Monday Morning This and That

The weekend is over, and if felt good to sleep in a little.  It's a brutally cold morn so it felt extra good to cozy up in my long flannel gown. Now, I really don't mind the cold, but this is just TOO cold, especially when one has to stand and wait for the subway out of doors. Hopefully, the trains will run well this week, and the wait will not be too long.

Spent all day Saturday cooking.  Made both a pea soup and a black bean soup...which has turned out to be my utter favorite.  Yummy!!! Also made a pot of my low sodium chili, and for dinner Saturday cut up a salad and ate it with Chili Cheese Fries. Yes, it is possible to eat some of your favorites and still keep the sodium level very low.  

"From the time we are born, there is a wildish urge within us that desires our souls lead our lives, for the ego can only understand just so much."

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

This weekend, I was looking in Amazon to buy a book and came across 'Soul Sisters: The Five Sacred Qualities of a Woman's Soul' by Pythia Peay,  and immediately the title reached out to my soul. Ironically, when I tried to purchase it, it turned out I already had it, and when I searched in my Cloud Reader, there it was. By the date I realized that I must have bought it when my son gave me the $100 Amazon card for my birthday and pushed it aside.  Needless to say. once I found it, I couldn't put it down.

The Divine Feminine encourages interdependence, interconnectedness, and mutuality: instead of dominating and controlling nature, the Divine Feminine represents reverence for nature’s web of life. Instead of dismissing feelings and emotions, the Divine Feminine interprets them as a source of wisdom.

from SOUL SISTERS by Pythia Peay

Briefly, Peay, like many of us, grew up in a religious household, but always felt that the patriarchy of the church was holding her back from spiritual fulfillment. The feminine qualities of self was missing, and it wasn't until she discovered the goddess movement that she began to feel whole again. In this book,  Peay uses examples of different female figures from world spiritual traditions, both past and present, to demonstrate the following five 'Divine qualities'--courage, love, faith, beauty, and magic--and  provides a road map on how to find and nurture these feminine values and principles that have been pushed aside by a one-sided patriarchy. This remarkable book is for anyone who considers themselves to be on a spiritual journey.  Do get hold of a copy if you have a chance.  You definitely won't regret it.

Weekend Wishes

When the power of love

overcomes the love of power,

the world will know peace.

 Jimi Hendrix 

Wishing you all a weekend filled with love, peace, and joy, and if, like me, you have a long weekend, use your extra time wisely to  do some of the things that you enjoy, but never seem to find the time to do.

Old Habits are Hard to Break

Good habits are worth

being fanatical about.

John Irving 

You will have to forgive me if I seem to be having trouble finding things to write about.  Actually, that is not quite true.  I've plenty of thoughts of things I would like to write about, but I am still trying to get my bearings after dealing with the flu.  Been a long time since something drained me so, physically and mentally, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. 
 

I did return to work and, just as I said I was going to do, immediately downloaded educational materials and began working with my groups to make the program a safer place for everyone.  On Tuesday, it was my woman's group, and I do have to share the following story with you.  In group, we explored the educational materials that I provided them with, and I felt really good when they all asked if they could keep them. There was one issue that I really stressed to them, and that is that doorknobs are a huge source of germs.

In our office, up until recently we only had one of those wall gadget air hand driers.  I've always felt it made no sense to wash one's hands, scrub them clean, then give a quick swipe of air, and then touching a germ-filled doorknob to exit the bathroom, so, from day one, I was a strong advocate for paper towels in the bathrooms. Finally, about a month ago they put a paper towel holder up.  Until that time, I was using toilet paper or bringing my own paper towel.  That's how strongly I feel about it.

And so, when I went to the ladies' room after group, one of the clients from my group was in there washing her hands.  After shaking the excess water from them, she walked over to the air drier, hesitated, then reached for  a paper towel instead. Then, paper towel in hand, she headed for the door. That made me smile because it showed that someone had listened, but what did she do?  She opened the door with her right hand and held the paper towel in her left.   All I could do was stand there, totally speechless.  I guess it is true what they say, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink it."

By the way, before I forget, the hand sanitizer was replaced yesterday.  It pays to open your mouth.

Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. 

Mark Twain

Wednesday Ramble

Be respectful to others as you grow. . . If we lack respect for one group,

then there is a tendency for that attitude to spread. It becomes

infectious and no one becomes safe from the ravages of prejudice.

Walter Annenberg

Most of you know that my biggest pet peeve is the lack of respect and loss of vales in today's world. I rant about it all the time. Young people will practically knock you down to grab a seat. The following is a true story.  

It was a few years back, before I used a cane, that I got onto a crowded train.  My back was paining me so that day.  There were  three teen-age girls who brushed quickly by me, almost knocking me down, so they could grab the one available seat for one of them. Then, they actually laughed at me. "Look at that lady.  She wants this seat so bad.  Well, she is not going to get it." And the three of them got such a kick out of it.  Then, when they got up to leave, she looked over at me as I hobbled over to take the seat and yelled real loud, "See? What did I tell you? She couldn't wait for me to get up so she could grab the seat."  

That is total ignorance. I mean, when you put the numbers together, I was old enough to be her great-grandmother.  I never forgot that incident, and it remains as clear in my head as if it were yesterday.  You are probably wondering why I just stood there and let it happen, but, the fact is, here in the city, there are teen-age girls deliberately on the prowl to pick a fight. Take, for example, the time that a girl was sitting on the train shoving a plate of spaghetti down her throat like she had never eaten before. Her friends all thought it was funny. Spaghetti was falling all over the floor and on the seat next to her.  When an older woman chided her about her rude manners, the got up and pulled the woman out of her seat by her hair and began punching her to the glee of her peers. I'm not going to let that happen to me.

Let's face it.  Those are two extreme examples of the rudeness of youth.  And probably in both situations those girls were just up to no good, hoping to stir someone up so they had an excuse to fight. Usually they will just sit there and ignore you. Sometimes they will look at you, look at the cane, and you think that they are going to offer you as seat, but they quickly look away pretending that they just didn't see. But, I am not going to get into that in this post.  What I really want is to share something with you that I happened upon the other day.  I thought the message in it is worth putting out there.

The woman was old and ragged and gray

And bent with the chill of the Winter’s day. 

The street was wet with a recent snow

And the woman’s feet were aged and slow. 

She stood at the crossing and waited long,

Alone, uncared for, amid the throng 

Of human beings who passed her by

Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eyes. 

Down the street, with laughter and shout,

Glad in the freedom of “school let out,” 

Came the boys like a flock of sheep,

Hailing the snow piled white and deep. 

Past the woman so old and gray

Hastened the children on their way. 

Nor offered a helping hand to her -

So meek, so timid, afraid to stir 

Lest the carriage wheels or the horses’ feet

Should crowd her down in the slippery street. 

At last came one of the merry troop,

The gayest laddie of all the group; 

He paused beside her and whispered low,

“I’ll help you cross, if you wish to go.” 

Her aged hand on his strong young arm

She placed, and so, without hurt or harm, 

He guided the trembling feet along,

Proud that his own were firm and strong. 

Then back again to his friends he went,

His young heart happy and well content. 

“She’s somebody’s mother, boys, you know,

For all she’s aged and poor and slow, 

“And I hope some fellow will lend a hand

To help my mother, you understand, 

“If ever she’s poor and old and gray,

When her own dear boy is far away.” 

And “somebody’s mother” bowed low her head

In her home that night, and the prayer she said 

Was “God be kind to the noble boy,

Who is somebody’s son, and pride and joy!”

Mary Dow Brine

Monday Morfning This and That

The best six doctors anywhere

And no one can deny it

Are sunshine, water, rest, and air

Exercise and diet.

These six will gladly you attend

If only you are willing

Your mind they'll ease

Your will they'll mend

And charge you not a shilling.

Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, 

'What the River Knows, 1990'

It's been a pretty rough weekend, especially Friday and Saturday when I was much too sick to do much of anything. I didn't want to read; I didn't want to watch television. I didn't even want to mess around with the computer. All I wanted to do was pull the covers over my head and sleep it off. I had no appetite, something unusual for me because I can always eat when I am sick. I lived on homemade lentil soup with lots of pepper to keep the lungs open, clementines for their vitamin C, and hubby's special ginger tea. On Saturday I actually felt so bad I sat down and cried. On Sunday I began feeling somewhat better and wanted to follow through on my weekend plans, but decided it was best to stay in and give myself another day to heal.  Even today, I am not up to par. 

Auntie was right when she said that I saw this coming.  I did, and unfortunately, if something isn't done, I see even worse coming in the future. With two shelters in the building--one with 300 beds, the other with 150--a detox, a housing program, and our program of 150 clients, that is quite a few people who pass through those doors every day. And most of them have lived on the streets and just don't know how to protect themselves.  The following is an example of something that 'could be done' to help prevent an epidemic and what is 'not being done'.

In our program, we average an average of 70 clients per day come through our doors.  Most live downstairs in one of the shelters; some live out in the community.  All of them have to sign out at the front desk and 95 percent of them use the same pen. Then, not knowing any better, they rub their eyes or put their hands to their mouth and presto, just as easily as that, the flu has been passed on. We have a hand sanitizer gadget on the wall, that all have to walk past, but it is always empty. I often joke about having to purchase my own supplies--pens, paperclips, file folders--but having a useless hand sanitizer on the wall is no joke, not with an epidemic going on. And, should they find a way to refill it, education is in order.  Each and every client has to use it after signing out. 

Every day we touch what is wrong, and, as a result, we are becoming less and less healthy. That is why we have to learn to practice touching what is not wrong—inside us and around us. When we get in touch with our eyes, our heart, our liver, our breathing, and our non-toothache and really enjoy them, we see that the conditions for peace and happiness are already present. 

Thich Nhat Hanh

When I get back to work I really plan on throwing myself into lobbying for more education and much-needed supplies to keep this flu epidemic at bay. All clients, and not just ours,  need to be educated on how the flu is passed on and the basics of protecting themselves. If our nurse don't want to do it, then I will.  I also plan on contacting management about providing us with the supplies we need to keep this environment safe. I don't want to hear that they don't have money. They have two other 300 bed shelters besides ours and 46 housing programs. For a non-profit they are raking in the money, but where is it going?  I doubt that it will break their pockets to ward off what could be a major catastrophe.  Don't forget.  These clients also go out into the community and frequent the stores. Something definitely has to be done...and quick.

Well, now that I had my little rant, I'm going to fix myself a bite to eat.  This is the first time that familiar little rumble in my tummy, a sure sign that I am on the mend.  Thanks for letting me share today.

Live in rooms full of light

Avoid heavy food

Be moderate in the drinking of wine

Take massage, baths, exercise, and gymnastics

Fight insomnia with gentle rocking or the sound of running water

Change surroundings and take long journeys

Strictly avoid frightening ideas

Indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements

Listen to music.

A. Cornelius Celsus

TGIF...but I am Under the Weather

Your body has natural healing capacities that nobody in the

field of medicine can pretend ultimately to understand.

If you break a bone it will heal itself. All the doctor does is

make sure the pieces of the bone are properly set back together.

Wayne Dyer

I should have known this cold was on the way when the persistent tickle that stuck with me all night and all day appeared. That was a sure sign sickness was coming. And, I am so not surprised. Since my office moved to its new space, I do seem to be getting sicker more often.  It's not that I am not taking care of myself.  In fact, I've never taken better care of my health.  But, when you work in a building and have to ride in an elevator with over 300 homeless people, germs are passed around quicker than they pass around their cigarettes.  It's scary because just the other day my doctor told me we are in the midst of the worst flu epidemic in years.

Just the other day, I sent one of my clients home.  He was sick as a dog...coughing, nose running. In a small, enclosed room, these germs jump from one person to the next in a flash.  Personally, I think we need to educate these clients more because most of them are from the streets and really don't know about colds and the flu. Not only do they not know how to take care of themselves, but they know nothing about the dangers of coming to program and exposing others to their illness. That building can reach epidemic proportions in a week.  I'm not the nurse in the facility, but I think that will be one of my group topics next week.  

Well, I'm off to bed now. Rubbed some Vicks on my chest, took some cold meds, and had a cup of tea with honey and lemon.  Now I am going to sweat it out. Just wanted to check in and wish you all a wonderful weekend.  

There is Magic Everywhere

“Magic lies in between things, between the day and the night, between yellow and blue, between any two things.” 

Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl 

The following is something I just had to share with you. Yesterday, I was at my computer working and as client stopped by and inquired whether or not he could ask a question of me. Now, mind you, this is a brand new client. We've never spoken. I don't know his name, and he is not in any of my groups. He is literally a stranger to me at this time. I looked up at him, "Of course". 

At this, he held up a deck of cards and asked, "What do you see?" "A deck of cards," I responded. He now goes through the deck and shows me that it is an ordinary deck of cards. "Pick two cards", he says. All right, I think to myself. I'll go along with this, so I chose two cards. "Now, put them back in the deck", so I did, one near the top of the deck and the other in the middle.  "Now, tap the deck three times".  You all know what happens here.  Of course, my two cards mysteriously show up at the top of the deck. 

Okay, so that's an old trick, fun, but nothing really special.  Lots of people know card tricks. Next, asks me for a piece of paper.  I had none, so I gave him a blank sticky note which he promptly ripped in half.  "Okay, now ask me a question about yourself.  It can be anything from your middle name, your date of birth, anything."  "Okay, tell me my cat's name." I responded, smug in the fact that I just knew I had got the best of him.  He writes something on the sticky, folds it, tells me to hold out my palm and then places the folded note in my hand.

"Okay," he says, "Now, let's say you are going to buy a doll for a little girl in your family. Which doll would you choose?  Snow White or Cinderella? And don't tell me.  Just keep it in your mind."  A hard choice, but I chose Snow White.  He writes on the paper and does the same, folds it and puts it in my palm.  "Now, close your hand and shake the papers. Open one." I opened the first one and it said Snow White.  Okay, I'm willing to admit that was a good guess, but let's face it, he only had two choices.  "Now open the second one."  I did so and almost fell off the floor because on the paper was written the word, "Minga".  No one names their cat Minga, and there was no way he could have known what question I was going to ask. Later, I found out he told my superviser her middle name which NO ONE in the office knows.  

The man is downright eerie and uncanny, and perhaps a little frightening.  One can't help but ask, what else does he know?  However, his was a much-needed time out on a very busy day.  We're having an unexpected audit today, and yesterday was a race to get my files in order. I've always prided myself on being up-to-date, but with such a huge caseload I have fallen behind...and I am not alone.  We are all overworked and burned out. Perhaps now they will see that we need more help.

    "Come, if thy magic Glass have power

"To call up forms we sigh to see;

    "Show me my, love, in that, rosy bower,

        "Where last she pledged her truth to me."

    The Wizard showed him his Lady bright,

        Where lone and pale in her bower she lay;

    "True-hearted maid," said the happy Knight,

        "She's thinking of one, who is far away."

    But, lo! a page, with looks of joy,

        Brings tidings to the Lady's ear;

    "'Tis," said the Knight, "the same bright boy,

        "Who used to guide me to my dear."

    The Lady now, from her favorite tree,

        Hath, smiling, plucked a rosy flower:

    "Such," he exclaimed, "was the gift that she

        "Each morning sent me from that bower!"

    She gives her page the blooming rose,

        With looks that say, "Like lightning, fly!"

    "Thus," thought the Knight, "she soothes her woes,

        "By fancying, still, her true-love nigh."

    But the page returns, and--oh, what a sight,

        For trusting lover's eyes to see!--

    Leads to that bower another Knight,

        As young and, alas, as loved as he!

    "Such," quoth the Youth, "is Woman's love!"

        Then, darting forth, with furious bound,

    Dashed at the Mirror his iron glove,

        And strewed it all in fragments round.

    MORAL.

    Such ills would never have come to pass,

        Had he ne'er sought that fatal view;

    The Wizard would still have kept his Glass,

        And the Knight still thought his Lady true.

Thomas Moore