ReOpening

Last Year's photo

Oh my. I've been absent so very long. Or so it seems. Business, busy-ness I'd rather say, can mutate time phenomenonally. I've been ever so wrapped up in preparing for the Shop opening , painting, and placing ads, and making lists (checking them twice, thrice---or just trying to relocate the blasted things) , talking with the previous owner and friend, scheduling the opening of the space , then the opening of the shop, gathering necessities for organizing..........whew. I'm out of breath just writing this out. And I've sorely neglected others things ; the vacuuming, Spring cleaning ( LOL ), preparing the garden..... ooooo so many things that will just have to wait and be patient. We'll be winding down soon, I THINK.

Tomorrow is the BIG moving day. We can get back into the rental space that is the shop, aptly named Out of the Blue. (It came to me so named and ,truly, the name fit the means in which the opportunity was presented to me.) And I have to say that I am so fortunate to have friends around me willing to help with the big , mean , nasty stuff - the heavy moving, the cleaning , in general, the grunt work. I thank them a thousand times.

I think that I will scoot now. Just when I thought that my mind was clear , I find that I've got reminders of this to do , and that to do and my focus is scattered. I'll be back soon. And I'll bring photos to show you.

Our Spring weather here has been glorious. I hope yours has been as delightful and you're taking full advantage of Spring's blossoming.

Time Flies

I've finally found my way back. Unfortunately I haven't got much time so this is likely to be quick. And why haven't I got the time? Simply, I'm inundated with "stuff" to do to get the shop ready for opening on May 9. It's an exciting time , but being a "newbie" I'm torn between doing this or doing that and everything seems to take more time than anticipated.

Time. An interesting exploration.

We always assume that Time is a constant. We mark our lives by the rising and setting of the sun , the changes in the seasons, mealtimes, birthdays, holidays. We set our schedules and ferociously cling to the hours & minutes , which we know by the watches we wear or the clocks on the walls. But Time is really an inconstant companion. Right now, I am scurrying to work out details of the shop's opening, paint more furniture to fill the shop, and on and on, in addition to everyday chores and commitments; like all of us engaged in living. But my watch , my calendar is playing tricks on me again.

I have been attending to many of these same activities for the shop since the New Year. I'd awaken in the mornings and pace myself. In January, my routine seemingly had a steady and rhythmic cadence. February I was still marching along,and actually thinking that progress was unfolding as it was meant to, so I wasn't paying too much attention; a nice, gentle floating through. March, and the madness started. Early on I began to have slight grumblings of tension, but unidentified it remain until we hit the Ides Of March. By mid/late March my days , though longer by daylight hours, actually were not long enough, or the hours were passing more quickly. By the beginning of April my hours & days were DEFINITELY passing with greater speed and urgency. And now , with just a month to go, the speed at which I'm traveling is frightening. I tell myself that the clocks tick the same as they were in January, the days still have but 24 hours, and the weeks still consist of 7 days,but I know that Time is passing more swiftly. My experience is that I'm approaching the start line with increasing speed.

When I berate myself for the contradictions in my thinking, I am reminded of a wonderful program from 30 years ago. It was a Boston based television show, New Heaven New Earth, hosted by Hubert Jessup. I believe that he was a graduate of divinity school and explored many spiritual themes in the show. ( I also believe that he was one of the first to interview the Dalai Lama in the US ). He also explored many other " New Age" subjects. And I distinctly recall an interview with a gentleman ( I have a vague recollection that he was a physicist----but that was many moons ago , and I may not be real sharp about that memory ) who was talking about Time. In trying to to offer a small sample of the mutable character of Time , they suggested that one need try only a quick experiment. Close your eyes, and keep them closed a number of seconds - a minute. Open your eyes and look at your watch. I should have prefaced this by saying that the watch should be in a position to easily view it upon opening your eyes. Extraneous movement tends invalidate the experiment. On your second try , close your eyes , and actively engage in relaxing behavior, breathe slowly and deeply, clear the mind of thoughts , worries , concerns, curiousities. Keep them closed until you feel yourself in a relaxed state. Open your eyes and look at your watch again. This time, if you've achieved a sufficiently relaxed mindset, you may actually notice that the second hand on your watch has momentarily hovered , then proceeds to move around the face of the watch. Yes. I had a hard time with that at the time, but was able to produce the same effect myself. It was as if Time had halted for a split second. Try it. If nothing else you will have achieved relaxation for a few splendid moments today.

Well if I thought that I could take the time to sit in relaxed meditation every now and again with the purpose of increasing the amount of TIME I had , I would do it. But I guess I'm caught up in the hurrying to complete my to-do lists, and ironically in so doing my time is speeding up. What an interesting predicament.

Well I must be off now ; my to-do list beckons.

Blessings on your day, and may you take the time for a moment's respite , Cyth