appreciation
Embrace The Many Blessings Of Autumn
As we approach autumn and transition through yet another season of beauty and wonder, let us reflect on our place within this most magnificent Universe. This beautiful time of the year is sometimes overlooked for its lack of summer and winter adventure. As it is neither hot nor cold, autumn brings us balance and provides us with the perfect climate for ‘cooling off.’
Metaphysically, this a period for each of us to step back and become more introspective, acknowledging the blessings that have been placed at our feet. This is also a time to peel away the old, to make room for the new. It is a time of self-renewal at a deeper level, that will guide us through the winter of our lives and ultimately into the newness of spring.
Science teaches that the cycles of the seasons occur as a result of our planet tilting on its axis, as well as its orbit around the sun. As the axis faces the Sun, our respective hemisphere celebrates the warmth of summer, while the hemisphere tilting in the opposite direction, away from the Sun, welcomes winter. This seasonal change, in turn, makes our days shorter and our temperatures cooler.
We can further observe other changes within the natural world around us, as vegetation slows down, trees lose their leaves, and animals scurry to prepare their nests and dens for winter’s dearth. But autumn is also a season of vast abundance, with the harvesting of a plethora of crops, especially here in North America, where much of the world’s staples ripen and fall at our feet.
‘Decoration Day’ At The Old Home Place
Memorial Day, which we referred to as ‘Decoration Day’ in my family, is full of precious childhood memories and nostalgia for me. My folks were of Southern heritage mostly, although I grew up in Oklahoma. We lived in the country, on an acreage we called ‘The Old Home Place,’ because it had been handed down for generations.
We had big ole vegetable gardens. In fact, we called one of them a ‘truck patch,’ because it was so large. Soul food, ya know. Nothing better! The truck patch covered five acres. A truck patch is when so many vegetables are produced, there’s enough to truck them out commercially, although we never did. We gave all our friends and relatives what we couldn’t preserve (can) and store in the cellar. In those days we all shared whatever we had.
We also had a small vegetable garden right behind our house, for every day fresh veggies, such as beds of lettuce. In front, we had a potato patch. In other areas there were blackberry bushes, a pecan orchard, a fruit orchard, plums, blueberries, and so on. We were pretty much self-sustaining.
All of the vegetable gardens were plowed by hand with mules, in rows for planting. I used to help with the planting and canning when I was just a little girl. We also butchered our own chickens, pigs and cattle, and made lye soap in a big ole iron pot outside on a wooden fire…all in the old ways. I don’t miss butchering the critters and to this day, I can’t eat animal flesh, except for fish and seafood.
The Power Of Gratitude In Difficult Times
It is just as important to express gratitude and appreciation when we face the difficult times in our life, as it is when things are going well. In fact, it is even more important to express it during the hard times.
When our lives are on a downswing, the last thing on most people’s hearts or minds is to be thankful, or in a state of appreciation and joy. When we are struggling, our soul tends to be more aware of the negative energy of what is going on around us. This can ultimately attract the manifestation of even more negative energy, stressful situations and unpleasant events. In the end, even more bad days will come our way.
However, when we decide to stand strong and stop the downward spiral of our energy, and to be grateful for all of life’s lessons, whether good or bad, our energy begin to shift for the better.
When I pay my bills (a task that most of us really do not enjoy), I always write thank you under the last entry in my bank journal. When I think of the reason for doing this, especially when it means spending money on things that are not tangible and sitting in my hand, the explanation comes very easily. I am saying thank you for actually having the money to pay these bills – the hydro bill so I can have lights, the gas bill so I can have heat in the winter, the credit card bill for those urgent things I had to purchase, and the medical bill that allowed me to purchase the medication I need to keep my health in check, and so on. Even though these things may not be material things that I can feel or see every day, it means something at some point to make my life better.
The War Veteran’s Belongings
It is sad when someone dies and there is no one around to pick up the pieces; no one there to take care of one’s belongings.
There was an old man who lived in the same building as one of my clients. After the he had passed away, all of his belongings ended up scattered all over the communal storage area in the basement. The boxes had been ripped open and kicked around, and people just picked though his things and looted whatever they wanted, leaving the rest in a chaotic mess.
My client felt bad about this, because when she came upon this pilfered disarray, she noticed some items among his belongings indicating that he was a Vietnam war veteran, including a baseball cap with many pins on it, which he obviously had worked hard for. There were also many cards that people had sent him, thanking him for the gifts he brought back from Hawaii.
He had clearly been a good person, but those that lived in this building with him regarded him as a busy body who was always meddling in other people’s business. Only after he was no longer there did people begin to realize how many things he got accomplished and how many things he had actually taken care of on everyone’s behalf.
How To Keep Your Relationship Strong
Why is it that some relationships are successful, and some are not? When you fall in love your hope is obviously that it will last forever. There is nothing worse than falling for someone, only to end up heartbroken and confused about what had gone wrong, and wondering how you can go back to the way things used to be.
So, the question is, how do some relationships manage to last and stay so strong? I believe it begins with the simple things, like how we greet each other every day, for example. Making the effort to kiss our partner hello and goodbye every time we leave and arrive, is a thoughtfulness that can go a long, long way. It keeps the flame of intimacy burning so much stronger. We should also learn to say “I love you” without any restraints. Those three little words mean so much.
Sometimes of course there will be arguments in a relationship. Developing healthy conflict management skills is therefore essential. We might hit a nerve with each other, but just because we’re mad does not mean we don’t love each other. Every fight does not mean that your relationship is over. Any couple that goes the distance can rise above fights and realize what’s most important.
The Power Of Your Imagination
Great feats have been achieved throughout history, because someone imagined the impossible could be possible. Our imagination is the best motivation tool we have. Only when we create the image of our best life in our mind, can we truly start to believe that it is possible to reach our goals.
You can achieve so much more in life by using your imagination. Imagination is key to achieving the goals you desire. If you cannot imagine yourself being, having, or doing the things you want in life, it will be difficult to stick to whatever it takes to reach your goals.
Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination is limitless and embraces everything… all there ever will be to know and understand. When you use your imagination, you get to write your story any way you want it to be.
As a hypnotherapist, I have my weight loss clients imagine how they will look and feel in the next six months to a year, once they reach their goal weight. It is a powerful technique to make their goals more tangible.
Be Patient And Trust The Process
Life presents many challenges to each of us. Even those people who you think have lucky ‘horseshoes’ and ‘rainbows’ over them, have their own challenges, just like you and me. However, it is how they choose to deal with adversity that makes the real difference in their ‘fortunate’ lives. Their choice of reaction, or non-reaction, to each setback or negative event in their life, is what creates their ‘luck.’
If your life seems to be suffering from a lot of ‘bad luck’ lately, take another look at how you reacted to your last break-up, loss of a job, lack of finances, or not manifesting your dreams. Are you that person who chooses to sulk, complain and be envious of the success of others… or are you the person that knows that challenges are just side-steps towards what you are going to achieve for yourself?
Your perception, or the way you look at life, is what makes or breaks us in the end. That person who seems to have everything you desire, did not get there because they were ‘lucky.’ They arrived where they are because they believed, and they worked hard on what was important to them.
When that job didn’t come in that they wanted, they didn’t get upset or discouraged,. They didn’t give up and think they were not good enough. They stood back up, shook it off. They accepted that they didn’t get that job because something far better was probably in store for them down the road. It often is that simple.