May 4--Sailing through Storms

I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship.  --Louisa May Alcott

    That's life--a constant learning of how to sail through the storms. I live in Kansas, which, as it turns out, is an exciting place for meteorologists, because the weather is so interesting and can change very suddenly in a very short time. Being prairie land, there is an enormous amount of sky to watch storms roll in. Just like life, some storms are mild and some leave a wide path of destruction. Despite the Wizard of Oz mythology, I've lived here almost 40 years and have never seen a tornado. I have, however, seen the destruction one creates, and it is mind-boggling. 

    Alas, we probably learn more from the storms of our lives than we do from the peaceful times. They force us to bring forth our determination and resilience. Each storm survived builds confidence for handling the next one. Note that storms are a natural, organic part of life on our magnificent earth. I can't imagine a place where storms of some form don't happen. Let us remember that, in Kansas at least, storms bring much-needed rain. They serve a purpose both in our planet's atmosphere and in our lives. Life storms and weather storms keep things interesting!

    Sailing through today,

        Leta

May 3--Adventure Ready!

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.  --Helen Keller

    Hmmmm... let's consider this in light of the pandemic. I just wasn't daring enough to submit myself to outright exposure. I spent many months avoiding the danger of the virus. I learned new ways to enjoy my time other than being out and about in the world. None of that was bad. But too much of it has eventually come to feel like "nothing." I'm ready to get out and adventure, to experience the "outside world" again. 

    To that end, I leave later this week on a two-week solo driving trip to visit assorted family and friends. I'm excited to see folks I haven't seen in many, many months. I have plans to visit various YMCAs to swim, to relieve my body from the tedious position of driving. I have an extra-big adventure planned as part of the trip. I'm holding that secret so that I can lure you into reading about the whole adventure, just to see what's up. 😉😉  I do plan to sensibly "avoid danger," taking appropriate precautions Covid-wise and following each state's guidelines. I'll be a good mask-wearer. 

    I was blessed with a mother who loved to travel, and she took me along on her international adventures. I'm so grateful for the "travel bug" she planted in me. Our magnificent planet is too beautiful and the differing cultures too amazing to confine oneself to a tiny area and never check out the rest of the world. Each one of us is braver than we think. 

    Let's go!

        Leta

May 2--That Difficult Task?

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.  --Lucius Annaeus Seneca 

    The Nike Company summed this up in "just do it." If we sit around and use our magic magnifying minds to consider how difficult a task will be, we are very likely to talk ourselves out of it. On a rather mundane level, I do this with cleaning on a regular basis. I fuss to myself about how I dislike cleaning, how much of my precious time it takes, on and on. If I just dive in and do it, it's doesn't kill me, and I like the results. (This transpired yesterday, actually.) 

    I can come up with quite a long list of things that seemed difficult until I actually did them: completing grad school a long way from home; moving to Kansas; being married to the same person for decades; birthing and raising children; several job and career changes; yoga training; golfing; international travel; long solo driving trips; doing tax returns; having a hip joint replaced. The one I must comment on further is painting. Yes, painting. It seemed thoroughly impossible, far too difficult, for me to paint anything. "Real artists" did that. Then I dared sign up for a painting class and discovered that I can paint, and it isn't difficult. It's just a matter of finding what form of painting "floats your boat." I personally like straight lines (see one of my creations below), which may seem difficult, but I'll tell you the secret: Green Frog tape. 

    Enjoying the adventure of life,

        Leta

"11:11"

May 1--Courage

All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.  --Frank L. Baum

    I'm not sure we humans realize how afraid we actually are. Fear masks itself in so many ways--anger, jealousy, envy, violence, abuse, addiction, on and on. I distinctly remember one of my first 12-Step meetings wherein the leader was talking about fear. I thought, "Geez, what a wuss, I'm glad I'm not afraid of all that." Little did I know! I had all those fears and even a few more, which I uncovered once I stopped burying them with food. 

    There are literally an infinite number of things to fear in this life, and fear can paralyze us if we allow it to do so. That's where courage comes in. We do the next thing in front of us, keep moving, and build confidence in our ability to make it through scary circumstances. 

    As Baum says, every living thing is afraid at some point. It is not a personal failure to be afraid. Viewed as an opportunity to strengthen our "resilience muscles," we can conquer fear and bring more confidence into our next fearful episode. I'm not sure we humans realize how courageous we actually are. 😉😉

    Confidently facing today,

        Leta

April 30--Living Forwards

It is quite true what philosophy says: that life must be understood backwards. But then one forgets the other principle: that it must be lived forwards. 
--Soren Kierkegaard

    Ideally, we learn from the past, then let it go. Understanding where we have been, what we have experienced, and how all that affects us is quite enlightening. For me, it has given me an appreciation of myself and my ability to grow and change. That's "living forward"--using what we have come to understand about ourselves to imagine new ways of being. 

    I believe the best attitude for understanding one's life backwards is forgiveness. The sooner and more fully we can let go of wrongs committed by ourselves and others, the sooner we can adventure into a forward-moving life, free of the baggage of the past. I remind myself often that every single one of us is doing the best he/she can in the moment, whether or not it appears to be so from an outsider's perspective. This is an attitude of gentleness that eases my spirit.

    This, the final day of April, ends the month-long theme of growth. May Day begins an exploration of courage. 

    Bravely forging ahead,

        Leta

April 29--All Alone

The only real progress lies in learning to be wrong all alone.  --Albert Camus

    I grew up with extraordinary and consistent examples of blaming. Every trouble of my mother and my brother was someone else's fault, alas, often my dad, and then eventually, me, once I became conscious of being the target. Taking responsibility, being "wrong all alone," was not in their skill sets, and miles away from their comfort zones. I'm sad to say both my mother and brother went to their graves with little real progress in this area, at least that I could discern. 

    It takes a strong constitution, when all alone, to admit that "the buck stops here," and I screwed up, and I need to fix it as best I can. Blaming is easy. Accepting responsibility and making amends are hard. The key is that blaming puts one in a powerless position--if the circumstance is someone else's fault, one has no control and becomes a victim. Taking responsibility means holding the power to set things right. It also means being comfortable enough with oneself to admit to being human. 

        Leta

April 28--Focus: This Day

Always remember the future comes one day at a time.  --Dean Acheson

    Continuing with the pondering of one's life being easy, or not (see April 27 post), I noted that one reason my life is easy is that I practice living "one day at a time." Being a (former?) card-carrying control freak, this is huge progress and gigantic relief. I need focus only on today, and the next thing in front of me. Sure, I make plans for future days, but I strive to keep the focus on today. It is a huge relief to acknowledge that I don't have to get everything on my to-do list done today. I get things done in time as I am able, and should I suddenly leave this earthly life, my tasks not being done won't matter at all. 

    The one-day-at-a-time perspective lessens my tendency to worry. Jesus told us not to worry or be afraid, that tomorrow will take care of itself. Another favorite slogan of mine, "this, too, shall pass," helps me remember that even though life may not be to my liking this moment, things will be different shortly. Difficult circumstances are much easier to handle one day at a time. Sometimes life even requires "one hour at a time." 

    Being overwhelmed doesn't feel good. Let's keep the focus on what we can handle at the moment, and, of course, breathe. 

        Leta

A sense of humor is most helpful! 😉😉