Friday This and That

When there is light in the soul, there is beauty in the person.

When there is beauty in the person, there is harmony in the house.

When there is harmony in the house, there is order in the nation.

When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.

 Chinese proverb

Friday? Already? Time sure does fly when you are having fun.  Sometimes the days just seem to run on together.  Not that I am complaining.  Retirement has been the best thing that ever happened to me. It's great having to have the freedom to choose whether or not I go out or not--to roll over and catch an extra wink or to wake up to a showery morning that "I don't want to go out in this" and not have to call anyone with an excuse. I am loving it.

After the episode on the bus the other day, I found myself a bit leery of getting on the bus.  I'm not a confrontational person, and I really let the episode effect me more than I should have.  But, I overcame my hesitancy and went to the program.  And I am so glad I did.  Thursday is always meditation class, and usually for the first half hour or so, we talk about about issues pertaining to spirituality, aging, dealing with emotions...basically whatever should come up.  Yesterday, as if she knew what I had gone through and how badly I had been hurt, she handed us a reading on 'Bad Memory' and I would like to share some of it with you...

'Happiness is good health  and a bad memory.'

Ingrid Bergman

Basically, we began by discussing the various little tactics we use to help us remember the little things we have to do.  Then the discussion ran into our good memories, and how important these good memories contribute to our general well being.  The second part of the reading then went on to discuss those feelings that we need to let go of. The reading went as follows...

'We would be happier, though, if we could forget some things.  Let's forget about those occasions when people betrayed us, made us cry, or sinned against us.  Let's forget about those times when we embarrassed ourselves, acted meanly, or let ourselves down.  There's no point in wallowing in such memories--and plenty of reasons to move on.'

And I realized that I had not yet let go, and the incident continued to play over and over again in my head. I also realized that part of my anger was this feeling that I had not only embarrassed myself by responding to this woman, but I had also let myself down by letting go of the good feelings I had held all morning long.  So, I spoke about it, and with the help of my instructor and my classmates, I realized that holding on was only going to cause me pain.  We then went on to discuss how there will always be negatives in our lives, no one is immune, but what is important is how we deal with them.  The instructor then led us through a 'letting go' meditation. Wonderful.  I left feeling so renewed.

Life really is short and living each day to the fullest is important. We just never know. Allowing others, and their baggage, to drag us down only causes us misery. And now, here we are entering the weekend with another war bearing down on us, and peace seems all oh, so much further away. (Sigh) Let us each take time this weekend to light a candle and pray that clear heads prevail.

Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it. For the greatest things grow by God's Law out of the smallest. But to live your life you must discipline it. You must not fritter it away in "fair purpose, erring act, inconstant will" but make your thoughts, your acts, all work to the same end and that end, not self but God. That is what we call character.

Florence Nightingale

Wishing you all a blessed weekend.