Recovery and Appreciation

I have had a two week bout with pneumonia, which I am gratefully through with now.
Why does one have to get sick sometimes to appreciate the treasures of having good health? Today, even when I had to walk a short while in the rain, I loved being out. The streets glistened, the puddles created choices for me – should I go directly in them or around them – the smell of the day indicated to me that Spring is in the air.
I think I am learning to be grateful every day for all the good fortunes I have in my life. I stop to metaphorically smell the various roses more. I am aware of all the sights and sounds I have in my life in New York. I love being in the streets and just watching. I love the different boots that people choose to wear on different weather days. I actually decide the ones I would like to own and sometimes even stop the wearers to ask where they bought them. People are always delighted to tell me. It’s as if I have given their decisions my approval. That’s positive attention, I know.
I love to see all the families out walking together. For years I lived in Los Angeles, where people spend most of their hours outside encased in their cars, unless they descend on the parks or the beaches. There just seems to be more interaction between people here. I feel like I am part of the world here.
I love learning the short cuts around the city, how to go anywhere by public transportation and where I really enjoy the adventure of shopping and stopping for snacks.
I never fail to marvel at the sights I see outside my windows: The lights, the traffic patterns and the sunsets. I could take photos of the sunsets almost every night, for they’re like art pieces evolving right in front of my eyes.
Now that I’m healthy again, I want to take advantage of every moment of every day, even when it means that I am silent for a bit, take the time to breathe and to consider my choices. Perhaps, this is really what happiness means to me – being conscious, being present, being able to make choices and enjoy the moment.

March Brings My Birthday and Thoughts of Japan, as Time Flies.

My birthday's in March, so it's always a special month for me. I wait for it to arrive, always say that I'm going to celebrate all 31 days, and, suddenly, it's April 1st. I know that time is going faster, because I've read that it is so. I think that I can almost feel it's fleeing...I look at the clock one minute, do something quickly, and another hour's gone.

I did have a wonderful birthday week-end this year, though, filled with family and friends. I got to spend time with all three sons during the month, for which I am most grateful.

My 22nd birthday brings back a flood of memories. I was a new bride, and I had the great, good fortune to be able to live in Japan for nine full months. My husband had been sent to Sapporo by the Army. He'd been drafted right after he'd received his degree in economics. The Army made him a telephone repairman. Luckily for us, he got a strep throat, when he was about to be shipped overseas, was hospitalized and re-assigned to the payroll department of the Quartermaster Corp. Lots of economics there. Lucky break.

The Masaki family took us in, let us live in their upstairs, treated us like their own kids, and celebrated us and every holiday that came by. On my birthday in Japan, my mother sent the recipe for my favorite chocolate cake and a very special lady baked it as a surprise. I carry the memories of my time in Japan in my soul.

The cherry trees have already blossomed in Japan, giving that country magical qualities for the month. That phenonmeon is given great attention annually. I've was there at that time of year. It is like fairy land. The Japanese celebrate grandly with parties, picnics, poems, songs. They realize that that display of nature is really something and spectacularly memoralize them with song, drink, togetherness and cameras. It's wonderful. It's a great family time. I shall go again.

The school year's almost coming to a close. People are thinking about their summer vacations, already, and soon June will be here...Oh, Mother's Day does fall in-between. If I had enough resources, I would celebrate this Mother's day by taking my entire family to Kyoto, and the southern parts of Japan for as much time as we all could eke out...

I know my family's full of all ages now, which could make for interesting decisions about what to do and see. I wonder how long some could be away from their texting and social net-working.

It definitely takes some negotiating and listening to travel with family these days. It's best to know that there are lots of different needs and opinions in one's "tribe." Perhaps, it's worthwhile to operate very democratically and take votes on everything. And if the minority doesn't like what the majority wants, they have permission to secede and go where they want, as long as everyone shares at the end of the day. I could handle that. I know that I would win some and lose some. That would be ok, too. I would be savouring everything all over again and with some new eyes.

Tomorrow's another Monday. Best I get ready for it.

Diamond Alignment

Last week I encountered Diamond Alignment, which is an on-line meditation which really gives you a bolt of fresh energy within 6 minutes - it also gives you an uninterrupted 6 minutes to yourself - really refreshing and unusual these days.

I am grateful ...joyful... and thrilled to have this new tool in my repertoire for a positive "time-out" --- the source for this doesn't even know I am writing this today - I wonder if she'll ever find out how really grateful I am to her for taking the time to create this....her name is Jacqueline Joy...She lives in Carmel and is one of the lovelies women I have met this past year .... and she arrived with a totally fabulous story.

Bucky Fuller used to speak about processional events--- you're going down one road and suddenly you make a 90 degree detour which turns out to be exactly where you were headed in the first place. He too was a most exciting person to be around...I think my life is encountering lots of these events lately... One never really knows, does one?

I am thinking of all the special folk I have met lately, sometimes because I followed my intuition, sometimes the Universe intervened...I look forward to meeting more and more special folk.
I know there are many out there...