OFFICIALLY AUTUMN!

Yes, Monday the 22nd was officially the beginning of the Autumn season in the Northern Hemisphere. If you're a purist, you may have noticed the sunup and sundown times didn't match. Me, I had to quit being that kind of purist a long time ago--too much to keep track of.

Instead of stressing over the exact moment of the Autumnal Equinox, I've focused on signs of the new season. I'm calling them the Blessings of Autumn.

Trees - if you remember the photo I published a time or two ago, one that was the epitome of Autumn Tree, well, I have to report that said tree is now almost--like 98%--bare. There's a little rim of leaves on the very lowest branches; the rest are on the ground.

But! The good news is: yesterday my daughter and I drove through the countryside to visit a friend in Fort Wayne, and we were entertained all the way along the county highway by the tree colors in the distance. Still a lot of green, but, oh! The reds! The golds! I celebrate them while I can, because I know in a very few weeks, maybe only days, most of the leaves on the deciduous trees will have fallen. The only green will be the conifers. And they'll always be welcome.

Crops - Here in farm country we keep track of seasons by the crops we grow; corn and soybeans are everywhere. Yesterday we saw bean fields in various colors: green-turning-to-gold, gold sliding into tan, and pewter (yes, really), Corn was also going through it stages: leaves green but fading, turning brown, tassles fading out to pale gold.

Another type of crop is also sprouting up: housing developments. Since I don't travel that road very often, I was momentarily at a loss to know where exactly I was. What was formerly a field I'd swear had housed nothing more than crops and field mice was now laid out with a road and some empty area where, one surmises, houses will sprout. I do know that people need houses, but I admit it's hard to see farmland disappear.

Other - Blessings are found in many places, not just in the countryside in Autumn. One blessing I call perennial, and that's friendship. We spent a couple of hours with a long-time family friend and her dog. Life-affirming time. Trips down Memory Lane. Sharing our current challenges. And laughing at the outlandish things friends can say to one another.

-----

Do you have blessings that pop up at certain seasons of the year? I hope so. Cherish those blessings. And while you're at it, see if you can find a way to be a blessing yourself, to someone who needs it.

Blessings be on you,

Thursday's Child

  

 

SOME OF MY FAVORITE LIFE HACKS

Needed some encouragement here at the end of one season and another one pushing to get in. This post appeared a few years ago--still good stuff. 

First a definition: "A life hack (or life hacking) is any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency in all walks of life." Wikipedia

I broaden that definition to include--any tips or snippets of wisdom that make life easier to live.

Ready?

#1 - Winston Churchill

Whether you're living through a world war (as Churchill was) or still slogging through a pandemic (along with me and the rest of the global community), these words ought to spur you to consider what it means to keep on keeping on.

#2 - Albert Einstein

Where would we be without imagination? I wouldn't be writing these essays, you wouldn't be reading them, we'd probably never (or at least, seldom) find all these quotations and visuals if we were without the mental capacity or the resources to search for them. And consider this: There'd be no Internet--no way to quickly search for quotations, no blogging programs--. The mind boggles.

#3 - Heather Lende

Heather Lende, whom I've quoted before, wrote a book called Find the Good. If you haven't read it yet, get it from your library or order it online. If you have read it, read it again.

#4 - Plato

I've seen Plato's words quoted in numerous places, but this was the first time I saw who said it.

Maya Angelou said:

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

So--be kind.

#5 - Luke 6:31

Treat people the same way you want them to treat you.

   New American Standard Version

Follows naturally from Be Kind . . . but includes so much more.

-----

You'll have your own favorites pieces of self-advice, lessons learned, and ways of coping. But if you need some fresh thoughts, or merely timely reminders, accept the ones above as a gift.

It doesn't all happen in a day, or a year, and possibly--gasp!--not even in a lifetime. But Arthur Ashe's advice, below, is worth adopting.

Blessings!

Thursday's Child 

 WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

Right now, what makes me happy is turning a corner and suddenly coming into the presence of a stunning Autumn-colored tree. It happened yesterday, on my way home to a haircut appointment. Probably a maple, totally dressed in red, orange,yellow, gold--probably some other colors, too. (Did you know Autumn plays no favorites with color selection? True.) So on the way home, I stopped to take a photo of that gorgeous tree. I was on the wrong side of it, going toward home, but I took the photo anyway, getting a sign and some other stuff. But the tree! It was overwhelming.

Trees aren't the only happiness objects in my life. Lots of things I see give me joy. Clouds in unusual formations. Dogs, any dogs, anywhere. 

Also, fragrances--spring flowers (lilacs, especially)--roasting chicken in my kitchen--roasting vegetables, also in my kitchen--almost any baking (brownies and fruit crisp are my top picks)--fresh air after a rain . . . .

And tastes! Oh, my, good winter soup, full of veggies and  rich broth--risotto (which we have at least once a month)--Mediterranean mixed veggies, sauteed stovetop--morning coffee calmed down a little with creamer--good chocolate--lemon anything . . . .

What about things heard? I still love music, much of which is now on the Internet and available quickly. I'm partial to '70s tunes that I remember from my years in college (as a {ahem} mature student), and to what a lot of people call classical music, though my tastes run to 16th Century, then 17th, and 18th. And jazz! My life in the '50s was always happier when I could play jazz LPs and that taste continued the rest of my life.

That only leaves touch--fabric has long been a tactile happy thing. I've sewn doll clothing since age 8 (by hand) then my own wearables beginning at age 12 (4-H club), learned to make my own fabric by knitting (sometime crocheting). I'm grateful for relaxed styles, such as sweatshirts, and the concept of layering to improve the warmth of clothing when the weather tanks big-time. I also like the feel of wood (my dad was a carpenter most of my life)--the touch of printed pages (books, of course; and they also smell great)--the feel of a pen in my hand, writing across a journal page (the sound is comforting) . . . .

-----

Here's a quiz for you--What one thing brings out all the senses? (Answer below.)

-----

Take your senses for a walk--what wakes them up, gives them a boost when you're feeling a little less than Up. And most of all--what makes you happy? Do some of that today!

Blessings,

Thursday's Child

Answer to the quiz:

You see it, hear it, smell it,

taste it, and (grab a handful) 

feel it!

 SOMETIMES . . .

Life being what it is, things don't go smoothly . . . not all the time. Not always. Not even for long periods. We tend to shrug and say, "Well, that's the way life is." But as September segues into the shorter days of autumn, I find myself meandering around in deeper thoughts, such as:

- Sometimes . . . you don't need to leap out of bed just because the alarm rang.
What would happen if you hit the SNOOZE button and gave yourself 10 more minutes to prepare to meet the day? [The danger here is that you can hit SNOOZE time after time.]

- Sometimes . . . your greatest need is your own health.
Pushing yourself again and again beyond your normal limits may not be a good thing. Is the committee meeting going to fail because you aren't there? Will the office shut down because you need a mental health day? [We're not talking excuses here--we're looking at our own health.]

- Sometimes . . . another person's need is greater than yours.
Ah, there's the rub. How do I assess someone else's need? Is it a 10 today? Or merely a 4? Perhaps only a 2. Forget the numbers. Look at what's being asked of you--a few minutes on the phone; a cup of coffee at the shop where you can talk without being interrupted; a helping hand because nobody else will do it; or a request for prayer.

- Sometimes . . . life is totally unfair--day after day.
You have arthritis. Your hearing is rapidly declining. Your appetite up and left you and you're losing weight your doctor is unhappy about. Your dog has to be put down. Your neighbor makes racket long after your normal bedtime (say, 10 PM). Or your family members are so wrapped up in their own problems they don't call/email/text. And if they do, they vent. [Hard to see a ray of sunshine in this scenario, isn't it? This is when I scrounge around for one thing--just one!--to be grateful for.]


- Sometimes . . . you just need to listen--seriously listen.
Not every appeal for help requires you to do something specific about it. Listening, really taking it in, is doing something. [You're not even required to remember what you heard. Just be an ear.]

- Sometimes . . . all you can do is cry.
When it all gets to be too much, have a good weep. Letting the valves open can be a great cleansing of overloaded emotions. Or if the hurt and grief are too deep for tears, write about it--talk to yourself or the person you grieve for or to God--put it on paper. Later you can shred the pages, because they've done their part in allowing you a place to pour out your feelings.

- Sometimes . . . all you can do is laugh.
When it's too much for a good cry, laugh! There are still some things in my life that haven't got to the laughing stage, but a great many have. [You may recall the hard-boiled eggs on the kitchen ceiling episode. I can laugh, now.]

- Sometimes . . . all you can do is walk away. You can't fix it. Maybe nobody can but God.
This is probably the hardest of all. We need courage to admit that we can't "fix" something--that the only thing we can do is express our caring, if that's possible, and pray for relief.

-----
I know, I know--this isn't a feel-good post. But then, Life isn't always a feel-good place to live, is it? Sometimes . . . we just have to grit our teeth and get on with things. Or, maybe, find another way to get through. A friend can help a lot.

Have a blessed week.

Thursday's Child