So I did a thing today…

After yesterday’s evening journey of getting the lawn mowers working and the yard mowed, I decided to work inside a bit today…a long overdue housecleaning.

I started with the kitchen since that’s usually a place I spend a great deal of time. After cleaning the counters, throwing quite a bit away. I also swept the floor and emptied several loads of trash.

Next, I made my way to the living room, where I also spend a great deal of time during the week. I started with the table that my computer is on, since once again, I spend a great deal of time there during the week. I threw quite a bit away and put some of what I’d collected in a box. Quite a few paper towels were used to get the table nice and clean. And felt a lot better about my workspace.

While I was cleaning the living room, I found an Outback Steakhouse gift card that I had gotten from a student for Christmas. I hadn’t used it yet and thought it might be nice to have some “real food” for a change. I ordered a steak online and it said it would take 20 minutes until it would be ready to pick-up at the restaurant. It came with a baked potato, salad, and bread. The total bill came to $18.18 and I figure the six dollars and change that would be left on the card I could leave as a tip.

So I made my way to the restaurant and waiting a short while until they brought the food out to my car. I gave a bit of an extra tip and made my way home. I have put the salad and baked potato in the fridge for a meal tomorrow. I had the steak and bread and what a treat it was! I don’t think I’ve ever tasted such a great steak in all my days. Just one of the things that we too often take for granted in life. And yes, I shared some with my German shepherd Abby.

David Lee

What do you mean it’s already spring?

I got a text from my daughter earlier today. She said that she had gone out for a run and came back with a sunburn. I started to text her back with the reply “And it’s not even spring yet!” and began to think, “When does spring officially begin?”

I check with Google and to my surprise, spring has been here for nine days, starting on Thursday, March 19th. I guess without social media and the like to remind me and being so busy with all my school work, I didn’t hear anyone else tell me it was spring.

You can definitely feel spring is already in the air…along with the pollen that’s coating my car. Today’s current afternoon temperature is 83.5 degrees and it may get even warmer before the day is done.

So hello, how are you spring? I didn’t see you come in! Make yourself right at home!

David Lee

Photo by my daughter, Heather…

Daily Readings for Saturday, March 28th

Meditation for the Day

There are two things that we must have if we are going to change our way of life. One is faith, the confidence in things unseen, the fundamental goodness and purpose in the universe. The other is obedience: that is, living according to our faith, living each day as we believe that God wants us to live, with gratitude, humility, honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love. Faith and obedience, these two, will give us all the strength we need to overcome sin and temptation and to live a new and more abundant life.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may have more faith and obedience. I pray that I may live a more abundant life as a result of these things.

From Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Balance

Seek balance.

Balance emotions with reason.

Combine detachment with doing our part.

Balance giving with receiving.

Alternate work with play, business with personal activities.

Balance tending to our spiritual needs with tending to our other needs.

Juggle responsibilities to others with responsibilities to ourselves.

Balance caring about others with caring about ourselves.

Whenever possible, let’s be good to others, but be good to ourselves too.

Some of us have to make up for lost time.

Today, I will strive for balance.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

————————————–

Lots and Lots of Thoughts: The Coronavirus Is Upon US

As I sit here in my living room on a Friday night, I consider what I might be doing if it wasn’t for the Coronavirus pandemic. Just two weeks ago tonight, I was out and about taking pictures of locals at restaurants and other venues. Pictures of people out and having a good time on a Friday night. And now, for the second consecutive week, there would be no pictures to be found.

Another facet of the pandemic is the fact that I’ve largely been living at home for the past two weeks. And while my German shepherd Abby is a good companion, there’s nothing to replace being able to converse with other human beings. Tonight, after taking pictures, I would go to the Barnes and Noble Cafe’, my home away from home, and be enjoying a coffee, writing in my journal, and talking with my guy friends. Tonight the cafe’s bare and here I sit, at home, alone.

My interim position as a fourth grade teacher has taken on a whole new focus as well. Last week, we had prepared packets of work for the students to do at home. I supplemented this with some online resources. Most of my waking hours this past week has been spent in front of a computer screen, making additional assignments, and corresponding to both students and parents online. I was given a special phone number to make calls to all my homeroom parents and was able to actually talk to about half of them.

Today, I decided I needed to get outside, if only to do some much-needed yard work. My front yard’s grass had grown fairly high and I noticed two other neighbors mowing their yards, so the pressure was on. I got my riding mower out and discovered the battery was dead. I took the old one out and went to the local auto supply store to get a new one. With the new battery installed, I cranked it up and then couldn’t get the parking brake to release to actually get the riding mower to move. When I was able to figure that issue out, I got to mowing. The rider stalled out because the grass was so high. Perhaps I had waited far too long to mow it….

Once I’d gotten most the front yard mowed, the belt came loose. It took a while to re-thread that and then the brake issue came upon me again. I got that to finally respond and the mower wouldn’t move forwards or backwards,,,I decided when I finally did get it to move to take it back in the garage. Luckily, my push mower was a lot more cooperative, and I was able to get the rest of the front yard mowed, including some of the trim work.

At the end of the day, I realized a shower would be a necessity. I am too proud to share how long it’d been since I had one. It was quite refreshing and made me feel much better. For supper tonight, I had two toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I share them with my dog and it was overall quite filling.

I hope sleep comes easily tonight. Several nights these past two weeks, it’s been hard to come by.

And so here I sit, on a Friday night, wondering what the next weeks will bring. It’s an uncertain future for us all and about all we’re able to do at this point is keep the faith and trust the journey.

David Lee

Daily Readings for Friday, March 27th

Meditation for the Day

The power of God’s spirit is the greatest power in the universe. Our conquest of each other, the great kings and conquerors, the conquest of wealth, the leaders of the money society, all amount to very little in the end. But he who conquers himself is greater than he who conquers a city. Material things have no permanence. But God’s spirit is eternal. Everything really worthwhile in the world is the result of the power of God’s spirit.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may open myself to the power of God’s spirit. I pray that my relationships with others may be improved by this spirit.

From Twenty-Four Hours a Day

After-Burn

How could I do it? How could I say it? Even though I meant it, I still feel ashamed, guilty, and afraid.

This is common reaction to new, exciting recovery behaviors. Anything to do with owning our power and taking care of ourselves can trigger feelings of shame, guilt, and fear.

We do not have to allow these feelings to control us. They’re a backlash. They’re after-burn. Let them burn out.

When we start confronting and attacking feelings and messages, we will experience some after-burn. The after-burn is what we allowed to control us all our life — shame and guilt.

Many of us grew up with shame-based messages that it wasn’t okay to take care of ourselves, be honest, be direct, and own our power with people. Many of us grew up with messages that it wasn’t okay to be who we were and resolve problems in relationships. Many of us grew up with the message that what we want and need isn’t okay.

Let it all burn off. We don’t have to take after-burn so seriously. We don’t let the after-burn convince us that we are wrong and don’t have a right to take care of ourselves and set boundaries.

Do we really have the right to take care of ourselves? Do we really have the right to set boundaries? Do we really have the right to be direct and say what we need to say?

You bet we do.

Today, I will let any after-burn which sets in after I practice a new recovery behavior, burn off. I will not take it so seriously. God, help me let go of my shame and needless fears about what will happen to me if I really start caring for and loving myself.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie 

Daily Readings for Thursday, March 26th

Meditation for the Day

Faith is the bridge between you and God. It is the bridge that God has ordained. If all were seen and known, there would be no merit in doing right. Therefore God has ordained that we do not see or know directly. But we can experience the power of His spirit through our faith. It is the bridge between us and Him, which we can take or not, as we will. There could be no morality without free will. We must make the choice ourselves. We must make the venture of belief.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may choose and decide to cross the bridge of faith. I pray that by crossing this bridge I may receive the spiritual power I need

From Twenty-Four Hours a Day 

Gifts, Not Burdens

Children are gifts, if we accept them.
—Kathleen Turner Crilly

Children are gifts. Our children, if we have children, are a gift to us. We, as children, were gifts to our parents.

Sadly, many of us did not receive the message from our parents that we were gifts to them and to the Universe. Maybe our parents were in pain themselves; maybe our parents were looking to us to be their caretakers; maybe we came at a difficult time in their lives; maybe they had their own issues and simply were not able to enjoy, accept, and appreciate us for the gifts we are.

Many of us have a deep, sometimes subconscious, belief that we were, and are, a burden to the world and the people around us. This belief can block our ability to enjoy life and our relationships with others. This belief can even impair our relationship with a Higher Power: we may feel we are a burden to God.

If we have that belief, it is time to let it go.

We are not a burden. We never were. If we received that message from our parents, it is time to recognize that issue as theirs to resolve.

We have a right to treat ourselves as a gift — to ourselves, to others, and to the Universe.

We are here, and we have a right to be here.

Today, I will treat myself, and any children I have, as though we are a gift. I will let go of any beliefs I have about being a burden — to my Higher Power, my friends, my family, and myself.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie