It just occurred to me this morning that I hadn't got any alerts for several of my favorite journals for quite a while. I checked and sure enough some of my alerts weren't working. So now I have some more journals to catch up on!
Friday, January 5, 2007
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
A Word of Praise When You Need It
This is what your computer should do first thing in the morning!! Just click on the link and type in your first name!
Am I Living In An Alternate Universe Or What??
We're a Basketball state, everyone knows that!!
And now in the same month two of our college teams have won bowl games??
First UK beats Clemson 28 - 20 to win the Music City Bowl, (first bowl win for UK in 22 years!) and now, just last night, UofL beats Wake Forest 24 - 13 in the Orange Bowl?? Am I even in Kentucky anymore?
(Well, no, technically I'm in Indiana, but my heart is still in Kentucky -- I believe I've mentioned that before!)
Good picture of Coach Brooks at that Music City Bowl link above.
Tags: Universtiy of Kentucky, Music City Bowl, University of Louisville, Orange Bowl
Full Moon
The dogs woke me up barking, so I got up to see what was going on. I didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary, not even 'possums doing a telephone high-wire act. But now that I'm up. . . .
It is a full moon out there, and I can't get back to sleep. So I made some of the Gevalia coffee that my niece gave me. It is so delicious!! The flavor is Papua New Guinea. I guess I'm going to have to start getting this; I get offers to try it all the time. It's about the best coffee I've ever had.
I made some persimmon bread last night, and a little slice of that with my coffee will make a nice late night/early morning snack. I hope everyone has a nice day!
Monday, January 1, 2007
Centeredness Within
A while back I posted a list entitled Symptoms of Inner Peace by Carolyn Kell, and said I'd like to discuss each one in a little depth. The first one on the list was:
A tendency to think and act deliberately from a centeredness within, rather than from fears based on past experiences.
I'd like to think that this is an accurate description of me, in general, but I know that there have been some situations where I have allowed fears based on past experiences to cause me to think or act in a way I'm not proud of. I do, however, generally try to be very deliberate in word and act, especially when dealing with something weighty. I have never been one to habitually speak without thinking. When I do, it is the exception, not the norm. And I have been known to ponder some decision or other for weeks before making a final choice.
So, in general, yes, I am usually at peace with myself and my loved ones. And when I find the need to draw deeply on inner peace to help me deal with a difficult situation I do tend to think and act with deliberation, not on impulse. But I have to be honest and say that I have set limits on myself at times because of fears based on past experiences. I do pull myself up short sometimes instead of pushing myself to move out of my comfort zone and take a chance. So, although I would describe myself as a fairly centered person, and although I believe people who know me would describe me as such as well, perhaps I'm not as centered as I could be?
Well, of course I'm not. I have allowed outside forces or past experiences to be the impetus for some words or acts. But as a rule I am able to come to terms with things from the past. I don't have a lot of demons inside. I think the family I was privileged to be born into accountsfor much of the calmness I usually can count on to hold me up when things are rough. They and my own family here at home are my safety net. And a strong faith and proof of answered prayers can not be discounted either.
I also learned at a young age, from my sisters in particular, to talk about things and not to keep everything inside. I can remember talking to a couple of work mates years ago about OCD and anxiety issues and depression, and I was very open about personal experiences and experiences of family members. One of the ladies listening told me how surprised she was that I was talking about it, and how impressed she was that I wasn't treating the subjects as taboo.
I guess the questions I'd like to ask pertaining to this first "symptom of inner peace" are these:
Do you feel like you usually act from a centeredness within?
How do you achieve that centeredness within if you've never had it or if you don't have the right kind of encouragement/environment?
To whom or to what do you turn when you find that your efforts to develop that centeredness are being put down, de-valued, by the person or persons who really should be building you up?
How do you instill that centeredness in your children? How do you raise them with the self-assuredness and self-contentment and self-awareness needed to engender their own inner peace?
One of the definitions of the word "demean" is "to lower in character or dignity". If you've been demeaned in your life, how do you raise yourself in character or dignity in order to have inner peace?
I'd really like to have your thoughts.
First of the Month
Is this the month for you to have your yearly mammogram? What about your monthly self-exam? Don't put it off!
In Under The Wire
I was determined to get at least one entry in on the first day of the new year, and I've just managed to do it.
Wow, November and December were strange months for me. They just kind of whirled by in a blur! We had some family in from Florida, and we had a great visit. They are safely home tonight. I want to write about their visit later. There are a lot of things I want to write about; as a matter of fact I have a list of the things I want to write about. I thought I'd get to that list today, but apparently I'm going to get to it tomorrow; see I'm just optimistic like that.
I was sick the latter half of November (I think I wrote about that), and the first part of December, and I just didn't really feel like writing, although once in a while I'd think of something interesting to write about. I was in a little bit of a "funk", I think; just a wee bit depressed. Believe me, you wouldn't have wanted me to write then; the entries wouldn't have been any good. No, I don't want to be misleading. I wasn't depressed about anything in particular, I just felt bad (you know, coming this close to pneumonia will do that to you, not to mention zap you of your strength), and I just wasn't interested in doing much of anything. If I had written much it probably wouldn't have made any sense.
So this month I'll try to make up for all that. As a matter of fact, if I write about everything on my list, your inbox will probably be flooded with alerts from me this month. (Don't hold your breath or anything, though, okay?)
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