Shhh … Silent Sunday. 12/31/23
Author: Neal Saye
Five Friday Happy Bringers 12/29/23
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. Our little cabin on Lake Delano at F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain GA over Christmas weekend.
2. HR grilling bbq chicken thighs while I watch comfortably from the cabin porch.
3. Speaking of grilling, driving to Dowdell’s Knob near the state park to see where FDR had a stone grill overlooking the Georgia hills.
Here’s the … “grill.”
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT LOVED TO PICNIC HERE, AND HE HAD THIS GRILL BUILT. IT WAS FILLED IN TO PRESERVE IT.
F. D. R. Warm Springs Memorial Commission
Well, it ain’t a Big Green Egg.
4. The Joy of Travel.
5. Surviving the hilly and creek-crossing 4.2 mile Cascade Falls Hike (a part of the 22 mile Pine Mountain Trail) on Christmas Eve.
May we all have Reason to Smile as we hike toward the end of 2023.
One-Word Wednesday: 12/27/23
“Winter?”
(I just wish I could bloom so very beautifully in the dead of winter.)
Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling? 12/25/23 “A Child”
Oh Goodness, Marveling this Morn!
CHRISTMAS GOOD MORNING!
A Selfie Christmas
May your Holiday 2023 be filled with an Abundance of All Things you consider Good.
LOTSA LOVE, NEAL & HR
One more selfie …
(Robert always takes the selfies because I invariably drop the phone.)
Countdown to Christmas: 12/24/23 — “Sing a Christmas Song”
This year my Countdown to Christmas is a nontraditional Advent Calendar centering (pun intended) on mindfulness.
On the front of each card is neat little picture, and on the back are the instructions for the short meditation.
Today, the 24th and last Day of Advent … SING A CHRISTMAS SONG.
Here are today’s instructions:
Activating your body, mind, breath and voice, there are few activities that involve you more comprehensively in the present than singing. Your task today is to sing a Christmas song.
Don’t worry, this need not be some grand solo performance to an audience – it could be singing carols as part of a group, an a cappella version in the safety of the shower, or simply singing along to a song on the radio – wherever you choose to sing, all that matters is that you give it your full attention and really go for it.
Feel the breath in your chest and the vocal vibrations in your throat; hear the sound of your voice; follow the patter of the melody, consider the meaning of the lyrics. Feel the various emotions involved, both in the tone and message of the song and in the personal feelings you get from the activity of singing. And most of all, enjoy singing for singing’s sake, for the fun and expressive act that it is.
Singing engages you completely in the moment and can be as relaxing as it is exhilarating.
Here’s a short video of grandson Daniel and his girlfriend Amalie singing “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” at a Savannah Ghost Pirates ice hockey game last night …
May your Christmas 2023 be a Song of Joy.
Countdown to Christmas: 12/23/23 — “Free Writing: Christmas Past, Present and Future”
This year my Countdown to Christmas is a nontraditional Advent Calendar centering (pun intended) on mindfulness.
On the front of each card is neat little picture, and on the back are the instructions for the short meditation.
Today, the 23rd Day of Advent … FREE WRITING: CHRISTMAS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
Here are today’s instructions:
Get a pen and paper and give yourself half an hour for this mindful writing exercise. In three ten-minute periods, you will put pen to paper and write, without stopping, on the subjects of Christmases past, present and future, and see where this takes you.
Set an alarm for ten minutes and start writing about Christmases from your past. This could begin with a memory, an image, a feeling, a description of a scene. Just take the first idea that comes to you and run with it. Don’t worry about quality – nobody else will read this but you.
Don’t stop until the alarm. If you find yourself stuck for something to write, just write random words until a new thought takes over. If the subject veers away from Christmas, no problem, just go with the new thought and see where you end up.
When the ten minutes are up, reset the alarm and start writing again, this time starting with thoughts on the present. How is the current advent period going? How do you feel right now? Start writing and follow these thoughts, submitting them to paper without pause.
Next, repeat the exercise for Christmases of the future. What are your hopes, expectations, predictions? Again, don’t worry about writing badly or if the subject changes. Just keep focused on the act of writing, on following a thought from your mind to the page.
Finally, mindfully read what you have written.
H.R. writing IN HIS SANTA PANTS at Tugaloo State Park in Gumlog GA …
Five Friday Happy Bringers 12/22/23
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. Our amaryllis …
… blooming at just the tight time.
2. Beautifully precious grandchildren …
3. Cold and hot running water! What an incredibly tremendous blessing (which I far too often take for granted).
4. Our annual tradition of reading the delightfully nostalgic little book, A Cup of Christmas Tea and enjoying tea and cookies.
5. The reason for the season.
Have a Blessed Christmasv Weekend.
Countdown to Christmas: 12/22/23 — “Watch a Christmas Film”
This year my Countdown to Christmas is a nontraditional Advent Calendar centering (pun intended) on mindfulness.
On the front of each card is neat little picture, and on the back are the instructions for the short meditation.
Today, the 22nd Day of Advent … WATCH A CHRISTMAS FILM.
Here are today’s instructions:
The TV schedule is full of Christmassy films, heart-warming tales that explore the magic of Christmas and the human spirit. Your task is to choose a Christmas film to watch, but instead of letting the story pass by as a mere piece of entertainment, watch it mindfully.
Give the film your full attention. Put your phone out of reach and just become fully engrossed in the story; in its themes, images and performances.
Concentrate on the emotions you feel as the narrative progresses. Notice the sensations in your body. Does your body language change as you watch? Do you tense up at exciting moments? Do your eyes well up at sentimental moments? Make mental notes of the feelings you go through.
Pay close attention to the ways in which the film portrays the ‘magic of Christmas’. What exactly does it say to you about the spirit of the season? What techniques are used to give it its effect?
Watching in this way is an example of behaving mindfully at times when we are prone to switching off. By being fully present in the viewing experience, we can notice things that would otherwise pass us by.
NealEnJoy 