Featured Post

THE WAVES OF OUR LIVES!

Having recently been invited by a dear friend to spend a week at a beautiful cabin on the North Shore of Lake Superior, I’m reminding ...

Monday, February 29, 2016

THE SWEET SIMPLE THINGS OF LIFE . . . STAYING "PASSIONATELY CURIOUS"

For as long as I can remember, I've remained curious about what goes on in our everyday lives, whether it's animals that make us laugh and teach us what's important in life, kids and their incredible energy and wisdom, or the importance of listening to our own amazing intuition.  How often it's happened that I haven't listened or trusted my intuition enough.  Too often I've strayed away from that quiet, reflective side of myself, often thinking that it's a waste of time and unproductive. And then I read a quote by Albert Einstein--"I have no special talents.  I am just passionately curious."  In reality there's nothing more important to me than being "passionately curious."  It stands out like nothing else.  It's the




way I would like people to remember me.  I've never cared 
much about possessions or impressive degrees or earning massive amounts of money. My family could certainly tell you that. And they'd tell you too that I love the sweet simple things of life, whether it's a memorable quote, a friend's kind words, a beautiful trail through the woods, or a painful lesson learned which led to incredible new opportunities.  And those new opportunities which I never imagined about a month ago are about to open up.  I will share more about that in the coming months.  In the meantime, suffice it to say that I'll never let go of being "passionately curious."

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

RETURNING HOME--

Sometimes one's life makes an unexpected turn, even when it's not your choice. And sometimes that means returning to the area you called home for over four decades.  I left the Twin Cities for many reasons, but mostly because I fell in love.  I thought about the huge change I was making, and I realized that it meant leaving my family and friends behind and starting over in a new city.  It was a big risk I knew, but also an exciting new adventure.  I learned about a part of the country I had never even visited before. I discovered that the people of Nebraska, although much more conservative than Minnesota, are mostly warm and friendly and very accepting of a newcomer.  Finding a new job was scary at age 67, but I found one I truly enjoyed--working with the young children of immigrants.  While their parents were learning English, my co-worker and I were marveling at how we connected with these bright, happy, enthusiastic, and sometimes challenging kids.  I miss them a lot!  On my last day with them, I received hugs and sweet, loving gifts from several parents.  One of the parents took a picture of me with some of the kids and the other parents.  I couldn't hold back the tears.  I loved this job, the young kids I shared part of the day with, the parents, and my co-worker.  No one could have had a better person to work with.  We put a lot of energy into what we did, and it was worth every ounce of it. Kids matter--A LOT! I will always remember the wonderful people I worked with and the kind, loving, parents who trusted us with their children.  Over the holidays the parents made beautiful handmade cards for us with personal messages of thanks.  Both my co-worker and I were moved to tears.

My time in Nebraska was not long--in fact, less than six months.  I anticipated that it would be a lifetime, but that was not to be.  I'm still sad and heartbroken at times, and I guess that's natural since I've only been back home 17 days.  I'm happy to see my daughter and grandson again and live with them until I can get some semblance of order in my life.

I'm not sure if I would make the same decision about moving again.  To be honest, I rather doubt it, but I've always been somewhat of a risk taker.  I'm still a strong believer in the power of love and commitment, and I hope that one day I'll discover that again. But whatever direction my life takes, I can't think of a better place to live than the Twin Cities.  Yes, it gets cold in the winter, but if you love natural beauty and friendly people, progressive ideas, and diversity, it's a wonderful place to live.  RETURNING HOME--it has a different ring to it now!