Meredith Kendall's Blog, page 22

found it!

Lost and found.

Here it is! From an excellent article in Sedona Journal, author Robert Shapiro. I took the photo on top of Bradbury Mountain.

forgetting

so if you forget what you went to the kitchen to fetch, or 


forget your cousin's name; it's all good. You're just doing a 



bit of dimension-hopping right now.


Forget your past, clear the way for new information. 

Forget your stories of woe and approach everyone and 



every situation with equanimity, 



hope, love, and joy.



Celebrate forgetting!




( I feel like I wrote this post a few days ago. Can't find it. Did 


I write it and forget to hit "publish?")

men at the bar

After the car appointment, and before the board meeting, I went for some Thai food. The hostess seated me near the bathrooms, near two men sitting at the bar. I read my Buddhist magazine, but soon started to eavesdrop.

One man told the other the details of his day: important business deals he was considering, difficulties with his job, and how he'd just come from the courthouse. He talked about his family and personal challenges. He talked about his brother's medical, behavioral, and psychological problems; and medications the brother had taken. The man told how he'd just come from the courthouse, how he had to take out a restraining order on his brother.

I tried to focus on the magazine article, but the man spoke in a loud voice and the stories were compelling. I couldn't see the two men, but I had the impression that they'd just met. I noticed the other man didn't speak at all. Perhaps he was nodding.

Suddenly the speaking man lurched out of the restaurant. 

the garage

While the oil drained from my car, the mechanic worked on another car. Then he took that other car for a test drive, leaving me in charge. I was alone in the garage; in charge of the cash register, phone, cars, and walk-ins. No one walked in, the phone didn't ring, I didn't fix any cars, and he was back in 10 minutes.

But for that 10 minutes, I was in charge of the garage. It was sweet. 

Reiki, yoga, meditation

Meditation is a yogic practice. Meditation helps one become more mindful of thoughts, feelings, knowing, and sensations. Being more mindful helps one become aware of the gentle shifts associated with Reiki practice. Reiki is a philosophy and a spiritual path. Yoga is a philosophy and a spiritual path. Meditations is a yogic practice. 

Lend a hand to those who need it

"Get a job," the woman shouted to the homeless person. "Get to work! My taxes are paying for you."

Really? Please explain to me how my taxes help a homeless person. I'd be glad if they did.

I understand that some people who are homeless have problems that make it difficult to get and keep a job. I understand that some are lost, and may be able to change, but need a hand for a while. I understand that most of my taxes go to support health care and the military, not helping homeless people to make healthy changes. I understand that most health care dollars are spent on extremely expensive care that supports a relatively small proportion of people at the very end of life.

I'm willing to use my tax dollars to help people who need help. I'd ask the very wealthy to do the same. Perhaps we could share the wealth. Perhaps we could cut back on some of the very expensive machinery used in war and health care. I'd like my tax dollars to support people, a healthy Earth, and education. 

Leap Day

Take a leap. So I did. I did something kind of scary.

I climbed a mountain. Got there early, just one other car in the parking lot. We've been having warm days, and I wanted to hike on frozen ground, not mud.

I took the short steep path up and the long gradual one out. It was the long one that was scary. I hadn't seen another person at all. As I walked I scared myself, thinking of attackers, rattlesnakes, and bears. Of course, we don't have rattlesnakes in Maine, so that was a slimmer possibility.

Like I said, it was the easy path and eventually I met moms and toddlers coming up. Toddlers? I guess I'm not the athlete I like to imagine I am. Then an elderly couple, with matching walking sticks and a chemical aroma of dryer sheets. They didn't attack me with their sticks.

I did see two woodpeckers. No bears.

books on tape

A woman I know is having good luck with Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. I tried books on tape for my insomnia, but I fought sleep, trying to follow the story. And the next night I had trouble finding the spot in the story where my consciousness left off.

So novels are out.

I tried public radio. Those announcers usually drone on quite nicely. But I woke too often to horrible stories of war and violence. Non, merci, public radio.

Now I hit Play on a meditation CD when I can't sleep. Have a couple of them, and switch them out every few weeks. Breathe, relax, aum, go down a stair case, see the colors...

I don't know for sure what they say because they work great and I fall right to sleep. 

equanimity

older, wiser; life is easier, more even. 

Reiki Nurse!

It's here, yes! Reiki Nurse 2016

Amazon is being difficult; "Temporarily out of stock." I tried to order a copy from them weeks ago and my order just sits there.

It's available from the publisher, Booklocker and from Barnes & Noble. There's some new information, but mostly I fixed some errors and clarified some things. I worked on it last summer, and kept going back this fall to make more adjustments. I like to write. It's done, it's here.