Some General, Gentle, Grounding of Grief

        I've a lot of friends and whanau who have lost much, this past while. So since it's on my mind, I'll share something with you.

        Take this as you will.

Loving the Light of our 2 am Selves

        I get it.

        I get it, and I want you to know I get it.

Pseudo-Zen, and My Choice to Embrace What Is

I call it, "pseudo-Zen."

When the Light Goes Out

        It's January.  Time to think about something new.  This is not a "new year resolution" but simply something I realized as I was going about, and thought I'd share with you.

Lessons of a Lifetime in a Year

        As we find ourselves winding toward the end of another year, I have to take a moment to think about what that means, and for me in particular.  So if you'd like to come along, I'm happy to take you along with me.  Maybe something I end up saying will have something meaningful for you; if possible, perhaps for us both.

Forcing the Force of Forced Gratitude

Forced gratitude.

Sometimes just taking energy we feel like we don't have

and forcing ourselves to look at things differently can save our sanity....

A Bittersweet Break for a Day

        Hello my friends.  I'm just taking a moment to think out a few things, so I hope you don't mind if I take you with me?  Well, I suppose if you do, you can just stop reading, and no harm done!

A Little Dose of Reality

        This week, I want to approach something of a bit of a sensitive nature.  I truly hope that those for whom it might be a bit triggering will allow me to finish my point before giving up on me, because it's about how we face our own mortality when - well, faced with our own mortality.  It really shouldn't be too bad, but I like to give people the heads up.

A Little Try for Gratitude Couldn't Hurt Too Much!

        Hello, my friends!  This week I'm going to try to prove myself as not being a hypocrite.  Actually, I say that because I sometimes feel like one, but really, I think I'm just proving that I know it is often easier said than done!

Perfection in the Personal Paradox

        Hello, again.  I promise I'm still around, and working toward progress.  You'd be surprised at how many drafts from over the years I have sitting there, started but not feeling "right".  But that actually plays well with the idea that I've thought to share for this week.  Let's see if it gets out for you to read!

        It's a little raw, just so you know.  But that's how it's been, lately, and what falls out of my mind is usually filtered through whatever is on it at the time.  Pretty sure that's the way it works for a lot of things, for a lot of people.  Anyway, here we go.

The Difference, in this World of Insanity and Chaos

        This past week, I had an interesting question come to me, and I found it to be such a powerful line of thinking, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on it.  Generally, I stay away from most topics of current events, but we'll see where this goes.

So Now We Know, and Onward We Go

        Inasmuch as I have been sharing the continuing saga of my search to find answers for myself, I suppose it would be appropriate to share what has happened this past week, as some major, significant events transpired to illuminate a lot of what has been going on!  So let's get on that, hmm?

The Power of the Human Phoenix

        I've been thinking about phoenixes, this past week.  I suppose that is appropriate, given the title of this project, but I've found a lot more references to butterflies than to phoenixes, in the areas of the internet I tend to go.  Go figure!  So my mind tends to wander along the thought of "transformation", rather than "rebirth", and while I'm not exactly sure why the idea of a phoenix feels more appropriate this week, I'm going to just roll with it and see what falls out of my head.  Feel free to join me!

Achieving Success the Ordinary, Imperfect Way

        These past, few weeks, I've been spending time with my memories, feelings and thoughts about a life remembered; having a few experiences connecting my heart and mind to the imperfections of the present; and attempting to focus my dreams and goals toward an unpredictable future, as the anniversary of my birth looms near!  It's been a rather full month!

        And here, we continue onward.  So let's do this, hmm?

Bound and Determined!

        We're going to try for another blog post, this week, my friends.  Maybe we'll actually get it out there and you'll be able to read it!  Here we go....

The Strength that is Weakness

        Been a bit since I was able to post, though I've been sharing some posts from the archives on the PB Facebook Community Page.  Been working on recovering from the consequences of a clash between a flu bug and a distracted immune system!  But hopefully I'm back, and since I've had some interesting observations, lately, and though they do come up from time to time, I thought I'd share some insights from my own perspective.

The Colors of our Lives

        I was going through my post drafts' list here in the catacombs of the history of this blog, and found this one from August of 2014.  I cannot remember to whom I wrote the message, but it might as well have been my future self, at that point, because reading it right now has given me a very surprising reminder of something I think I might have forgotten.  Have a read!

Happy or Not, Here We Are!

Okay... so... here we are.

Some are thrilled that this week has finally arrived...

...some can't wait for it to be over.

Some have been enjoying the sights, sounds and wonders of the season...

...some have just been gritting their teeth and muddling through, best they can.

Some have been waiting all year for this...

...some already dread there being another, next year.

Some want to sing it from the rooftops...

...some wouldn't mind knocking them off.

Some are looking to the new year as a wonderful way to begin again and look to a brighter tomorrow...

...some are just feeling the phrase:

"Next verse, same as the first, a little bit louder, and a little bit worse!'

        And this is what I, personally, have to say about the whole lot of it.

Lovely Lamps, and Wondrous Windows!

        Keeping with our gratitude theme, though I'm a bit hesitant as we've reached the time of year in which many on the internet have "jumped on the bandwagon" regarding the topic, I saw a prompt asking my favorite, physical trait.  As an American, this is not typically an area I like to discuss, especially since time and illness have started making me feel a bit more self-conscious, even in my attitude of not caring so much what others think. 

        However, maybe doing this will be another good thing?  Let's find out, shall we?

The Freedom to Be Better

        I've an interesting topic this week, my friends.  At least, I think it is.  Perhaps I should preface each one that way, since it's better promotion than starting off with, "Well, sorry, but this is another boring post."  But I was talking to a friend about choosing a topic for this week, and this friend suggested using the subject of our little chat we had been having.  Of course it was an interesting conversation, or I wouldn't have chosen it, nor would I have prefaced the post this way.  Ahem.