National Day of Listening

I have been absent from blogging for a couple weeks, due to an overload of personal issues. I've had a little too much of life's less appetizing portions heaped on my plate this year, especially in the last couple months. I'm working through the latest helping, served up by one of my children, and when I've digested that, I'll hope for more appetizing entrees, or perhaps a decadent dessert. I sometimes just can't converse when I have too much on my plate. It's bad manners to talk with your mouth full, right? Anyway...

It's Black Friday. You could be one of those in the throngs of people trying to get a good deal today...if so, I feel sorry for you! I have participated on rare occasions, but the older I get, the less likely any item of merchandise would get that much attention from me. In the past I have found many shoppers to be rude, pushy, and entirely void of any of their Thanksgiving spirit from the previous day. I say, "No, Thanks!" Unfortunately, tragedy played out in Long Island, NY because of the rush of shoppers, and according to the NY Daily News, a Walmart worker was trampled to death this morning. Pretty sad commentary on the greed of commercialism.

Buffalo Gal seems to be enjoying her day in her pajamas. I think that's a good idea. I am going to go out and help my kids with some home repair projects. Then, I may call my mom and ask some questions for the first annual day of listening. I wish I would have known about this earlier, but just read about it in my brother-in-law's blog. Thanks, Chris!

So, here is the scoop. Today is the First Annual National Day of Listening. I will spare you a lot of the details, as you can go to the link and read them for yourself. The main idea is that you take the time today to listen to someone's story...as everyone has a story to tell, and everyone's story is important. This story can be from a parent or grandparent, a friend, a person you see daily but don't really "know," anyone! Write it down, record it on audio or video tape, photos, whatever.

It is these stories that bind us together. I feel we would be sometimes better off as a country if everyone would take some time to listen to one another, instead of just talking over each other. I enjoy blogging, but only half as much as I enjoy reading other people's blogs. I have always enjoyed biographies...individual people's stories...and I find the stories of everyday people just as, if not more intriguing, than any famous person's biography. I enjoy reading, and often commenting, on the various blogs I try to read on a daily basis. From little snippets to long, drawn out opinions, each gives a view inside the minds of others. Some have similarly held views to my own, others do not. Some are similar to me in some ways, but not others. It doesn't matter, though, because, agree or disagree, we are all have a right to hold our own beliefs, and really, a duty to allow that same freedom to others.

To those who may read my blog today, feel free to answer one, a couple, or all of the questions below, so I may listen to your story and get to know you better.

What was the happiest moment of your life?

What are you most proud of?

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?

What is your earliest memory?

How would you like to be remembered?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privelege of wisdom to listen." ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Listen or thy tongue will keep thee deaf." ~Indian Proverb

The Peacemaker

I have always been one that wants to keep the peace. As a young child, all the way through adulthood, I have strived to not step on toes. Although I have become more assertive over the years, I try to deal with public and private matters in a peaceful manner. I was reflecting today on some wrongs I have been dealt recently, and whether I should stand up and fight, as so many around me have suggested. Though I might fight for the injustices toward others, I may or may not follow the same path for myself. I will continue to mull over the issues a while longer, I suppose, but I have decided not to fight. Why? Because my energy will be better spent elsewhere. The injustices have helped me reflect on where my priorities have been and where they should be. I have never worn bitterness well. Has anyone? During all the ups and downs of the last couple months, I have looked for peaceful resolutions. Sometimes when you turn the other cheek, you get a view from another perspective. I saw something new on the horizon and have set on a journey to grasp it.

My favorite hymn while attending Catholic school as a child was the Peace Prayer of St. Francis. (My second favorite was Whatsoever You Do). Thinking back on these hymns, and the messages they conveyed, I must have taken them quite seriously, as I have spent my life working on the messages contained within. The Peace Prayer popped into my head this evening and brought many of my recent struggles into perspective. This prayer will definitely continue to guide me in my newest adventures.

Posts from my other blog

I most often write on another blog, but I thought I would transfer some of those posts here, as I don't check in here as often. My other blog is at: http://www.areavoices.com/abrelamente/




Here is today's post:

Doo Doo Doo Lookin' Out My Back Door



These are just a few of the seasonal sights I partake in when looking out my back door. In a busy life filled with daily stressors, I don't always take the time to just stop and smell the roses...well, I don't actually have roses, but you get my drift, I'm sure.

I awoke yesterday morning to glorious, fluffy blankets of snow, covering every lingering flower, every bush, lawn, field, and tree. It was a wonderous white landscape. I truly believe the first blanketing snow is one of the most overlooked wonders of the world. I didn't get to revel in the glory for long, as I had to traverse the one undesirable aspect of the snow...traveling to work. It was pretty tame, with just a couple of slushy spots, and a few well placed splatterings of snowy slop mixed with mud kicked up to the windshield from passing beet trucks. The landscape along the rural backroads of west central Minnesota was picture postcard perfect...a true Currier & Ives scene.

I sincerely love and appreciate all of the seasons Minnesota has to offer. This is a place where we can see all of nature's changes in full glory. There is the birth and regrowth of spring, filled with everything that is new and wonderful. Next comes the summer, the time to enjoy the bounties that spring has sprung. In fall, the season of change, there is either a preparation for the end of a natural life cycle or getting prepared for rest, and reflecting on all that nature has provided. In winter, much of nature is hunkered down and most comes to a standstill. The snow seems to wipe the slate clean, in preparation for the rebirth of spring, and the continuing cycle.

The seasons of a human life, in many ways, seem to mirror those of mother nature.

First, there are the annual seasons, which really do tie closely to the calendar, for me. In my life, spring is the time of new ideas and energized thinking. I make fresh changes to my physical environment and toss out the old. The return of green seems to spur on fresh ideas and new outlooks on life. Summer comes on in all its glory and it is time to enjoy the bountiful and busy life brought forth from the growth of spring. It is a time of celebration. As summer songs die down, the autumn rolls in, sometimes tenuous, not sure if it wants change at all, but knowing that eventually, change will come. It is a time to give thanks for all one has experienced and a time to ready oneself for the upcoming period of "down time," which has different meanings for everyone. After a suitable time of preparation and reflection, winter arrives. It may sneak in quietly or rush in roaring, wanting to be heard, announcing its mission to knock out all that is weak and temporary, and take its hold. It can also be a time of rumination and sometimes depression. There can be a true feeling of being "caged in." There is a desire to rebuild and reach for light once more. When winter finally can't even stand itself, it allows spring back in and the glorious cycle begins anew.

Then there are the lifelong seasons. As the seasons in Minnesota often overlap, and sometimes seem to jump back and forth, so does this lifelong journey. I see the years between birth and young adulthood as the season of spring. New seeds and ideas are planted, nurtured, and cultivated. Spring turns to summer when one begins to revel in what has been planted...the first job, marriage, children, career accomplishments, pursuit of dreams. Autumn rolls around sometime toward the end of a career, perhaps after a few grandchildren are born, or even when one feels they have met many of their life goals. It is a time to reflect, perhaps double-check the list of goals and to complete any pursuits not yet reached. Hopefully, it is a time when one can share their life learned wisdom with others. It is a time to give thanks for all that life has held. Once winter rolls around, it really is a preparation for the end of the natural life here on earth, and the hope of eternal spring...a new light and a new life.

As it stands now, I am midway between the autumn and winter of my annual seasons, and in the late summer of my lifelong journey. Views of the seasons really are personal. I'd love to hear yours.