Seven is the Number (Dave Carter)

Day f*cking 1... again! - (hi, Melanie... :-)

Three weeks ago today, at 5:10 p.m., I was laid off from a job I'd held for over a year and a half - much as I knew it was the proverbial blessing in disguise, it's been a difficult time, and I've experienced more than a few manic-depressive episodes, yo-yo-ing from peak highs to valley lows.

I've discussed before that it takes 21 days to change a habit - the same can be said of facing a fact, coming to a realization, allowing an epiphany. Wallowing: over - roly-poly mode: uncurled. I have made the conscious choice to rejoin the human race, in all its glorious aspects - I re-started my walking program (3 miles in the neighborhood) yesterday, and got up and did it again today. Loving the much-needed Vitamin D, the awareness of sights/sounds/smells and the acquisition of found objects - yesterday a feather to add to my windowsill aloe plant... and today a smooth rock that fits perfectly in the palm of my hand (a new worry stone?).

Although I've been eating very healthfully and mindfully these last few months, I'd slacked a bit (d*mn those chocolate chip muffins I bought for my son's visit home from college this past weekend!)... so I've now re-committed to my fruits/vegetables/non-processed foods lifestyle - I've also re-focused my productivity goals, making a list (easy/medium/hard) of everything I want to accomplish in the next few months, to take advantage of the fact I'm home full-time until January.

Seven is significant, because for years I've worn seven silver bracelets on each wrist, each with a story/history... from cloissonne to gemstones to inscribed - some were gifts and others self-purchased, a few cuffs and the rest bangles, all special. Seven is a lucky number - seven is also the number of chakras, a pendant of which I was given by a friend recently. I've begun to study the significance of each, as well as their relationship to each other - it's obviously all about the harmony of mind-body-spirit. Much to digest (no pun intended) - I'm just toe-dipping at this point... :-)

An understanding of the energy centers of the body, which are also the spiritual centers of the soul. Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning whirling vortices of light. They bring together the energy body and the physical body. Your soul has seven spiritual centers (also known as chakras) that control your physical, emotional, and psychological life. When each of them is in balance, your life flows smoothly. When any one of them is out of balance, the imbalance can show up as a physical symptom affecting a particular area of your body, or as an emotional or psychological symptom affecting your outlook.

More here...

P.S. FYI, new SMM - if you check out the left sidebar, you'll see I'm now an official contributor (zippity!).

SONG: Seven is the Number by Dave Carter

BOOK: Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day by Macrina Wiederkehr

POEM: The Opening of Eyes by David Whyte

That day I saw beneath dark clouds
The passing light over the water
And I heard the voice of the world speak out
I knew then as I have before
Life is no passing memory of what has been
Nor the remaining pages of a great book
Waiting to be read

It is the opening of eyes long closed
It is the vision of far off things
Seen for the silence they hold
It is the heart after years of secret conversing
Speaking out loud in the clear air

It is Moses in the desert fallen to his knees
Before the lit bush
It is the man throwing away his shoes
As if to enter heaven and finding himself astonished
Opened at last
Fallen in love
With Solid Ground

QUOTE: "Good for the body is the work of the body, good for the soul the work of the soul, and good for either the work of the other." ~ Henry David Thoreau

The Calling (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

How strange to think I haven't blogged since Monday, when I was so proud of staying on task daily (other than travel absences) - however, in my new 2008 Release mode, I've given myself permission to skip a day (or three) when the timing isn't right... or I'm not channeling the inspiration... or when I just don't feel like it...

Lots going on in my world these days, which makes my goal even more difficult - being on the core staff of our South Florida Folk Festival (which had taken a two-year hiatus due to Hurricane Wilma and her aftereffects) has sapped my time/energy/sanity. The Moment of Truth is next weekend - bring on the music!

I'm also dealing with some parenting issues with two of my three children - things will work out (they always do) but, in the meantime, I'm feeling exhausted, confused and even a bit betrayed. They're good kids, always loved, never deprived and raised on logical consequence - they'll follow their heart to a responsible outcome...

In the meantime, I'm challenged to find my balance, release my struggles and be kind to myself - I'm still learning to do the best I can, one day at a time...

P.S. Just writing this helps me realize how much I've missed doing it - however, I've learned my expectations cannot outweigh my emotional and physical health...

SONG: The Calling by Mary Chapin Carpenter

BOOK: Being In Balance: 9 Principles for Creating Habits to Match Your Desires by Wayne W. Dyer

POEM: A Blessing for Equilibrium -- John O'Donohue

Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,

May the music of laughter break through your soul.

As the wind wants to make everything dance,

May your gravity be lightened by grace.

Like the freedom of the monastery bell,

May clarity of mind make your eyes smile.

As water takes whatever shape it is in,

So free may you be about who you become.

As silence smiles on the other side of what's said,

May a sense of irony give you perspective.

As time remains free of all that it frames,

May fear or worry never put you in chains.

May your prayer of listening deepen enough

To hear in the distance the laughter of God.

QUOTE: "Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time... The wait is simply too long." ~ Leonard Bernstein