January 7--Life Is Waiting for Us to Say "Yes"

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.  --Joseph Campbell

    How many times have I said, "The best laid plans..."? I consider myself an organized person, a planner. There were times in my life when a sudden change of plans would make me crazy. There is a passage in 12-step literature that says (I paraphrase): when the car won't start, most people call a tow truck or repair center; addicts call suicide prevention. I have learned over time to go with the flow. It's much easier than trying to paddle upstream. 

    There are so many things that have made my life wonderful that I could not have imagined 40 years ago--yoga teacher training, working at a church, doing tax prep work, coaching, having and raising children, recovering from addiction--just to name the first few things that come to me. The life waiting for me has been awesome, and I am grateful. 

    This comes from "Every Day Spirit" by Mary Davis:

        Peace is the answer. 

        Joy is the goal. 

        Thanks is the prayer. 

        Love is the road.

    That pretty well covers it!

        Leta

We got it! Our new RAV4 Hybrid.
ROAD TRIP!!!

January 6--Smiling Hope

Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering that it will be happier.  --Alfred, Lord Tennyson

    With all things considered, I had a relatively great 2021. I will, however, take even happier for 2022. I'm not one to make resolutions, but I am looking forward with smiling hope and mighty intentions to several things: 

• Completing my 7th and final season of tax work
• Traveling to Arizona for a Diamondbacks game and hiking in Sedona (a trip cancelled in 2020)
• Traveling to Pennsylvania in October for another family wedding 
• Lots of swimming, golfing and doggie walks
• Teaching Melt Method and yoga and supporting my coaching clients
• An as-yet-undecided mystery trip
• A new vehicle to take us comfortably on our many trips to Colorado
• Returning for another glorious vacation in Jamaica
• And certainly, the new grandbaby will be 2022's happiest of all!!!!!

    What are your hopes for 2022?

        Leta

From my 2021 PA road trip 😀❤

January 5--Where's the Fruit?

Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom? But we hope it; we know it. 
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

    Here we are at the beginning of another year. In some respects, the past couple of years have beaten the crap out of us, like maybe the "fruit tree" died. But hope springs eternal. We are alive, so we keep moving forward, plugging ahead, doing the next right thing in front of us. We can get bogged down in all the difficulties of humanity and planet Earth, or we can forge ahead doing the best we can each day. Really, what more can we do? Just like the fruit tree, we have dormant recovery time, and at the appropriate time, we blossom and bear fruit. Every bit of that cycle is necessary both for the tree and for us. 

    Continuing to practice life,

        Leta

January 4--MOVE!

Dance, when you're broken open.

Dance, if you've torn the bandage off.

Dance in the middle of the fighting.

Dance in your blood.

Dance when you're perfectly free.

--Rumi

Rumi, an ancient poet.

I don't know
But I've been told
If you keep on dancing
You'll never grow old.

Steve Miller Band, 1970s rock 'n' roll

Shake your booty!!!

        Leta

January 3--Half Full of What?

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.  --Sir Winston Churchill

    Are you a "glass half full" or a "glass half empty" sort of person? While I lean toward the "glass half full" end of the spectrum, I know I have both optimist and pessimist within me. In a society that seems to thrive on pushing fear upon us, it can be challenging to maintain the optimist vibes. I know that a pessimistic attitude does not feel good to my body or my spirit, and an upbeat attitude keeps me feeling healthier and more at peace. 

    In mid-January I will begin my final season of tax prep work. There will be the usual learning curve as we adapt to the inevitable annual changes. Hours are long. The work can be frustrating when needed information is missing. There are difficulties. The opportunities, however, are what keep me going. I love the work. I have learned so much, and what I have learned has been beneficial to me personally, as well as to my clients. I am paid well, and that's travel money! When I get bogged down, I think of my next destination on the globe and that keeps me going. 

    Optimistic about April 15! 

        Leta

January 2--You Are Here

Just where you are--that's the place to start.  --Pema Chodron

    When you consider it, there's nowhere else to start from. The past is done, and you can't start something in the future. It's now or never. 

    The new year is the most tempting time to make resolutions to change behavior, break habits, start a new thing. As a many-decades YMCA member, I've seen annually the "newly resolute" show up the first week or so and then fade back into old habits. 

    To accomplish any sort of goal, I'm using two helpful reminders: baby steps and one day at a time. At the moment, I'm heavier than I care to be. My baby steps are not bringing beer and sweets into the house. I don't have to double my exercise schedule or go on a diet. I'm confident that the small changes will take care of the discomfort, and I can do them one day at a time. I'm not swearing off beer and cookies for eternity. 

    Keeping it simple,

        Leta

January 1--Thanks, 2021. Let's go, 2022!!

And now let us welcome the new year--full of things that have never been. 
--Rainer Maria Rilke

    January's theme in "Daily Joy" is renewal. Heading into the new year, I like to review and thank the previous year. You may wonder if I simply remember all this stuff. Actually, it comes from a review of my Win List. That's a daily note of all the good/blessings/joys in my life. Writing my Win List is part of my daily spiritual practice. Here are the 2021 items of note...

WORK

==Completed my sixth year of tax prep work. 

==MELT and yoga classes were via Zoom only through May. In June I went back to the Clearwater Wellness Center for in-person classes and continued Zooming.

==Completed MELT Method Level II training online.

==In October I marked the 10-year anniversary of completing Forrest Yoga Teacher Training. 

FAMILY

==Son Derek and Caila moved into their new home in Wellington, Colorado in April. It is roomy and a great place to stay for us parents. I spent a full week with them twice during the summer/fall, testing out longer stays in hopes of one day being a grandma. 

==They were married in a magnificent outdoor ceremony in Colorado in October. Dear friend Lanie saved the day by doing wedding outfit shopping with me. I'm pleased to say that I did not cry during the mother-son dance, done to "Days Like This" by Van Morrison.

==My husband and I celebrated our 35th anniversary in April.

==Sister-in-law Mickey passed in October after a many-years challenge with cancer. 

==We had another great Christmas together at Derek's home in Wellington.

TRAVEL

==There were several visits to Colorado including my favorite activity--golfing with my sons. 

==May included a driving trip back east for a great-niece's wedding near Philadelphia. Saw lots of family members, played golf with my nephew at his gorgeous (difficult!) country club, drove through the area of PA where I grew up. Hiked my favorite spot on earth--Alan Seeger Natural Area in central PA. Visited my college roommate--first time we had seen each other in person in decades. 

==I added the Washington Nationals stadium to my MLB quest list--took the train from Philadelphia to Washington, went to the afternoon game (restricted attendance due to Covid) and returned to Phila on the train. An exhausting but FUN day!

==I went on two out-of-town golf weekends with one of my leagues. Didn't golf that well, but had great fun with girlfriends.  

==I enjoyed in early December a fabulous 10 days of relaxation with friends at the Couples Swept Away resort in Jamaica. I shall return!

HEALTH

==Completed my 24th consecutive year of swimming over 100 miles.

==Hip replacement recovery has been excellent. I was cleared for golf and all other activities in February. I had successful physical therapy to strengthen my left leg and hip.

==Received two vaccination shots plus the booster with minimal reactions.

==So far our whole family has escaped a Covid illness except our younger son, who had it in September but recovered fully.

DOG

==Barney kept us moving with twice-daily walks. He makes us laugh and his goofy antics never get old. 

MISCELLANEOUS

==Learned how to be treasurer of the Business Women's Golf League. 

==Felt huge relief getting the nutcase Trump out of the White House.

==When it rains, it pours... we replaced our furnace, AC, water heater and dishwasher all in the first quarter of 2021.

==We have a new neighbor who twice in 2021 brought by a gift of a dozen home-made egg rolls. 

==Dear friend Blanche passed in June.

==Took a (very challenging) watercolor class at City Arts in the summer. 

==We ordered and are awaiting arrival of a new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, making our trips to Colorado more comfy. We will be going there a lot more often because the very best item of 2021...

I am going to be a GRANDMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Rock on!

        Leta