Orangutans, Turtles & PayPal

I watched a Nightline segment that was bitter/sweet the other night regarding a sanctuary for baby elephants. Since I seem obsessed with elephants lately, (I wonder what that is all about), I found myself churning the video of a baby elephant not wanting to leave its dying mother, who was shot and robbed of her tusks. The baby was adopted by this woman (another woman!), and her foundation that has adopted over 130 baby elephants that have been orphaned - many by poachers looking for ivory to feed Asian markets. I was awake for hours. Despite trying to avoid news segments, these stories seem to creep in, affecting me even more deeply than ever before. My way of dealing with this issue is to shine a light on this wonderful woman's work.

I have also been using my PayPal account to send funds in every which direction. I'm going to be in trouble when the bill comes, but the baby Orangutans were in dire straits, and it seemed so much easier to just have the money come out once a month for the turtles through Oceana.

I also find that anything that draws a big reaction emotionally from me seems to pop up everywhere! As with these elephant stories, they seem to find me no matter how hard I try to hide from them. There were three last week alone. I will be scrolling along, minding my own business, reading dumb stories on Huff Post and bam! A story designed to rip everyone's heart out. Naturally I have to read it - for some reason I feel compelled to read every painful story, as if I am not giving the respect due if I don't take it in and make myself feel bad.

But that is not the gist of this post. I think we are all being inundated with negative images, thoughts, and fears. I am not alone in feeling bombarded, I'm sure. So, it's time to talk about ways to feel more centered, to feel joy in the moment, and hope for the future. With that in mind, I would like to ask YOU - what do you do to stay in the moment? What brings you joy?

And by the way, is there an issue that has you obsessed? If so, why do you think that is?

Emergency Prep Find

As most of you know, I have been working on emergency preparedness. I see what is going on in the world and think it only prudent to have some things set aside in case of emergency. In my case, I do not see being prepared as something that is fear-based, but more of being there for my fellow human beings in case the need arises. As we see tornadoes whip across our country, leaving devastation in its path, I'm reminded of how quickly something like that can happen. We had the largest snow pack in 50 years here in Northern Nevada. Weather is changing, there is no doubt about it.

That being said, I wanted to pass along a website to those of you who might be interested. In our case we have some medicine, medical supplies, food, and water. I think 30 days is reasonable and doesn't need to take up much space. I have been dehydrating food that I can use everyday, some canned, and some freeze-dried for long-term storage. One of the things I have been looking for is a high-quality product for eggs. It has been impossible to find - until now. I think this product is a good one, and actually has supplies available. The #10 cans can be opened and the pouches used for backpacking, which is something I really liked. Each can has six pouches, I think. No need to use the whole can before it spoils. You can also buy it in smaller packaging.

Anyway, I thought it a great find and wanted to pass it along to all of you.

Tornadoes!

I think this video and the sounds of the person filming pretty much says it all about the devastating tornadoes hitting our southern states. Please know our hearts and prayers are with you!


4-27-11 Tornado Tuscaloosa, Al from Crimson Tide Productions on Vimeo.

Thinking & Mediation

For me, life is a continuous process of trying to mediate my thinking. I spend time waking up and thanking the universe for another day. When I go to bed I spend time thanking the universe for a soft bed in which to sleep - and wishing for all mankind to have a soft place in which to sleep. When I grocery shop I thank Mother Earth for the incredible bounty in which I have to choose from, and the ability to pay for my purchases. When I drink water, I send appreciation to the water. Crazy sounding, I know. But this is the way that I remain as positive as I can be in these times.

Recently I found a very cool website that sends me little reminders to stay focused on what is important. Looking for the best in humanity is a constant struggle, lets face it. So I really liked the one sent to me today. If you would like to sign up for your own little reminders to stay mindful of all the good in the world, visit tiny Buddha, simple wisdom for complex lives,  or just visit when you feel the need for a little boost.

WHAT WE SEE IS MAINLY WHAT WE LOOK FOR:      UNKNOWN 


Whatever you believe about people and the world, you will likely find proof to support it. 

If you look for selfishness, you’ll find it. If you look for animosity you’ll find it. If you look for injustice, you’ll find it. If you’re invested in seeing the world this way, you can probably explain a lot of what you see with negative interpretations.

Conversely, if you look for good intentions, you’ll find them. If you look for loving gestures, you’ll find them. If you look for possibilities, you’ll find them.

Much of what we see is based on how we want to interpret things–whether we judge people or give them the benefit of the doubt; whether we play the victim or find opportunities in struggles.

So the real question on any given day isn’t why you’re seeing what you’re seeing; it’s why you’re invested in that interpretation.

Today if you find yourself clinging to a negative story about a person or situation, ask yourself: What’s the payoff in holding onto this interpretation? Does it make you feel right? Or justified? Or safe? And more importantly: How might you be able to improve your state of mind or situation if you chose to see things differently?

Turbine Synchronicity

I had one of those moments this week where an old friend's name popped into my head. I knew I needed to call her before I forgot about it, and before I knew it - another year would go by. We had a great conversation, she said her husband had wanted to sell his business and retire, but by some weird circumstance a medium told him to expand it instead of selling it. I got the impression he did that - and maybe now was involved with something she mentioned as being "hot" once people knew about it - a small geothermal turbine that would heat individual homes. At the time I thought that was a great idea... I should mention it to my husband.

So today my husband asked if I had seen the president's plane land (we have a view of the city and landing planes.) Whaaat? Air Force One landed, and I missed it? Yes, he said - he heard that he was here to visit some obscure little company manufacturing some kind of small turbines.

So you tell me - was the President of the United States stopping by our small city to visit with the manufacturer of the same small turbine that my friend had mentioned?

On the other hand - they may not be related at all... What do you think? Synchronicity or just plain coincidence?

Addendum: I wrote this last week and I'm just now posting it - the President was here last week.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays - until recently.

It used to be a time to get up early and watch my children rub the sleep from their eyes, getting excited about their Easter baskets. It was a time to pack up days worth of cooking for the Easter Picnic - which was often in foul weather. It was a family tradition, dating back generations. Often we would drive over the Sierras to California to meet family for our picnic, since Nevada is often raw in the early Spring.

But lately the children are grown, and live 600 miles away. It's just not easy to be together for every holiday. And for some strange reason we forgot about Easter this year and visited our family in Portland last weekend! Why we didn't check the calendar and make it this weekend I will never know.

Anyway, we will do what we did last year and attend a lovely Easter Brunch at the Lone Eagle Grill right on Lake Tahoe. It is always festive, and after a few glasses of champagne I get over the loss of my family tradition. Next year, however, I think it's time to rally the troops and make sure I have everyone together to watch my then-four-year-old grandson compete with his cousins for eggs. I know I'll have to give up one of the other holidays but it will be worth it. I'll make potato salad and milanesa sandwiches, and watch the next generation after our children (whew!), carry on the family Easter tradition.

What do you do?

Where is Spring?

It is still cold here.
It is still grey/brown here.
I have not seen one tulip or daffy outside of the grocery store.
I have color envy as I visit other blogs.
There is still six feet of snow up at Lake Tahoe around our front door.

Where is Spring?