White Beauty!

I am blessed to have a home office that looks out on my beautiful garden. It snowed!!!!
We are in an area starved for moisture, so wet stuff on the ground in any amount is a VERY welcome sight. We probably have 3 inches, with more predicted. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Yes, I drove in it this morning. Took it easy, slid around some, made it home safely. Here are some other ways to look at this situation that you may not have considered:
1. It's beautiful. What if snow falling to the earth was pea soup green--that just wouldn't be the same.
2. You are in no hurry. There is truly no rush--you are the creator of time, make as much as you need.
3. This magnifies the blessing of a warm home, a good book, a hot cup of tea (or in my case, cable TV for basketball!!!!).
4. It's an opportunity to be kind and careful with yourself and other drivers.
5. It may inspire you to have some basic food stock around the house for such instances, so you don't need that extra stop at the store.
6. It may inspire creativity with whatever is the pantry :)
Enjoy whatever beauty surrounds you, whether it is white or not!
Love,
Leta

Casino Experience #2

This past Saturday evening, I had my second experience at a casino for gambling. I've got nothing against gambling or casinos, or the folks who enjoy them, and winning money certainly is a fun thing. I just feel like sharing my feelings and experience.
Overwhelming is the first work that comes to mind. I recently visited St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and it's the largest Catholic church in the world, and I think several of St. Peter's would fit inside the Kansas Star Casino. There's so much color and noise and so many choices, it's hard to know where to start. I feel like everyone else knows what they are doing and they are winning, and I'm clueless and losing. I feel like a nerd with my $35 or so limit, which I can easily stick by. My casino stay is not long, as I lose my money quickly. I leave smelling like an ashtray--that seems to be the one place where smokers can still smoke and enjoy a "kiss my ass!" attitude.
The financially-responsible part of me is truly traumatized by this experience. How many folks are there gambling money they don't have, and losing it, running up charge cards bills or whatever? That's a sad aspect of human nature, a discouraging picture of hope and hopelessness. While I can survive the loss of $35 without much difficulty, still, next morning I found myself thinking of all the more fun and rewarding things I could have done with the money. Also, the computer geek in me has a field day thinking of all the programmable ways for gambling machine developers to "stack the deck" against the players.
I did have fun with my gal pals, and they all got a big laugh at my expense when I squealed when I won $10 (a pittance in casino terms). Yes, I may go to a casino again, but I don't care if a few years pass till my next visit.
Your thrifty friend,
Leta

Tao on Relationships

This comes from a Science of Mind magazine Daily Guide (daily meditation) by Noel McInnis:
Taoist rules of engagement for right relationship:
   When you come, we welcome you.
   When you stay, we do not hold on to you.
   When you leave, we do not pursue you.
This is my goal relative, especially, to my adult children. Challenging, to say the least!
Happy Saturday!
Love,
Leta

Really??!!?!

I'm enjoying the wonderful book by Michael A. Singer titled The Untethered Soul. The theme of this book is living life with an open heart, choosing to be unconditionally happy, and allowing life to be life and flow right on through us energetically without hanging onto irritations or celebrations--loving every moment, no matter what.
That's a tall order, to be sure. But as Mr. Singer says, "What's there to not be happy about?" Keeping one's vow of unconditional happiness requires us to give up our melodramas and that part of us that believes there is some reason to be unhappy. So many of the situations or people that we get wound up about (and often let ruin our day) are truly trivial in the grand scheme of things. Is it worth it to upset our lovely internal energy flow (which moves beautifully unless we block it or close it) over such trivial things? Really??!!?!
Breathe, relax and release. It's a practice, and you, too, can do it!
Leta

One of Those Days

Yesterday was "one of those days." For me, that means that I would prefer to be the only person on the planet, the rest of humanity can just get off the globe and leave me alone. It's an odd combination of mild crankiness and need for self-nurturing. I'm best not interacting with anyone on such days--it's rarely productive. So I mostly stayed in the woman cave, slept, ate moderately, and relaxed. Because I recognized this in myself, experienced it, and let it pass, today I'm fine and back to my "usual happy self."
These are some powerful words: This, too, shall pass. That's if we let it pass.
Is there anything you could let pass, to your great benefit?
Blessings,
Leta

Control, or not

I hit a "control bottom" in December. An attempt to exert influence, which I realized afterwards, didn't go well. Not the first time, alas. But hopefully one of the last. It was a good learning experience, in that I have no desire to control much of anything now. Nor do I have the ability. My "illusion of control" has been shattered, and for that, I am most grateful.
Now I get to enjoy the freedom, though sometimes a bit scary, of taking life, other people, and circumstances as they come. Things happen, I experience them, and let them go. It's a free way to live that I'm just starting to learn. I've been a controlling person for so long, this is a huge change. But being a controller is the direct opposite of living with an open heart, and I am committed to keeping my heart open and love flowing. I'm excited for this ongoing adventure.
Boldly,
Leta

Joy Enemy #1

     I've discovered through years of introspection that one of my key talents in life is helping people to see other options.
     "We've always done it this way!" is Joy Enemy #1. Let's take a look at this on a variety of scales. At the international level--we've always solved conflicts via war. This is becoming increasingly unacceptable as humans are waking to the idea that there are other options.
     At the national level, there is a huge expectation for the government to fix it, whatever "it" is. Truly this is a fairly recent phenomenon, less than 100 years old. Waiting for the government to fix something is futile. Consider other options, like employing the awesome creativity and resourcefulness of the American people.
     At the personal level, we tend to get so enmeshed in our habitual ways of doing things, that we don't even take time to consider other options. Here's one to blow most parents' minds: if your child is older than 10, they can do their own laundry. This supports their resourcefulness, and helps them understand consequences (such as the social embarrassment of stinky clothes). And it frees parents to do something more fun than laundry.
     There are many commonly-held beliefs that are bullshit, such as:
     1) Taking good care of oneself is selfish.
     2) A parent's job is to keep the child happy.
     3) A parent can't allow a child to fail--it will make the parent look bad.
     4) Change is to be resisted.
Well, if these are bullshit, what are the other options?  I'll let you ponder those a bit.
With an open mind,
Leta