Posts by Pat:
Skating on thin ice?
When I’m experimenting with something new, I’m often a bit tentative, not sure that what I’m messing around with is solid enough to hold the full weight of my being.
In times like these, I picture myself standing on the edge of a frozen body of water, asking “Is this ice thick enough to hold me?”
The Swedes have a different relationship to frozen water than the rest of us. They’ve grown up ice skating on the frozen water. And when they go out, they have these tools they bring with them: two sturdy plastic hammers with metal tips attached by thin cords to a collar that they can wear around their necks.
It’s for when they fall through the ice and need a tool to climb out of the hole in the ice so they can skate home.
When they go out ice skating, it’s just part of the gear. Hats, mittens, coat, skates, and ice pick. It’s no big deal to bring their emergency self-rescue ice picks. I admire the self-reliance and self-trust that shows!
This tool says to me: Yes, learn to pay attention to the weather. Yes practice discernment for whether now is the time to go out on the ice, or not. But also? Sometimes stuff happens.
So will I trust the ice is thick enough to hold me and my dream? (whether for career/health/relationship/finances)
Can I trust what I’m trying to bring into being? What if I fall through?
Everybody falls down; it’s inevitable. Some wipeputs are my own fault; some I had no control over. It doesn’t matter because it’s already in the past.
What does matter is how I respond to it. If it was my fault, I can either stay down or get back up armed with the knowlege to swerve sooner the next time. I can either wallow in self-pity or channel that negativity into something positive. And asking for help is always a valid option for either situation!
Did I ever consider that the most meaningful choices I’ve made in this life have come when I dared venture out on a metaphorical frozen sea? Before, it had never occurred to me that I could walk on a frozen ocean, let alone ice skate on one! But I can!
And so can you!
Let’s never give up on the fun of ice skating in life!
This crazy language of ours
Ah, the delightful quirks of the English language-a language with so many rules and far too many exceptions. But English was invented by people, not computers. It reflects the creativity of the human race which, of course, is not a race at all. After all, there is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger, […]
a different serenity prayer!
We all may know the basic Serenity Prayer, but have you see some of the tweaked ones? Here are some…and you may know of others! My favorite one (which I couldn’t find an image for) is… “God, grant me the serenity to accept there are things I’ve no time to read, time to read the […]
A blank calendar…
I love putting up a brand new calendar! As I look at the pictures and the day the holidays and my birthday will fall on, I love seeing all the white spaces. Each square is ready and waiting for me to write in whatever I want. Before we begin filling in those white spaces, we […]
Revised Christmas to-do list!
Here’s my suggested revised list for the season! BUY PRESENTS (be present!) 2. WRAP GIFTS (wrap someone in a hug) 3. SEND GIFTS (send love) 4. SHOP FOR FOOD (donate food) 5. MAKE COOKIES (make memories) 6. SEE THE LIGHTS (be the light) Blessings to everyone this holiday season!
The Weight of a Snowflake
Enjoy this winter parable! When we become discouraged by the seeming immensity of the task before us…remember this little fable about a conversation between two birds…a dove and a sparrow. “Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a sparrow asked a wild dove. “Nothing more than nothing,” was the answer. “In that case I must […]
A Spider Christmas Legend…
There are many versions of this folk legend about the Christmas spiders (most prevalent in Western Ukraine and Germany) where small ornaments in the shape of a spider are traditionally part of the Christmas decorations. The legend explains the orgin of tinsel on our Christmas trees. The legend goes… The day before Christmas, the resident […]
Kids’ questions to God
Ever wonder what kids wonder about? Here’s what some brave youngsters asked God! Dear God, My grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go? Love Dennis They definitely have some questions about family! Dear God, Did you really mean do unto others as they do unto […]
A lesson from Thanksgiving
One of the lessons of Thanksgiving is that we eat too much! We eat until we’re full, experiencing the sensation of too much. We confuse our desire for that feeling of ‘full,’ with the feeling of ‘enough.’ Even though enough doesn’t feel like full, could’t we make that be okay? Black Friday teaches us still […]
a jigsaw guide to life?
Why a jigsaw guide to life? Well, it’s not too difficult to look at life like a giant jigsaw puzzle. This world is broken. Life is confusing. We’re surrounded by all these pieces and not sure what to do with them. Jigsaw puzzles can be exceptional teachers. They impart patience, determination, stamina, self-control and powerful […]