Synchronicity

 

Note: This picture and poem don’t really have anything to do with synchronicity. Also, I struggled with this subject and am not sure I “got” it but thought I would share it anyway.

            What is synchronicity? I have heard the word, but never really thought about its meaning, or if it was much of a factor in my life until it was a subject suggested by a friend in a writers group. I looked it up numerous times, discussed it with friends and spent lots of time considering where it fit in my life.

            I first thought of synchronicity as it might be seen around me. The way a flock of birds rise as one from treetops forming a black swirling cloud headed first one way then suddenly turning in unison to soar in another direction in perfect synchronicity. Next I thought about dancers, like the Rockettes all kicking as one in a dance routine. Then I considered a less formal way to see synchronicity in daily life. Driving down the highway for any distance you might notice that there are other drivers taking part in an impromptu ballet of passing each other, falling back, then passing each other again, changing positions for miles all heading in the same direction and sometimes stuck in a traffic jam together. Many times this happens for commuters who each leave their home at the same time every day to form a kind of team of strangers all headed in the same direction.  You might even count on these teammates to let you know by their presence that you’re running right on schedule.

            Finally I considered where I could identify synchronicity in a more personal way.  Sometimes it is the sale on an item I need to purchase which saves me money, such as soap or coffee. There’s the synchronous way holiday meals come together as well as the ensuing clean up, my sister-in-law, daughter and niece each moving in harmony to make things nice for all.  By far my favorite bit of synchronicity is when I am thinking about a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while and later that day she contacts me. It is as if we are somehow on the same wavelength.

            Synchronicity is all around us, and one of life’s wonders. I never really thought much about it, but now I look for it. Somehow I am reassured to realize that we are all connected in some harmonious way.

It’s A Wonderful Life

 Here we are, starting a new year, 2024. The one just passed was, as always, a mixture of good things and bad things. A year where carefully made plans flew out the window to be replaced by short notice, illnesses, home improvements and social occasions. There was also some loss, close calls, confusion, and just generally all the things that lives are made up of. 2023 was fast paced, ever changing and bittersweet. I think most years are that way when we look back on them. Through it all, I try to keep my chin up and move forward. Although my heart may be heavy and fears trying to take over my thoughts, I have a determination to make it through and find something positive to focus on. I don’t always succeed, but with the help of family and friends I generally find my way through.

Also, I am thinking about things I have done differently in 2023. Here are a few of them:

— My husband and I do the grocery shopping together since he retired early in the year. I used to go alone and sometimes I still do, but us going together is now the norm.

— I eat cheese curls with a toothpick to keep my hands clean. Funny, right? I did it by accident one day, I had a toothpick holding a sandwich together and when I took it out it stuck in a cheese curl on my plate. It was a delightful revelation for me as I always ended up needing to scrub the orange dust off my fingers after indulging in those delightful crunchy salty morsels.

— I planted fewer flowers in pots last summer. It’s a lot of work and I found that I was just as happy with less, and the upkeep was less taxing.

— I stopped chasing friends. I realized that I do not have to be the planner. If friends want to get together I usually will, but I let them initiate most of the time. It’s much less frustrating to let them decide when there is time in their schedules since mine is pretty open. That’s not to say I ignore them unless they contact me, communicating is a 2 way street, after all, I just prefer for them to let me know when their schedules allow for us to meet.

— I returned to my church after many years of staying away. I was delighted and moved that I was welcomed back by many familiar faces and joined a bible study group. It’s nice chatting with different yet familiar people on a more regular basis. 

All of these things remind me that it is truly a wonderful life. I wonder what 2024 will bring?

Nature Calms

                                  Just a little bunny in the yard. So cute!

 

When I was a teenager I had a poster on the wall in my room of a beautiful woodland waterfall  that said “You will never be lonely if nature is with you”.  The picture reminded me of the time we spent as a family at Tillman’s Ravine exploring the forest on steamy summer weekend afternoons when I was younger.  It was a place my mother loved, with waterfalls, wood plank footbridges over streams, and little pools where lily pads grew and water bugs skittered across the top of the water.  The water was so clear you could see the rocks on the bottom and minnows swimming near the edge.  It was a cool and inviting place on a summer afternoon.  I still love being in a natural environment, and when I’m feeling stressed I often step outside for a few moments and listen to the birds chirping and the wind moving the trees, and gaze at the sky for an instant dose of calm.

               When I think about nature, I am amazed at how it all works.  Somehow it all fits together, and while it can be frightening at times, it’s never boring.  One of the more interesting things to see is the creatures that live around us.  There are plenty of birds and squirrels, there’s groundhogs and chipmunks, and rabbits.  Now and then there are deer in our yard and I’m pretty sure they are the reason I don’t get too many blooming lilies as they find them as well as the lily-like flowers on the hosta to be tasty.  One very early morning my husband went out the door to go to work and came face to face with a huge deer who was probably snacking on the nearby hosta flowers.  Even though he was on the deck   and the deer was in the yard, it was quite a heart stopping way for him to start his day. Encounters with animals are not limited to deer.  Besides the squirrel that tried to take up residence in our attic a number of years ago, there was one who laid on the deck rail shaking his tail in a threatening manner and hissing at my daughter as she tried to leave for a flute lesson.  She had to go out the back door because that critter just wasn’t going to stop.  There were times when I would be sitting in the living room with the door open and look up to find the squirrel sitting on the deck rail looking in at me. We’ve also had birds sitting there looking in, and one of the neighborhood cats used to do the same thing.  There have been times when we were on the deck in the evening and seen raccoons meander along the driveway, and one time a bear came crashing through some bushes between us and the neighbor’s house.  Foxes used to fight outside my daughter’s bedroom window at night and she said the sound they make is awful not to mention frightening in the middle of the night.  There was the carpenter bee who acted as a sentry by hovering in your face as you approached the door and then flew away after a second or two, we’ve had the occasional praying mantis, and of course my arch nemesis icky Vicky the spider and her descendants.  Yes, nature is never boring.

               The weather is another aspect of nature that fascinates us.  We talk about it, have channels devoted to it, complain about it, and celebrate it.  It seems to defy explanation at times, like how it can be pouring rain from dark clouds at my house, yet I can see that just about a half mile away there is a beautiful sunset over the lake.  Rainbows are always amazing and social media lights up with pictures everyone takes of them after a big rainstorm.  Likewise if there is hail on a hot summer day you can see many videos and pictures in your newsfeed.  When it snows in places that usually don’t get it, or someplace gets snow measured in feet instead of inches it is newsworthy, as well as ice storms which are terrifyingly dangerous yet beautiful in the sun when they finish.  Who can resist a picture of fog as it lifts off a body of water, or a deep blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds highlighted by sunbeams? We can hear the rumble and roll of thunder in the summer or even in the winter during a snow storm. Weather and nature continually changes and keeps us on our toes.

               I find time spent contemplating my immediate outdoor surroundings to be a good way to take a little mental break from the stresses and worries of life.  Wondering how it is birds can fly, butterflies and bees know where flowers full of nectar are, and squirrels remember where they have buried acorns they collected months before can take you out of yourself for a few minutes.  You might never get the answer, but that’s not really what’s important.  What’s important is to get a little vacation for your brain, feel a part of something bigger, and find momentary peace.

Tuesday’s Thoughts

         We’re having some lovely late summer weather, blue skies, gentle breezes, cold nights, warm sunny days in the 70’s; just perfect!  When the afternoon begins to wind down and the sun is slanting, deepening the shadows by dinner time I’d like to go sit outside and watch the day go to sleep while sipping some spiced cider or mulled wine.  Oh how I would love to be that person!  Alas, that is not how my days end.  I am, instead, inside my house.  Feeding and bathing Hillary, making dinner, packing lunches for the next day and taking care of the dishes.  Such is my lot in life, right now anyway.  One day before the days are too short and too cold I’m going to be that person.  I’m going to just treat myself and put everything on hold or get someone else to do some of it so I can try that person on for size.  It’s nice once in a while to step into different shoes for a bit and see how they fit.

         I’ve been making mental notes about things that need to be done outside and the first thing on the list is remove the hanging baskets as the flowers have died and it’s beginning to look like nobody lives here from the street.  The flowers came back nicely the end of July once the hottest weather broke.  The potted vegetable plants didn’t produce this year, but they were still nice to look at and as long as they are alive there is hope that something will appear.  The flower garden we tried to plant along the driveway was overtaken by some aggressive weeds.  We may need to think about some landscape fabric or perhaps newspapers under the mulch next spring.

         We gave Hillary a very nice 21^st birthday party at a local restaurant.  We bought Mylar balloons and tied them in twos using plastic bead necklaces as weights.  Those balloons are so festive and Hillary loves them.  Now they’re home with us and when the air stirs and they knock together it sounds like someone is walking through the house—kind of creepy when I’m here alone.  Perhaps I’ve watched too many crime dramas.

         That’s probably enough thinking for a Tuesday evening.  After all, I’m still trying to recover from Monday.  Nothing special happened Monday, it was just Monday.

Thoughts on a Wednesday Evening

~Tomato soup and grilled cheese, mac & cheese, bread pudding—just some of the most comforting foods on Earth.

~Don’t say you’ll “never” do something because one day you might find yourself doing and enjoying the thing you said you wouldn’t.

~I’m enjoying watching baseball (Yankees) so much that I don’t know what I’ll watch when the season ends. This is a new activity for me. (see the previous thought!)

~I think the papers have won, and I need a secretary.

~2012 has not been my favorite year.

~Changes in friendships are inevitable as we all continue to grow and evolve.

~I think my smart aleck phone and I have come to an understanding—at least for now.

~Halloween is an odd “holiday”.

~Sometimes the best thing you can do is just show up and smile; the rest will fall into place.  This applies to about 80% of life.

~Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you get what you need, and sometimes you get what you get.

SOME OF WHAT I'VE LEARNED

I've learned that :

wheelchairs don't go well in snowy parking lots.
people can make a really big deal out of nothing.
many people don't know how to deal with life when there is nobody else to blame.
most of those pointing at someone else are really just trying to stop people from paying attention to them.
sometimes you get what you want.
sometimes you get what you need.
sometimes you get what you get.
cookies' calories increase when used to dull worries.
a pot of soup can be stretched to feed many people multiple days.
I don't like to share chocolates.
chicken nuggets are heavenly dipped in nacho cheese sauce.
a bowl of cereal is a lovely way to end the day.
a cold cloth on the head soothes a headache nicely.
much reality tv does not resemble reality, & none of it resembles my life.
sometimes I don't know when to stop