Everyday Magic

Even though they may be out of our awareness, I believe we experience magical moments every day. I had two such experiences in the last week.

These are the sights I usually see when I look into my worm bin.

But a few days ago, when I took off the lid, this is what I saw. In the four years I’ve had worm bins this has never happened before. It was such a surprise!

My second magical experience was completely different. After a lifetime of disinterest in football, I became an avid Seahawks fan four years ago. I often watch the games with Al, my ex-husband. It is especially fun to watch them in his apartment because the apartment is not far from the stadium where the games are being held.

Seattle fans are known for being very loud and we can hear them in his apartment. Because there is a 5 to 10 second delay between the time something happens and the time we see it on television, the screaming crowd gives us advance notice of important events. When the Seahawks score, we hear the sound of a cannon prior to seeing the touchdown, field goal or other type of scoring on the television.

When we were watching the game this past Sunday, there was one point when the crowd was screaming extraordinarily loud. I was confused because it was not a reasonable time for a touchdown. Besides, the cannon didn’t go off. What came out of my mouth was “They just got an interception.” I don’t know who was more surprised, Al or me! Me, a person who knew nothing about football four years ago, could sense what had happened from the sound of a crowd a mile away. As far as I’m concerned it was a magical experience.

Magic

Halloween Left-Overs

Halloween has come and gone but today is the first time I’ve seen these decorations… even though the neighbor who owns them lives close-by. I appreciate that I saw them today; I need some humor in my life.

Pen Pineapple Apple Pen

Yesterday, I discovered a blog that was new to me, GarimaShares. The blogger and I have several interests in common so today I returned to her blog to read some of her posts. One was about a song that was posted on YouTube on September 24th. The video was watched by more than 8 million people on the first day. As of today almost 116 million people have seen the original video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9TpRfDdyU0

Within a day there were other videos of people lip syncing the song. Some that were uploaded on the three days following the original release have more than a million views of their own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8tkVn_yc8g

At this point, there are more than 25 pages of YouTube videos. I’m not giving an exact number because I gave up trying to find the end of the list.

I don’t know why this song has become famous, but I’ve just spent 45 minutes looking at videos of it, so beware, it is addicting! 🙂

Be sure to check out GarimaShares too. She is a 20 year old who is going to college in Delhi and writes prose and poetry about travel, art, and life. Her photography is beautiful.

Shared on Song Lyric Sunday

Don’t Wait Until…

This post by my friend Arati makes an important point in an unusual way. Enjoy!

Dancing to the Words

To all the familiar voices expounding
I should
I have to
I gotta
I don’t have time
It’s gotta be done today
If I don’t no one else will
If I don’t do this it won’t happen…

Pause

Breathe

Watch a sunset or sunrise
through the branches of your favorite trees
or on the horizon beyond ocean
lake or desert
or reflected in the windows of tall buildings.

Have a cup of tea, herbal or black
decaf coffee, or enjoy the caffeine.
A glass of wine … or not.
Take a moment to sit
to stroll barefoot at the edge of the ocean
river or lake
in a meadow or city park.

Chill, as someone I love would say.

Don’t wait until ….

skeleton-in-pleasanton

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Song Lyric Sunday: Anger

The theme for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday is anger. The tune that came to my mind was Nancy Sinatra’s song These Boots Are Made for Walkin’. It was written by Lee Hazelwood and was released on February 22, 1966.

I enjoyed hearing a song from my past but watching the video was even more fun. The song came out when I was 17, six or seven months before I moved to Seattle… to go to college. It is highly unlikely I would have seen the video back then so I appreciate the opportunity to see it now.

Lyrics

You keep saying you got something for me
Something you call love but confess
You’ve been a’messin’ where you shouldn’t ‘ve been a’messin’
And now someone else is getting all your best
Well, these boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

You keep lyin’ when you oughta be truthin’
You keep losing when you oughta not bet
You keep samin’ when you oughta be a’changin’
What’s right is right but you ain’t been right yet
These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

You keep playing where you shouldn’t be playing
And you keep thinking that you’ll never get burnt (HAH)
Well, I’ve just found me a brand new box of matches (YEAH)
And what he knows you ain’t had time to learn
These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

80-odd years of Shake It Off

A friend just sent me this video and I can’t resist sharing it with you. I imagine I’m not the only one needing inspiration… or a laugh… right now. Enjoy!

Click here for more information about the group.

Gypsy Soup

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Sreejit’s new book Gypsy Soup is now available at Amazon.com. The book contains some of his older poems and many that have never been published before. As always, Sreejit examines the darkness and the light inside himself and in our world. His poems are insightful and thought-provoking. I also enjoy the humor that he sometimes sprinkles throughout his poetry.

Here is a sample poem from the new book (used with permission).

It’s No Mystery

I wake up every morning,

with another chance

to be the perfect man

I always wanted to be.

I’m not talking about

Amma sucking the pus from the leper,

or Jesus walking on water

perfect,

I just mean that,

‘be the inspiration

I’d always desired to be’

that, ‘give it my all

from the bottomless depths

of my fallible humanity.’

Yet normally, before

I even make it to the bathroom

in the morning to brush my teeth,

an expletive,

or some other colorful thought,

invades my desired

perception of me.

In that moment when

I look in the mirror

and realize so many years

have passed,

or in that moment when

my stomach decides,

it’s better I now pass some gas,

I quickly forget

all about the divine

and become the man that can’t

even relax.

I feel the aches and the pains,

and the not quite migraines,

and start pitifully scratching

my ass.

Is this how Descartes

came up with the phrase,

‘I think therefore I am?’

Here a pain, there a pain,

everywhere I feel a pain,

I am, oh I am, yes I am!

Is this the height of my philosophy –

I feel pain therefore I am?

Then get me some coffee!

I’ll be perfect tomorrow.

Today I’ll just map out the plans,

of how tomorrow I’ll evolve

from this lazy seeker

and discover the mysteries

of man.

Is it really a mystery,

when the saints have laid bare

a path to keep the senses

at bay?

Or is it just that perfection

is another distraction,

another excuse for my

lazy reactions?

– the mind, so in love

with the ego’s satisfaction,

that it lets pleasure

show reason away.

And now, the ego

lives to fight

another day.

To order Gypsy Soup click here.

And consider checking out Sreejit’s blog as well.

The Seeker’s Dungeon

Weekly Photo Challenge: Numbers

This challenge reminded me of a fun thing that happened on my last trip to Amma’s ashram in Amritapuri, India.

When I left my room to go to breakfast, I took the back stairs, as is my normal practice. I looked down at the stairs as I started to descend them. By my foot there was

one green bug

It reminded me of a bug I’ve seen in Seattle. Its color was brilliantly green, almost fluorescent. I passed it by but was afraid it would get stepped on so I came back and pushed it to the side of the stairs. I walked away but then realized how hot it was in the sun. The bug had looked like it was dying. It occurred to me that it would certainly die if I left it sitting in the sun so I went up the stairs again, got something to pick the bug up with, and took it to a part of the landing that had some shade. I placed the bug in a crevice and continued on my way. At the next landing there were

two black crows

sitting on the railing. We looked at each other for a moment. One cawed and then they both flew away. One green bug followed by two black crows; that was an interesting “co-incidence.” I looked over the railing and the first thing I saw were

three Indian girls

Okay, this feels like no co-incidence. I think I will play the game. I wonder what will be next. Now I’m on the first floor (which in India is one floor above the ground). I look ahead in the distance and at the far part of the hall I see a doormat with shoes on it. As I get closer I see there are

four thongs scattered on the mat

Going down the last set of stairs, I’m now on the ground floor. I turn the corner and pass the supply office where

five Indian family members are getting bedding

As I make may way to the cafe, I pass a bush with

six hibiscus flowers which are being picked by an Indian woman

Once I arrive at the café I see there are

five people ahead of me in the breakfast line

I order my food and take it to the table where

four friends eat breakfast together

I finish my food, wash my dishes and take them to the drying station where there are

three towels for drying dishes

I take my empty water bottle to the drinking water station where I find

two are filling water bottles

I fill my water bottle and then head back to my room. I push the elevator button. Soon there is

one person on elevator

Me!

I wish I had pictures to go with the experience but I was busy living it! I decided to be to content using a shot of one of the Amritapuri hibiscus bushes.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Numbers

Can You Say, Too Much Information?

Today I was remembering a post Sreejit wrote when he arrived in America from India in 2014. I laughed just thinking about it. A few minutes ago I read the post to friends who are visiting and we all laughed. I decided to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

Over or Under?

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There was a time earlier this year when I noticed the amount of space devoted to toilet paper in our local supermarket. The toilet paper display had caught my eye in the past but the absurdity of it really struck me on that day. The sight impacted me enough that I wrote a post about it! (Only in America?)

Another toilet paper issue has surfaced in my life. While I was aware of the debate over whether toilet paper should hang over or under the roll, I didn’t realize how much energy people had about it.

I personally side with the under camp, but began to wonder what other people thought. When we were planning some “getting to know you” exercises for a recent therapy activity, the staff decided to place a fun question among the serious ones. We asked the participants if they were unders or overs and had them divide into two groups. I was surprised to discover that in a group of 15 people 12 were overs and 3 were unders. I had no idea that the distribution would be so skewed or that I would be part of the minority.

After a friend sent me the picture I will place at the end of this post, I decided to delve further into the topic. (Sometimes it is fun to investigate a topic that has no particular importance!)

Wikipedia devotes 5445 words to the issue and that number doesn’t include the 132 footnotes, 119 references and 13 recommendations for further reading.

I found these factors mentioned in various sources:

Over keeps the flap further away from the wall, which may contain germs.
Over is the way that hotels do it so it must be right. (Over allows hotel staff to neatly fold back the flap.)
Over makes the pattern on the toilet paper look right.
Over makes it easier to tear off the number of tiles you want
Over makes it easier to find the flap.
The patent on toilet paper displays it in the over position.
Under makes it less likely it will unravel in an RV or during an earthquake
Under keeps children and pets from unrolling it.
Under is neater since the flap can be hidden.
Under creates less kinetic friction

An engineering study found that 70% of the people they studied are overs and 30% are unders. When looking at psychological factors, the researchers found overs to be overachievers who stay organized and take charge, and unders to be laid back, artistic and dependable. The study reported that 50% of people pay attention to the orientation of toilet paper, and that 20% have changed the orientation when they thought it was wrong. The investigators estimated that the average American spends half an hour a year trying to find the end of the toilet paper roll and that endeavor is said to create a $300 million loss in productivity.

I believe I now know enough about toilet paper orientation, so to end this post I will share the picture I mentioned above. My friend found this toilet paper dispenser in a “pizza joint” in Kenmore, Washington!

toilet paper