Archives For Reflections

My reflections about Christmas Day, 2012

December 26, 2012 — Leave a comment

A delightful 19th century Christmas card by Louis Prang. Source: American Antiquarian Society

Considering that each person has only a very limited number of Christmases to observe in a lifetime, it is good to take a bit of time to reflect and ponder when each one is over.  There is no better time for me to do so than on the day after Christmas, when thoughts and impressions are still fresh in my mind.

I’m fortunate to live in a part of the country that escaped the 2012 Christmas Day winter storms which plagued the south and are now bearing down on the northeast.  It was cold here, but I much prefer that to tornado or blizzard conditions.

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12/24/12: Merry Christmas to my readers of the “Beat”

December 24, 2012 — 2 Comments

A West Virginia grist mill. Isn’t this a lovely scene for the Christmas season?

Final preparations are underway at my home for our family Christmas Day celebration that will take place tomorrow. Many food items have already been prepared. – currently a pumpkin pie is baking and a  gingerbread is ready for the oven when the pie is done. The table is set, presents are wrapped and adding a colorful touch to the living room; in general, all systems are go for a very merry time, indeed. I can hardly wait for the fragrances of baked ham and spiced apple cider to waft through my home tomorrow. What a blessing!

This will be a very white Christmas in Minnesota, and also a very cold one.  However, there are no snowstorms on the horizon for the Twin Cities area, and the highways are good for travel.

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Decorating for Christmas throughout the years

December 8, 2012 — Leave a comment
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My living room in 2011 just before the family assembled for our gift exchange. All semblance of order quickly disappeared!

Christmas brings out the sentimental in me, with many wonderful memories flooding my mind as I begin to decorate my home each year.  Today I have been decorating my townhome for Christmas 2012, while savoring memories from prior years.

As I reflect on Christmases past, I mentally catalog them within the different seasons of my life.

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My five 2013 New Year’s resolutions with one main theme

December 6, 2012 — 2 Comments
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An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Also, I see a correlation between eating them and waist size!

I have experienced a number of “wake-up calls” during 2012 which has led me to this conclusion – I simply must focus more time and attention on my personal health and well being.  Four things that have jogged my subconscious:

  • I have had cataract surgery.
  • A dear friend is now facing a re-occurrence of cancer.
  • A close family member has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, something that claimed another family member a couple of years ago.
  • A 13-year old family member on my spouse’s side was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Accordingly, I have made five New Year’s Resolutions for 2013 centering on one main theme:  to protect and improve upon my own health and well being.  These resolutions are as follows:

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Happy Thanksgiving Day 2012 to my readers and followers

November 21, 2012 — Leave a comment
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“The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” by Jennie A. Brownscombe (1914). A mythologized painting showing Plymouth settlers feasting with Plains Indians. Source: Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, Holland.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day 2012.  My dining room table is set and ready for guests, but my kitchen is strangely quiet as there is no food preparation taking place here at my townhome.  For the first time in the many years that I have hosted Thanksgiving Day for my family, all of the food is being brought to my home by other family members as a gift to me.  How very thoughtful of them to do that!

It always seems fitting to me to reminiscence a bit while giving thanks for the present. Accordingly, here are some of my thoughts on this day before Thanksgiving Day 2012:

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My thoughts as a dear friend faces cancer, again

November 9, 2012 — Leave a comment
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Friendship
It’s about laughing at the same things.
It’s about really being understood.
It’s about never running out of things to say.
It’s about being accepted unconditionally.
It’s about picking up right where you left off.
It’s about us.
(Source unknown)

Cancer is a six-letter word that means ugly, detestable, unfair, frightening, and often deadly.  It is not a word I expected to hear yesterday, but to my great sorrow, I did.

My friend and I voted together on Tuesday.  We followed that by strolling through a gift shop and sharing a leisurely lunch in a restaurant before parting for the day.  By mutual agreement we didn’t discuss the health problems she had been having, or the ultrasound scheduled for Thursday to see if suspected gallbladder surgery would be in her future.  We wanted to enjoy her respite from clinic visits with simple, low-key activities and the type of casual conversation that flows so easily between true friends.

Yesterday everything changed.

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What not to do when going for a walk

September 18, 2012 — 1 Comment
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A house key is truly a valuable item!

What not to do when going for a walk?  Get locked out of your home.

Today I learned a valuable lesson, the hard way.  What a person carries with them when out on a walk is very important – the unexpected not only can but does happen.

When I’m on my daily walk, I normally carry my cell phone and my portable garage door opener in case the opener attached to the door frame doesn’t work.  I don’t carry a house key for my entry door in the summer because I keep my storm door latched as a safety measure for when my entry door is open during nice weather days.  The storm door is not keyed, and remembering to latch or unlatch it everyday has always seemed like a nuisance since I’ve normally just used my garage as a point of entry.

I need to go to Plan B regarding what to carry with me and also change some habits, and here’s why:

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Resting and recharging my mental batteries – much needed, long delayed

July 28, 2012 — Leave a comment
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Monarch butterfiles resting on rocks. These amazing and beautiful insects need some rest when they migrate several thousand miles!

Yesterday was the first day in a very long time that I did not publish an article on the internet.  It wasn’t that I didn’t have plenty of topics to explore, but rather that my interest in doing so had gone south.  In short, I felt mentally depleted, and much in need of a day’s rest and relaxation.

I’m a person who is quite dedicated to my vocation – I spend a large portion of my day on the internet and typically enjoy doing that.  In fact, I find it so satisfying that I am guilty of neglecting to take enough breaks throughout the day, let alone setting aside time for a real vacation.

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Simplifying my life by dealing with keepsakes

July 7, 2012 — Leave a comment
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I’m hoping family members will want to claim some of these antique canning jars for their very own – there are plenty to go around!

The other day a mama duck waddled through my backyard.  She was followed closely by her baby ducklings that were sort of in a row, but not quite meeting the definition of being in formation.  My keepsake collection is like that.  I sort of have it together, but it is a bit ragtag and in need of attention.

Throughout the years numerous items of all shapes and sizes that others once owned have found a landing spot in my home.  These “things” or “stuff” or “prized possessions” became mine to somewhat cluck over, not to mention store and move around from time to time.  I have finally decided that it is time for my clucking to stop, and the dealing with the keepsakes to begin.

This is part three of my series on simplifying my life.  To locate previous articles, click here.

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Simplifying my life by ‘letting go’

June 30, 2012 — 2 Comments

NOT my basement, and NOT the way I want any of my storage spaces to look!

There are all types of “keepers of stuff” from true hoarders who live in abject conditions to people who are able to minimize right down to the fewest of essentials that are necessary for maintaining a satisfying quality of life.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 constituting the highest level of hoarding and 1 representing a minimalist, I have probably been living at a level 4.  But I want to be down to at least a level 2.

Previously:  Simplifying my life: Making the decision and moving ahead

My current project:  Simplifying my life by “letting go.”

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