Entry 24: The Fireflies Goodbye, The New Moon's Pull and The Gift of My Focused Attention

Dear All:
August's stunning parade of waving flowers, continual rainfall and the sun's shining dry heat proved to be nature's idea of perfection this east coast summer. As the rain kept its pace throughout the month, the big fat yellow sun baked each flower like the perfect cookie. Our preppy pinked zinnia's  (how about the name Zinny for my next bunny?) our yellow & orange lollipops (marigolds) and our perfectly tall and seductive dahlias are all winking goodbye from the garden, thanking us for this summer's spectacular.

We have tiny flower arrangements of sexy reds, June bride yellows, bright orange sunshines and giggly girl preppy pinks that are currently conducting a beauty pageant in the kitchen.  I am voting for Little Miss Bright Orange Sunshine.

"All are nothing but flowers in a flowering universe."--Nakagawa Soenroshi, Zen Buddhist

As the fireflies' final dance and glow leaves us in awe, today (8/27/11) we are now thrust into anticipation of the smashing crush of this year's tropical storm, Irene. What is wrong with a hurricane after this week's earthquake?

While sun baking like a cookie at beautiful Dianne Kinnear's backyard pool on Tuesday (8/23/11), Long Island experienced a 5.8 Richter scale earthquake from Washington, DC. Dianne and I were too busy chirping and drinking our iced green tea that we did not notice, we never even come up for air. But we want to thank mother nature for reminding us that she is still here and very well.

And today (8/27/11), we anxiously await a visit from Irene, who seems very sad to see summer's end too! This weather system is potent due to her high tide and her new moon. The UK's Daily Mail online reports, "The intensity of Hurricane Irene and the extent of the flooding on the East Coast could be made worse by a new moon and high temperature of water in the Atlantic, scientists warn. "During new and full Moons-- the Sun, Earth, and the Moon are arranged in a straight line, with the Sun and the Moon intensifying each other's gravitational pull on earth." We are now open to the unpredictability of nature's power--the abyss. I have no problem with the abyss, I made it my friend long ago. Yahoo!

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Thank you for the abyss, it saved my life.

With the media's relentless presentation of nature's magnificent event to occur (today) and our thoughts glued to the television, I've realized the importance of being present.  No yoga or mediation could have prepared me for my "distracted ass" like parenthood. I am no Mom Blogger (yikes), but boy parenthood has provided me with some honorable lessons. When I realized how distracted I am as a person, and as a parent, it did not make me feel happy. I could easily say, "That is just me."  I thought further, "Get Over Yourself Please, starting now."

And what does that mean exactly? 1) actively listening to Todd when he is speaking 2) stopping what I am doing when Brady wants to play 3) interacting with Brady and using our imagination to have fun 4) turning down the noise in my mind when I am alone 5) listening to friends/family tell their stories without piping in 6) nourishing my thoughts 7) being calm when Todd is not 7) being calm when Brady is not 8) being more organized so I can focus and enjoy life's moments 9) talking less 10) honoring others with my focused attention. Thank God for Getting Over Myself, yahoo!

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"Total attention is the best gift I can give anybody."--Deepak Chopra

"Become a parent and Get Over Yourself, we guarantee it!"--Kristen

Thank you all for reading during your last days of summer (it was a beauty) and for supporting my writing efforts good/bad. Let's raise our glasses and cheers to the abyss! It taught me how to let go of everything, yahoo! I hope that Irene's wrath is not too harsh but, she has her own perspective right? I promise to be present each moment so that I can love you all the "more" til the cows come home.

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I'll have a freshly mixed cocktail of happy & forgiveness, would you like a sip?

Lastly, let's pray for the women, children & animals surviving this storm (and everywhere) who need our fierce protection at all times.

With Love & Sincerely,
Kristen

Entry 23: My Adorable Jelly -- The Ballerina, The Wind's Energy and I Fired My Ego Today!

Dear All:
July was as magnificent as I've ever known. From the Atlantic's deep blue depths to every splashing pool, to the spectacular colors that reside outside the back door. June's rainfall along with July's dry sunny heat, made for a remarkable encore to this month's radiant bloom.

As the critters swam to their hearts content (referring to my dear lamb of a jelly fish) in the pure & clean oceans at The End, the lime lighted hydrangeas provided quite a light show (at daylight) on the pool deck at Meddi and Alan's in Shelter Island. Meddi's simply calls them, "lime lights", which look like green flickers in the sun's light. Lastly, while the Zinnias tower over the marigolds, they illuminate us with a zesty, rich orange, a magical Lilly pink and a June bride's yellow like I have never seen before. These proud flowers are providing us with a very happy rainbow. Heaven on earth at its best!

While breathing in the rainbow before me, I've started to take notice of the wind and its impact on us and our forgiving earth. And through the deep thoughts and appreciation for everything wonderful before me, I find myself (at times) observing others actions which is cause for immediate termination of my -- ego. Yes, I fired my ego today! Yahoo!

It was encouraging to see the number of jellies being born out on The East End of NY. I was frozen with curiosity (while in Sag Harbor) by watching the absolutely dearest Jelly Fish (a jelly nettle). As she very very very very slowly moved her fragile and beautiful tentacles (an effortless movement of the perfect ballerina) she kept hitting against the dock.  I could only look at her in amazement while feeling helpless to save her. My intervention would have been harmful, so I had to just enjoy her magical ballet from the dock. She was endearing in every way - let's here it for the Jellies!

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"To see life through the eyes of a child, is to be truly free."--author unknown

The wind can cool our hot ways and its force can cause some stressful times while at sea or cause the ripping through communities that are never left the same. The more time you spend aboard, the more you think and read about the wind (in particular on a day of travel). Todd found a helpful app called www.windfinder.com that has been navigating us all summer. He swears by it!

From the discussion of wind comes the idea of the Wind's Energy. What is that exactly? With the wind playing a role in our "climate change" and contributing to a couple of natural disasters this year alone, Tennessee and Missouri for example, I have to mention the positive potential it could have--- if constructed in a thoughtful way. I did my minimal research on wind energy and found the following facts with pros & cons on http://www.healthlink.org/whywind9.html.

"Wind turbines use energy from the motion of the wind to make mechanical energy,  which is then converted to electrical energy. This, in turn, is fed into the utility grid and distributed to customers. Perhaps this could alleviate, 1) oil spills, 2) coal spews, and 3) natural gas leaks. The pros are 1) 0 emissions 2) developed locally 3) fixed price 4) small footprint and 5) low impact on wildlife.  The cons are 1) high initial investment 2) noisy (I would think they were quiet) 3) aesthetic visual impact 4) must be situated near transmission lines and 5) wind must be between 6 mph & 16 mph for power generation, so it fluctuates." --www.healthlink.org. Oh well it still seems like a better idea than this over use of oil. Never surrender and never give up on the hope that awaits us!

Again with so much to worship and be thankful for, I continually fire my ego for insubordinate behavior, sigh. This means when I observe others actions. For god's sakes what is the point of being here if I just can't mind your own bees wax? Isn't that another privilege of being an adult, of being in control? This behavior is reserved for the children and teenagers, right? Once I realize that focusing on others' actions (other than Brady and Finney who I am in charge of at the moment), I need to fire my ego immediately without any explanation. I need to take one more breath and repeat to myself, god please help me Get Over Myself.

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1. Getting Over Myself today means checking my thoughts continually, listening more and removing my feelings from unfavorable situations.
2. No ego with that please!
3. I fired my ego today, yahoo!
4. Getting Over Myself today means that I will focus on the fact that everything is a miracle to effectively create my short/long term reality.

Thank you all for reading in your busy summer days.  I applaud July's encore of an explosive bloom and I beam with hope each time I look out the window. The wind can be soothing yet daunting at the same time. Perhaps, provide an alternative solution (as a supplement) to our energy crisis some day? And on a final note, if I hop along my path of emotional discipline and if I promise to fire my ego the moment it arrives (with no discussion), then nothing can go that wrong right?

Lastly, let's pray for women, children and animals who need our intuition and fierce protection at all times. Keep the positive energy coming everyone! Love it!

With Love and Sincerely,
Kristen