A New Look and the Time to Get It

This blog is nearly 5 years old (on April 1!), and I had used the same template the whole time. I'd put a lot of customization on it, but it was still very recognizable as one of the standard Blogger themes. So, I bit the bullet, lost a bunch of my customized things, but got a new look. I like it. Maybe one day I will really branch out and use another service or get a custom template, but this will be fine for now!

So, I stuck in a photo of our little church choir from last week. That is one of the things in my life that I am glad I have time for. Sometimes it's frustrating, like last night when we had 0 sopranos (but it IS spring break and people are busy). I do love choral singing, and am glad to have this opportunity to do that--it complements my rock and roll fun nicely!

Really what I'd wanted to talk about today was being grateful for the last 4 weeks with no work. We've had some good luck and the pressure to work so bills will be paid is off a bit. Now I am looking for work I will enjoy and not stressing about it--and will be thrilled if the folks I have been contracting with are able to provide something to do, too. I still love them!

What's been good, though, is having the time to mindfully do some of the things I have been rushing through while I was working so much and spending so much time at yarn shops. I have been able to not only clean the kitchen, but work on getting it back to where I can enjoy working in it again. I've actually kept it nice and tidy for three weeks even though I have been cooking a lot more, and for some reason that really makes me feel good. I got the family room decluttered for my Pampered Chef party, and it has STAYED that way since then. Perhaps the kids are old enough to not create chaos wherever they go (more likely Beccano's just confining his chaos to his room). The dining room FINALLY does not have a lot of extraneous equipment in it (I lie: there is an upside-down bass amp in there right now, but it just needs to get its wheel reattached and it will roll back into its space). And there is just one pile of computer equipment to move out of the "parlor" and it will be nice, too!

I keep trying to declutter the bedroom, but it comes back. I guess that's next!

Cleaning lets me think. I had not had much time to do that recently. I was too busy panicking. I feel like, at last, I can make future plans that aren't in crisis mode. This helps a lot.

Having this bonus time to myself has also enabled me to meditate more. I have always meditated, since I was a teen, but sometimes I only get a few minutes. I have been able to spend more time meditating, which has always been a boon to my serenity and clarity of thought.

It's funny how sometimes a big catharsis precedes calm. A couple of weeks ago I had to face some issues I'd been avoiding (was really too embarrassed to meet them head on). It was painful at the time for me and a friend, but I got through that, and as a bonus figured out it is OK to not be beloved by everyone, it is OK to prefer to be around positive friends, and it is OK to mess up sometimes and not be understood. I now know who my friends are, bear no ill will toward those who aren't fond of me, and feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders. That's just peachy! I'm rested, relaxed, and ready to face the world!

A new look for the blog means for me, also a new phase in life has started. I think my birthday this year was a significant one. The long, scary phase of most of the 2000s may well be behind me, and I can enjoy my spouse, my children, my friends, my hobbies and my work!

Inner Peace. Originally Typed as "Peas"

I wrote this on Facebook and had to edit it so that it would fit into the allowed space. I thought I'd share it here, too, with additional commentary.

I read this artcle today:
Midwinter Options: When You Can't Find Peace Without, Choose Peace Within - The Huffington Post

It is a lovely and thoughtful essay on how our surroundings, people around us, and world events contribute to making it very hard to relax and feel "at peace" today. The author talks about the phrase "peace be with you" and wonders how you just MAKE yourself feel peaceful. Go read it; I don't mind.

I see this lack of calm in my friends, many of whom have job or health issues, or (especially those in high school) are getting all angsty about finals. It helps to find some moments of peace. To do that you need to get AWAY from all the things feeding your unrest. How?

Take time every day to turn off that endless feed of stress. Stop reading your email, checking the news, constantly checking everyone's Facebook status, and IMing your stressed out friends. Go in a quiet room, clear your mind and relax. Even ten minutes can help. I try to do this every day, and lately a lot. (I have meditated for years, and only in the past three or four has that not been enough, even for a Highly Sensitive Person like me, to keep on a reasonably even keel.)

There's so much to multitask about. It gets overwhelming. If we can clear our minds and fill ourselves with some peace, it's easier to know what you can do something about and what to let go of.

That's as far as I got on Facebook, and I doubt those who need it will even read it. Here's what I was trying to say in too few words: I really think that the bombardment of bad news, war, financial ruin, personal problems, and life events can sometimes make it hard to think. What to focus on? What to do next? That's why I am urging all the people I know to take a break. Step back. Go inward for a while, in whatever way works for you: meditation, prayer, a nap, drawing, knitting (but NOT with the media blaring at you while doing these things).

I usually find that when I do that, it is easier to discern where to apply your limited energy in the ways it can do the most good. Sometimes that might be doing something about the outer world: giving money to Church World Service to help the people (with families, just like you and me but of a different society) trapped in Gaza, for example. Sometimes it might mean focusing on the immediate: setting friend issues aside to concentrate on meeting a deadline. Sometimes it might mean finding what is positive in your life and reveling in that. The answer will differ every day. But turning off the "noise" for a while every day can help you find that answer.

It's not a solution to hunger, poverty, war or illness, but it's a means to help us live each day more fully participating, not just observing and worrying.

Suna feels preachy today. She'll get over it. Hope you enjoy another photo of the Many Moods of Scrunchy. This time: Scrunchy has goop in his eye.