Staying Sane

when all about you are loosing it!

Yes! It's been one of those weeks. Little unpleasantnesses. Traffic snarls (what else is new), had to pay taxes out of my LOC - clients are also dealing with financial shorts, the housekeeper twisted the vacuum cleaner chord so I must replace it and the dog has allergies. Sigh. How do I keep my head above water when there doesn't appear to be a raft to grab?

Well, don't swallow the water. Keep dog paddling. Watch for the logs floating by and hold on to the one that will keep me afloat. In other words, make do with what is available. Don't get overwhelmed by the annoyances because there will always be something to challenge the evenness of life around me.

To prepare for the week I took myself to a special gathering this morning and I have just made gazpacho. Yum. The treat was a gathering at The Church in Ocean Park celebrating Juneteenth - the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas in 1865. While the Proclamation was actually signed in January 1865, the slaves of many states did not learn of this action until June and because that news reached various communities on different days, it is celebrated as Juneteenth, rather than on the 16th or 19th of June.

Recipe for Gazpacho in the next blog.

curiosity counts - A year of the moon’s movement in 2 minutes (via)

curiosity counts - A year of the moon’s movement in 2 minutes   (via)

I Owe Taxes!

OMG! I never thought I would be sufficiently proficient at my work that I would owe the IRS. While the actual payment is not an easy experience, the fact of having to make that payment is rather amazing. I never thought my skills, my business, my very own self-employment would be so effective that I could be making tax payments.

If only paying these sums would insure that schools would be better, that clinics would not be closing and especially that this payment could in some way lower the tone of the angry dialogue that continues throughout this society. I like to think that the monies I will pay the IRS might contribute to lowering the intensity of the negative discussions I hear from each political group these days.

Sigh. Perhaps my small step of covering my own debt can generate some better feelings for the resources I may be supporting with my small payment.

Oh, well, as we are always advised, keep thinking those good thoughts. At least thinking in a neutral manner won't add to the worry and sadness found today.

Breathe.

June Already!

Semester is complete and the schedule for the next semester has been shared. Now I've got to find a spot for a real vacation. Every break I've taken this year has been for family events or for continuing education activities and there has been little time for me to sit and simply breathe. As I suggest, taking time to have "nothing to do" is a true luxury we forget is a key element of good health. I have been running so much, taking care of so many tasks that I have been unable to do more than a brief sitting (meditation) every day.

I wanted to go to Tassajara - a lovely retreat center run by the San Francisco Zen Center located about 60 miles east of Monterey. I was advised that summer is NOT the time to visit - it is HOT and there is no air conditioning. Then I planned to visit my favorite simple and not expensive spa in Mexico. It's closing! Sob. The political situation in Mexico and the economy have impacted the program terribly. They don't plan to re-open.

What does one do when the options are daily becoming more limited? At this moment a "staycation" holds great appeal. Low cost, there are innumerable resources in Los Angeles that I have never explored and I won't have to worry about passport, air fare or hotel rates.

Taking care of the therapist is as essential to providing good services to my clients as it is to supporting my own good health.