single leaf holds on
with an unobstructed view
determination
Giving Thanks During a Pandemic
Thanksgiving will look different this year and that is out of our control...but what is within our control is how might we create new ways to give and receive gratitude, kindness and compassion?
Here are some suggestions -- what would you add to the list posted by Dear Pandemic? If you are looking for some guided mindfulness meditations, check out StressResources.com/resouces or my meditations on https://insighttimer.com/pam
From Dear Pandemic: "But what do we do with ourselves on Turkey day? Here are a few safer alternatives. Take your pick, or mix and match!
Have an outdoor gathering of local friends & family. You can spend some time together (keep it brief) and enjoy some hot apple cider or pie. Since you are not likely to be wearing masks while you eat and drink, keep your distance between household bubbles! Too cold? Have a bonfire--or just wear your snowmobile suit!
Secret Turkey your neighbors. Write anonymous thank-you notes and drop them in neighbors’ mailboxes. Challenge them to do the same to spread the spirit of thankfulness all over your neighborhood.
Have a food drive. Post on Nextdoor that you’re collecting donations, put a bin on your doorstep, and let people drop off non-perishable food. Then take it to the local food pantry.
Cook Thanksgiving dinner in advance and drop off trays to your family members. You can leave it on the porch or meet them at the door. Have your ingredients delivered from the grocery store and stock up on aluminum trays this week!
Do some mindfulness meditations that focus on gratitude. Just google “gratitude meditation” for dozens of options.
Take a pause and think about the things you’re not going to miss. The holiday season can be a lot of stress, expense, and extra work--and even sometimes seems like more work than it's worth. Maybe taking a year off is something to celebrate for you. Maybe there’s something you’re a little bit grateful to not be doing.
Donate the money you would have spent on hosting a big meal to your favorite charity.
Go for a wild turkey "hunt." In most parts of the country, you can find wild turkeys wandering the woods or even suburban neighborhoods! See if you can spot some. Or, go on a neighborhood walk and see if you can spot some turkey decorations. Note: wild turkeys are protected. Please do not actually hunt them without a license.
Take this pause to try out some new Thanksgiving recipes that might have been too risky for a big family event. Learn what was on the original Thanksgiving menu.
Run a virtual Turkey Trot. This one even has t-shirts and medals! https://www.thevirtualrunchallenge.com/virtual-turkey.../
Learn (maybe for the first time) about the real history of Thanksgiving and the central role of the Wampanoag native people in that harvest. Find out what native people inhabited the place where you live before Europeans arrived. You could even make a recipe from their food tradition to honor the important role that Native Americans played in the origin story of the United States, at tremendous expense to native ways of life. https://www.nytimes.com/.../thanksgiving-myths-fact-check...
Perhaps most importantly: ask yourself what this holiday really means to you. Is it family? Then commit to protecting your family this year. Is it pie? Well then by all means, enjoy some pie! Do the things that mean the most to you in a way that satisfies you. Be sure to ask your kids what the holiday means to them, too--it will probably give you a whole new perspective on Thanksgiving!”
Wishing you a time of giving thanks — Stay safe, be well and take care…Pam
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Resilience
Battered by the waves
reformed and reimagined
nature’s resilience
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Watermelon
Swirls, whorls, and footprints
watermelon symmetry
revealed with a knife
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Patience
Climbing hydrangea
testing my patience and trust
finally blooming
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Iris
A regal iris
standing tall in the garden
despite her short reign
HaikuChallenge20 -- Transformation
Renewed usefulness
container of protection
a transformation
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Ferns
Emerging from sleep
downy fur on chartreuse stalks
waiting to unfurl
#HaikuChallenge20 -- New Creation
Parasite and host
changing, merging, evolving
a new creation
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Robin
Veil of pink blossoms
protects, shelters, and conceals
robin sings within
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Nana Korobi Ya Oki
Japanese proverb
fall down seven, get up eight
turtles on a log
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Seasonal Attire
Seasonal attire
protecting others and me
fashion statement yet?
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Old and New
Old gnarled branches
Weathered many challenges
Hold new pink blossoms
#HaikuChallenge20 -- World View
A welcome respite
Or a reminder of loss
How we view the world
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Nature's Resilience
Familiar rhythms
Sunbathing turtles return
Nature’s resilience
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Mourning Victory
Thinking about loss
And beauty that can emerge
Mourning victory
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Reflection
Sky and water merge
Up is down and down is up
Reflection of life
#HaikuChallenge20 -- Touchstones
Looking for touchstones
Familiar anchors in life
My morning coffee
Mindful Musings -- Treasure Hunting
Daily walks are treasure hunts for me. I walk the same route as I drive each day, yet I see so much more from my walking perspective than I do through the windshield. These are treasure hunts with a twist… I am not specifically hunting for a specific object, but for bits of beauty, treasures, that have gone unrecognized, unnoticed in the day to day of getting from point A to point B. Early spring is one of my favorite times to go treasure hunting, I am never disappointed and always in awe of the bits of beauty that become visible before my eyes.
hunting for treasure
visible, invisible
game of hide and seek
Ikigai--The Difference Between Surviving and Thriving
Ikigai (ee-key-guy)…the Japanese construct that describes “the reason we get up in the morning”. The word ikigai translates from Japanese to English as iki (to live) and gai (reason). The concept of ikigai however is much more significant. We are often thrust into survival mode and many of us do well in the external measures of “success”. However, when we look closer, we are surviving (albeit quite successfully) but not thriving? The New York Times Magazine sheds light on this phenomenon in Wealthy, Successful and Miserable . In examining how we live our lives using the construct of ikigai, have we perfected the art of profession/vocation/what we can get paid for and neglected passion, mission and what we love? I would argue that we have and this is a factor in our collective stress, lack of resilience and unhappiness. Numerous studies have identified certain characteristics of stress hardy or resilient individuals — interestingly these traits and states overlap with the concept of ikigai. Ikigai is not a static concept, but one that depends on observation, exploration, curiosity, creativity and yes, a bit of risk taking to step out of our comfort zones. Building skills of mindfulness and resilience into our work lives may help to reset our personal ikigai. As we begin to explore a broader definition of success, perhaps we can find ways to shift from simply surviving to actually thriving.