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

In awe of the living things with which we share our planet

The President in Sequoia National Park courtesy of Nat Geo

Sequoia National Park by Nat Geo

Whenever I become too focused on my own concerns I like to remind myself there are other people that have concerns too.  I also like to refocus my attention to the amazing living things that share our planet with us.  Today I received the December 2012 issue of National Geographic.  On the front cover is a picture of The President: the giant sequoia that has lived in Sequoia National Park in California for the last 3,200 years.  When this tree was born there was no National Park and there was no official California.  Just the pristine land and the trees and all the living things that benefit from these magnificent giants existed at that time.  The President is not the largest tree on Earth; it is only the second largest.  It isn't as tall as the giant coastal redwoods in northern California or Eucalyptus regnans in Australia (highest reported tree was 375 feet tall and was felled in the late 19th century), but it is far more massive.  The President reaches for the sky at 247 feet tall, its four largest limbs are as big as large trees, and it has a thick crown that holds an estimated two billion leaves.  The only tree that has a trunk of greater bulk is that of The General Sherman; a tree that is also in Sequoia National Park.  (2012, December.  National Geographic, pg 28 - 41).  If you have never seen these magnificent trees I would urge you to make the trek to 7,000 feet where these trees thrive despite the rugged conditions in the Sierras.  Standing next to one of these giants is truly a spiritual experience and in doing so we realize that we are just passing through a world that belongs to them.  They are tough survivors that have seen so much in their long lives.  They are an ecosystem unto themselves and provide a home for so many of Earth's creatures both plant and animal . . . and insects too.  I have never felt so insignificant as the moment I stood next to The President and The General Sherman.  It was a lesson in humility for me and I have never forgotten that moment even though it was many years ago.  That moment of humility reinforced that those things that I believe to be important and urgent only belong to me and are ultimately of little consequence or importance to anyone else.

Connecting to the earth and our energy flow. . .

The other day we had rain . . . I'm talking buckets of rain.  Spillways and streams have been silent in suspended animation all summer as they wait patiently for the rains.  We haven't had rain for 7 months so the first rain is quite a welcome site.  I water my garden during the dry summer, but many plants just struggle for survival as they yearn for mother nature's life giving rain.  So the other morning my plants gayly reached for the sky in delight as rain caressed each tiny leaf.  Those plants that struggled the day before for their mere existance flourish today in celebration of the rain.  It reminded me of being back in the midwest where I grew up.  We referred to the heavy rain as raining cats and dogs.  We even had a rare clap of thunder with lightening just like the midwest.  You may already know that lightening liberates nitrogen from the air, which provides the nutrients that plants need to thrive.  The day before the rain my newly planted impatients looked droopy and sad.  I thought I had done everything I could for them, but what they needed was the one thing I couldn't provide -- rain.  The rain is the harbinger of autumn, and winter to come here in Southern California.

I spent time in my garden today with all the happy plants  . . . and the weeds.  It's wonderfully cool outside and perfect for getting grounded in the garden.  Connecting to the earth helps us to ground our energy and regain a beneficial energy flow.  My good friend, Shirley, introduced me to Earthing, which is method of grounding with Mother Earth.  I always knew that digging in the dirt felt so therapeutic; no matter how much pain I have, I am always drawn

What day changed your life forever?

That's a question that brings to mind so many life events and generates a thoughtful life review.  Each and every significant life event has had an impact on me and gave me the opportunity to change who I am.  The decisions I have made when each significant opportunity presented itself were based on a choice for positive beneficial change or negative change that would lead to a dead end and stagnation.  I have always chosen to look at the positive side of any life event so I would be able to continue moving forward and to learn valuable life lessons.  When pondering this question, initially I automatically chose the day I was injured because that is the day when my mind and body were set up for fibromyalgia.  This illness certainly has had a monumental impact on my life and has changed my life forever, but I can't say that day would be the one I would choose. The day my daughter was born changed my life forever and I metamorphasized into a different person as a result of having mothered a child.  But I still wouldn't choose that day as the single most significant day in my life.  After all, children leave home and go their own way, as they should, so the ultimate impact she has on my life today is less than when I was actively raising her.  There have been many other life changes:  divorce, a move from Illinois to Indiana to Minnesota to California, relationships that have come and gone, relationships that have stood the test of time, the loss of my father, the aging of my 88 year old mother, job changes, retirement, getting my college degree and completing my Masters degree, so many other changes that have occured through the years too numerous to mention.  But there is one single event that changed my life forever and has been an inspiration and reminder of