Advice for Ryder (my grandson)

The following is a Quote by Rilke that one day I hope my grandson will understand.

You are so young, so before all beginning, and I want to beg you, as much as I can, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves,like locked rooms and liked books that are written in a very foreign tongue. 


Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

 

Resolve to be always beginning—to be a beginner! 

Stress and mental capacity

Have you ever thought that we are under enough stress? I have a friend who has the attitude that he gets stressed out about a lot of things, but if he if he has a choice, he would rather not choose to add things to his list—especially things he has no control over. While the fact is, he has that choice, and we all have this choice.

If something is bothering you – reduce the amount of mental capacity you give to “it”.

The things that worry, stress, aggravate or infuriate us can only do so if we choose to allow them. If something is bothering you – it’s because you’ve given that thing more of your mental capacity than it may warrant.

We are responsible for our own suffering and upset and our own joy and love.  It’s difficult to admit that we are doing something that is causing us to suffer. It is also difficult to accept that we can simply choose to not allow stressful things to preoccupy our thoughts. You may believe that you are being ‘responsible’ and ‘mature’ about things when you are stressing over them, but you are not mature. The mature thing to do is to make a better choice and get on with living a positive life.

So here are some things that we all have to face:

• Gas prices will do what they do.
• I can choose to drive or not drive.
• If I choose to drive I will need gas.
• All politicians live to stay or get into Power and tell me their (usually) self serving version of the truth to get me to vote for them
• I can choose to believe or not believe the “truths” politicians tell me
• If I choose to believe their “truth” or if I choose to not believe their “truth”, it doesn't matter because politicians will continue to fight for power and will continue to present their self serving version of the "truth" to me

Any interpretation beyond those facts is entirely up to me.

Morning coffee

I Walked out on the front steps this morning just as the sun was coming up,  holding my coffee cup waiting for my cat to saunter up the porch stairs. As I waited I stopped and wondered at the beauty of the scene. The snow on Mount Baker reflected the suns rays done to the valley below. The hills still touched with shades of pink, purple and blue from the night sky were layered with white clouds drifting between the shades of blue. The Fraser River mist rose up to kiss the hills as the blue of the night awoke to the golden dawn. The magic of the sunrise leaves me breathless. I live in a wonderful corner of the world. 


Enjoy your day, I am going to enjoy mine as I will be enjoying the changeable spring/summer weather we get on the wet coast of BC.

Just in time for summer

A great idea, long time coming, thanks to Doug for this (I wish I had thought of this. Maybe I could start a retired husband daycare--any takers?)