Tuesday Open Thread ~ One Petal at a Time
Of a world that is beyond control. Like a single lotus flower, the future blossoms; Upon its petals, you shall be free.” ~ Youka Nitta
“You know why Antoinette will persevere, just as you and I will?"
."Why?" she asks, searching my eyes.
"Because she's a lotus, and so are we."
"A lotus?"
I smile to myself, recalling the story Papa told me as a girl. "The flower. Have you seen one?"
"They're gorgeous," I say.
"But my point isn't about their beauty. Lotus flowers lead harrowing journeys. Their seeds sprout in murky swamp water, thick with dirt and debris and snarls of roots. For a lotus to bloom, she must forge her way through this terrible darkness, avoid being eaten by fish and insects, and keep pressing onward, innately knowing, or at least hoping, that there is sunlight somewhere above the water's surface, if she can only summon the strength to get there. And when she does, she emerges unscathed by her journey and blooms triumphantly."
I place both of my hands on her shoulders. "Suzette, you are a lotus.”
~ Sarah Jio, All the Flowers in Paris
Several weeks ago I conducted an informal survey among fellow crew members asking them how anxious they'd been feeling lately. Out of a scale from 1-10, most put their anxiety level at about an 8. Not surprisingly when asked what they were doing to alleviate their stress level, "Not enough" seemed to be the general consensus. While it was reassuring to hear that I was not alone in my suffering, I was still struggling with anxiety attacks, nightmares, and waking up in the morning with my entire body clenched. Having already made two visits so far to urgent care with anxiety related symptoms, I was at a loss how to combat it effectively. Doctors gave me medication but after using it for a month, the anxiety was replaced by depression, so I stopped taking it and found myself right back to square one. Then life threw me a curve ball and everything shifted into a new direction. As in, I lost my job and am now forced to re-invent myself at the age of not a young girl anymore.
Ironic, isn't it?
At a time when I "should" be even more stressed out then I was before I lost my job, I'm actually feeling quite the opposite.
Illustrating how not stressed out I am, I had a very vivid dream a few nights ago where I was sailing across the sparkling Mediterranean sea in a shiny white boat with my best friend. Accompanying us on the boat were a group of good looking men wearing nothing but suntan lotion and their bathing suits. A tall tanned beautiful young man comes into view and sits down beside me and begins telling me about this new water sport he and his friends invented. His enthusiasm is so contagious, all I can feel is the sheer joy of the moment. Smiles all around, I turn to my girlfriend and say, "So, if anyone asks you what you did on your holiday what are you going to tell them?" And the both of us burst into laughter. Fast forward and I am now walking along the grounds of a luxurious resort full of palm trees, emerald green grass, and cool blue water. As I look around, I notice a group of morbidly obese students taking an exercise class on one of the lawns near the pool. Teaching the class is my former boss from Trader Joe's. He doesn't see me. So I just keep on walking. Relieved I’m not in his class.
I'm not an expert in dream interpretation, but from what little I know, I think it's safe to say that my subconscious is not harboring a lot of anxiety about my future prospects. And if the last week is any indication, I think I know the reason why. I'm learning new things, meeting new people, and actually getting a chance to pitch my writing services to potential clients.
Flying without a net these days also does not afford me a lot of time to listen to Fear & Doubt banging out the only message they know. You know the one I’m talking about, right? The loud voice in your head that says STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!! Very effective, but not a lot of fun. What has been a lot of fun is discovering I like being in charge, planning my days, and waking up in the morning feeling energized about making stuff happen. Who would've thought, eh?
Comments
lotus flower bomb
by wale
like the title better than the song
onward
Onward indeed
Thanks for the tunes and good wishes
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
lotus flower pearls ...
[video:https://youtu.be/9GkD2Z3_9xo]
Good morning, Anja ~~
Your life is now reflected in the lotus flower:
What a great analogy, Anja. We must all strive to be flowers, sharing our beauty with others for we all harbor such beauty within.
To me, your dream is an affirmation of the direction your life has taken. You are on a boat, riding to the next adventure. All the souls on the boat are your spiritual guides who will see you safely to each shore you visit.
Live in the present and be grateful for all. Live in a wash of love and spread it to all.
Enjoy the day!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Faith in oneself is key for any transformation to happen
Thanks RA for the link and a most wonderful quote! Have already bookmarked the article it so I can send it to my friends
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
sounds like it was your job...
driving your anxiety. Good riddance, and best of luck on your path forward.
Life is full of choices that shape us. This poem often comes to my mind...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrBHd41YqTc]
Seems appropriate to follow that with this ancient Irish blessing...
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Be well and take care!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Life is funny that way, isn’t it?
Had it not been for COVID, I may have actually been able to endure my suffering for much longer. I’m very grateful my boss ended it for me. I didn’t seem to have the will to do myself.
Will bookmark your beautiful poem and send it to a friend who is also embarking on a new journey with her career.
Thanks Lookout
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Good morning Anja. Sounds like you have things under
control. How's your air down there? Ours hit "unhealthy" again sometime in the middle of the night. More asleep than awake right now, but dig your Lotus. Brings to mind Buddha's flower sermon.
be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
We had some fires in Azusa
About a week ago where the sky was so brown and acrid smelling I had a sore throat for days. I’m sorry to hear about the fires up where you are. Any chance you could take a trip south and visit a friend for a few days and give your pulmonary system a break?
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Sadly not, very impossible right now, but thanks for the
suggestion.
be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
That’s too bad
If I had the space, you could stay here.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Ah, “hour-lilies” — as in Michael Ende’s children’s novel “Momo”
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/03/momo-michael-e...
No reason “hour-lily” / Stundenblume couldn’t also have been translated as “hour-lotus” …
What a strangely beautiful children's story
And as it happens, I actually collect children's novel so I am definitely adding this one to my list!
I love the concept of time being used in this way. I mean, how does one really define "wasting" time?
Thanks Lottie
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Gd morn, AG
What leapt off the page of your essay was your continuing ability to write with wit and passion that keeps me engaged with presence and interest.
Perhaps this is a way forward. As one door closes, another opens.
Try something BOLD .
Assume a pen name and let your imagination go wild. Unleash that deep inner you.
You are a great writer.
The best of luck in whatever you decide to do.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
I like that idea :)
Being Bold.
Speaking of which, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is in the cannabis business. A business that has exploded in growth due to COVID. Then out of nowhere, he pitched an intriguing idea for a special kind of cook book that he said would be ripe for the times right now. And you know what? I am seriously considering it. In fact I'm thinking of asking my Sister if she'd like to collaborate with me.
Ain't Life Fun?
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
You do have some great recipes.
I'll buy the first book.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
When I say a “special” cookbook
I meant a healthy cannabis cookbook as an alternative for what is on the edible market right now. Specifically, people who just don’t want to eat gummie bears and brownies to get, er, the intended effects of their cannabis ingestion.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Do it! One of the matchless gifts that the Hare Krishna movement
bestowed upon the general public since way back in the hippie era has been a number of excellent cookbooks. “Vaishnava” style vegetarian, of course (not always vegan, since dairy and honey are allowed, but no meat, fish, eggs, or animal fat).
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hare+krishna+cookbook
In particular, very big on cake and cookie recipes without eggs:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hare+krishna+eggless
One very interesting
vendor to (hypothetically) look into might be Stillwater, with a product line called Ripple. If I were to have (just for example) a hypothetical case of osteoarthritis, and were to hypothetically want to do something about it that didn't involve insane expenses or unpleasant opioid-based therapies, I might hypothetically investigate what their products were like (tag line: "Make anything an edible"...).
Otherwise, I hypothetically might not have been able to get out of my hypothetical bed in the hypothetical morning for the last 3 or 4 all-too-real years. Tip: their product "Relief" (10mg CBD plus a smidge of THC) might hypothetically work absolutely great dissolved in Zip-Fizz in the AM. Hypothetically speaking, of course. YMMV.
And I would absolutely buy the second copy of the book, since the first is spoken for. Go for it!
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
You see what I mean when I say
I keep getting green lights? This is an excellent idea!
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
It is wonderful
to see you blossoming.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I'm smiling and blushing
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier