Back home

Even more important and exciting than my GPS.

My sister is in the US. She's back!

My beloved sister and best friend is back in Minnesota after spending the school year in Beijing, teaching 2cd graders. So good to hear her voice. So good to be an hour away instead of 11- - we can talk on the phone every day, or nearly. When she's in Beijing, all we can manage is one call a week, because of the time difference. If she's home relaxing after a tough day at work, I'm rushing to get to work. Vice versa.

But she's back. Back in the USA. Welcome home, dear sister. 

teaching online

Looking forward to teaching a Reiki class at the U this summer. It's a hybrid class: combination online and face-to-face. What could be better? So excited. Am sure will be posting more on this new avenue.

Oh- and am arranging a day at a cancer center. Reiki with people with cancer. Powerful stuff.

she's back

You know how I wrote that Myrtle, my GPS was gone? That I was done writing about her? And I might have written something disparaging about the company's customer service...

She is risen: she's alive. That's right. Thank you Darrell S of Olathe Kansas, customer service rep for the GPS company.

Darrell remote accessed the device through my notebook. He looked at the files: deleted the corrupted ones
and zip zap doodle... done. She's back. She recognizes my address and will take me anywhere and get me back home. 


She has a new identity. In my electronic travels I switched to a British voice. She needs a very British name. Moira? Hermione? Margaret Thatcher? She has a new attitude too. No longer says, "Recalculating," in that snippy tone, or "Arriving at destination" in that smug triumphant voice. 


Wait, I bought a new GPS two days ago. Love the new one. Yeah. Now I have two. *sigh*

where is Reiki?

Intrinsic or extrinsic? External cosmic energy or common shared pervasive connection? Is it action or being?

These are the questions I ponder as I grow in Reiki practice.

There are so many things I love about Reiki. I love the simplicity and accessibility. It's direct- no middle man, no guru. Just you and the energy. No special equipment, no monthly dues. Just do it. Every day. The more you do it, the more you feel it. It's healthy, empowering, and good for the planet. I like that it challenges my mind and nourishes my spirit. I like connecting with people, spirit, and frequency.

Reiki. Have you tuned in to Reiki energy today?

Name that GPS...

I don't like to speak ill of the departed, but the way Myrtle said, "Recalculating," well, I felt ashamed.

Tried so hard to resuscitate her; spent many hours. Decided I'd spent enough time, had things to do and places to go: bought a new GPS. Wanted to protest Garmin's unsatisfactory customer service and get a TomTom or some other device, but Garmin was the only thing available, and my tech expert Jordan said, "Garmin is good." So I got a Garmin. Took it for a test drive today. Her. She doesn't have a name yet.

I have to say, she is amazing. Sorry, Myrtle. One thing you did better, Myrtle, you had a distinct voice; hers is muffled.

But she is way cool. Crisp, contemporary graphics and knowledge base. Explicit concise directions. She's competent. Sorry, Myrtle. I like her. Now, what's her name?

Reiki class

at Life Ideals, Lisbon St, Lewiston, ME USA in August.

Life Ideals is a collective of practitioners: LCSW, massage, life coach, yoga, and acupuncture. It's located in a beautiful downtown building, the 3-storey Ellard Building. Gorgeous hardwood floors, soaring ceilings, ornate woodwork, and giant arched windows.

Forage Market is on the ground floor. I've been stopping there for coffee on my way to work. Roasted beet salad, tempting scones, and local organic.

Oh, that Reiki class? Aug 14 from 6-8 pm. Please join us. 

Myrtle, however,

my ubiquitous GPS, has become a paperweight.

Spent many hours attempting revival, exchanged a plethora of emails with customer support, uploaded this, deleted that, updated this, tried desktop and notebook. Life support was not effective and Myrtle is clinically dead.

Meanwhile, I have to travel to a coffee shop in Bath to discuss Reiki curriculum. Purchased a new GPS today. Haven't heard the voice yet, so no name. Suggestions? I know, GPS devices are archaic: everyone uses a smartphone app. Yeah, well. 

amethyst earring

Happy ending to the earring saga.

Yesterday I picked up the earrings from my jeweler. Remember how I dropped one down the drain? The plumber neighbor came with the enormous nasty corkscrew and snagged the silver but lost the stone? Yeah. Then I took the earrings to my jeweler and asked him to replace the missing amethyst.

Got a call. $112 to replace the stone. Told him to go out in the back alley and find a cheaper stone.

He replaced the missing amethyst with a beautiful blue sodalite.
$6
Wore the earrings yesterday and today.
The earrings and I plan to live happily ever after.
The end. 

is Reiki work?

thoughts on Pamela Miles' post

Yes: because we enter into a therapeutic relationship with the client.
 It's important to distinguish a therapeutic relationship from a social relationship and from your own recharging downtime. I recognize that sharing Reiki is energizing, wonderful, amazing, and just about my favorite thing to do. My passion is to spread Reiki. It's still work. 
It's work, and we should conduct ourselves professionally: respect the rights of others, be accountable, be trustworthy.
from the article: “I wasn’t working on you,” I interrupted. ~ Agree, it isn't "I" doing the work. I believe it's the client who does the work. I believe that when I share Reiki, I bring myself: my experiences, knowledge, wisdom, and energy. I am present; I witness, support, and facilitate. I intend to assist the client in creating a space where he or she may work to achieve his or her optimal health. 


What do you think?

summer vacation!

another gorgeous afternoon on the deck. Sun, breezes, and flowers.

Now on vacation from teaching. Looking forward to my 3 summer jobs: Reiki with people with cancer, teen camp nurse, and oh- teaching Reiki!

Plan to expand my garden, read novels, and swim. Summer.

driving at night

Dislike.

Daylight, the horizon line centers me. In the dark it's all about white lines and staying to the right of incoming lights. And then those really bright blue ones. And I'd rather look at the stars. That's a mistake. 

psychic reading as mental health activity

Many mental health workers do excellent work. Counseling can be an important path to health.

Psychic readings assist one on this journey to health. Readings with an accomplished psychic may help one to identify patterns and salient issues. 

scholarly article

Submitting an article to a medical journal is not like buying socks from LL Bean. When you purchase online from LL Bean, you get email confirmation as soon as you click "BUY." LL Bean thanks you. They follow up. You may track your order. This is excellent customer service.

When you submit a scholarly article to a medical journal, you may not receive confirmation. No follow-up. You may send four emails asking for confirmation of receipt of submission and not receive a response. Good thing you implemented the option of email "receipt response," or you wouldn't know even if the editors received your four emails.

Now you wait. Perhaps three months. Maybe four. Then you will receive a message regarding the acceptance or refusal of your work. That's where I am: waiting. 

cedar trees

don't like wet roots. That's what the guy at Provencher Landscaping told me.

Two years ago I moved five cedar trees. They were in front of my house, and had overgrown their space. So I dug them up and moved them to the backyard, along the fence. They looked great there, at first. Slowly they started to turn brown and die. Too wet, the guy said.

So I got some sand (thanks for lugging those heavy bags, A) and bark mulch. I dug up each tree today. It was a mucky job. There was a sucking swamp sound when I pulled out each tree, and a small pond at the bottom of each hole. I dumped sand and bark mulch into the holes: 100 pounds of sand and 4 cubic feet of mulch, and replaced the trees. I packed bark mulch around the roots, now much higher, almost sitting on top of the ground.

I hope they'll be happier: grow and thrive. I gave them some Reiki after the big move. 

afraid she's gone for good

Myrtle. My GPS. Her own company killed her.

Just two years old and working fine. Company kept messaging me that I needed to update maps. I ignored because maps were working. They closed her down. So I logged on to a desktop and updated. Now she's gone and they tell me there isn't room on my little GPS for all the updated maps and a voice too. Kind of forces you to get a new GPS or a smart phone. Or look when you could listen.Goodbye, Myrtle. 

expansion

We're expanding our Reiki program from the outpatient clinic to a hospital unit. The oncology unit.

Our pilot program is splitting...now a new pilot.

We selected three outstanding Reiki practitioners to venture into this new territory. There is new paperwork, are new processes. There will be new clients. We will continue our research... and will see what that brings.

Any other Reiki researchers out there?

article

So I wrote it.

We talked and she said she'd give me a byline.

So I wrote it. 

ghost of the keyboard

Was invited to write an article. Ghost-write.

"How would you like to write an article for me, 600-800 words, no pay, no credit?"

Hmm. Write an article for you, for free, and you put your name on it. Yeah, that doesn't sound right. 

Myrtle again

She was fine. No probs. Just fine.

But I kept getting dire warnings. "You must update!" "Maps are outdated. Update now!"

I didn't. So they shut me off. Closed me down. No more Myrtle; no more maps.

Could I find my way in the wilderness? Navigate self? Go back to paper maps? Prob not.

I logged on and updated. What did I get? Ok, prob the latest maps from all over the world, but to accommodate those huge files, they deleted Myrtle. The voice was gone. No more amusing, "Turn bleft." Gone the exasperated, "Recalculating," and the triumphant "Arrrrriving at desssstination!"

Silence. Ok, I got to my conference, but I had to look. No audio, only video, no fair.

Back to the website. FAQs. Multiple downloads. Myrtle, please come back. 

where's Myrtle?

She's been very good to me. Hardly ever steers me wrong. Ok, sometimes she gets impatient.

Mostly she's good at offering advice, showing me my path, and assisting me on my journey. She maintains professional behavior, never criticizes my appearance, and is there when I need her. She does occaisionally criticize my choices. I usually follow her advice.

There was just the one time she gave me really bad advice, and I ended up in a bean field in Sacramento. Everyone screws up every now and then, right?

She's having a mid-life crisis. I can't reach her. I call and there's no answer. She's unstable.

Wail! I can't find myself; I don't know where to go. Should I take a left turn or keep going this way? I'm just not sure.

So I go the the website. Evidently I need to update my maps. I try. It doesn't work. Myrtle is lost, gone forever? Will keep trying. Come back, Myrtle, please. I promise to take your  advice. You won't have to tell me, "Recalculating" because I'll turn when you tell me to. For sure. Just come back. I barely made it to Pierce St, Augusta, ME today without you. I need you in my life.

Thank you.

teaching nursing assistants

At a great conference focused on teaching nursing assistants. Once they pass the course and the state exam, they become CNAs: certified nursing assistants.

We're talking about interactive teaching methods. Great. Most of the other teachers  here, probably all, teach in high schools- vocational technical schools. 

drying up

The little streams are gone, leaving damp patches on the cement floor.

I'm running 2 dehumidifiers and a fan; the humidity is about 50% down there.

Saw some bright clouds in Augusta today. They reminded me of the sun. Feels like it's been raining for weeks. Saturday night was like a monsoon or minor hurricane. It was a big rain.

The garden is iffy. Things in the raised beds look OK. Found out last weekend that cedar trees don't like wet, and I planted them in a wet spot, so obviously they're complaining. I plan to dig them all up, dump sand in the hole, replace, and mound around with bark mulch. Then hopefully they'll recover and perhaps some year: thrive. I don't much like my feet wet either.

little streams

are running through my basement. It's been raining for 2 days. Supposed to rain for the next week.

I tried the wet vac. Sucked up a lot of water. What's the point? It kept coming in. I'd no sooner suck up a small stream, turn around, look back, it was running again.

Will my house crumble and fall in?

chocolate bouchon

You know, that bread place in Auburn. Near the car places. 

Crack Shack. One taste and you're hooked. An addict. You won't be able to drive past, your weak self will turn in and force you to purchase pastries. You become a bouchon addict. Begging money on street corners to support your habit. Pawning possessions etc

monsoon

season has arrived. Raining buckets out there. Wind too. Flood warnings. Expected to rain for the next 3 days.

Company coming. We'll be trapped in the house. No garden, no deck, no strolls around the pond or down city streets. I have to work, couldn't get a day off. Afraid it's going to be boring.... sorry!

Reiki Nurse

company coming...

pick up the dust bunnies. Better yet: vacuum, swiffer, dust, mop, and scrub. Ok, will prob go with the former.

Must shop, feed, entertain - -but wait. I have to work. Ok, will convince friends and co-workers to assist in the entertainment biz. T- could you take him to the Y to teach a yoga class? M- you want to meditate with him? D- he might need a ride. The list goes on. Wish I could take a day off from work. Not the right time to ask. OK, I did ask. Didn't go well. Linens, groceries, local explorations. Company coming!

the deck

I love my deck. Sitting here on the deck I can see the colors and textures of the garden: freshly mowed green grass, perennials in every shade of green, pink rhododendron blooms, orangey reddish leaves of the Japanese maples, yellow pansies and mums, purple petunias, fuchsia Persian flowers, and white bleeding heart.

I can hear the boy next door. He jumps on a trampoline and ululates. Perhaps he is autistic. I like to listen to his vocalizations. I'm glad he has his trampoline.

I feel the breeze. It feels good, as I just finished mowing. I like to mow. I have a push mower, not gasoline. I found a dead baby bird on the lawn. Picked it up and dropped it gently into a hole in the compost pile. Goodbye baby bird. Looks like it fell out of the nest. Just the suggestion of feathers. Evolved dinosaur.

I smell grass. Fresh damp air.

It was good to mow after sitting at a desk all week. It was good to be outside in the sun, as rain is predicted for the next several days. The breeze is cool. The sky is white, light blue at the horizon. Happy weekend, everyone.