Your spirit, essence and intention lingers in all those things you touch

This Christmas is so different from my Christmas in 2011.  Last year the house was decorated and the atmosphere was festive.  Multicolored lights twinkled on the tree and greenery boughs gracefully drooped around each side of the overhead kitchen cabinet.  The table was set with red Dansk Nordic Knits dishes and minature lanterns lit each place setting.  It took me several weeks to complete the decorating, but I was relaxed and enjoyed every moment of the holiday season.  This year is different, because there are no decorations and in their stead are stacked boxes of the belongings that will be moved to Arizona.  The excitement of the move has been replaced with the arduous task of packing dishes, glassware and other breakables with extra care that a long distance move requires.  As I pack each piece I think about the journey and wonder if I have packed it with enough care to ensure its survival.  I had special concerns with Sid's mother's antique ink well collection.  A good friend of ours, Bob, has his own moving company -- Bald Eagle Movers.  Bob will be moving us into our new home and will be the first of our friends to be stepping across the threshold of our front door.



The gift of carefully folded paper

A couple of days ago Bob dropped by with previously used empty boxes and a large box of neatly folded packing paper.  Bob had obtained the packing paper and some used boxes from someone that he had just moved.  It was so remarkable that each sheet of packing paper had been folded with great care -- all the edges were lined up and the crinkles in the paper had been smoothed out as if each sheet was an expensive linen being prepared for placement in a linen closet.   The tall stack of folded paper fit neatly inside a large box as if this box had been specially selected for a custom fit.  The packing paper I had purchased and had been using for packing was a rather monotonous task.  Today I

Willis-Ekbom Disease (restless legs syndrome) research may lead to better zzzzzzz's

Willis-Ekbom Disease (restless legs syndrome) is a serious movement disorder related to Parkinson's Disease.  This disease causes significant impairment in many people's lives and affects children and adults.  It is well-known that WED/RLS has a major effect on the ability to get a restful night's sleep, which is the most prominently identified WED/RLS symptom.  The Willis-Ekbom Disease Foundation (formerly known as Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation) is an excellent information resource for people suffering with this disease, and for medical professionals too.  The Web site may be located at www.rls.org; I encourage you to check out the Web site and consider joining this organization to give WED/RLS a strong voice.  Their publication, Nightwalkers, is always a resource of helpful, up-to-date information that includes some of the latest research.  Nightwalkers is published quarterly and I recently received a hard copy of the Fall 2012 publication.  There is an article, Exploring the Role of Glutamate in WED/RLS, in the Fall 2012 publication on page 13 that discusses recent research containing valuable information for people with WED/RLS . . . and possibly fibromyalgia.  Many people with fibromyalgia have WED/RLS.  This research may provide clues that connect these two illnesses and explain the sleep disorder that is prevalent in both.

The new research featured in the WED Foundation 2012 Fall publication is a study conducted by a Johns Hopkins team of scientists.  Dr. Richard P. Allen, the principle investigator, stated that glutamate-hyperarousal (glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter) would be a third major area of documented brain abnormalities in WED/RLS.  The three brain abnormalities are dopamine, iron, and now glutamate, if this research confirms the glutamate connection.  The most commonly used

Life is so fragile and each day is a gift

So many things in this world are difficult to understand, but none is more uncomprehensible than the senseless taking of a human life.  We all struggle to make sense of the seemingly random acts of violence that have occurred in our schools, shopping centers, restaurants, theaters and other public places and in our homes too.  We experience an array of emotions in response to these acts, including anger, sadness, grief and loss, and frustration.  We feel the tremendous grief and pain these families are in and wish there was a way to ease their pain.  In response to these emotions we search for remedies so this never happens again.  Psychologists attempt to identify the "warning signs" that indicate the breaking point of a human mind, but there are no easy identifiable signs.  The isolation and powerlessness that people may feel can push the limits of the mind, but each person deals with life's challenges differently.  When attempting to identify the cause of such violent acts, people tend to focus on the obvious "problem":  availability of firearms or possibly the prevalence of violent movies and video games in the U.S..  Conneticut has one of the stricktest gun laws of all the 50 states and it happened there today.  Twenty-seven precious lives were lost.  So what is the real problem that results in so much tragedy?  To identify the real

When "stuff" invades your space

Arizona mountain sunset

Most of us in the U.S. have way too much stuff.  I was thinking about that and it is such a curious thing to me that we hoard stuff that is actually quite insignificant in the whole scheme of our lives.  Some people get tired of their stuff and change it out for all new stuff.  I'm wondering why all that stuff plays such an important part in our lives.  Are we so weary of our lives, ourselves and our environment that we encumber our lives and waste our money on things we don't really need?  When I see a homeless soul walking on the side of the road I am in awe of their small pack that holds all their earthly possessions.  These resourceful people have perfected the art of limiting their stuff to a few priorities.  I have a good girlfriend that packed up her Ford Pinto with her stuff and drove across the country in the 1970's to live in another state.  That really impressed me.  She was able to put everything important

Kaleidoscopic possibilities and perspectives

How are you doing today?  I so rarely receive a comment and I am really wondering how things are going for you.  I'm a little rough around the edges, but with the support of my husband and some good friends I'm actually doing well.  We are leaving for Prescott, AZ in a few days to look for a new home.  Big life changes can certainly create a measure of stress.  Throughout this life journey I am constantly amazed at the kaleidoscope of possibilities and perspectives that change the fabric of reality from moment to moment.  When I let go of the power and control I try to have over unfolding life events, I discover the superficial and monocular view I had held so dear begins to dissolve.  In its place appears a brightly colored stained glass pattern of reflected light representing all the opportunities before me.  Seemingly dead ends become a multitude of doors leading to new adventures and sometimes unexpected outcomes.  As these adventures unfold there are more possibilities as the kaliedoscope continues to turn.  I just have to let go and be willing to move forward into the vastness and uncertainty of the unknown.  It's a leap of faith that keeps me moving forward.  The alternative is to remain stuck in a place that becomes dark and dreary, predictable and