July 26--Day 2 Drive

When we hug, our hearts connect and we know that we are not separate beings. 
--Thich Nhat Hanh

    I am a hugger. The pandemic and its aftermath ("stay away from me") really annoyed my hugging nature. Fortunately I know plenty of other huggers. I even have a couple of pickleball friends who will hug after we win an especially challenging point, sweaty bods and all. 

    I had an easy drive to Wentzville yesterday and a good visit with my in-laws. They like to go to bed early, which is great for me as I am leaving Wentzville by 5am this morning. 600 more miles, and let the fun begin!!!

    Stay tuned,

        Leta

Today's route

July 25--Road Trip! Yes! Again!

To have joy, one must share it.  --George Gordon Lord Byron

    I am on my way to sharing loads of joy. Today I start the journey east to Ohio for another vacation with my niece. I will spend tonight with my in-laws just west of St. Louis. They are an amazing couple still living independently at age 94, and they have been married for over 70 years. Holy cow. It will be fun to see them and catch up, and it is so lovely of them to host me overnight on my many driving adventures. 

    My niece and I will be visiting assorted relatives and spending a week at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland. I do believe that an exploration of Longwood Gardens is also in our future. The trip will include many rounds of Rummikub with all sorts of inventive expletives. The trip will be capped off with a Cubs-Guardians game in Cleveland. Alas, I will be the lone Cubs fan in our group. 😏

    On the road again 🎵🎵

        Leta

Road signs in my future 😃

July 24--We Can Do Better

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it. 
--John Steinbeck

    I believe we have seen an example of this quote in action with President Biden's decision to not run again. Whatever one's political leanings, his choice is an act of love and integrity that needs to be celebrated in a political climate woefully lacking in those two things. 

    The "best and most beautiful"--our magnificent Mother Earth--sustains us lovingly every moment of every day. Let us do a better job of living up to it--caring for the resources so freely given. 

        Leta

A sampling of our Mother's gifts

July 23--Freely Give

They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing.  --Hindu Proverb

    This is another way of saying "what goes around comes around." Giving creates circulation which is necessary for survival--note such examples as blood flow or planetary winds. Withholding dams up the flow. There is an attitude involved here, too, be it living with generosity and gratitude or hoarding miserliness. Charles Dickens nailed it in "A Christmas Carol." 

    Giving does not require great wealth. Giving does not require great recognition or fanfare. A simple act of kindness is a great place to start. 

        Leta

Don't be a Scrooge!

July 22--Such an Interesting Time to Be Alive

Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.  --George Eliot

    I was talking with friends yesterday, all of us over 60, about what historic and unusual times we have lived through. President Biden's decision is yet another item added to the list. Personally, I would love to have strong female energy at the head of our government.

    I leave you with the photo below which I took on our recent Colorado adventure. Three noteworthy stickers:

• Freedom means choice.
• Equal rights for others does not mean less rights for you. It's not pie.
• Keep your religion out of my government.

The last one above is my personal favorite.

        Leta

July 21--Blanket of Love

When someone loves you it's like having a blanket all round your heart. 
--Helen Fielding

    One of the benefits of the Twelve Step programs is that one gets to create/develop/envision one's own personal Higher Power. (Step 2: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.) HP could be the group, nature, the Big Guy on the Throne, whatever works for each individual. When I first started to take on my addiction, my HP was simply a snugly warm blanket that held me, making no demands of me, just holding me in love. I'm a strong advocate for each person creating their own useful version of HP, otherwise we don't maintain a vital connection to a Life greater than our own will can conceive. 

    And yes, I do have a blankie that I sleep with that reminds me of that HP love.

        Leta

Bright colors
(turquoise, pink, speckled, purple, yellow)
for the new grandbaby

July 20--Safely Home; Let the Healing Continue

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our natural lives.  --C. S. Lewis

From Father Richard Rohr:

Surrender will always feel like dying, and yet it’s the necessary path to liberation. It takes each of us a long time to just accept—to accept what is; to accept ourselves, others, the past, our own mistakes, and the imperfection and idiosyncrasies of almost everything. Our lack of acceptance reveals our basic resistance to life. Acceptance isn’t our mode nearly as much as aggression, resistance, fight, or flight. None of these responses achieve the deep, lasting results of true acceptance and peaceful surrender. Acceptance becomes the strangest and strongest kind of power. Surrender isn’t giving up, as we often think; it’s a giving to the moment, the event, the person, and the situation.

Our inner blockage to turning over our will is only overcome by a decision. It will not usually happen with a feeling, a mere idea, or a verse from religious Scripture. It is the will itself, our stubborn and self-defeating willfulness, that must first be converted and handed over. It doesn’t surrender easily, and usually only when it’s demanded of us by partners, parents, children, health, or circumstances. From the time we were young and according to our ability, we have all taken control and tried to engineer our own lives in every way possible.

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    The hardest thing I've ever faced is letting go of my adult children. The Rohr quote above describes me completely. I've had great difficulty with acceptance and plenty of resistance. This had manifested for me in a lengthy depression. My "decision" came at the beginning of this year, to live my intentions of 1) staying healthy and active, and 2) encouraging and allowing myself to be a happy human. Implementing this decision requires much prayer. 

    My efforts to simply be present and enjoy the family on this Colorado trip just completed were instances of surrender and acceptance for me. The process is not complete. There is still some emotional baggage for me. I remind myself of the 12-Step slogan: "we seek progress, not perfection."

    "Still crazy after all these years" (lyrics by Paul Simon),

        Leta