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Hello my name is Patricia and I write about life lessons to inspire all to be the best they can be. Writing is my joy and I hope you will find inspiration and connection on this blog. ~Patricia

A Nice Tall Drink of Water

Waterfall

Waterfall

So much rain, 2 inches in one afternoon , falling as we catch up in the gauge.  There are meetings in the Capital about drought and when to make the declaration.

I can hear the sump pumps running to move the street runoff away from the house and to the French drains down the side yard.  I check the floor drains before I head for bed.  So much rain is falling.

The skylights reflect not a gentle lullaby rather it is a full tap dance driving across this stage and one downspout is gurgling from too much input.

I think about putting the new filter into the drinking water spigot and am glad I put that expense before sweets and the spring holidays.

When I was growing, my water came from artesian wells.  It was sweet and smooth and I loved to hold it on my tongue on a hot day.   The Brewery down the road reminded us that “It’s the Water” on every bottle and can.   There is still one well in the middle of downtown and always there are folks there filling up pails and buckets to take it home.

Our water now is full of chlorine and pumped from miles away.   Since chlorine is so problematic for my body, I have bought a fancy filter system for drinking water.  Several of my neighbors have bought distilling tanks.   Chlorine is a full spectrum killer and very hard on our bodies – now we have to take probiotics to replace what we have lost.

What was naturally here is now overwhelmed by too many people and garbage.

When I took my children on field trips out on the bay, we learned about how street runoff, laundry soaps and shampoos are destroying the water habitats of Puget Sound.   How our male seagulls lay non-viable eggs .  We need to worry about high tides, landslides and the septic systems of all the housing along the beaches and banks of our precious water supply.

I now read that Arizona may only have 5 more years of drinkable water because of the golf courses.  I will need to study that further.   The same story talked about the farm lands of California may only have another 15 to 20 years of clean water.

Have you seen the documentary Flow; for the love of water?

The water that we do have is being increasingly attacked and assaulted by wasteful usage.  It is the little things that make a difference.   Such as using too much detergent for our laundry or small loads, using toxic soap in the dishwasher and too much, using shampoo that conflicts with the natural environment and then using too much of a good thing.   Bleach is not the only antiseptic for cleaning up and disinfecting.

Yes! Magazine Spring 2010  issue has an interesting article about how our not very “green” birth control  methods are making male fish produce eggs and that of course makes me think about all the medications that are flushed out of our systems.   I wonder how we teach eco- responsible sexuality.

We have used 10 cubic feet of water less in February 2010.  We made a choice to do this.  We cut out 4 loads of laundry, took very short and efficient showers, rinsed the dishes in one basin of water before putting in the dishwasher – which we loaded with extreme care, and we used environmentally safe products which do not suds.  One other effort we made was to be extremely conscious about our water usage – such as not letting it run while washing our face or brushing teeth.

We have bottled water in our emergency kit and for flushing toilets because of earthquake possibilities, but we do not use bottle water in between.  There is no regulation on bottled water and it does not have to be from anywhere to claim it is so – the Perrier water, I had last came from Michigan!

Around the world, 3 companies are buying up all the water rights.  Did you know that?

Clean water and clean air are basic human needs.   How do you care for your water supply?  How do you teach others to use water?  I believe this is an area where one can have profound influence locally.  When was your last field trip to check things out?

Related reading:
Flow for Love of Water
Relocalization
Ecotopia

Book Review: What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life ~ Bruce Frankel

It was a rainy dreary day and I just could not motivate myself to get into the tasks at hand.  With no real demands until dinner time, I grabbed this book from the Online Book Tours group, started a fire in the fireplace and curled up in my favorite chair.

What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life turned out to be a breath of fresh air and I read the whole book, cover to cover that very day.   Now the subtitle of the book is:  True Stories of Finding success, Passion, and New Meaning in the Second Half of Life and it fit the bill to a tee.  True Stories I enjoy very much and finding success and meaning in life, this book was a wonder full read.

The book is about 14, if you include the author 15, people who lived fairly ordinary lives and did the right thing and what was expected of them.  Then they turned 60 and along their journey they bumped into their passion and lived out their hopes and fulfilled the dream.  All of the stories are about people who are ahead of the baby boom generation and will provide inspiration for those who come along after.   I include the author because the idea for this book just bumped into him.

“…MANY SUBJECTS IN THIS BOOK WHO SUFFERED PROFOUND PAIN AND LOSS WERE WILLING AND ABLE TO REVISIT THEIR TRAUMAS…  THEY LIVE THEIR LIVES FORWARD, ACTIVELY ATTENDING TO THE PRESENT AND MOVING OPTIMISTICALLY TOWARD WHAT THEY HOPE TO CREATE.”

Here is a list of the passions discovered:  becoming a documentary film maker ( I start here because the first film she made was about Granny D who at 89 walked across the USA to highlight the need for campaign finance reform – Granny D died at age 100 March 10,2010),  became a Psychologist, adopted a New England village for her home and assisted the woman in a village in Ghana with micro loans and education, published a bestselling novel at age 94 and the sequel at age 98, started running in marathons, 86 year old park ranger-community activist, recycled furniture to those in need, became a 2nd grade teacher, developed into a renown stone carver, became an art expert/collector and started her own museum, opened a diner where people could re-connect and renew the community spirit after 9/11, and a civil servant who became a professional dancer.  Is that not an amazing list?

It started me thinking about the folks, I know like my friend Carol Ann who at 73 does triathlons and gets up every morning at 5:30am to train and keep fit.  I am going to share this book with her.

Bruce Frankel was between projects when he and a friend over coffee started focusing in on ideas of things they could write.  His friend took another direction and Frankel continued on with this book idea.

Frankel has a website if you would wish to know more, and a blog.

I was inspired by this book as I feel like I have not missed out on realizing my passion and I have been thinking about this book ever since completing it.  Where do I want to put my energies now that I am over 60 and the children are launched and my partner is busy with his passion (bike riding and drawing)  I feel excited about the possibilities.

I am going  to share the quote I found most inspiring with you and I think one will find it on each book review you read about this book.  This is what the folks have in common:

“As unique as each is, as a group the individuals in What Should I do with the rest of my Life?  Have done what the scientists tell us we should do:  they maintain healthy diets, exercise regularly, challenge themselves, fill their lives with novel experiences and varied social connections.  They, are for the most part, thin.  They like to dance and to exercise.  They tend to be more spiritual than religious.  Even those who are of a more solitary nature interact and communicate daily with extensive networks of people.  And despite occasional complaint about minor forgetfulness, they have exquisite memories.  Listening closely to their own desires, and not to prescriptions for aging well, they have followed their own curiosity on paths of learning and discovery.  And in doing so, they have fed their passions and given themselves permission to achieve success.”

Others who are reviewing this book for TLC Book Tour:
March 8: Silver and Grace
March 9: Journey and Ohh… Books!
March 11th: A Garden Carried in My Pocket
March 17th:  Truth 2 Being Fit
March 18th: Patricia’s Wisdom
March 22: Erasing the bored
March 23: Jane Be Nimble
March 24th:  Luxury Reading
March 25th: Happy Lotus

What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life is available for purchase through Amazon by clicking on the icon on this post or on the recommended reading column of Patricia’s Wisdom.

What passion do you think you will pursue in the later part of your life?

Feel free to share this review on Twitter, Facebook  or other spots by clicking on the green Share button

A Regular Crank Case

Cranky Turtle

Cranky Turtle

I am cranky.  I must have gotten out of bed on the wrong side.

I do not wish to be around me and on top of that, I do not wish to cook, or clean or be responsible for anything today.  I have no idea what I WANT to do.

I forgot to give my partner a message about the lawnmower and now the shop is closed.  This changes his expectations and plans for a non rainy day.  I feel sad that he feels inflexible in his routine and he does not want to do his own cooking now.  He did make his own cookies for lunches last week – isn’t that enough?  Actually, he says nothing because avoiding conflict of any kind is his forte.

He will disappear soon, to some place I am not because he is holding on to not making any changes right now and he does not want to understand my need to make changes right now.

It seems I must fit into everyone else’s plans, if I want to get anything accomplished.   I am a mean machine of tense movement, responding with terse remarks.  I need some IT help, but my Sunday’s are already too full, but it is the only time I can connect with my IT person and fit into her schedule.
I have made an elaborate list on a big sheet of paper because I could not find it last week while I was on the phone.  This made me angry at myself for not being able to do it myself and I did my back up wrong and had to ask for more help.

I do not want to learn something new on the computer; I want IT to do it for me.

I always do the big cooking for the week and save us money by knowing what is in the freezer and rotating the diet and reading all the labels to keep folks gluten free.  The thought of standing and working in the kitchen on my swollen knees and feet is overwhelming and I am sick and tired of being sick and tired – I have been at this healing process for years now.  Why does everything hurt?

Three times this week, I have been highlighted as the non-working spouse.  All that means is I do not bring in a paycheck and benefits that would help the budget.   Well it is true, I sold vitamins and safe cleaning products to bring in money so that I could stay home with our youngest child and for several years attended high school with her to keep her going to class.  I kept us healthy and paid for our health insurance through that process.  Two of my children wanted to go to Europe and travel – I cleaned houses and office buildings with them to help pay their way.

How quickly they forget about all my years of working and finding funds for camp, tennis, soccer and shoes. All the hours of cooking to create health and growth – tracking down foods that restore the self and the earth.   Why are all the years of volunteering discounted?  I used to boil the sheets to tackle the dust mite allergies and vacuum everyday so that they could have pets.  Wasn’t I silly? Foolish?

I do not go over all these perceived injustices all the time, they just pop up when I get up on the wrong side of the bed.   They are part of being cranky and being sick and tired of being sick and tired.  It is part of letting go of what is festering inside. Washing the spirit clean and recycling and releasing the toxins.

My partner has always admired that when I get angry, I am and I express it and then move forward. This is a learned skill and it takes practice.   I am self taught.

But this is not angry – this is cranky.  I am not down to the core of the issue and I am casting about in my feelings to locate the blockage.  I am using these cranky feelings to access the main emotional need that is not being cared for and nourished.  I am peeling back layers and layers and it works better if I can say it out loud and hear what I am saying.

I am at the door, at the threshold of a change and I have not lifted the latch and pushed on through. This is big and I know what is on the other side – I can see it in my mind’s eye and I am testing and dusting off the residue and asking myself if I want this change?

I am defending myself from the slings and arrows of change.  I am sensitive to the resistance movement.

I am cranky because I am being responsible to them and not me.

Change is like winter to spring. Change is not linear and it is not for sissies. I model change for others to witness. Change is my art form.

You ever get out of bed on the wrong side?  Do you ever just go with the feelings and not do the list?

How do you use your cranky feelings?

Related readings:
I Needs
How We Make Decisions and Changes
Increase Your Emotional IQ
The Magic Want

Embracing This Change

Sweet-Pea

Sweet-Pea

I do not believe I have a favorite season of the year. Sometimes it takes a concerted effort but I attempt to enjoy all that they have to offer on any given day.

After the warmest winter on record in my area of the country, we are now returned to winter’s blustery winds and two brief deposits of snow. As I write, the sky is clear clean and blue; over the water, I can witness the dark, fierce clouds bringing more downpours.

The morning walk was dry; I was bundled against the wind in my wool hat, cold weather jacket and sunglasses.

Plum-Blossom

Plum-Blossom

The return of the freezing temperatures has cast the crocus to the ground, bent the bleeding hearts down, and left thousands of plum and forsythia blossoms on the pavement. The Governor and her advisers are talking about drought conditions this summer, and maybe this is just Nature’s way to keep fruit from setting in massive numbers with not enough water for success.

The dam is open at the inlet end and the powers that be are letting the tides cure the snail infestation in the lake. Mud flats or high tide of salt water washes in and out during the day. I do not like the smell of the mud flats at low tide, but can celebrate that so much litter and garbage has been cleaned off the bottom, even big logs that made it over the falls and I believe maybe there were the remains of one dead cow.

I will grow accustomed to the smell and am glad that powerful chemicals are not being used to eradicate the pesky invasive species. I wonder if even one person has stopped using bleach or harsh detergents in their laundry – has maybe at least one made a change? I fervently hope so.

Flowers-6

Flowers-Branch

A developer’s lobby has just gotten the environmental regulations relaxed on many of the State’s construction projects. According to my understanding, our Legislative body just pleased a few developers and put our State at least 4 years and more like 6 years behind on the economic recovery. I am feeling as though my voice is too weak – I need a clanging gong.

As the wind pushes the splatters against the pane, I add a sweater and button up. By leaving the computer, I am able to wander the house and warm my feet with movement. Over the Lake, hundreds of seagulls play on the up and down drafts. It is a game and this is their bliss. I raise my arms and glide, imagining the feeling and am carried away.

If I resist and complain, what have I lost and what have I gained? Yes, the blossoms defeated made me sad and I wish they were going to be there to delight my senses another day, and maybe it is the right thing in the long run. If I curse the weather for my discomfort I will just be a noise with no relief.

Flowers

Flowers

It is the edge of spring and it is full of winter reminders. Just as each season does not arrive with a line drawn in the sand, it is more of a tease, I need to ebb and flow my expectations and wardrobe. Today I need to raise my arms play and glide upon the wind – it might just be the right thing to do.

How do you feel about the changing seasons? Do you resist or glide? How do you feel when someone spends so much money to get what they want and not consider all the possibilities and outcomes? Do you ever wonder if you have assisted in making a change happen?

The beautiful spring photographs on this post are from Geek Girl’s lovely recent adventure and I am so appreciative that she shared them with me, so I can enjoy each blossom with repeated pleasure.

Flowers-Blossom

Flowers-Blossom