Well, I guess it's about time that I wrote a blog. I have been distracted with so many other things that I have ignored my website for too long, and I was amazed when I realized that my last blog was from last November !! So many things have happened since then. There are the usual things such as gigs with the Four Aces in the past few months, quite a bit of film acting over the summer, back to college teaching at the end of August, a few Divine Cosmos conferences, etc.
But I will share with you the one word that has kind of been my mantra for quite a few months now. That word is Accept. I tend to be a very pro-active person, and when a problem arises, I try to take care of it immediately. But as we all know, sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. There have been times when a situationt has arisen, and either my attempts to remedy it have failed, or it was nothing I could do anything about in the first place.
That is where my word Accept has come into play. If I cannot do anything to change a situation, then I remind myself to accept it and go on.
Just as one tiny example, I used to have two cats - a male, Fluffer, and a female, Lyra. I had gotten Fluffer from the shelter where I volunteered, and he was the most exceptional cat I have ever had. A year later I got Lyra from the same shelter, because Fluffer needed a companion. The two of them were lovely together, and I was lucky to have them both for a long time. I loved them both, of course, but Fluffer was definitely the one who had stolen my heart completely.
One night I went to bed, and the cats both came and jumped on the bed as usual, to sleep with me. Everything seemed perfectly fine. The next morning I woke up and Fluffer had not moved from his spot on the bed. He had died in his sleep. I was totally devastated. It was such a shock to lose him so unexpectedly, but even in the first few hours afterward, I realized that he had died the best way he possibly could.
Of course I shed many tears, and I still do, months after that fateful day last May. But I have constantly reminded myself to accept what has happened. Now my little Lyra needs more of my attention because she misses Fluffer too, and comforting her helps to comfort me as well.
I know this is just one small example, but reminding myself to accept things I cannot change has been very helpful to me. I hope it helps you too.
But I will share with you the one word that has kind of been my mantra for quite a few months now. That word is Accept. I tend to be a very pro-active person, and when a problem arises, I try to take care of it immediately. But as we all know, sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. There have been times when a situationt has arisen, and either my attempts to remedy it have failed, or it was nothing I could do anything about in the first place.
That is where my word Accept has come into play. If I cannot do anything to change a situation, then I remind myself to accept it and go on.
Just as one tiny example, I used to have two cats - a male, Fluffer, and a female, Lyra. I had gotten Fluffer from the shelter where I volunteered, and he was the most exceptional cat I have ever had. A year later I got Lyra from the same shelter, because Fluffer needed a companion. The two of them were lovely together, and I was lucky to have them both for a long time. I loved them both, of course, but Fluffer was definitely the one who had stolen my heart completely.
One night I went to bed, and the cats both came and jumped on the bed as usual, to sleep with me. Everything seemed perfectly fine. The next morning I woke up and Fluffer had not moved from his spot on the bed. He had died in his sleep. I was totally devastated. It was such a shock to lose him so unexpectedly, but even in the first few hours afterward, I realized that he had died the best way he possibly could.
Of course I shed many tears, and I still do, months after that fateful day last May. But I have constantly reminded myself to accept what has happened. Now my little Lyra needs more of my attention because she misses Fluffer too, and comforting her helps to comfort me as well.
I know this is just one small example, but reminding myself to accept things I cannot change has been very helpful to me. I hope it helps you too.