Shhh … Silent Sunday. 12/31/23
Tag: Joy
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.
Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling? 12/25/23 “A Child”
Oh Goodness, Marveling this Morn!
CHRISTMAS GOOD MORNING!
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 …
“The World Is Big, But Little People Turn It Around”
Looking through a file recently, Robert came across a CD with a Christmas music video grandson Daniel did as a project with his voice teacher. Daniel was eight at the tine.
Here’s the video:
Jump from 2015 to today …
Five Friday Happy Bringers 12/15/23
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. A truly wonderful anniversary trip to Atlanta last week. Year 7.
2. Marveling at the AMAZING outdoor lights display at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Garden Lights, Holiday Nights.
And Atlanta won the National Championship of outdoor holiday light displays!
3. The Amazing Ability to see!
4. This tree outside our Airbnb in Atlanta.
5. My anniversary cards from HR. (You may recall that Robert has this wacky habit of giving multiple cards on special occasions. Which at first I thought was sort of weird but now love it.)
May you have a colorful weekend ahead!
Countdown to Christmas: 12/13/23 — “Enjoy a Hot Drink”
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 13th Day of Advent … ENJOY A HOT DRINK.
Here are today’s instructions:
Time to treat yourself to a relaxing drinks break. Decide on which warm, soothing drink you would prefer — tea, coffee, hot chocolate; perhaps a seasonal mulled wine or hot toddy — and pour your full attention into the experience.
Pay attention to the sounds and sensations involved in making the hot drink. Hear the gurgle of the boiling water, see the steam rising, smell the drink’s aroma, feel the movement of the spoon as you stir. Notice every little action.
Wrap both your hands around the mug (check it is not too hot first). Notice and focus on the warmth resonating through your hands and body.
Drink peacefully and exclusively: alone, with your phone off. Try to resist any outside distraction — keep your attention on the drink.
Take each sip slowly — taste it, focus on your enjoyment of the taste, feel the liquid as it swills in your mouth and as it passes down inside your body.
Take your time. Don’t rush it down, take as long as you need to enjoy your drink. Notice how it makes you feel. Are you relaxed? Warmed up? Energised?
Drinking mindfully helps you practice how to direct your attention consciously and is a very effective form of relaxation.
Robert and I “meditated” with Caramel Brûlée Latte this morning here in Atlanta.
And a few of our other hot drinks over the years …
May you sip in peace today.
Countdown to Christmas: 12/5/23 — “Study a Candle”
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, Day Five of Advent … “STUDY A CANDLE.”
Here are today’s instructions:
Candles are ubiquitous at this time of year and a mainstay of many a Christmas display. But how much time do you actually give to observing them?
Sit in a comfortable, peaceful place indoors where there is nothing that can distract you. Place a candle in front of you and light it. For five minutes, your task is simply to stare at the candle. Study everything you can about the candle, the flame and how it makes you feel.
Try to stay completely still and breathe slowly while maintaining your gaze on the candle. Watch the flame as it dances and flickers; is it beautiful, relaxing, hypnotic? Observe the wax melting at the top of the candle.
What other senses does the candle engage? Does it give off a scent? What emotions does it evoke?
Stopping your mind from drifting for five minutes is a tough challenge. Don’t feel bad when your mind wanders – just acknowledge where it is going and gently bring it back to the candle and the moment.
This task helps you train your mind to channel its focus and to stay in the moment. With practice, you will experience the sensation of full awareness on the flame, as the rest of your surroundings fade away.
A sampling of our candles over the years:
May you see Light this day.
NealEnJoy 