The Magic of Play

Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.

Nora Roberts

Magic exists in the beauty of sunrise or in the sunset, as day turns into night, and then back again to day.  We hear it in the laughter of the children or in the enchanting tune of our favorite song. There is the magic of the changing seasons and the magic that is found in all the world around us.  The magic of the stones, the stars, plants, trees.  Magic is all around us.  It is everywhere. 

And then, there is the magic of play.  This is the kind of magic that we tend to forget as we grow older. We become so enmeshed in the world of reality that we forget what it is to play. But play is important to adults, too. It helps us to clear our minds and relax. Imagination is good for the soul.  For those who have known me for awhile, I always keep a coloring book and crayons on hand for those overly stressful days.  It helps me to unwind to become a child again, even if only for an hour. I also love cutouts, always have.  Only, I've not been able to find them in the stores lately. It seems little girls today, in this technological world, don't have the opportunity to experience what once gave us great joy.

I have to wonder...how many children today have the opportunity to or even want to romp about the yard on a broom, pretending it is their faithful horse?  My grandmother's groom was Sowdy. Why, I even remember my horse's name almost 60 years later, but don't ask me where I got it from.  That's how magical life was back then...before the days of video games and 500 channel t.v.  

I still love the magic of play.  It's what keeps me going.  And, although I don't indulge as often as I once did, I'm finding my way back again.  My office space is so much out of the norm.  At the old place, I had so many little guys who used to sing and dance.  Everyone, clients as well as staff, used to remark that it was like stepping into a magical world.  Alas, most have been given away now because I just don't have the room where we are now, but, the following guys made the trip with me.

  

Mr. Frog plays and sings "I'm a Gambling Man" while Mr. Gorilla just sits there and rolls his eyes.  Mr. Rat has been with me almost 15 years now. He is just too soft, cuddly, and cute to let go.

White Boy moves his arms and sings "Play That Funky Music, White Boy." Officer Ron twirls his nightstick and sings "Bad Boys". Sometimes I like to play tricks on clients as well as co-workers, so one night I advised my parole group that we had a special guest.  When I said Officer Ron would be speaking at the group, the youngest group member got highly upset, "We don't want him here." Then, I took out little Officer Ron and allowed him to do his thing, and the group burst out in laughter. Along the same lines, I once had a parrot that repeated everything  you said.  I thought my guys would enjoy it, but when I sat  him in the middle of floor, everyone refused to speak.  They thought he was taping everything they said.  For that one, I humbly apologized.

This little pirate parrot, on the other hand, sings "I Want Candy" while flapping his wings.  Miss Flower sings "Hello, Hello, Hello", all based on nearby movement.  I used to keep her sitting next to the candy dish in my office. Every time someone snuck into my office take a candy, she'd go off in song and scare the cahoots out of them. I got such a kick out of it. Tinker Bell  was a recent gift from one of my clients.

Not exactly the kind of behaviors one would expect from a woman my age, right?  But, hey, we have to laugh.  We have to find joy in our lives.  We can't go through life so serious we have no time to play.  

So, what how do you play?

Dawn on the Headland

Dawn - and a magical stillness: on earth, quiescence profound;

On the waters a vast Content, as of hunger appeased and stayed;

In the heavens a silence that seems not mere privation of sound,

But a thing with form and body, a thing to be touched and weighed!

Yet I know that I dwell in the midst of the roar of the cosmic wheel,

In the hot collision of Forces, and clangor of boundless Strife,

Mid the sound of the speed of the worlds, the rushing worlds, and the peal

Of the thunder of Life.

William Watson

Lately  it has been dark when I rise on my early days to work.  Sure sign that fall is on its way. No longer do I have the luxury of stepping out into my backyard and enjoying the sunrise as I sip a steaming mug of hot coffee, but it is just as much fun sitting at my window in the darkness, looking into my courtyard and watching as the sun rises over the buildings. The windows in all of the other apartments are dark, quiet, with no signs of movement, and sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who must get up and leave the coziness of my bed to go to work.  

Solitude.  I imagine that I am alone in the world as I watch as the first golden rays of the new day's sun appear.  A new day is just beginning, and I wonder what it will bring. Will the day be quiet, without incident?  Or will be one of those days when nothing seems to go right?  And I begin to think of the things that I have to accomplish for the day, and I will go about getting it all done...and suddenly, a shrill cry startles me, and I am shocks me back to the world of reality.  Miss Minga has risen and wants to eat.  

Of course, on rainy days my mornings are slightly different.  I do sit in the darkness and watch the rain as it falls, but my thoughts are not the same.  Instead of making my daily plans, I sit there thinking, "Should I or shouldn't I?"  There is just something about leaving the comfort of one's home and stepping out into the rain.  

How do you spend your morning hours?

Monday This and That

My home...It is my retreat and resting place from wars,

I try to keep this corner as a haven against the tempest

outside, as I do another corner in my soul.

Michel Eyquem De Montaigne

Friday night was special. The rain held off until well after I got home, and when it finally did come, I was so prepared.  Off went the lights and the curtain was pulled.  Turned out not to me much of a storm, but it did cool the night down some.  Saturday I was up early and headed out to the supermarket by 9 am.  It was so nice and cool.  A great touch of fall to be sure, but only a tantalizing hint of what was to come because it seemed that the heat had returned by the time I got out of the store. 

As you may have already guessed, the pictures today are of my home.  Not as clear as I would like as they were taken from my cell phone.  I've been saving up for a new and better camera.  The picture above is in my living room above my computer work space.

So, the rest of my Saturday was spent slaving away in the kitchen.  The newness of experimenting with sodium free recipes has worn off, and cooking has once again become a chore to me.  It wasn't always that way.  I used to love to cook, so much so that I took a certification course in catering and used to work parties with my sister-in-law. I thought perhaps I had cooked myself out, but this Wednesday we are having a farewell party for a co-worker who is moving onto better pastures and are all bringing in a dish.  I find myself looking forward to putting it together. Perhaps I just need a crowd to cook for. I've chosen to bring a cold pasta salad of sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, olives, and chunks of mozzarella cheese. 

This is one of hubby's collection of masks.  This one is from Africa.  It's quite a magnificent piece.

The above mask is from Columbia. 

This is a little altar set up by the entrance door.  It changes throughout the seasons. 

This beautiful arrangement stands next to my china closet.  It's about five feet tall and everything but the roses is made from wicker. They stand in the following beautiful vase.

Forgive the blurriness.  My knees would not let me kneel to get a better view. And finally.....

One of my favorites.  Hubby and I have had this painting almost twenty years now.  It holds a prominent place over my dining room table.

So, there you have a short tour of some of my favorite things, some of the things make my home a home, a place to come home to and kick off my shoes and want to stay awhile.  More to come, but for now, I will leave you with the following:

What is home?

“A roof to keep out the rain? Four walls to keep out the wind?

Floors to keep out the cold? Yes, but home is more than that.

It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, the strength

of a father, warmth of loving hearts, lights from happy eyes,

kindness, loyalty, comradeship. Home is first school and first

church for young ones, where they learn what is right, what

is good, and what is kind, where they go for comfort when

they are hurt or sick; where joy is shared and sorrow eased;

where fathers and mothers are respected and loved, where

children are wanted; where the simplest food is good enough

for kings because it is earned; where money is not as important

as loving-kindness; where even the tea kettle sings

from happiness. That is home. God bless it!”

Unknown

TGIF

Rather than fitting one's life into the demands of external conformity,
rather than living one's life as an imitation of the life of another, one
should look to find the authentic self within. One should labor to
develop one's own unique style in crafting one's soul. An individual
who denies his or her own individuality articulates life with a voice
other than that which is uniquely his or her own. One who suppresses
one's own self is in danger of missing the point of one's own existence,
of surrendering what being human means.

Rabbi Byron L. Sherwin

Wow, the weekend is here again. So fast...and so welcomed. This is a pay week for me so you know what that means. It's also a cooking weekend. Will be up early tomorrow morn and out to the store. This low sodium diet, and the medications, are really working. Yesterday I had the nurse take my BP, and it was 140 over 84, a great drop from the last time. Doesn't mean I am going to let up on things though. It's still high with a ways to go to be normal. But, even when it does hit normal, there is no way I will go back to the uncontrollable eating that got me in this shape to begin with.

Today I feel good about myself and the positive changes I have made in my life. There will be no going back.

Sunday, I'm still not sure what I am going to do.  I know I am getting antsy about making some Autumnal changes on my blog, but somehow, with the weather as warm as it is, it doesn't seem right.  I know I will definitely do some reading.  Bought a great book for my Kindle called "The Witch's Goddes:The Feminine Principle of Divinity" by Janet and Stewart Farrar. Fantastic book about the feminine principle in women. A nice cozy bath also sounds great, some scented candles, and just some comfy lounging about in my favorite chair. My son won't be coming down this weekend, so Sunday is all mine.  Much as I love him, we all need time to ourselves to recoup and rest.

May you all have a weekend filled with great joy and happiness.

Will This Be Us One Day?

The planet earth has a life span of eight billion years, give or take a few million.
People have been around for approximately forty thousand years--a virtual

blink in the cosmos. It is sad that we as a species are ravaging the natural 
world so fast that we are jeopardizing our survival. If we wipe ourselves out,

it would be the height of folly, but the earth will survive even us. It will eventually

restore itself. It might take a few thousand years, and it won't be just

as it was before, but its life is stronger than death.

Charlotte Davis Kasl

Yesterday a co-worker and I were watching the latest pictures of Mars on the computer, and I thought, "How special is this. Here we were, sitting in an office watching pictures of a planet that is located 35 million miles from us, at the closest point in its orbit, and it was like someone had filmed a dessert on our Earth." The pictures were magnificent. Yet, as I stood there watching in awe, I couldn't help but wonder if we were being given a prophetic glimpse at the future of our great Mother Earth. Is this where we are heading?

To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster

its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.

Wendell Berry

Personally, I believe the Mars once was once a thriving planet,  teeming with life; in fact, much like our Earth. That is, until its inhabitants destroyed it just as we are in the process of destroying our own beautiful planet right now. Greenhouse gases. Polluted waters. Overpollution. As a people, we throw tons of garbage away every year without even thinking of recycling. We destroy natural habitats in our quest for fuel to heat our homes and drive our cars. We chop down trees and destroy forests for paper and building. As a result, animals are going extinct, and once they are extinct, they will be gone forever.  

Could it be that by allowing the Curiosity to land and take these pictures at this precise time is the Universe's way of reaching out to us?  Is she showing us what is to come if we don't learn to live within our limits? The truth is, if we don't stop all this madness and start thinking about tomorrow, there will be no tomorrow. We have an obligation to our future generations to come. As it stands now, what future will they have. Our Earth is definitely getting warmer and our desserts bigger. We are becoming the planet Mars. Are we just going to sit here and watch it happen?  Or are we going to do something about it while we still have a chance?

My Real Life Nightmare

Nothing is more destined to create deep-seated anxieties in people

than the false assumption that life should be free from anxieties.

Fulton J. Sheen

I often say there is no need to drive a car in New York. One can get anywhere they want on a train or bus.  But, sometimes that just isn't so. Last night was a nightmare coming home from work.  It all started out well.  I was on a cool air-conditioned train, enjoying a book on my Kindle, when a conductor announced...'No N, R, or Q trains going to Brooklyn. To catch any of these trains, please go back uptown to 42nd Street and pick up the 2 or 3 train.  Take to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn."  There, we were assured, we would be able to pick up our trains and to the rest of the way home.

Heading uptown was a nightmare in itself. There was no free transfer.  As usual, the MTA wasn't on top of things so it cost me and all the other passengers an extra fare.  The train itself was mobbed, and you can't imagine how crowded and hot it was at the Times Square Station.  But, the nightmare gets worse.  On the 2 train we were packed like sardines...and there was no air conditioner. The sweat was running off me...but I'm dealing with it because I am on my way home...or so the MTA had me believing.

The truth is, there were NO R or N trains running either way. When we got off at Atlantic Avenue I couldn't believe what I was facing.  There were tens of thousands of people there all struggling to find their way out of what had a 120 degree station...if not more.  Police officers were doing their best to direct people, but it was a mob scene down there.  I hadn't been feeling well to begin with.  My back was aching badly, and I was beginning to feel like I was going to pass out.  "Please. Get me out of here."  I cried out as I literally started sobbing.  "I can't take anymore of this I am afraid I am going to faint."  An officer saw my situation, on cane and all amongst all these people, and personally helped me to the elevator and out to fresh air. 

Fresh air, to be sure, but throngs of people and no place to go. It was quite a frightening experience because none of us knew what was going on.  There were police stationed all over the place, and police cars, fire trucks, and even a hazmat vehicle sped by sirens blaring. Someone passed a rumor that there was a bomb on the Manhattan Bridge, but how can you blame people for jumping to conclusions when, as usual, the MTA couldn't get it right? The MTA on one occasion said 'debris on the tracks on the Manhattan Bridge' and on another occasion 'Smoke alert at Dekalb Avenue.'  It's almost like they were trying to cover something up, and when added to all else that was going on, it does make you wonder.

Eventually I made it to the corner, leaned against a pole, and called hubby on my cell phone.  "Please, come get me" I cried.  "Tell me where, and I'll be there right away."  He heard the panic in my voice.  I was still feeling so very lightheaded.  Unfortunately, though, even travelling by car was treacherous, and it took him almost 40 minutes to get there.  We stopped at the Spanish restaurant to pick up some take food, and yes, I'll admit it, my diet went out the window last night.  I wasn't feeling well enough to go home and fix my standard dishes.  My sodium level didn't go up too high, but higher than it has been.

My nightmare was finally over when I stepped into my apartment at 8:10 pm last night.  I'd left work at 4:20 pm.  Now, aren't you glad you don't live in New York?  (Sigh)

The Wonderful World

Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful World,

With the wonderful water round you curled,

And the wonderful grass upon your breast,

World, you are beautifully dressed.

The wonderful air is over me,

And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree -

It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,

And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.

You friendly Earth, how far do you go,

With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow,

With cities and gardens, and cliffs and isles,

And people upon you for thousands of miles?

Ah! you are so great, and I am so small,

I tremble to think of you, World, at all;

And yet, when I said my prayers today,

A whisper inside me seemed to say,

"You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot:

You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!"

William Brighty Rands 

How often do we take time to appreciate all the great gifts our Mother Earth has provided us with?  How beautiful is life? It's such a special honor to walk this Earth.  Soon a new season will be upon us.  Summer will pass as if it never were here, and Autumn with all of its spectacular colors will arrive.  It is a season of change as we begin to prepare for the cold winter months.

Autumn days are shorter and cooler, and the leaves turn orange, yellow, and brown as they begin to fall from the trees.  It has always been a special time of the year for me, but this year it will be all the more special.  For this year I have learned how fragile life can be, how one can walk about oblivious to what is going on around them, oblivious to what is going on within them.  I have learned that our time here is, indeed, short, and if we blink we will miss it.

"Only if one loves this earth with unbending passion can one relieve

one's sadness," don Juan said. "Warriors are always joyful because

their love is unalterable and their beloved, the earth, embraces them

and bestows upon them inconceivable gifts. The sadness belongs only

to those who hate the very thing that gives shelter to their beings."

Don Juan again caressed the ground with tenderness.

"This lovely being, which is alive to its last recesses and understands

every feeling, soothed me, it cured me of my pains, and finally when

I had fully understood my love for it, it taught me freedom."

Carlos Castaneda