JUST TALKING

August 21 and day 21 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’m starting to sound like a broken record. It’s another busy day. I don’t think I can finish this post but I thought starting might give me some inspiration. I’ve been feeling extremely busy and tired. I gave myself a pass from my aerobics class on Wednesday and Friday but I swam this morning. I rarely miss my Saturday morning swim knowing that the water always make me feel better. Most Saturdays I have the pool to myself. I had to share with another today.

Guess what? It is August 22 and day 22 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. It is raining in Saskatoon. I feel exquisitely tired, achy and grateful. It is not the best timing for rain for the farmers but I am sure we are all thankful for it. It’s not like we have a say in the when. And the yard and plants look beautiful in grey mist.

I like to stand inside the greenhouse (there is no place to sit) and just breathe in the sweet fragrance of the bitter melon. It’s especially restful on a rainy morning. My tiredness, aches and pains seem to ease in the warmth and breath of this living atmosphere.

I have 3 bitter melons on the grow, the third one just a baby. I hope it grows up. I disturbed the petals while trying to pollinate it. A couple of petals fell off.

Autumn is certainly in the air. Winter will be upon us before I am ready for it. The thermal rock wall is almost finished. It is used to moderate the temperature inside. It will absorb heat from the sun during the day and release it at night. I still have lots of growing things inside that’s taking up space – the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants not to mention the cucumbers which are still very productive. I have to think about finding space for and how to start a winter crop. Maybe tomorrow. And you know what they say about tomorrow. Maybe I can prove them wrong.

TOMORROW

I have fallen off the writing track. It was once my addiction, my meditation and my lifeline. Now it is a strenuous exercise, a has been and a difficult thing to resume. Tomorrow, I say. I will get back to it tomorrow. I have finally mustered enough will power to come to my keyboard. I’m tinkering with the letters and words. Can I make a sentence? Can I form a thought? Will my fingers find the magic and fly over the keys? Or will I fall back into my lament of another tomorrow?

Funny how easy it is to ‘being human’ and so difficult to ‘rise above it’. We use our humanness as an excuse. It is a good word. I’m only human. It is not my fault. It is all very true but how is it working for me? I’m reminded of Portia Nelson’s poem Autobiography in Five Short Chapters.

Chapter I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am hopeless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit… but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter V

I walk down another street.

I’m walking down Chapter 3 today. I can be grateful on seeing the hole. Habits are powerful and I am who I am. Falling is not a bad thing. It is the refusal to get up and out that is bad. Life is a long street. It’s not all a smooth walk. There’s holes in the sidewalk. It’s good to read all the chapters and learn the lessons. I hope this is another beginning of another long writing affair. Till tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S TOMORROW IS TODAY

It’s not true that tomorrow never comes. It has. It is today. I am proud to say that I’ve pulled myself up by the bootstraps. I live in the moment each moment – for the morning at least. I had wondered how I was going to get my head out of the clouds into clear sailing. I could not give into my natural state of “I’ll do it tomorrow”. Too many tomorrows have passed. I’ve wound up like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, waking up to the same tune, day after day. I’m sick of it.

I am the most energized, optimistic and happy in the morning. That being, it would be the best time to tackle what I deemed difficult and unpleasant tasks like bills and other paper crap. I dragged out my container and bag full of receipts. I circled the dates on each one, the easier to match my monthly Master Card statements. It seems like an arduous task but I did finished 7 statements. Of course, there’s a good possibility of more receipts showing up. I do not have the habit of keeping things in one place – yet. And I’ve started a notebook to jot down things I need to do and dates to keep track of. I have 3 items on it.

I decided that was enough for today. Trying to straighten out everything in one day would invite disaster. I’m keeping in mind to find logical homes for things so that I’m not forever taking the house apart searching. It is now time to give things a rest. It is now 5:35 pm. Time to let go, relax and have a glass of wine. There’s a time for everything.

DISAPPOINTMENT – Day 161 in a year of…

Day 161, January 3, 2016 @7:11 pm

I have the grouchies with this cold weather. I wonder why my ancestors immigrated to this part of the country/world. Why not Australia or some other parts of the South Pacific? If it has to be America, why not San Francisco or Vancouver? No, there’s no point in wondering. We’re here in cold frigid Saskatchewan. Best to save my energy for coping. Would be easier if the weather was not so extreme – from melting to arctic temperatures overnight. But there’s nothing easy about this winter.

Okay, bitching over. I’m here on day 161 in my year of doing different. I’m inching forward each minute, each hour, each day. A drop in the bucket at a time will eventually fill it. Clearing one spot each day will create more space to do more. Changing one thing a day can create the domino effect.

I’m trying to be patient with my brush strokes. I gave my girl a different skintone – peaches and cream. Not liking it now but will let it sit. Not all changes are pleasing. Disappointment is not a bad thing. It leads to more changes. Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a new day.

I WILL FEEL TOMORROW

Today is only Wednesday, but what the heck. I have my story of 100 words ready for Friday Fictioneers. I might as well put it up for you to see. We are hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, the lady who is addicted to purple. Won’t you come in, sit awhile and read our stories. Better yet, join us.

PHOTO PROMPT Copyright – Marie Gail Stratford

A hundred bottles on the wall.

The refrain played over and over in her head. She saw a hundred green eyes winking at her, mocking her.

The dancers danced their dance on stage. The audience clapped and cheered in the celebration of the moment, in the appreciation of skillful maneuvers and flamboyant robes.

She sat silent, watching, not feeling. Not knowing how to feel. She will feel tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the music played, hips swayed and feet moved. Flashbulbs went off. Toasts were made.

She sat, silent and unobserved or so she thought. Tomorrow, tomorrow…..

A BEGINNING

So many evenings when I am brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed, I see so many things that I ~~needed~~ wanted to do and hadn’t. I would vow to myself that I would do them tomorrow. Of course tomorrow never comes. I realize NOW is my tomorrow and it is time to do all those things.

It is not easy of course. Somehow, something ALWAYS come up and you want to say, maybe I’ll do it tomorrow. But after awhile you hear this echo. You have to stop and listen and ask yourself, How many times have I said that?

You hang your head in shame. Life is difficult. Life is messy. You are between a rock and a hard place. None of your options are palatable. You tremble in the unfairness of life. You wonder why God is testing you in this way.

I know for sure there is a reason why HE put me in this place. Because I have trust and faith in the unknown, I am able to breathe into the Universe and draw back strength to take a step forward. I am beginning a new journey.

SATURDAY JOY

Oh, today was so loverly! The sun was shining and the skies so blue. We sashayed into the park with our heads held high and tails wagging. What beauty and joy laid before us!

Let us not waste time sighing and worrying about tomorrow. Let us not drag our feet behind. We must greet the day and our lives with glee and joyful anticipation. We are here today. Who knows where we will be tomorrow. Let the journey begin!

The road is long and winding, full of twists and turns. You just don’t know what can be around the corner. Life is like that, too. And that is a wonder. It keeps everything alive and fresh. It keeps you on your toes. Oh, what do we see when we looked up? Why, it’s a bird’s nest!

We cross a bridge and a babbling brook. All else was quiet. We heard our own footsteps and the calls of the birds. It is so peaceful and serene. I will stay awhile and breathe in the calm. Call me when you are ready to leave.

onethousandandtwo

Looking at Infinity

tomorrow