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