Easter

Today is Easter.  For me it is a quiet day of reflection.  I am looking back at the last three years since I learned I had a heart defect and how my life has changed in that time.

I have changed my diet and am pretty much a vegetarian, though I do eat shrimp or salmon on occasion.  I also still eat cheese, both cow and goat.  Most of my diet is fruits and vegetables.

I feel a lot healthier and have lost about forty lbs since my surgery.  I am exercising more and eating healthy.  I enjoy biking, and yoga, and even lifting weights, among my exercise activities.  In fact I am wishing the snow would melt faster so I can get back out on the tandem or on my bike and ride.

I am also working on my spiritual side.  I read daily from the book Daily Wisdom for Women. It is a book of daily devotionals.  They make me think and reflect and I write about it in my journal each day.  I have also been reading Quiet Mind which make me think and reflect as well. 

I am finding my zen, my absolute peace.  It is what I need to do for me. 

I have slowly been meeting my weight goals and though I still have a way to go to reach my ultimate goal, but I am on my way and it is a journey I am enjoying.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter and a renewal of spirit as you find your own peace.  God Bless.

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday and should be a day of quiet reflection, but for me it is a day of shock.
My daily reading talked about Jesus' crucifixion. Specifically it discussed today being the day he returned triumphant to Jerusalem before his arrest and crucifixion.  It should be a joyous day, but instead it is a day of sadness for me.

The oldest son of one of my husband's close friends killed himself this morning. He was a young man, not yet 21 and had the whole world open to him. He was smart, and a good kid, a former Boy Scout and one who could achieve great things once he knew where he wanted to go with his life.

I do not understand why someone so young would think that ending his life was the best choice or that it was his only option.  I do not understand any one committing suicide, but especially one so young.

This is the second young person who has passed this year that I knew in some way.  Both were considered suicides.

Both of these young people were smart, with a lot going for them.  They could have chosen any path for their future, but both chose death.  I do not understand why they felt that their lives had to end, so young.

I am in shock over this young man's choice.  I just do not understand it.

My prayers go out to his family this day and through the days ahead as I know this is a difficult time for them.

Daily Reflective Readings.

Having subbed almost everyday for the past two months has put a kink in my quite reflective time. I cannot do the morning things when I have to be ready to leave between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning, but I have enjoyed subbing for the most part. There are always a few kids that make life interesting.

I have tried to find time at  least to read my Daily Wisdom for Women and write in my journal and this has helped to keep my focus and my balance. I really like the daily readings and find that they resonate in my life.  I also like reading and reflecting on the book Quiet Mind which is another book of short readings that give me pause to think and reflect on. Some of which have lead me to write ten pages in my journal in one morning.

I find my time of quiet reflection and reading to help to settle my mind and guide my day. It is helps me to focus on absolute peace and makes my day progress more smoothly.  I feel it is important for me to continue this through out the year.

Each day when I read and reflect I discover new things about myself in my thought process. It is a wonderful experience and one that I think is definitely in line with my focus on ZEN this year.

I am off to spend some more time in quiet meditation before heading to bed. May you have peaceful, positive thoughts.

Welcoming 2013 with Zen

"A whole new year stretches out before you ... What kind of footprints will you leave? ... gigantic leaps of faith. Or ... tiny steps of slow, steady progress ... You have imagination, intellect, and most importantly, a soul." 

- from Daily Wisdom for Women.

 

Today starts a new year and a new beginning, What do I hope to  accomplish or achieve during these 365 days?

"Nobody sees a flower, really, - it's so small - we haven't time, and to see takes time..."

- Georgeia OKeefe.

This year I want to take time to stop and see the flowers, to see the little things in life and enjoy them.

I have also decided it is time to focus on mind and body.  I chosen ZEN as my word for the year.  

ZEN is "1. ...a total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind.  ZEN is a way of being. It is also a state of mind. ZEN involves dropping illusion and seeing things without distortion created by your own thoughts...
2. The closest translation for Zen is contemplation (Watts 22)... 

3. Complete and absolute peace." 

 Urban Dictionary

I also considered Creative Meditation or Creative Reflection, as well as Harmony for my word or phrase for the year, but picked ZEN as I think it incorporates them all.

My goals, not resolutions which are often broken, for 2013 include: 

  1.   Exercise

  2.   Meditation

  3.   Quilting

  4.   Reading

  5.   De-Cluttering

  6.   Making Improvements to our Home

  7.   Eating Healthy 

  8.   Journaling

  9.   Blogging

10.   

"Set a goal, write it down, and release the outcome. Small steps make a big difference."  

- C. Richardson

You will notice I left number 10 blank and that my goals are very broad, this makes it easier to meet them and harder to break them. It also gives me flexibility to add to them if I so choose, after today.

 I want to achieve my goals for the year and they are ones that can me long term and carry over into other years.  They are also not in any particular order. They are goals that I want to focus on this year, and each day will include some, but not others and it will vary from day-to-day. 

I am looking forward to what this new year brings and am welcoming it with open arms.  There are some I have heard express apprehension regarding the number 13, but I do not feel that. I feel excited to see what the new year will bring. 

I look forward to this new year and am hoping that you are anticipating the experiences it may bring as well.

Happy New Year to all!