Category: Living Everyday

That slippery slope

Late one night, I walked into my kitchen to turn off the lights before going to bed only to discover dirty dishes in the sink that I had forgotten to wash. 

Putting them in the dishwasher was out of the question.  These dishes needed to be hand washed. 

I was so tired. My bed was calling.

Sighing, I decided to wash them and be done with it.

I reminded myself how happy I would feel in the morning to come into my clean kitchen.  

Also, I would not be going down that dreaded slippery slope!  

First a few dirty dishes left overnight.  

Then, dirty dishes all over my house, eating from food containers, eating while watching TV.  

Then not paying bills, not cleaning my house….Being locked away for vagrancy, sloth….

Oh my!

Of course, there is also the question of going back up that slippery slope.

By that I mean, re-establishing the good habits that I have let slide.  

Such as doing yoga everyday…feels so good afterwards, helps me move better, and decreases my stress.

Planks…just a few a day make a difference in my upper body strength and my core.  

And of course, a few push-ups.  

So, like Sisyphus, I will make myself do these things.

And then, do them again the next day and the day after, ad infinitum.

Jumpstart

Feeling smug this morning.

I finished  two loads of laundry.   All by 7 A.M. Continue reading “Jumpstart” →

Perspective

“There are two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle.”   Einstein

I believe that this mindset helps us to live more creatively, fully and compassionately.

Just a thought.

Masking for a friend

Saturday Morning November 12, 2022

Good morning from chilly, but not rainy, Portland.

I surveyed my front and back patios to see if the leaves had taken over.

So far, the score is 1-1.

A friend loaned me a leaf blower so I have an advantage.

I hate using a leaf blower…so loud plus, I can use the exercise. Still, I am grateful to have it for the sidewalk and driveway.

When I am not in a hurry, raking leaves makes me slow down and smell the leaves.

Continue reading “Saturday Morning November 12, 2022” →

Crossing the finish line

I am so close to resolving my window shade problem.

For several months, I battled Hunter Douglas and Home Depot for replacement of defective shades.

Four of the five shades fell apart and could not be repaired.

I paid a workman to take them down and bought temporary paper shades to cover my windows and protect my furniture and hardwood floors from the blazing sun.

So, instead of custom shades from Hunter Douglas in my living room, I had paper shades. Really sad!

Continue reading “Crossing the finish line” →

Thursday Morning

I started my day by breaching the alarm system in my home.

Continue reading “Thursday Morning” →

Beans

I love black beans.   

I  buy small containers of black beans from a local Cuban restaurant. 

They are  good but expensive.  Plus, the restaurant is far away, adding the feeling of a pilgrimage to buy them.  

I could eat one container in one sitting, but I stretch the beans by adding them to burritos, salads, or rice.  Sometimes, I do eat them plain.  They are so good.  

Yesterday I decided I would break the cycle and cook my own black beans from scratch.

Dried organic black turtle beans sell for $3.99 a pound at my grocer, less than the cost of one small container of cooked beans.  

I approach this with trepidation. 

I have not had good luck cooking black beans.   Probably too much liquid or too little attention to the beans as they cooked resulting in mushy, flavorless beans.

To begin this rustic cooking journey, I measured one cup of dried beans and soaked them overnight in the refrigerator.  

This morning I rinsed them and tossed any questionable beans.  

While the beans drained in a colander, I toasted cumin, smoked Spanish paprika and a few chili flakes for less than a minute.   The smell was incredible.

Then I added the beans and water, bringing them to a boil.

Now they are simmering with the lid halfway over the pot, a compromise to covering or not covering the pot.   

Wish me luck!

Love Hate

I have a love/hate relationship with this tree.

It frames the window of my office and brings me joy all year long.    

In spring, soft green buds appear.

In summer, the leaves are a rich green.  

Fall brings leaves that are gold, yellow and orange.  

Even in winter when the leaves are gone, the bare branches offer a lacy pattern against the daily gray skies.  

So, what’s the problem?

Everyday, for what seems like weeks on end, I sweep and rake the fallen leaves.  

I go out at first light, often in the  rain.  

I clean up the leaves knowing that I will repeat this the next day and the day after that until all the leaves have fallen.  

Like many beautiful things, there is a price to pay.  

In this case, well worth it.   

All Shall Be Well

All shall be well, and

All shall be well, and

All manner of thing shall be well.

Julian of Norwich, English mystic and author of Revelations of Divine Love

This was one the first thing I read this morning,

Even before leaving my bed.

These simple words comforted me.

Simple words written over 600 years ago.

Political scandal and upheaval here and around the world.

Epidemics that just keep coming.

The world on fire, the world flooding.

Unease and distrust among neighbors and citizens.

The constant drumbeat of urgent requests for political donations.

Feeling guilty when I enjoy the pleasures of my life.

Feeling tearful and upset that I don’t know how “to fix” the world.

All manner of thing shall be well.

All shall be well.

I will do my best to make it so.