Toes

Every day I thank my body for the fine job it does moving me around this world of ours. I thank my lungs, heart, liver, etc... This morning I realized something. Although I do thank my feet, I haven't been acknowledging my toes! Think how difficult it would be to stand or walk without toes! I thanked my toes for the wonderful job they do. I realize this might sound silly but is it? Not to my toes. When is the last time you paid attention to the wonderful job your toes do for you and expressed gratitude to them? We love to be thanked when we do something for others and so do our toes!

My prayer tree

You’ve heard of Buddhist prayer flags, I’m sure. But do you know about having a prayer tree? I’m calling mine a prayer/gratitude/wishing tree to give me lots of flexibility. Most people who have prayer trees use strips of material they tie on the tree with each one representing a prayer. I’m using yarn because I have lots of pieces of yarn left over from various projects. It’s meaningful to me to see yarn I’ve used for projects hanging from the tree, blowing in the wind, and carrying my prayers off to the Gods and Goddesses!

I chose a Tulip tree we have in our yard. It’s branches are bare right now but there are little shoots starting to open and one day it will have leaves and flowers. Every time I go outside, I see the tree and the prayers I have sent out to the Universe. I have tied some yarn on asking for safety for all first responders and another for everyone affected with Covid-19 and their families. I've tied several "thank yous" as well as some for intentions and prayers for people I know who are struggling.

Some people create neighborhood prayer trees, leaving a basket with strips of material at the base of the tree, inviting anyone to tie on a strip of fabric and say a prayer or make a wish. I would love to do that where I live, but the folks around me are way too conservative and I suspect the tree wouldn’t survive long. It’s better for me to enjoy my own privately.

This could even be done inside one's home if there aren't trees nearby that would work. Wouldn't it be fun to start seeing lots of prayer trees in people's yards? Maybe we could start a trend! Join me, if you wish!

It was dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Krysta-safe. Over the past few months, I've started enjoying many of my meals in a bowl. I even reviewed a book that provides ways to build delicious bowl-meals. The bowl I was using was old and one day it simply gave up and fell apart. I spent hours online finding the perfect bowl. It had to be the right size so the food would stay hot and so it would hold enough for a meal, not just for morning cereal. It had to be around 7" wide and about 3" tall and I wanted one handmade so it would be really special.

I found the perfect bowl that was made by an artist in North Carolina, ordered it, and was delighted when it arrived. I enjoyed using it for about a week. Yesterday after lunch when I washed the bowl, it fell into the sink, and broke into four pieces. I was stunned. Did I drop it or was it defective in some way and just fell apart? I'll never know. Is this a message from the Universe that I shouldn't eat out of bowls? I don't think so.

Also yesterday, our second car wouldn't start. Instead, it just made a clicking sound. Could be the battery or the starter, I figure. Not sure when the auto shop will be open to look at it so very glad we have another car that is running just fine. Besides, who's going anywhere right now anyway?

Then let's talk toilet paper. The week before this mess with the coronavirus began, a friend told us we should stock up on toilet paper. We laughed at her, then decided she could be right so bought an extra package. Little did we know how right she was! Our local market has not had toilet paper for over a week and yesterday we checked with three local markets: all out! Who is hoarding tp? Amazing what a sense of fear and lack will do to some folks.

I did something I had never considered doing: I logged on to Amazon and ordered some tp. Who ever thought of buying toilet paper at Amazon? Not me! They were out of the most popular brands so I ended up buying 20 of some sort of big rolls. They will arrive between April 9 and 30! Really? Now I wonder where they are coming from since they were shipped today? Uh-oh.

In other ways, yesterday was a somewhat challenging day and I was glad when it was over. This morning, I told myself: this is going to be a great day! How did it start? With one of my dogs having an upset tummy. I guess the free-floating anxiety in the air is getting to her, too.

Why am I telling you all this? Because sometimes people see me as Pollyanna, Ms. Positive, and they think I lead an easy, uneventful life filled with rose blossoms, angelic visitations, and cotton candy. They figure there is no way I can remain upbeat if I have difficult days. Nope. Not true. Life throws rocks and boulders in my way just like everyone else....and I believe it's easier to deal with things coming from a positive place than from a negative one.

Cheer up. This too shall pass and we'll look back on these days with amazement. Those of you who have children and grandchildren will have some great stories to share with them and I bet some wonderful novels and movies will come out as well. We'll be able to say we were there and experienced all of this first-hand - and survived!

And, as someone recently pointed out, since beauty shops are now closed, in about three weeks we'll find out everyone's true hair color! There's always a silver lining if we just look for it!

Catching wellness

The other day I went to the doctor’s office for a routine checkup. These days, of course, one doesn’t see a doctor anymore. At my provider, you see a pharmacist who goes over any medications you’re taking and makes notes for the doctor. Anyway, I found myself starting to feel uneasy because of the coronavirus. The last place I wanted to be was somewhere where sick people gather.

What if there were a lot of people in the waiting area who were sneezing and coughing? What if there were some germs on the chair I would sit on or on the door handles? When my mother-in-law had gone for a routine doctor’s visit the other day, she checked in and then went and waited in her car, telling them to call her on her cell phone when they were ready for her. Good idea. Should I do that as well.

Then I caught myself and realized I was letting the fears and worries of the world-at-large inside my head. I decided to change my thinking. Instead of being fearful of catching some sort of illness, I decided I would spread wellness and help whoever was at the clinic catch my wellness instead of my catching anyone’s illness. What a better place to be and infinitely more helpful to everyone.

I’m still using common sense and doing the things we all should do to stay safe and healthy. But now when I go somewhere, I focus on sharing wellness with others. I feel lighter, more at ease, and I like to think I’m being a positive influence on the world. If even a few people catch wellness from me, that would be a wonderful thing.

No more nuts in the airport for me

As I walked through the TSA screener at the airport in Seattle, I saw my carry-on had been put in what I thought was the wrong place. I tried to get someone’s attention so I could get my bag and move along. A woman TSA agent walked past me and said tersely, “Just wait.”

Soon, a male TSA agent grabbed my bag and motioned for me to join him at a counter. We stood by my bag and he pointed to an x-ray of it and said, “They think those look like pills - what are they?” “Nuts,” said I. As he opened my bag and started to rummage through it, I explained.

“Right before we left the house this morning I realized I might get hungry and need some quick protein so I grabbed a baggie and put some mixed nuts in it and then put it in my carry-on.” By this time he had opened the bag, seen the nuts, and was satisfied. “Good idea,” he said as he walked away.

Fast forward seven days. I’m packing my bag to come home. I had eaten some of the nuts but not all of them. They aren’t going to get me this time, I thought to myself, and put the baggie in my suitcase. Going through the TSA screener in California, the woman agent who looked like happiness had not visited her in her entire life,  asked me if there was any food in my carry-on. “No,” I said, “there used to be but not anymore.”

After I went through the x-ray machine, she told me I had to have a full pat-down. She pointed to the x-ray results that showed yellow light where both of my empty pockets were. I told her I had no idea why something was showing up and she proceeded to do her job. I kept quiet, of course, but thought to myself that if she ever wanted to change careers, she would be a good massage therapist since she had no qualms about touching a stranger everywhere.

Fast forward again to the next morning. We had retrieved our dogs from the kennel, emptied our suitcases and had enjoyed a quiet evening at home. I was up early and sitting at my desk. I pulled a tarot book out, one I had taken with me on the trip. It had been in my suitcase. I saw an interesting piece of paper sticking out of the book and pulled it out to look at it. TSA had searched my suitcase!

They were probably trying to see what those pills-that-were-really-nuts actually were. My only regret? I wish I had seen what page in the tarot book they put the piece of paper in. There might have been a good message there for me. I will never know. What I do know is this: no more nuts for me when I travel by plane.