RAINY SUNDAY

There is nothing better than reading the paper on a rainy Sunday. I finished an entire pot of coffee ( which, unfortunately means a zillion trips to the bathroom!...Okay - maybe that was too much information!), slowly savored every page of the paper, and enjoyed Sunday Morning TV show - which I record on the DVR every week. That way I don't have to be up too early! Sunday is literally a day of rest for me - no guilt for slug-like behavior.

Now there is the drone of the afternoon football games on the tube - only one really interests me - the Redskins. I am one of those fans who continue to hold out hope that the Skins will return to their glory days. Oh well....we'll see.

Have a safe New Year's Eve tomorrow...soak in everything this last day of the year has to offer!

AFTER CHRISTMAS SALES!

Yesterday I went shopping. Can you believe it??? After a month of frantic shopping for perfect gifts, there I was in the store trying to find more stuff to buy. Okay - I had gift cards - but still, it seemed ridiculous to me - especially after I stopped for a moment and looked around at all the other people wandering through the store like zombies. Of course, everything has been picked over - and all the merchandise is jumbled and tumbled to the point of having zero appeal. I watched at least ten different shoppers pick up and quickly put down the same items. After all - how many fuzzy Christmas earmuffs can one person use? I realized that I could not list all the wonderful gifts I had received that were still at home under my tree - and so, today, I have been sorting through, putting away, and appreciating each gift - and giver. It has been a pleasant way to begin the "declutter" process of the holidays.


I look forward every year to the decorations - but after a while, I feel like those ubiquitous blow-up figures....completely deflated. I am still loving our tree, though. Enjoying the bright lights while we watch TV. But - I know that after New Year's Day - it, too, will be history...at least until next year. For right now - for THIS day - I will enjoy these slow days at the year's end. They are a wonderful time for reflecting and counting my blessings. When I do that - I always realize how much I have to be grateful for - and how little need I have for any more "stuff"! All that said - I still have those gift cards burning a whole in my wallet!!!

HELLOOOOOOOOOO?

Anybody out there? Yes, I know - I have been absent far too long. Not sure why....it just seemed like circumstances crowded in on me and every creative impulse I ever had just vanished. Can't blame it on any one thing - just life. I suppose we all experience times like that every once in a while. Just part of being human. But, now the holiday hoopla is winding down and I am finding that quiet space inside myself once again. I feel hopeful.

Perpetual, mindless, busyness can become a thief that sneaks in without being detected and begins to steal away the treasures that come from being centered. Sometimes the best way to be in touch with feelings or thoughts is to just stop. Really stop. Give yourself the gift of silence and inactivity. Then and only then can you discover how wonderful it is to just appreciate the good things inside yourself. It is a relief to find value within - and not have to seek it through external competition and evaluations.

A fresh new year is fast approaching - filled with possibilities and promise. But it will be what we make it. In the coming days, I plan to spend some time contemplating positive possibilities, time focusing on what can be, and not what has been.

It feels wonderful to connect with you again - here in this tiny place in cyberspace. Talk with you again soon. I promise.