The Golden Light of Fall

Oct 132011
 

This photo is from last year, but it does capture a bit of what last night’s ride was like. Though we came back in near full dark. I have flashers and a reflective safety vest to wear, so were were okay for the short bit we had to ride on the road. It was a fabulous evening! Lily moved out and rated back down with ease. We mostly trotted with a bit of rocking chair canter thrown in. The air was crisp and became chilling on the last stretch. I was grinning throughout the day at work today just thinking about it. Horse therapy is the best!

So that is one think I am thankful for. More importantly, I’ve been thinking a lot about lately the wonderful children I share my life with. I feel so very fortunate to be their parent. And I look forward to when they both return from their adventures out in the wide world.

Gurunam is in South America for her study abroad. Here is a recent blog post with photos from her visit to Iguazu Falls. Look it up. It seems like a fantastic place! Apparently, when Eleanor Roosevelt visited, she said, “Poor Niagara!”

Photo courtesy of Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa

And Hargobind is at Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India. He has been taking part in forty days of early morning sewa at the Golden Temple. They recently celebrated Diwali and Bhandi Chhor.

My trip to India this fall was another experience for me to grateful for. There is much to say about that. I am still considering what I would like to write about it. On a pracitcal level, it was very nice to get to know the staff and see the school grounds. I found that India had not changed all that much since my visits back in the ’80′s. Yes, people have cell phones and there are a few more cars, but much still remians the same.

I love this time of year when the light turns to gold and the temperatures start to drop. And even the darkness that falls early. It is a time of reflection.

Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.

    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    • Spring transitions

    Apr 022011
     

    We have been working on our house for the last few weeks. Part of that included pulling everything from the built in bookshelves in the living room. In the course of pulling them down and stacking them, I found all sorts of treasures.

    Some of my favorite childhood books went off to a book conservator for repair. I want to be able to read them to children in the future, just like they were read to me. Most are by Maud & Mishka Petersham, but there are also my early editions of Alice and Through the Looking Glass with the original illustrations. I am so glad that I have carried these around through the years.

    My husband picked out a small book that I must have bought at a used bookstore somewhere. It has interesting construction with each page folder over on itself like an accordion. It was published in 1926 in Boston. The illustrations are reminiscent of the Craftsman period with art deco sort of curves and flourishes. The title is The House by the Side of The Road by Sam Walter Foss. What follows is the text from the first, middle and last pages.

    “There are hermit souls
    that live withdrawn
    In the peace of their
    self-content.
    There are souls like stars,
    that dwell apart
    In a fellowless firmament;
    There are pioneer souls that
    blaze their paths
    Where highways never ran;
    But let me live by the
    side of the road
    And be a friend to man.

    I see from my house by
    the side of the road
    By the side of the
    highway of life,
    The men who press with the
    ardor of hope
    The men who are faint with strife
    But I turn not away from
    their smiles nor their tears
    Both, parts of an infinite plan,
    Let me live in my house
    by the side of the road
    And be a friend to man.

    Let me live in my house
    by the side of the road
    Where the race of men go by
    They are good, they are bad,
    They are weak, they are strong,
    Wise, foolish — so am I
    Then why should I sit in
    the scorner’s seat
    Or hurl the cynic’s ban?
    Let me live in my house
    by the side of the road,
    And be a friend to man.

    I have a feeling that this year will end quite differently than it has begun.

    New Computing Power

    Aug 082009
     
    My son with his first home built computer running Linux.

    My son with his first home built computer

    It’s eventual function will be as a media center for the household. We will be able to store all our images, video and music on the terabyte hard drive, watch TV and movies and listen to music through my amplifier, all controlled through wireless keyboard and mouse. For now, it has Linux installed, as the Windows CD came too scratched to use. We supplied the funds and he did the research, sourced all the components and constructed it. How cool is that?

    Ten Steps to Peace

    Aug 072009
     

    081205-0024When my aunt pointed me to these years ago, they resonated with me. They have been an excellent way to deal with my horses. In adopting them for that purpose, I found myself considering them with my children, my husband, my co-workers and on and on. Pick one, consider it in your life and see where you go…

    From The Center for Non-Violent Communication. The italics are mine.

    10 Things We Can Do to Contribute to Internal, Interpersonal, and Organizational Peace

    (1) Spend some time each day quietly reflecting on how we would like to relate to ourselves and others.

    (2) Remember that all human beings (all creatures, actually) have the same needs.

    (3) Check our intention to see if we are as interested in others getting their needs met as our own.

    (4) When asking someone to do something, check first to see if we are making a request or a demand.

    (5) Instead of saying what we DON’T want someone to do, say what we DO want the person to do.

    (6) Instead of saying what we want someone to BE, say what action we’d like the person to take that we hope will help the person be that way.

    (7) Before agreeing or disagreeing with anyone’s opinions, try to tune in to what the person is feeling and needing.

    (8) Instead of saying “No,” say what need of ours prevents us from saying “Yes.”

    (9) If we are feeling upset, think about what need of ours is not being met, and what we could do to meet it, instead of thinking about what’s wrong with others or ourselves.

    (10) Instead of praising someone who did something we like, express our gratitude by telling the person what need of ours that action met.

    The Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) would like there to be a critical mass of people using Nonviolent Communication language so all people will get their needs met and resolve their conflicts peacefully.
    2001, revised 2004 Gary Baran & CNVC. The right to freely duplicate this document is hereby granted.

    Still as good as the first time

    Jul 222009
     

    Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

  • I came out in the living room tonight. I was going to tell my son that it was time to go to bed. I found him watching an OPB piece on Monty Python. I found that I had to sit down and watch too. What fun to see it freshly through his eyes. It never grows old. “And now for something completely different…..”
  • We recently saw the new Harry Potter movie. While it was enjoyable, what I remember most is a preview for a movie of “Where the Wild Things Are.” It made me remember what a wonderful book that was and how many times I read it as child and then reread it to my own children. I loved the pacing of the story. It still captivates me. I believe that “let the wild rumpus start!!” Indeed!
  • So what I find I am really grateful for is how my children help me to remember, remain young in mind and excited about life.
    • Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

    How:

  • Sit back and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.
    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • The Pony Expression
  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
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