Honourable Mention

             While I understand that America’s food-centric November holiday has taken on more of an Attitude of Gratitude since those early celebrations of “helpful” natives, I am still unable to participate.  It has been monetized and force fed to us in too much of a white-washed way (literally) for me to get on board.

             For the same reasons that christians’ gala of December 25th has always felt distasteful and false in its modern guise, this Norman Rockwell pressure-fest is extremely uncomfortable.  And not just for individuals with eating disorders.

             I’ll be at work the next 5 days, behind my desk, paid by the hour.  Parts of my family will gather and feast.  I am entirely fine with this scenario.  As are my loved ones.  My shifts for the past two and a half years have been Thursday through Monday, so we roll with it.

             When the kids were young, and their father’s schedule overlapped those forced holidays, we just made due, got together on other dates when the majority was available.  It’s still how we manage.

             What I have been made aware of, as I avoid the smothering onslaught of social media and marketing, is how so many people are having the same experience as I am.  It was not a surprise to me when I understood that, no matter the season, the most important factor for our balanced wellbeing, is truly for us to treat ourselves with

respect.

             We need to take care.  Not of others, and not of what others are expecting.  But of ourselves.  We need to honour the feelings, honour our ancestors.  The ones who came before us and who no longer have a voice.  The ones who were here first, originally.

             The world is continually bombarding us with shoulds.  What we can do to avoid this, and the stress it causes, is to say no.  We can set boundaries.  We can stay home.  We can choose to reject any event which does not resonate.  We can go for walks.  We can do whatever it takes for us to feel okay.

             What better way to be give thanks, than by doing what is best?  If joining others over a meal is a good fit for you, then bon appetit!  But if it’s not, and you don’t gain pleasure from something like that, then don’t.  Just so long as all activities (big or small) are performed respectfully.  For you, for those who went before us, for the greater good, mindfully.

             Also?   Buy Nothing Day is Friday.  Enjoy!

Choices and Selections

             If you’ve been here long enough, then you know how I feel about “forced” holidays (and the unattainable expectations that come from them).  Yesterday we went to have a dinner with my parents.

             It was low-keyed, casual, and I felt enormously blessed to even HAVE this opportunity.  Not all of my children were in attendance, my mom and dad have few living relations left, two guests at dinner weren’t able to be with ANY of their family members.

             And yet, we shared a meal and each of us realized what a gift this Sunday get-together was.  This morning brought a message that I am not surprised to see:

Gathered Group

             Our culture does us a disservice, one which we’ve talked about here before.  No one is like the idealized false examples on TV, the movies, or in all of that hideous advertising.  So when we look around and see what we don’t have, it is often a painful reminder.

             Except….. except when it isn’t.  Except that we do NOT have to accept this false and hurtful standard.  We are perfectly well equipped to build another family.  (Or incorporate others into our existing family.)

             We are more than welcome to construct a tribe of like-minded individuals.  Any group that we consciously gather with can create new and unique traditions   This is how OUR story is best told.

             When we select the beautiful beings who nurture and support us, we are healing everyone present.  And yes, even beyond that circle.  The more times we gather together and rejoice (or ya know, just enjoy each other’s company), we are contributing positive energy out and out and out into the All.

             By choosing the group, we have also chosen Joy.  And then, we are able to share it.  With those whom we deem worthy.  Not by what has been dictated AT us.

             On our card altar today, the daily draw is reminding us that this healing and positive influence must begin, as all emotions do, from within.

“Goddess of Compassion  ~

‘Self-criticism is diminishing your sense of self-worth.’

The Goddess of Compassion has shown up in your reading today to ask you to be more compassionate towards yourself.

At the core of every living thing only love exists.  Your personality and the role that you play in this life is only transitory and ultimately, an illusion.  All that you perceive to be good or bad or necessary aspects of who you are;  positive and negative qualities exist in everyone and in everything.

A more accurate description of positive and negative is Yin and Yang, for in reality there is neither positive nor negative, only opposite qualities which together make us whole.

Self-criticism is diminishing your sense of self-worth and keeping you in the illusion that you need to improve in order to be worthy of success, happiness, and fulfillment.

Have compassion; love and accept all of who you are, as you are, and stop striving for something that is impossible to attain.

Through love your life magically transforms.”

Today’s Deck:

Angels, Gods, and Goddesses Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno

Recent Kitchen Adventures:

don’t have a photo this time.  But that doesn’t make the project any less impressive.  To me, anyway.

             Have you ever created lemonade by hand?  From real live lemons?  Like, with a cooked simple syrup, fresh mint, and I-squeezed-them-all-by-my-self-elf fruit?

             Because I just did this the other night.  I had several lemons, a grapefruit, and one lime.  Here’s the deal, my finished product was amazing.  So tasty.  A ton of freaking work, which took all* damn day, but the end result was truly impressive.

*Not like consecutive hours, but still, lots of time.

             No specific recipe, I just used bits and pieces from what I could find.  Our local paper ran a feature story a few weeks ago, so I mainly went off of that.  If anyone has spare citrus just hanging around, send me some.  I want to keep doing this.