happy new year!

I'm thinking of an episode of Spongebob where he said while skiing down a hill.. "life is extreme as you want to make it!" and I'm thinking that might apply to this year! It may be a year when people and events go to extremes. I feel that in order to balance this energy, it's important to stay centered and remain calm and focused as possible on hope and joy. We have to take care that we don't get caught up in other people's nonsense.

I think the year- or river of life- may start out as a pretty direct steady/calm current. Soon, however, I think that it may become more narrow and then we hit the rapids, where things happen quickly and we may feel excited or afraid or whatever one feels when things happen and one might not have a sense of control of it all. I feel that while we might be able to navigate when in calmer waters, it may be very difficult to navigate the rapids without help from our friends and a lot of focus and energy. Sometimes, when one is caught in rapids, it is best to just hold on and enjoy the ride as the river goes where it goes and often, at some level, we may have chosen this part of the river to ride anyway. If, however, we have been dropped into it-- well, there's nothing to be done but hang on and there it is.. just know it does end.. it is not a forever place.. the river of life does get calm again, and once again we can take up our oars and steer where we need to go. I am feeling that we will want to take advantage of the calm times to get our ducks in a row, to batten down hatches should they need battening and work on taking care of our health, home, security, family matters. Once we have done that, then, enjoy your life - get in the boat and enjoy the ride.

Sometimes, I feel I should say, we need to build a new home as our old one is not working for us anymore. It just doesn't fit. Or sometimes-- our home is just fine.. but things happen that we can 't control and it's knocked about. The thing is, by accident or design, the home gets leveled and what a mess that is. The thing is, the home can be rebuilt into something that is better for us- if we have paid attention and learned what it is that we actually require in a home. If we rebuild in the same way, we get same result and need a do over. If we learn to build right.. maybe we get an even better home that will meet our evolving needs. The point I am struggling to make is, I feel the status quo on this planet is to undergo tearing down and rebuilding and our job is to help rebuild it right or adapt to whatever is presented to us in whatever way is best for us as individuals. I am sorry to sound sort of loopy, but that is only way I can express what I feel in this particular format.

Meanwhile... please, make your new year a happy one if you can by focusing on what is joyful for you, by being good to others and practicing active love and by building a home on a firm foundation.

happy new year... make it a good one!

Kudzu in a "Love" garden

Letting good flourish within

Being true to you

Peace "virus"

For your amusement- if you haven't read any of my little book-- here is a humorous  about a certain Christmas gift that was actually retold on front page of the Asheville Citizen a few years ago. Anyway-- it is in the spirit of "life at the Moore's" -- so here you go: For my birthday, I received a beautiful ceramic giraffe for my office.  It was an especially surprising present because it came from James.  I was expecting a gift like the one he had given me for our wedding anniversary a month earlier- a flashlight.  James’ style of gift-giving is unique, to say the least.

On our first date, James had me wait in the car while he ran in to a drug store to buy me a little token of his affection.  I thought that was awfully sweet of him.  I imagined getting something like a box of chocolate, or maybe some perfume.  Instead, he emerged with a little bag, presented it to me, and eagerly awaited my response.  My gift?  A pencil sharpener.  Not just any pencil sharpener, mind you, but a wall-mounted purple one.  I had to give him points for originality.

Last Christmas, I pointed out a toy organ to James at the dollar store.  I remarked that it would be a fun thing to play with on Christmas morning.  It was very inexpensive, and even had batteries included.  We played on it for a few moments in the store, having fun with all the sounds programmed into it.

A few days later, James came into a little money, so we went shopping. Our first stop: The dollar store, of course.  James asked me to go to the car, and I thought I knew what was going on in his head since he could barely contain his excitement.  He was going to buy me the organ.  

I was a good sport and went on out to the car. James soon came out grinning, holding a tightly-closed bag.  It was so thin I could see right through it.  I averted my eyes so that I would not actually see it for too long and thus spoil his surprise.  When he got to the car, he carefully placed the package on the back seat.  However, he placed it upside down, and suddenly it sounded like somebody was beating the heck out of cymbals in the back of the car.  I turned on the radio to mask the sound, which was quickly silenced.  We drove the short distance home without much trouble until we hit a bump in the driveway.  Out of the blue, a trumpet blared from the back seat.  Mercifully, it stopped quickly and I was able to sing along with the radio and pretend it did not happen.  As we walked onto my front porch, yet another round of organ magic started up, and I ran inside as if I could outpace the speed of sound.  My son met us at the door and took the package from James.  This released a whole percussion section that sent Dusty scurrying out the back door and me dashing into my home office.  

Later, as the organ sat under the tree nicely wrapped, it was often played with gusto by our two very curious kittens.  Still, I think I feigned great surprise rather well when I opened it on Christmas morning, and James feigned great relief that I did.

We reap what we sow, and it is good to sow gifts of time, shared experiences, humor and love

Wishing my Jewish friends a happy Hanukkah!

Link to interview

Here is the link to recent interview. https://youtu.be/QBg9wkb9oaQ