whoa

It's been a hell of a week. In addition to the two days I subbed in a special ed classroom at the high school, I was trying to climb out of a two-week black hole into which I had stepped. This could be a collection of random thoughts and pictures. I'll try real hard to tie it together but no promises.

This is my newly purchased light therapy lamp. The last few years, I've noticed some mood issues in the short days of winter. Like, I could bite the ass out of a live chicken some days. I drape myself in strings of Christmas lights but, while pleasant, they didn't seem to be very effective. My behavioral health (yuck yuck yuck...read: mental health) therapist suggested I try this. I sit in front of it for 20 minutes in the morning, drinking my coffee and reading. I like to think of it as the sunny shores of the office.

The bathrooms at the high school have stalls with doors, not unusual, but the locks have this label on which made me laugh out loud. Hiny Hiders. I kept forgetting to ask if anyone else was amused by this but it sure tickled me.

Regis has always loved the expression living in a van down by the river. He got this hilarious card from our friend, Bob, this week. Here's the story:

Originates from the SNL skit featuring Chris Farley as Matt Foley, motivational speaker.
"You kids are probably saying to yourself, "Now, I'm gonna go out, and I'm gonna get the world by the tail and wrap it around and put it in my pocket!" Well, I'm here to tell you that you're probably gonna find out, as you go out there, that you're not gonna amount to jack squat!" You're gonna end up eating a steady diet of government cheese and living in a van down by the river!" 

If you've never seen this clip, go to you tube and check it out. Hilarious and crazy!

I got these beautiful sunny flowers this week from my mom. Just the ray of sunshine and hope I needed. And they came from Mary's Flowers...where fun and flowers meet!

This chicken is symbolic of Woodrow's growing adventuresome spirit. The chicken, with dangling legs, was perched on a high shelf and Woodrow made his way up there to investigate. Didn't take long for the chicken to crash to floor and Woodrow to do a two foot vertical leap.

Woodrow is a people loving kitten for which I am grateful. He comes to sit on my desk when I'm at the computer. He sleeps at my feet when I'm in the living room. He always comes to investigate if we go to another room. I really hoped he wouldn't be a skittish cat who hid under the bed. That would be like having a hermit crab for a pet.

Even though my google calendar sent me an email telling me that I have no events scheduled for today, I do have things to do. My garden needs to be tended, I have a bucket full of apples to peel and freeze, and there are papers to organize. Oh, and that insurance task.

Speaking of technology. When I worked last, subs were called on the phone at all times of the day and night. Now there is an online program that schedules subs...and an app. If my phone buzzes, there could be a job available and I only have to click the link to accept. Then it puts it on your calendar. What the...

I've been digging through my books. Funny how sometimes a book will drift to the back of the shelf and be forgotten for a while. Then something triggers a memory and I have to search for it. Yesterday, it was a quote by John O'Donohue that captured my attention as I sat in the media center. Then I realized I had heard him on the radio once, and had one of his books. It took a while but I found it.

It is far more creative to work with the idea of mindfulness rather the idea of will.

Too often people try to change their lives by using the will as a kind of hammer to beat their life into proper shape.

The intellect identifies the goal of the program, and the will accordingly forces the life into that shape.

This way of approaching the sacredness of one’s own presence is externalist and violent. 

It brings you falsely outside yourself, and you can spend years lost in the wilderness of your own mechanical, spiritual programs.

John O’Donahue

From Anam Cara, A Book of Celtic Wisdom

Since Woodrow woke me up at 3 am...I am tired but I know if I go back to bed for a while, the rest of the day will be slothful so I'm going to muscle through it. Maybe if I get my list done, I can take a siesta this afternoon.

Moving on into the day. It will be a good one...I'm feeling peaceful and strong.