I finally got the memo

It’s been a strange day, starting with a short online conversation with a female friend who has been going through some tough times, mentally. We often bounce ideas off one another in the form of our experiences. I love conversing with her and find that I can relate to her struggles, although separated by a difference in our ages and details. This morning our conversation ended with my sharing that I always seem to attract men with negative addictions. She replied that the same was true of her past life, but now she has found a compatible mate.

That thought kept returning all morning as if it was a memo to myself that I needed to think about, and I did.

Wondering why I had attracted so many addictive souls in my life caused me to seek an answer. Was there something they all had in common? Ha there it was the question I needed to answer. In their own way they were all very controlling beings. We attract what we send out. I didn’t like that thought very much, until I realized that I am not who I was, which no doubt explains why they are no longer part of my life.

Perhaps now that I finally got the memo I can, like my friend Sadie, attract a more compatible mate.

Life after life

Reincarnation is an interesting concept that I totally believe. I also understand that we do not always incarnate as a human. It all depends on the lessons we need to experience.

Just for fun I took an online quiz yesterday that was supposed to tell me how many times I have been reincarnated. I actually took it twice because the first time the result said this is my first life as a human. That did not calculate with what I believe. It said my 8 lives all centered around nature and explains why I have trouble trusting others and dealing with human relationships. That could also explain why I enjoy taking photos of clouds, water, sunsets and trees. If I believed it, which I don't, because I have been granted little pieces of memory from at least 3 past lives- all human.

I decided to take the quiz again, this time making sure I answered each question as accurately as possible. I only changed one or two answers, but the result was totally different. It said I had lived 155 human lives. I am adaptable, was a leader many times, having been selected for reincarnation during the most pivotal times in history; due to my determination and resilience to thrive not just survive.

That sounds more like it. I spent a good part of this life wondering why I didn't fit in. As a child I was bullied because I wore glasses from a very early age and had very crooked teeth. I had very few friends and grew up with low self-esteem. No doubt why I choose the husbands that I did. Somehow I got it into my head that something was better than nothing. Sorry guys, but neither one of you were my best choice.

The last few years of my life have been a different story. I finally see that not fitting in is nothing to be ashamed of. I am who I am and there is no one out there exactly like me. I am honored that I was chosen to live in this time of spiritual growth and that I have been given the tools to encourage others to be the best that they can be.

156 is a solid number and I am going to keep coming back for as long as I am recruited to do so.

A different view

For the last few months I have been dealing with pain because of a body shift from a previous injury, among other things. I have gone back to chiropractic adjustments. The problem is gradually improving, but there are still days when the pain needs more help. Having to be careful of medications that can raise blood pressure I only take them when absolutely necessary, usually at night.

Yesterday morning I was having a problem with my ear. It was not pain, but pressure and very annoying. I went on with my morning and assumed it would get better. I kept a hair appointment, which I had been putting off. Looking in the mirror I decided to keep the sides and back short and leave the top a little longer. It was not a major change, but I left Marvelous Cuts very happy with the different view.

My ear was still giving me problems so I made an appointment for that afternoon to see if I had the beginning of an ear infection. I was given the choice of 3:00 p.m. with Lita, my usual primary care person, or 1:00 p.m. with Ben, a new member of the team. I choose the latter.

I couldn't have made a better choice. As Ben entered the exam room he shook my hand and introduced himself. The connection was positive from the start. Instead of sitting down at the computer, as Lita usually does, he actually talked to me as if I was a real person. After washing his hands he began trying to find the cause of my discomfort. Nothing was visible and he decided I might have some fluid in the ear that he couldn't see yet. He suggested briefly using an over the counter product to dry it up.

I mentioned the pain problem I had in another part of my body and asked his opinion about pain medications. This led to a very informative discussion about blood pressure etc. Lita did not believe pain can cause it to go up. He and I disagreed with her opinion. I had been told not to monitor my BP because it made me nervous when it was higher than I expected it to be which caused it to go even higher. Ben and I disagreed with what I had been told. He said I should monitor it 2-3 times a week. I also found out I had been taking it at the worst possible time, which was mid afternoon. It should be taken in the morning.

Increased BP has been a hard concept for me to accept as most of my life it ran 110/60. Apparently as one ages things change.

Even though Ben couldn't find a cause for my ear problem, I left the office very happy that I had found a new primary care provider with a different view.

What's in a word?

A quote attributed to George Orwell caught my attention today. It was, "If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out." The reason I reacted to it is because that is how I write and I related to the thought.

Next, I wondered who was/is George Orwell? Since Google is a wonderful free tool I checked him out. I discovered it is the pen name used by English dystopian novelist/journalist, Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950); his most famous work is Nineteen Eighty-Four. The book, published in 1949, was among the top 100 best English-language novels from 1923-2003, listed in Time magazine 2005.

Kind of interesting considering the author died in 1950.

Just goes to show that if you make a contribution to society it goes on and on. Just make sure it's a good one, you wouldn't want to be a Lizzie Borden or a Charles Manson.

In checking out Mr. Orwell the other thing that caught my attention was the word dystopian, which I was not familiar with. In case you aren't either, it means: an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives; also the exact opposite of utopia.

The word dystopian sounds extremely dysfunctional to me and abruptly ended my curiosity about George Orwell, A.K.A. Eric Arthur Blair.

Picture perfect

Over the years I have taken some wonderful pictures with very inexpensive cameras. I have never considered myself to be a photographer. I always think of a friend who told me the gift is in the eye of the photographer, not in the lens of the camera. This same person stated that I have a talent for framing. That still doesn't make me a photographer. I just enjoy taking pictures, especially of natural things like clouds, trees, water and rocks.

This morning a quote attributed to the late Leonard Nimoy caught my eye. It was: "A life is like a garden, perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory." The quote was accompanied by a beautiful picture of a garden on the edge of a body of water. It not only caught my eye, but reminded me of this photo I took, probably ten years ago. It is of the Animas River, flowing through Farmington, New Mexico and is probably the most perfect picture I have ever taken.

The memory of this picture also reminds me of a happier time and includes my daughter and grandson, who was about two at the time. We had spent the weekend in Colorado and stopped at this beautiful spot. I couldn't resist getting it on film.

I would like to share another picture of this river because I accidentally caught the tree branches as the universe painted them in gold. That is my grandson enjoying the rocks at the edge of the river.

Leonard Nimoy was not entirely correct, perfect moments can be preserved, if you have a camera and follow your intuition.

It's true two heads are better than one

For several weeks I have been wrestling with the question of whether or not to continue the children's summer writing camp I helped start in 2012. I called the person who had helped me in 2013 & 2014 to inquire as to her feelings on the matter. I was surprised when she stated, "I am not exactly for it or against it". My response was that was exactly how I felt.

We began talking about the things that had worked in the past and the things that had not and why not. We exchanged thoughts about how we could make the camp better- if we decided to facilitate it for this, the fourth year. It seemed as though neither of us was really ready to let the idea go because we know we are helping children express themselves through creative writing.

Following the if factor we decided to move the camp back down to one week in June instead of two, which meant we would choose the five approaches that had worked best and eliminate the rest. We also decided we would charge $5.00 at registration and refund it if the student attended the entire camp. We have learned that when you give something away for free people don't take you seriously.

We also decided to give more thought to how we advertise the camp so that we attract only those students who are really interested in writing.

As our conversation came to an end I asked B.J. if she was willing to give it another try? Without hesitation, she said yes. So it looks as if we have some planning to do to make the 2015 Children's Writing Camp, not only a reality, but the best one yet.

We found that two heads are better than one when they are both focused on something good.

Do it for Zayden

Today's post is going to be just a little different than usual because I have a favor to ask of my readers. It's not really a big thing, as it would only take a postage stamp and a card. If you are interested keep reading.

A few weeks ago I became a member of a Facebook group, whose administrator is a very good friend who just seems to ooze a kind heart. It is because of his caring nature that I joined, Team Jay's Wish.

Jayden, a little six year old boy with a huge smile was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder when he was three. Since then he has been on oxygen 24/7. His disease keeps him from going to school and playing sports like his peers do. His life is pretty much centered around doctor visits, in the hopes that one of them will find a cure.

During the month of February group members purchased tee shirts to help Jay's parents with medical expenses. This is a photo of one of the shirts modeled by my grandson.

Now, about the favor I am asking, Jayden's 7th birthday is coming up on March 27th and it would be fantastic to be able to fill a wheelbarrow with cards so that the little guy knows people care about him.

Could you please do it for Jayden?

This is the information you will need:

Zayden Jeffers, P.O. Box 775, Lake Charles, LA, 70602