I have a particular type of weather in mind when I hear this question. Unfortunately, its occurrences are few and far apart. I remember back when I was a child, it used to snow a whole lot more than it does now. And when I say snow, I clarify by saying a major snow of anywhere from six to twelve inches that would be with us for nearly a week’s time.
I remember getting out on my sled one morning. The roads were still thick with their ice/snow covering, perfect for sledding. But the clouds that had brought the white-laden ground had left and the sun would be shining brightly in the blue sky. While the snow would eventually start to melt, these morning hours of sub-freezing temperatures with the sun ablaze in the blue sky are without a doubt my favorite weather condition.
I had a similar event as an adult nearly twenty years ago, although I no longer would get out to test the icy roads with my sled. It had snowed quite a bit and the clouds had given way to the blue sky and the sun was shining brightly. It was so very quiet and pristine that morning and I would pay anything to have one more moment just like that.
I’ve been writing in a journal for the past twenty-plus years. It was a suggestion from a therapist who I was seeing at the time. Little did I realize at the time what an important part of my life it would become. I found a journal the other day that I never had finished. I had reaching a turning point in my life and thought it appropriate to start a new journal. Reading back in the unfinished journal has been insightful. If only I knew then what was going to transpire. But then again, maybe I did.
From journal entry for December 2, 2022 —> Friday – 12:21 p.m. – Barnes and Noble ( I always put the date and time and place I’m writing)
Another journal has begun. This journal will most likely bring in a new year and we’ll say good-bye to what has been one of the most difficult years of my life. There will be no looking back and only looking ahead for what the new year’s possibilities are.
I will most likely reach a new level of turning my will and my life over to God’s care on multiple fronts. And I will hopefully be much happier for all the changes that are on the horizon for the year ahead.
So much has happened this past year and God only knows what will happen in the upcoming year. (Talk about prophetic!!!)
It was said at the meeting this morning and just perhaps it needs to by my mantra going forward: “Do no harm.” I know what I would like to have happen and I ask God to set that in motion (Truth is, I now don’t remember what that was.) if that is indeed a part of His will for our lives. (Now I’m really trying to remember what I was thinking at that time.)
It’s been a gorgeous day and I’m closing in on nightfall here at my home-away-from-home, the Barnes & Noble Cafe. I have a week off from school and will make an effort to share more of my writing over that time. I have still been writing in my journal, but want to share some of the thoughts meandering their way through my mind.
One of perks of teaching after you “retire” is that they limit the number of days per month you can actually work. The month of March featured twenty-one student days, so I had to plan to take five days off from work. I decided to lump them all together in this last week of March and am looking forward to the time off.
Unlike many jobs, where you just call in to say you won’t be there, teaching requires that you plan for the days off. While we have a local group coming in to teach classes for four of the five days, there were still plans about logistics that had to be made. I was able to get all that done yesterday so that I could focus on rest and relaxation for my week off.
I’m planning a trip for the first three days or so of my respite. I think sometimes it does a person good to get a geographical change and that’s what’s on the menu for me. I’m taking my camera with me and if the weather cooperates, hope to get some good pictures along the journey.
Once I’m back home, I’ll be doing quite a bit of work around the house to make it more presentable. I’ve gotten quite a few things for the house during my recent Saturday antique shopping adventures and need to figure out where to display it all. I’ve got some ideas on what I’d like for it to look like, but actually getting it done is a whole other story. We’ll see how that goes.
I will be doing quite a bit of reading and writing during the week off and yes, will do a bit of lesson planning for the week of school when I get back. It’s just a part of who I am and what I do.
This past year has been one that’s seen many changes in my life. Many of them occurred in May of last year and then once again, just a week before Christmas. As the first anniversaries of some of those events are just around the corner, I did some reflecting on how they’ve affected my life.
Indeed, my year has been filled with many ups and downs, mostly downs it would seem. But just as the season’s change is upon us, the events of the past have become dormant and new opportunities are availing themselves.
What you thought was your future life is laying in deep hibernation. In fact, truth be told, it is dead in the ground, never to return. But I also realize it’s because of that former life that I’ve been given the opportunities at present, only limited by my imagination.
I’ts not always to let go of what was, but to realize your true destiny, very necessary.
What happened on all fronts was supposed to be, a part of my destiny,,,,and now it’s time to move on.
I have to be truthful and say I’ve done a good job since that fateful December day. But I shouldn’t let it stop with what I’ve been able to do so far. There are more pearls to be found in this life of mine.
Life is meant to be enjoyed. Certain deaths of seasons in life have cleared the way for new possibilities. So just for today, enjoy where you’re at and live each day to the fullest.
My most influential teacher was my high school history teacher. Alas, it was not his history class that I most remember him for, but instead his caring attitude towards students. It just so happens he was also the junior varsity baseball team, of which I was a member.
The year I played on his team was less than illustrious. In our first game of the season, I was put in as a pinch-runner for the catcher. I attempted to steal second base and was thrown out by a full five steps. When I returned to the dugout, the coach asked, “Moser, why did you run?” I told him that I didn’t think the catcher had the ball. He replied, “Well, you can sit there and think about it for the rest of the game.” He might as well have said the rest of the season. I batted twice that year and was 0-2. It was my last year playing competitive baseball.
Many years later, after he had received a cancer diagnosis, I saw him at the high school basketball gym that had been named in his honor. We were both there for a basketball game and we exchanged pleasantries. During our conversation, he said, “Moser, you played for me back in ’75 didn’t you?” It astonished me that he remembered back that far, about twenty-five years, much less someone that had played such a minor role on the team.
That really impressed me that he could recall from all those years ago. It showed me that he did learn about each of his players/students and was indeed a caring person. It wasn’t too long after that event that he passed away. But he will forever be in my memory as a teacher who truly loved his students and players.
I would say that my uncertainty about the future causes me the most anxiety. I sometimes wake up in the morning to a myriad of anxious thoughts about the day ahead and my life in general. Sometimes the hamster wheel gets spinning so quickly, the only way to get it to stop is to get out of bed. I will say that I’ve gotten better with it over the past month or so, but it’s definitely not been easy.
I have several sets of “oracle” or “tarot” cards that I will sometimes make a draw from to find out what it has to say. There are also online versions and the draw I made from one of those this evening was quite interesting and insightful.
VULTURE SPIRIT
Nothing is wasted
Protection Message: Do you wish you could run away from your past or deny your mistakes? “Not so fast,” says Vulture Spirit. You have gained something valuable from the experience.
Let your grief or anger move through you and soon your emotions will transform, for you will come to see that you have learned and grown. The alchemy of transformation is a gift from Spirit, so never disown what embarrassed, disappointed, or shamed you. It will soon be a source of great wisdom and strength as you work with the magic that allows miracles to be created out of sadness and beauty to arise from ugliness.
Vulture Spirit wants you to know that you embody beauty, and the alchemical transformation of the past is happening already. Hang in there; you are so loved, and so much beauty is waiting to come out of all of this.
This past year has been one of many ups and downs in my life. During the month of May, I lost my dear dog Abby to cancer, got married, and had my mother die, all in the span of one week. To say it was an emotional month is putting it mildly. I dealt with it all the best I could and trusted that all would be well.
This year has been one of great changes in my life as well. I am once again getting acclimated to living life on my own and trying to make sense of all that’s occurred since those fateful months of May and December of last year. Some days are better than others and then there are days like yesterday when everything seems to be like the weather was, cold and dark.
Today’s reading that I’ve included above, seems to be speaking to me in a powerful way. I have heard that regardless of whether events in our lives are termed as being either good or bad, there are lessons to be learned that will help us down the road. So even though I’ve experienced great sadness and loss, I know that I’ll be stronger on the other side of it. Sometimes when you’re in the midst of it all, you can’t really see that. But I have faith that will be the case with me.
And just like yesterday’s cold and dreary rain will give way to today’s sun and blue skies, the difficult events of this past year will one day become steps for learning how to have a fulfilling life.
Two-and-a-half weeks into my hiatus from social media and all is well. I’ve even contemplated not going back once Easter Sunday has arrived. Time will tell….
Twenty-some-odd days into staying away from social media and I can actually say I’m not missing it all that much. At least not as much as I did the first few times I tried much the same. There are those times that I’ve been tempted to take a peek but have been able to thwart the craving.
The past three Saturdays, I’ve gone on antique hunting expeditions. The first Saturday I went to places locally that I’ve been to before, but then the past two weekends, I ventured out and traveled quite a bit in a quest to find some treasures.
The biggest finds for me, at least as far as what I like to look for, have been two Coca-Cola clocks from the 1950s. The first came last week at a quaint antique store that I had found. I even managed to get a discount on it after asking if they’d take any less than the sticker price. I don’t often times do that, but in this case, it was beneficial and worked!
Today I found a similar Coca-Cola clock that had the same design, but a different background color. The price on it was already reasonable, so I didn’t dicker with the owner at this antique mall. In the case of both clocks, I made sure to plug them in and let them run a bit before purchasing them. Older clocks can be problematic when it comes to working condition. I found another old clock that I would have purchased today, but it didn’t run.
There’s a map of all the antique malls in North Carolina and I’ve been checking them off as I visit them. While I don’t buy something at each stop, it is interesting to see what is out there that people enjoy looking for. I’m not sure that I’ll go anywhere next Saturday, as I need to work some here around the house, including find places for the buys that I’ve made.
It’s been a week since my hiatus from social media began and all is well….
The season of Lent began last Wednesday and since the point in time, I have visited any social media pages. I’ve done this before and it would seem this time around it’s been much easier to stay away from the temptation to scroll those pages.
I’ve found myself writing in my journal a lot more, which was to be expected. I used one whole journal for the month of February and have started yet another this week. I have found it would seem that my desire to write has increased with the reduction of time devoted to social media sites.
I started another interim teaching position the first full week of February and that too has been a good “distraction” to my addiction to spending hours each week on Facebook and the like. I have found quite a few new sites that I’ve been able to use with my students and of course, have also been planning lessons and grading student work.
I recently went through some major changes in my personal life just before the end of 2022 and that’s required a lot of soul-searching on my part. While social media sites many times give me a lot of inspiration and motivation, I have found multiple other sources that seem to fit the bill as well. I also have friends who are willing to share humorous and thoughtful memes with me and that’s been a help to keep my spirits and sense of humor alive and well.
So one week in, all is well. I will continue to branch out and am planning on starting back to my walking routine this next weekend. I also have visited quite a few antique malls and have rekindled my interest in antique advertising.
One last thing,,,,I’d always do my FB posts first thing when I got up in the morning. While it didn’t take a great deal of time, I have been able to use that five to ten minutes productively. I’ve started to practice a positive meditation that I actually look forward to each morning. And that’s gotta be a good thing.
Two days in to my Lenten sabbatical from social media and all is well.
For the past two days, I’ve been off social media, namely Facebook, and all is going well thus far. My morning routine is definitely at a slower pace since I don’t have to do my daily posts when I awaken. I’ve also found that my time on my phone has lessened, as I’ve taken social media icons where they can’t be seen. Actually, I deleted the apps and will have to reinstall them when I return.
My interim teaching position had cut down on my time with social media anyway. So the transition this time around hasn’t seemed to be as difficult. I do miss seeing what others are sharing and I’m thinking some people are missing the daily posts I do. But it does give me time to focus on something other than the electronic feed.
I’ve done quite a bit more reading and writing, which I consider to be a good thing. I’ve played quite a few of my baseball simulation board game and that’s always a lot of fun. Overall, it’s been fairly easy to stay away from it all. I just wonder if when the Lenten season is officially over, if I’ll even want to come back at all.
David Lee 