March 7--Make Every Day Earth Day

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  --Marianne Williamson

Today I offer some wisdom relative to our care for our precious Mother Earth.

We cannot save ourselves without saving the world in which we live.… We will live or die as this world lives or dies. We can say this both physically and spiritually. We will be spiritually nourished by this world or we will be starved for spiritual nourishment. No other revelatory experience can do for the human what the experience of the natural world does.  --Thomas Berry

In the indigenous view, humans are viewed as somewhat lesser beings in the democracy of species. We are referred to as the younger brothers of Creation, so like younger brothers we must learn from our elders. Plants were here first and have had a long time to figure things out. They live both above and below ground and hold the earth in place. Plants know how to make food from light and water. Not only do they feed themselves, but they make enough to sustain the lives of all the rest of us. Plants are providers for the rest of the community and exemplify the virtue of generosity, always offering food….
Many indigenous peoples share the understanding that we are each endowed with a particular gift, a unique ability…. It is understood that these gifts have a dual nature, though: a gift is also a responsibility. If the bird’s gift is song, then it has a responsibility to greet the day with music. It is the duty of birds to sing and the rest of us receive the song as a gift.
Asking what is our responsibility is perhaps also to ask, What is our gift? And how shall we use it?
--Robin Wall Kimmerer

It is thundering outside at the moment. We are being given the gift of life-sustaining rain. I cannot make that happen. Can you? Let us have more respect and appreciation for nature that sustains us!

        Leta

One of our Mother's finer gifts!

March 6--Might As Well Enjoy Yourself

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.  --Joseph Campbell

    The thing that annoys me most about myself is my extreme tendency to scary and/or negative thinking. I believe this is rooted in two decades of my early life when I was terrified that anything would happen to my mom. My mom eventually passed when I was 23, through no fault of my own, but try to tell that to my wounded psyche. Much therapy finally relieved me of that burden, though the scary thoughts remain. 

    I'm a recovering addict, and I'm good with that. The effort required to recover has given me a wonderful life that I couldn't have imagined in the midst of using. It has enabled me to embrace the privilege of being who I am. 

    An advantage of aging for me has been the lack of concern about what other people think about me. I have my faults and I have my talents. I'm a nerd and proud of it. I am nuts about baseball (Opening Day is March 28!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I yell at other drivers. I'm probably a bit lazy (napping is my #1 hobby). Creative projects are essential to my sanity. I am reliable, and for me, that is the ultimate quality of a human being. 

    You are an excellent human, too! Let us not take ourselves so seriously!

        Leta

My latest t-shirt purchase 😉😉

March 5--Enjoy Some Nature Every Day

The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.  --Ben Okri

    I am so thankful for March and the temps starting to warm up. Weeds are flourishing in the garden and soon I'll be out there after them. While I have cut back on my gardening efforts over the years, it is still an important aspect of my life, because there is something mystical and magical about getting my bare feet on the earth and my hands in the soil, caring for growing things. 

One of the foundational reasons for our sense of isolation and unhappiness is that we have lost our contact with nature. In the natural world, there is no theology to agree or disagree with. We don’t have to identify as Presbyterian or Lutheran, male or female, conservative or progressive. There is nothing to argue about. It is in contact with all the “givens”—that which has been available to every creature God has created since the Big Bang—that something is indeed given. I guess in the spiritual world we would call it grace. Every day, we are given a natural way to reconnect with God and it doesn’t depend upon intelligence, education, or a religion. It depends on really being present and connecting with the soul. --Richard Rohr, Daily Meditation, March 4

    Walking our dog Barney gets me out in nature, too. I often use walking time to catch photos for these posts. Taking pictures has made me pay more attention to my surroundings as we walk, and I especially notice textures such as tree bark or sunshine glistening off newly-sprouted tree leaves. 

    Like all of life, being present is a practice.

        Leta

Alan Seeger Natural Area, central PA,
my favorite spot on Mother Earth

March 4--Just Do It

Do your thing and don't care if they like it.  --Tina Fey

    Do you have the courage and persistence for that? It's a practice, and I have to keep practicing it, because I have too much people-pleasing codependency in me. I have been ramping up two of my "things"--travel and pickleball-playing. These take me away from home a lot. I don't think my spouse much cares for it, but these things are keeping me active and sane. 

    Looking over my life, I see that I've had numerous instances of living Fey's quote. I went to grad school and moved far away from home in my early twenties. Mom did not like that. My (future) husband and I bought a house and lived together before getting married. His parents did not like that. Parenting is a constant practice of doing things the kids don't like, such as enforcing rules. Job changes caused angst here and there, but worked out well for me. I would say that it is impossible to live a good life without doing something that someone doesn't like!

    So just do it!

        Leta

The shower curtain in a 
hunting "cabin" in FL

March 3--Be Gentle!

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.  --Pema Chodron

    I think I should have typed the quote ending this way: "AND GENTLY." I've done a lot of looking at myself honestly, but harsh criticism tends to accompany the gazing. Why can't we be as gentle with ourselves as we are with a newborn baby? 

    "Honestly" tends to smack around "gently" because we have all done things we wish we hadn't, or we didn't do things we wish we had. We have shortcomings of various forms that have harmed relationships. We have wasted precious time. Life didn't turn out the way we expected, and we recognize that it is primarily our own creation. 

    I've spent the past few decades looking at myself, attempting to be honest and gentle. It has been a very interesting and rewarding effort, despite being quite unpleasant at times. I am on a quest to understand why I behave the way I do. There is always more to uncover. 

    Keep looking GENTLY!

        Leta

Panama City Beach...
I am well-acquainted with 
my love of the beach and water!

March 2--Freedom to Be

Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free.  --Eckhart Tolle

    I had another thought about March's theme of authenticity. Is it authentic to admit that sometimes I lack authenticity?!?!? This is just one example of the circular whirl in my brain. 

    I credit a 12-Step program and an excellent spiritual counselor for helping my life-long journey of opening to the truth of who I am. It has given me the freedom and courage to learn and try new things, some of which have really pulled me outside of my comfort zone. 

    Codependency has been a challenge throughout my life. People-pleasing pulls me in the opposite direction from the truth. I feel like I am in the stage of recognizing my codependent behavior and being frustrated by it, and only just learning how to behave differently. 

    Freedom, too, is a practice. 

        Leta

Wide-open space in the Florida panhandle

March 1-Authenticity

Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.  --Brene Brown

    March's theme is authenticity. As I ponder this topic, I recognize that I am authentic in some relationships and not in others. With friends and some family members, it's no problem. With my closest family members, it seems to me wisest to not rock the boat with my honesty. There are a multitude of reasons for this. So I guess I don't feel very authentic much of the time. 

    Many families elect to not discuss politics or religion at family gatherings. Is that lack of authenticity or simply preserving the peace? 

    Well, I have a month to consider the topic!

        Leta

An interesting pattern
in the Florida sand