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Marcia’s Meanderings – Freedom to Be

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Hello Dear Ones!

In a mere 24 hours I’ve been immersed in two contrasting aspects of life and living. Both had lessons to teach me.

Eight adults doting upon one soon-to-be two year old child was an incredible and delightful sight to behold. When not dancing around like children themselves, the adults would pick up items with which to make music – a squeaky toy or hands slapping on thighs or a wooden spoon on a pot lid – all to ensure the continued antics of this non-stop child who adores music and motion. Where mere moments before some adult was complaining of aches and pains or a headache, they too were up on the floor wiggling in tune to the beat, the child carried in their arms as a dance partner. There was awe and laughter and adoration – adults for the child, and child with each of the adults. Precious!

Then I arrive home to an e-mail announcement that my father is downsizing his apartment and would each of us, as his kids, care to lighten his load of personal belongings by selecting from those items he no longer has room for or requires. Ah, to have an item of my father’s would please me immensely! Some of the choices are wood carvings he crafted himself. Others are unique and exquisite memorabilia from places as exotic as Greece and Egypt. Yes, Dad, thank you!

Both encounters triggered within me a dichotomy of emotions. From the joy of unlimited and boundless energy and expression, to the contrast of release and perceived limitation. From having need for nothing and enjoying life unfettered, to having much and then finding the need to give it all away.

Where do I fit into the picture, being somewhere in the middle of both scenarios and yet closer to the older end of the spectrum rather than the beginnings of life? Believe it or not, I feel closer to the beginnings of life. My body may be attempting – with my obvious yet resistant consent – to rebel against life’s physical challenges. Yet my heart and my soul are closer to the innocence of youth and the desire to be unfettered and to revel in the freedom to just be. Maybe that is where my Dad is as well – wanting to relieve himself of life’s burdens and to set himself free just to be once again. Is that really such a bad thing? In the moment I think not.

Just me, meandering …

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

He Says, She Says…

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Hello, Dear Reader!

Well, as we mentioned last Sunday, our new grandson made his way into the world a little over a week ago.  He has an older sibling so this is our second grandchild, but we also have a great-nephew.  His mother is Mike’s niece, but she’s more like a daughter to him.  That got us thinking about family and what it means to be a family, so that’s the topic for our post this week.

Have a great week!

Hugs,
M&M (Grandy and Gandalf – Have you seen our picture?)

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View.

Poetry Corner – Harry Chapin

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Hello Dear Ones!

My poet choice for this week is one of my favourite singer/songwriters – Harry Chapin.  Many of you may know him best for his song “Cats in the Cradle”.  However, did you know the song was written originally as a poem by his wife, Sandy? A popular version was also sung by Cat Stevens. Of all the music Harry wrote, this was his only number one hit.

Harry was more than a singer, songwriter and musician, he was also an author and playwright. And Harry was known to be quite the humanitarian – his band did a lot of work for World Hunger. One year they raised almost $800,000 for that worthy cause.

Harry died back on July 16, 1981. Yet his music lives on today. Harry was even inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006. Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – Quandaries and Solutions

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Hello Dear Ones!

Why is it when situations outside of our apparent control are out of control – having gone wacky and wonky in our esteemed estimation – we take them in and focus on the negativity of them as though the fuss and worry could help find the solution?

Why is it when we are so selective about so many facets of our life – our cars, clothes, home, the people with whom we interact – we are not at all selective in the thoughts we allow to run rampant in our heads?

What then is a person to do?

Why, keep our minds very, very busy – occupied on other things. Here are a few suggestions that work for me:

1.) Tell yourselves a different story. Begin with “Once upon a time…” and end with “…happily ever after.” And in the middle put all the wonderful, fun, joyous, adventurous, playful, creative, positive, inspirational ideas you can think of into what you want to see as outcomes for those what-seem-like-not-so-nice scenarios. Make them delicious and tantalizing! Lush them up! Lavish them with love!

Then let them go. Send all negativity away – even what you ‘believe’ to be happening around you.

2.) Go for a walk. Look at things as a child would see them. Watch the clouds. Find their forms. What do they look like? Dragons? Bunnies? Elephants? Stick your nose near a snow bank (if it’s still winter out your way … snow smells incredible and oh, so fresh!) Or place that smeller of yours into a flower decorating the section of sidewalk you are skipping upon in the moment. If it’s raining, jump in a puddle! Done once, do it again! The precipitation in your area is still snow? Then make a snow angel!

3.) Write. Journal. Not the negative, though. I spent years grumbling my dissatisfaction into journals when I first started the process. All it did was add fuel to the fire of my perceived discontent. Now I write about the blessings in my life! The lady who let me go ahead of her in the grocery line because I had only one item to her cart-load. The little girl with the crazy red hair and braids who had the most amazing giggle! The street woman who smiled right from her toes for me when I gave her a nod and a smile of greeting. Watching two servers give each other a hug simply because they enjoyed working together! And there’s always the gazillion blessings within my own life – my marvelous husband (he’s worth way more than half of those gazillion blessings!); my wonderful, visionary sons; my talented daughter-in-law and the precious grandsons she has gifted both us and this world; this computer expanding my ability to connect with others; the pink Converse runners adorning my feet …

What are the blessings in your life?

Whatever they are, find them. Focus on them. Savour them. Let them nourish your mind and your soul. Focus on the positive and ask your mind to find you more and more reasons to be grateful, to uncover the joyous in your life. Your mind will be glad of something to do. It needs directive. Provide it the directive that will make you feel good. Focusing on the positive will have you feeling better.  And the better you feel, the better you’ll feel!

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

He Says, She Says…

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Hello Dear Reader:

Well, Sunday is upon us once again, and we have news to share!  The newest member of our family, a grandson, arrived in the world early yesterday morning.  He has ten fingers, ten toes, and everything else is exactly where it should be.   He’s beautiful! (but we may be slightly biased)  He also has good lungs and a powerful set of vocal chords.  An orator perhaps?

Having said that, we’re off to celebrate.

Hugs,
M&M

Poetry Corner – Science as Poetry

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Hello Dear Ones!

Mike and I are very much into innovation and inspiration. Anything fun, informative and uplifting nurtures us. As a result we find ourselves watching TED and other web videos rather than the television these days. When I saw the following YouTube video – attached here for your viewing pleasure – I had to use it for my Poetry Corner this week. Once you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why!

As a preamble first, though, if you are like me you would not likely have thought you’d ever see the words ‘science’ and ‘poetry’ in the same paragraph, let alone paired together. But it will become clear and logical once you’ve viewed the video. Enjoy!

The Poetry of Science

The Poetry of Science

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

Marcia’s Meanderings – Proud Momma!

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Hello Dear Ones!

No major topic seemed forthcoming for today’s post till moments before noon (PST) when my daughter-in-law called. This lovely woman doesn’t pick up the phone just to chat. So I knew something was up. Thinking at first that she was going to tell me she was now in labour (baby #2 is due any day), I was happily curious. No, the soon-to-be newest addition is still comfy with his (yes, a boy!) current living arrangements.

We had a few moments of catch up when the reason for the call came spilling out – giggles of excitement bubbling forth with the news. Her husband – my eldest son – has been nominated for Best Cinematography in the Web Series: Riese. Best Cinematographer! Only five are nominated in this category.

The Streamy Awards honour the best in Web Television. Riese the Series, originating in Canada, has been nominated for the Best Foreign Web Series. Should you care to look, you’ll find my son’s name – Christopher Charles Kempinski – listed under the Craft Awards section for Best Cinematography. You’ll notice Riese has been nominated for two additional awards as well: Best Sound Design & Best Art Direction.

Congratulations, my Chris, on this fabulous honour! Your inspired, imaginative and keen eye, smart work, dedication and commitment to excellence are being recognized by the best of the best in your field. Kudos to you!

Any chance there will be room at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles for a proud Momma?

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

He Says, She Says…

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Greetings, Dear Reader!

Well, with the end of the month falling on a Sunday, we’ve all of a sudden discovered that we had one post to do yesterday, two today and one tomorrow!  We might have to take a break in there somewhere just to allow the keyboards a bit of a rest!

If we look at time as the linear passing of one moment to the next, then it could be said that we have both been walking a ‘spiritual path’ for a very long time.  In some circles that might be cause for veneration, but we both agree that the only question really worth asking from all of this is, “Have we found joy in our discoveries?’  Yes, for the most part we have.  We get better at is as we go, or maybe it’s just that we’re getting better at discovering that it always exists within us.

Of the many books that were written by Seth, Jane Roberts and Robert Butts, the first Seth book we each read was ‘Seth Speaks‘.  In that book ‘he’ wrote:

”Using the inner senses, we become conscious creators, cocreators.” ~ Seth Speaks, session 515.

The very basis of Seth’s teachings, and the teachings of many others can be formed along the lines of: ‘You form your own reality’.  So, taking that in hand we thought that this week we’d turn our minds and our keyboarding fingers toward ‘Conscious Co-Creation‘.

Hugs,
M&M

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View.

Poetry Corner – Potential

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Hello Dear Ones!

Years ago I bought myself a small spiral notebook and pen to keep in my purse. (BTW: Today, the notebook in my purse is about the 25th such writing journal.) On the very back page of this notebook I began jotting down different topics as they came to me randomly – for use as poems, short stories, or as simple paragraphs that might, someday, find their way into a story. It’s a mere list that looks somewhat like this:

Grandmother
Thunderstorm
Mashed bananas
The scent of a baby
Fresh ground/fresh brewed coffee
Candles
Riding a bicycle
Driving a car
The first pickle in the jar
A hug

My list now has about 350 entries of topics I still might write about – someday. Many have already inspired me to write. Some I have written about and yet I have kept the topic on the list as there are so many ways to express the different facets of that same topic – such as thunderstorms! Each and every storm is unique and pulls emotions from within as varied as the storms themselves!

How do I use this Potential Writings list? Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – Anything But The …

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Hello Dear Ones!

It’s well after noon on a sunny Monday as I sit myself down to write. I finally made it to the desk to type. It was truly a challenge for me to do so. And that has me laughing as I record these words!

Why a challenge? Were there other things happening in my life that precluded my time at the computer? No. Not unless you consider doing the dishes, sweeping and mopping the bathroom floor, reading, watching the Olympic Curling match – Canada vs. the United States – as being of more importance. Let’s see now … what else did I do this morning?

Maturity – my own – has helped me to understand one very major factor in my life. Procrastination – which for me is a major form of writer’s block – is never sitting down to write and facing a blank piece of paper or computer screen and finding nothing at all comes to my brain inspiring me to write. Procrastination is not forcing myself to sit and sit even though the brain is empty of ideas. Procrastination is not writing terrible material resulting in the frustrated scrunching up of balled and wasted paper (what Mike refers to as beginner’s origami!) nor is it the frequent use of the backspace or delete keys on my laptop.

Procrastination, for me, is simply doing anything but the very act of what it is I know I could/should do. It is plain and simple avoidance. Finding creative ways to avoid what I feel obliged to do. My creativity is momentarily misdirected to any activity other than writing. I can get very creative with things to accomplish – to the point of the ridiculous on occasion. If it weren’t for my periodic bouts of procrastination, that pile of papers building up in one drawer of the filing cabinet would never get sorted through (with most of it being recycled) and organized. The fact that it’s been building up for over 6 months now and there is no rush to get it done today or even tomorrow – and yet, for some reason, it has become the most pressing thing to do on a day when I have a book to finish or a post to write.

Sound familiar? Do you do that too? I’m not alone? Well, I’ll be …

As you may be able to envision, I’m smiling as I write all this. I give thanks to my writer’s block and my procrastination skills. They help me realize how truly human I am. They also help me get my filing cabinet kept up to date at least twice a year.

Today my bathroom is now clean – top to bottom. It practically sparkles! Plus I got this post written. I would not have found a topic for this post if it hadn’t been for the very act of procrastinating, so I’m doubly blessed.

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia