I noticed how my wrist twisted in a way I never noticed before. My hair is on the long side, and by brushing with my left hand, it felt awkward, more like a child learning this task.Interesting, it is now another “new” sensation. Washing dishes and putting them away has become a meditation of sorts. Allowing the non-dominant hand to call the shots becomes a mindful activity. I need to pay attention so I don’t break things!  Unlocking doors, lighting candles, stirring pots of soup. So many things.The list could go on and on, but you get the idea.