Friday, November 23, 2012

Cara's Musings, 11/23/2012

Whew, Thanksgiving is over!

Puppy knows my feels today.



I love getting together with friends and family, but boy oh boy does it drain me. After socializing, I feel all kinds of introverted and want to recharge my batteries. This is something I've learned about myself, which I attribute to being born on the astrological cusp between firey, outgoing, extroverted Leo, and the complete opposite - emotional, introverted, homebody Cancer. The ideal would be a balance between the two, but that only works on the internet. I get to socialize while staying at home!

Perhaps that is why I like this place so much.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Less Contacts, More Friends



The internet tells us simply adding another's profile to our list of connections is what makes a friend. But how many of those contacts would you feel comfortable calling on in a time of need? How many deep conversations do you have with these people on a regular basis? Challenge yourself today to have less contacts and more friends by turning these acquaintances into meaningful relationships. But start small - if you try to go deep with 100 people at once when you've barely said hi to one all week, you may end up spread too thin and entirely drained. The point is quality, not quantity.

As the awesome Gabrielle Bernstein says, when she is feeling down, she asks someone how she can help them. This could be a good start to developing a better connection with someone. You could also ask them to tell you about something good in their life, something that makes them smile or has them excited. Lift each other up by sharing the positive so that you can also lift each other up through the negative because that is the practice you've developed.

See the good in everyone. Trust as if they are already a true friend. Forgive and delete if they prove not to be. Give your time to the ones that lift you up, not continually bring you down. Pay no mind to haters. Don't feed the trolls. And in adding a friend, ask yourself if they may truly be a friend, or just another contact on the list.

May your day be filled with love, and the courage and ability to create and share it!
~ Cara

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Cara's Morning Musings, Nov. 15th 2012

The cats and I were startled by a noise this morning that I soon determined, by a visual out the window, to be squirrels running around like crazy on our roof.




If tiny little squirrel feet make that much noise, how in the world do people not wake up to Santa's reindeer tromping over their heads? ;)

I'm officially declaring it the cold season of the year. After adding another blanket to the bed, our dogwood tree having just a few red leaves hanging on the bare branches, and cold coffee losing it's appeal... yup, it's time to settle in and hibernate. Or in my case, put on a zillion layers and be so happy I'm not gonna get skin cancer just from walking outside in the 100+ degree weather! Yippie!



I think, the older I get, the more I'm enjoying fall and winter and the natural slowing down of things. Well, as long as I ignore the holiday sales ads trying to blare consumerism into my head, of course. Even that, the feeling of needing to buy something, has been dying down inside me. I just have no desire to buy things anymore. I debate probably too much before making purchases, and lately everything I want is either food-oriented or towards fixing up the house anyway. If only I could win the Battle of the Tension with my sewing machine, new clothes wouldn't even hold much desire for me, either. I can't help but wonder if reading Almost Amish (checked out from my local library's eBook selection) has been bringing out that aspect of my genes, of the PA Dutch mentalities I grew up with.






May your day be filled with blessings!
~ Cara

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Cara's Musings of November 7, 2012

I woke up coughing and meandered downstairs with an empty bowl and glass from a previous meal in my hand, jangling from my sleepy state of balance. I found the food I had purchased yesterday and chowed down - a few sliced of La Brea honey sunflower seed bread topped with strawberry jam, some pistachios, and a glass of cold chocolate almond milk. That drink is dangerous - I could seriously drink cartons of it a day if I didn't stop myself! I came back upstairs and laid in bed as the sun came up, listening to podcasts and ambient music on Spotify radio while reading The Internets via RSS feeds, thanks to my trusty Google Reader. First Butters snuggled up with me, curling up in the crook of my arm and purring away. After I shifted too much for his liking, he went to the empty spot of the bed below my feet and eventually Kitty claimed a spot on my lap.

~

I feel a great sense of peace today, and ambition. It feels like everything is okay in the world and we can get back to business as usual instead of being in the state of pre-election limbo we've endured this past year or however long it's been. Truly, election cycles begin long, long before the current one is even voted. I can only wonder who is planning right now to have their name in the pot on election day 2016. But, it's not ME, so I can easily let that go and focus on the fact that our 44th president is still Barack Obama, a man who's inspired me with his leadership, enthusiasm, confidence, decency, and love towards humanity. I wonder if the weight of the world's problems on his shoulders for another four years will leave his hair completely grey, or if his younger-than-the-average-president age will let him keep some of the pigment a little while longer than most. Yesterday I told the cats, "if Obama wins tonight, you get a can of tuna!" - I think it worked. ;)

~

An observation: it seems that despite some states allowing early voting, lines were still long in many places. I can't help but wonder if, in the future, the political process will actually become increasingly popular, and require a new standard of voting to make certain that everyone's vote is counted without, say, an eight hour wait.

~

"Today is another precious day on earth. We shall live it with joy. No matter how I have felt about myself in the past, today is a new day. The door opens to love, my love for myself. This is the pathway for healing. I make this the sort of day I want to remember tomorrow." ~ Louise Hay


From http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6742/Today-Is-A-Precious-Day.html

~

Blizzard says the Cinder Kitten WoW pet will basically be a $10 Red Cross donation when it comes out. I can't wait! I'd buy it today if I could. Look how freaking CUTE it is!


~

☮ Cara ☮