February 16 – At the End of Our Exploring

Simple Abundance; A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban breathnach,1995.

 

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive were we started

And know the place for the first time.

        -      T.S. Eliot

 

When we live our lives authentically, we discover our true place in the world for the first time.  But this self-knowledge is not easily acquired. It takes tenacity and daring to travel to the darkest interior of one’s self.  Who knows what we might find there? “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” The writer J.R.R. Tolkien advises.

Our dragons are our fears; our day stalkers, our night sweats.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of failing.  Fear of starting something new and not finishing.  Again. Or the real fear, the one that sends shivers up our spines; the fear of succeeding, of becoming our authentic selves and facing the changes that will inevitable bring. We might not be happy with the way we are living now, but at least it’s safely familiar.

We don’t know where we are headed and it’s very scary.  Old dreams are resurrecting, new desires are wooing.  Instead of clarify, we feel confused.  At moments like this, it is comforting to consider T.S. Eliot’s belief that there is really nothing to fear from self-awareness because at the end of it all our personal exploration, we will arrive back where we started and know in our hearts that we finally belong there.

Women have always known how to deal with dragons hiding under beds or lurking in closets. We turn on the lights and reassure worried souls with love.  We need to slay the dragons in our minds the same way. 

Today, if you feel frightened or unsure about the future, pick up the double-edged sword of Light and Love.  Always remember, it’s simply not an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons.  But as in the best old tales, at the end of your exploring, you will live happily ever after.

 

September 2022
It has been over two months.... and I am more in love with retirement then I was when it started.  I can never go back to the grind of 9 to 5.  So I have my fall planned out with more NIGS courses,  genealogy work, crafts and writing.  This will continue to be my drafting blog.  News maker this week was Hurricane Fiona and its devastation of the south west coast. Finds:  I found two courses on Domestika that look fun and will concentrate on getting them done this week.  So much to do.... oh my. 

My favorite software app is called Waterlogue.  It converts pictures in to water colour style images.   My favorite music these days is Chopin.  

 

Oh, how grateful I am.  Words cannot describe how lucky and appreciative I feel that I have this opportunity to work 44 years and leave to pursue my new dreams.  No one is as lucky as I am.   Now I have to let it show by posting this blog properly. 

How I love summer.

 June 11, 2022 My first visit to the garden this year.  I hope there are plenty more.

48 Days Remaining

 

48 Days until I am reborn the Phoenix from the Ashes

Four Pillars of Meaning by Emily Esfahani Smith

 

Another new Bitstop.ca image.  The colours are amazing.

This is a new favorite.  Just what I needed to hear today.

https://youtu.be/y9Trdafp83U

 February 24, 2022 - 8:29 a.m.

Will this be the date referred to in the future as the start of major conflict in the world.  I keep asking "Why?"   We have progressed so far, why does any nation feel that have to initiate aggression against another.  What is the truth?  Will we ever know the truth?  I don't think the us media can be trusted. It's a sad day.