the vegetarian

Was travelling and got hungry. Was unprepared, no healthy snacks. Stopped at a fast food place and ordered egg & cheese on an English muffin, secretly horrified at all the non-GMO and caged chickens.

I paid and she handed me a bag, Egg McMuffin! she said cheerfully. No meat, right? I mean I ordered egg & cheese. Oh, she said. We looked. A circle of pink moist tissue. Meat. Ick. So sorry, could you make me another one? Thanks.

She whisked it away. There was a long line of cars behind me. She brought back a new one right away really fast. Too fast. Here you go! Um, did  you just take off the meat and bring it back? Yes. I did. Why yes, she did. OMG. I freaked out a little. So grossed out, I'M A VEGETARIAN and so grossed out right now.. could you please make me a new one? Oh yes, no problem. I watched her toss out the original and soon brought a new one.

I hate to complain. What was the cook thinking and doing? Crap. Not so hungry any more.
I took a bite. It was crunchy. Ground glass? McYuck. Tossed it.

life hacks

... ways to make my life easier, maybe yours too

French press. I love coffee. Can't tolerate caffeine anymore, but still love the smell and experience of hot coffee. So it's decaf for me. Lots of local roasters, so I buy decaf beans. I love the dark oily fragrant beans. To open a new bag... ahhhhh. Smell it? .... grind them and then, the best way to make coffee? A French press. Easy, deep rich & tasty flavor. The usual French press is small, makes one small cup of coffee. I used small ones for years. I had to refill it with hot water to make a large mug of coffee, refill it again for a second cup. Why? There are LARGE French presses. I finally bought one, wow, so much easier. Plenty of good coffee.

Free your houseplants. It's spring. I'm going on a trip. Get someone to water my houseplants? Nope, Set them outside.  I put them on the shady end of the deck for partial sun. Rain, easy, done.

Grocery shopping is fun. Ok, grocery shopping is tedious. How to make it fun? I like to explore on weekends. There are tons of gorgeous places to explore within 2 hours of my house. When I'm out and about, adventuring and exploring, I shop at a the local grocery. New, different, fun.

summer reads

To read: 

How to cook a moose, Kate Christensen
Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
Eligible, Curtis Sittenfeld
The Vegetarian, Han Kang
My name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout
Old Filth, Jane Gardam
Nobody's Fool & Everybody's Fool, Richard Russo
All the light we cannot see, Anthony Doerr
Hunger, Knut Hamsun
The little Paris bookshop, Nina George 
The Door, Magda Szabo
Preparation for the next life, Atticus Lish
Barkskins, Anne Proulx
White dog fell from the sky, Eleanor Morse
next Bill Roorbach
Nobel Prizes in literature

Source: Maine Calling, MPBN

alive

Tuesday: annual physical with venipuncture.
Wednesday: I called office and spoke w receptionist. "Can I get a copy of those labs?"
Receptionist: Sure! Unless you're dying. Ha ha ha! Pause. Longer pause. Oh. Ohhhh. The doctor will call you.
Me: I'm gonna die.
Friday: phone call from Dr's office. Numbers are fine. I'm not gonna die.

one of those days

Woke early, at work at 0630. Annual physical with my doctor at 8 am. She's a medical student and she's graduating, so it was our last visit. As usual, I politely declined all invasive diagnostics. Well, not all, I agreed to a complete blood profile. This will check my kidney and liver function, serum glucose, and cholesterol. I also agreed to a FIT test. You're welcome to google that. 

Back to work for important meetings. We met all day. We're learning to collaborate and it's a creaky process. Before, after, and between meetings I answered emails and worked on syllabi. Also a creaky process. 

Stopped at the grocery store for vegies. It's rainy. It's only Tuesday.

Book 3

Started writing a new book.

This is going to be a summer of big changes, travel, and discoveries. I'm searching for Reiki wisdom. Will be looking in unusual places. 

Robust

Why is that the new word? I see and hear it everywhere.

Meanwhile it's spring. The ice cream stands, bike trails, and beaches are opening. Feeling robust. 

float

It really is about releasing ego. Or, as I read today, to release implies effort. So just let it be. Recognize it and let it be.

All the stories you tell yourself.  Your history. Your injuries, sad stories, and resentments. Your accomplishments, triumphs, and purchases. That's all ego, third dimension stuff.

Step back, rise above, transcend. Expand your awareness to your community, your region, your planet. Float in that awareness.  Open your heart to love and light.

Reiki Nurse

commercial break
Check out the updated 2016 edition
Reiki Nurse

Frans Stiene

Reading his new book: The Inner Heart of Reiki. 

So good. Answers so many questions I've had. His loving spirit shines through the writing. 

spring greens

It's green and growing in the garden so I suppose I should eat it, but I have no idea what it is. 

Reiki Nurse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1-S7oOER4Y 

those birds

The starling chicks up in the attic. They're in the bathroom exhaust/ventilation hose/pipe. Not sure of the proper technical words here. Chicks cheep loudly. They walk around and bounce in the pipe, tiny claws scraping the metal. 

Parents fly in and out constantly, worms hanging from beaks. The door flap is stuck open. Free access. 

They were warm in the freak snow storm. Protected from wind. Room with a view. Will fledge and fly soon. 

spring

One of those perfect days. Temp was about 70, warm bright sun, little cooling breeze. And it's spring so suddenly there are flowers everywhere. Flowering apple & cherry. Forsythia. Tulips, daffodils, lilacs, and phlox. The air is sweet. And the grass- it's just so green. So unbelievably brightly green.

Winter is long in Maine. Six months. Dead-looking trees, cold sidewalks, snow, ice, icicles, and bitter winds. Then it melts into dirt and mud.

But now: green. Sun and flowers. Birds and chipmunks. Naps in the sun. Outdoor cafes. Spring.

Just for today...

When I'm angry I: yell and throw things
When I worry I: get insomnia (chronic) and do self-Reiki (acute)
Quality I value most: mindful kindness
Most profound experiences: 
       1) travelling to the Other Side 
       2) giving birth
You?

wellness

what workshops would interest you most? Spirituality, dream painting, hiking, Reiki, stones & crystals, intuition, mindfulness, nutrition, aromatherapy, acupuncture, polarity, or yoga? Or other...

planning a wellness conference for June 2017

Reiki bliss

I place my hands and drift into the flow... time passes, energy moves

nursing PTSD

So many stories over the years.  So much illness, injury, and abuse. Wonderful inspirational stories of love and health too, of course. But the sad ones.... oh. We witness so much. We listen and support.

A friend wanted to tell me the details of a murder she read about in the newspaper. I stopped her. "Please, I have too many sad and awful stories in my head. Please stop. Please don't tell me this story." Silence. Long silence. 

And then she changed the subject.

Reiki at the dental appointment

Did self-Reiki before and during dental appointment, of course. 

3 deer

Saw three deer today. They were walking between the road and some trees, at the edge of a big field.

They were shaggy, like dogs shedding winter coats.

dental appointment

Everyone at the new dentist's office was super nice. Friendly. Explained everything slowly and gently in small words. 

Pretty sure the new dentist liked me too because when I told him all about the book I'm reading he said, "Uh-huh," "Uh-huh."

bald eagle

"Go, lady," I thought, impatiently. She sat in front of me. Here one may go right on a red light, and she wasn't going. Come on! Finally! I followed her up the ramp and onto the turnpike. Something white, like a plastic bag, fluttered in my vision. Between my car and hers. I slowed as the lady ahead of me sped away.

An eagle. The white was the eagle's tail. There was it's white head too, and big black wings. Flapping, hovering, right in front of me. A crow was attacking as the eagle tried to fetch something on the road, behind a cement barrier. Food? Baby crow? It tried twice as I watched and the crow attacked, but I was on the turnpike and had to drive on.

If the woman had gone when I wanted her to I would have missed the whole show. I think there's a lesson in there.

mercy

We live in a society that expects perfection, and condemns for life people who make certain mistakes. Instead of 
punishment, let's offer assistance and kindness. Let's look for a path of health, let's walk together in the light.

We're not here because we're perfect. We're here to make mistakes, learn, and help others. Right?

anything can happen and it's all good

there are no limits
the universe is massive
possibilities

new dentist

wants to spend 2 hours getting to know me. Dentalphobia AND social anxiety. 

Hoping for 115 minutes of paperwork and 5 minutes of chat.