"Meditation is the soul's perspective glass."......................... Owen Feltham

Meditation is like farming..... " the right soil is required to grow anything, nothing will grow if the soil is polluted by striving or pushing too hard".

Jon Kabt-Zinn

Good Morning Ya'll.  It is a wonderfully cool and cloudy day with a light refreshing breeze blowing.  A perfect time to take a stroll around the property.  I have known for many years the unmistakable link between mind and body.  If my mind is a wreck, my body follows the trend.  Therefore; the importance of a balance between the two is vital for quality of life.  Meditation is an inexpensive and proven method to achieve this balance.  One of the ways I soothe my soul is working in my vegetable and flower gardens.

First baby cucumber of the year.

The fruits of my labor!  Baby Tomatoes!

So, it comes as no surprise to me that a study at the University of Massachusetts found that  mindfulness therapy  can relieve the symptoms of Menopause (hot flashes, night sweats, sleeplessness and on and on and on).  This is a quote from the article concerning Hormone Replacement (this has never been something I used and here is why):

About 40 percent of menopausal women suffer from hot flashes and night sweats, which undermine their quality of life, the researchers noted. But since hormone replacement therapy has been linked with an increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer and stroke, Carmody observed that "not only are women looking for alternative treatments, it is an NIH (National Institutes of Health) priority to find behavioral treatments."

Sometimes a change of scenery is a treat so we drive the 10 miles into Muskogee to visit Honor Heights Park.  This is a lovely place with lots of walking paths, a duck pond (about a mile walk just around the duck pond (paddle boats for those not afraid of the water, me--I can't swim--sad I know) and a variety of plant life and trees.

Another article I found (Leave Stress Behind with Mindful Walking) gives some clues how to achieve this relaxing state of mind:

Here is a simple mindful walking exercise you can practice whenever you need it:

1. While walking, pay attention to your breathing. Use this focus on the breath as an anchor to stabilize your attention.

2. Next, allow yourself to notice any sights, sounds, or physical sensations that may come up as you walk. Rest your awareness for a moment on that sight, sound, or sensation, then return your awareness to your breathing.

3. If persistent thoughts distract you from your mindful awareness, simply notice them, then return your awareness to your breathing.

Meditation ain't hard ya'll.  Just take the trash out (mentally) and relax, enjoy and heal thyself.

I found this really funny you tube video while browsing and thought you might enjoy a musical tour of Muskogee.  I loved it.  Laughed til my sides hurt

Pillow Talk.....Then and Now

People who are sensible about love are incapable of it.  ~Douglas Yates

I fondly recall those distant memories of sharing a (as in one) pillow with a special person.  We would talk about everything and nothing.  Basking in the "afterglow"; soft words of love, comfort, joy and hope were lovingly whispered.  His hand lightly caressing my cheek. Well, that was then!

This is now: I sleep with my cat and half a dozen pillows.  A special one made  for people who sleep on their side with a little hole for your ear to snuggle into. I still like to have my ear snuggled, even if it is just a $20 pillow doing the snuggle thing.( I failed to take into consideration that even though I am a side sleeper, I am a left, right, front, back, on top of my head sleeper who  gets up several times during the night for a mad dash to the bathroom).  Then there is the temperature issue.  I stay overheated but more so at night (my internal thermostat stuck?) We will not use the M (menopause) word.  Actually, I don't get much sleep at night. Maybe that's why I am cranky sometimes. (Mood swings?). Say it ain't so Dr. Oz!

I also have a little eco friendly pillow that I rest my right wrist on at night (maybe carpal tunnel, maybe not).  Then there is the pillow stuffed into my lower back area (yes, my bad back).  Good grief, I'm depressing me. And you people over at "Go Ye Village Retirement Center" in Tahlequah need to quit sending me brochures.  I ain't ready yet!  Do they have inside information regarding my medical records, I wonder?  I repeat, I ain't ready! Send your brochure to someone older than me!  Your depressing me!

         

Then there is the pillow I use to cushion my bum ankle.  No need to go on.  You get the idea.  Yes, I do still have some parts that work correctly and I can name them on one hand (not the carpal tunnel hand). However, some of my parts were surgically removed and I have no idea where they went (nor do I want to know).  You're in denial if you can't relate to anything I've said and you're over 40.

My "afterglow" is now a sunburn from trying to wrestle a few acres from the clutches of "wild America".

Aloe Vera Plant:  Miracle Sunburn Healer

What a difference a few years makes (O.K. more that a few years but less that a half century). The only thing caressing my cheek now is Sophie's whiskers! 

Check out the whiskers on this lovable face! (Sophie)

Being older and single is glorious!  Some of my friends want to "fix me" because I'm not married (i.e. find me a husband).  Guess what folks?  Don't "fix me" cause I ain't broke and I haven't gotten lost!  I have adapted to Simple Living single style just fine, thank you very much! 

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.  Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. 

H. Jackson Browne

Just a quick update:  The prayer at the bottom of Thursday's post worked for our community.  I'm sure my prayer wasn't the only one sent up that night, but God heard them all and showed his Mercy.  When the huge line of dangerous storms arrived, they split and went around us on both sides as if God himself reached down and parted the clouds!  I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer and give thanks to My God for his grace and love.

Mid Life Crisis? Menopause? Madness?

The process of maturing is an art to be learned, an effort to be sustained.  By the age of fifty you have made yourself what you are, and if it is good, it is better than your youth. 
~Marya Mannes, More in Anger, 1958

On my way home from Muskogee today, I had a little time for reflection.  The trip totally exhausted me and some of the people I encountered in town were just plain scary.  So I got to thinking about life in general and mine specifically.  Some areas are great, best it's ever been.  And then there's this one little thing:

Reasons I Think My Life May Be Out Of Balance

1. If my life as I know it now were a  song it would be "I 'm A Survivor" instead of my years gone by days of "Pretty Woman".  My personal appearance isn't number one on my list anymore.(not even in the top ten) but I sure know how to survive emotional and mental upheaval. I need to find a nice balance between the two.  Pretty woman meets Wonder Woman.
2. When I drive in town, I turn the radio off to stay focused  instead of turning it up so loud it rocks the entire block.
3. I sleep with a cute furry cat instead of a handsome hairy man and I don't care (well, maybe a little).
4. I have dimples in my fannie instead of in my smiling face and I don't care (well maybe a little).
5. My hair color out of a bottle for 35 years was red, now it's mostly natural silver and I don't care.
6. The average size American woman is a 14, I am not and I don't care (well, maybe a little).
7. I do the things my mother used to do to drive me crazy and it scares the hell out of me (when I can remember what they were).
8. When it's 32 degrees outside, I'm comfortable in a thin long sleeve shirt (hot flashes you know).
9. My waistline measures more than my bust line (that ain't right)!
10. When I try to climb out of bed, all my bones cracking sounds like a 21 gun salute.

My goodness!  I didn't know it was going to turn into a novel!  Let's see, weight gain, wild mood swings(didn't confess to that one, did I?), hot flashes.  Hold on please, I need to look-up the definition of Mid Life Crisis. (An emotional period of doubt and anxiety sometimes experienced by people who realize that their life is already half over).  Wow, that was a close one!  There for a minute I thought it might be me. I refuse to look up the other M word.  That ain't it. Why? you ask.  Because I said so. I'd rather suffer from Madness!
  

O.K. time to get a grip. 

1. No more midnight kitchen raids looking for chocolate (can abstaining from chocolate kill you?). 
2. No more McDonald's Happy Meals because they don't make me happy when I can't fit into my clothes (contrary to popular thinking, spandex is not your friend). 
3. I will use our in-home torture chamber (also known as a treadmill). 
4. I will count my calorie intake instead of counting how much fat I can consume in one meal (that's what gives it flavor you know) and I will eat tofu with a smile (O.K. I'm lying about the tofu).
5. Just in case it is the other M word, I will research Herbal Remedies.
6. Set a goal:  I want to look like a healthy mature (fifty something) woman who is real sexy. Like Reba.  That Oklahoma gal has it going on in all the right places. It will take commitment (something I'm not real good with, been married twice you know), perseverance and A Sky Full Of Angels.  I'll start on Monday.  Haven't decided which month yet. That's another country song I'm sure.

Simple Living is not about escaping the pitfalls of life (natural and self made)but about picking yourself up, dusting off your bruised tush and surviving when others can't or won't.  It's about living life to the fullest with grace, dignity and a great sense of humor.  It's about seeking balance and fulfillment within and then it will manifest itself in every area of your life.  My life is momentarily out of balance but I recognize that problem and will seek my peace one day at a time.