Thursday Oct.26

[southernbelle47]

Good morning Absville,

I hope you all had a good night's sleep.

I want to share with you today something from "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning.
" Several years before his death, a remarkable rabbi, Abraham Joshua Heschel, suffered a heart attack. His closest friend was at his bedside. Heschel was so weak he was only able to whisper: "Sam, I feel only gratitude for my life, for every moment I have lived. I am ready to go. I have seen so many miracles during my lifetime. Never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and he gave it to me."
I asked for wonder and he gave it to me. A Philistine will stand before a Claude Monet painting and pick his nose; a person filled with wonder will stand there fighting back the tears.
By and large, our world has lost its sense of wonder. We have grown up. We no longer catch our breath at the sight of a rainbow or the sent of a rose, as we once did. We have grown bigger and everything else smaller, less impressive. We no longer run our fingers through water, no longer shout at the stars or make faces at the moon. Water is H20, the stars have been classified, and the moon is not made of green cheese."

So today I want us all to look around with our "child" eyes and find something to "wonder" at. It may be a sight or sound or maybe the soft feel of something.

There WILL be a prize for the best "wonder" thing!
OK........ready.....set.........go.......

Nancy & Belle:l

[dilayne]

Thursday Oct.26

Good Morning Nancy & Belle..and all to come.
I love the 'wonder' topic. I have truly been in touch with my inner child..my guide, my true self this year. I've done this with the help of my therapy of course..she is the real artist in me and when she finally screamed loud enough I began to listen to her and what she needed because afterall, she knows best what 'I' need. I've gotten to know her in other amazing and 'wonderous' ways, and that is through my recent paintings and most miraculously through my dreams.

I've been in a heavy dream mode this year, which has prompted much reading about dreams and, now, participation in a small intimate dream group led by a semi famous jungian analyst...one who was assisted by Joseph Campbell (the Power of Myth) in getting into the Jungian Institute in Zurich. What I've learned about taking my dreams seriously is looking at the symbolism in everything..it is amazing to me that God uses archetypes in our dreams and that below 'it all' lies a common language of symbols..that are timeless and universal. I now look at my everyday through 'dreamy' eyes...everything means something much deeper..everything is a symbol..a manifestation of something very important..especially nature.

Recently, through a particularly enlightening period, I spotted such an anomoloy in my back yard..I could not believe my eyes...a huge crane just taking off for flight..it had been perched by a little pond that my husband built..it is the home of a dozen or so gold fish (which, no doubt have been eaten by now). This was such an amazing symbol and validation of the wonder of life for me..it has not left me.

My husband saw the same crane a week or so after, right abefore major shifts in our relationship. I had to find the meaning of the symbolism of the crane..the meaning that resonated for me was that early Christian writers associated the crane with vigilance, loyalty, and goodness. These qualities have been present in my into the depths this year..sighting the Crane was a blessing and affirmation for the commitment I've had to 'little Dianne' and to my marriage, which is so important to her.

I'm going on 10days AF..woo hoo..No Problems. I've been slack on my supps and my yoga classes..seems i've been distracted by some positive energy that has been coming up around my work..seems to happen that way..the pendulum thing, but I will take them all this morning because your presence reminds me to!
Namaste everyone, have a great day and thanks for the reminder of 'wonder'.

[dilayne]

Thursday Oct.26

eww, weird things happening to my font..and one correction here (sorry, the editor doesn't get up this early, I guess)...4th paragraph, These qualities have been present in my journey into the depths...

[mikeupnorth]

Thursday Oct.26

Good morning Absville!

Thanks, Nancy, for getting us started with such an inspirational post!

I've often thought that the years of drinking really drained from me the ability to appreciate the little things in life. I have often compared it to seeing the world in black and white instead of in color.

The world around us is full of so much beauty that we sometimes take it for granted. But when we have been caught in the loop of destructive drinking we just haven't even taken the time to look. Worse, even: we might have come to resent everything in creation, because our outlook has become so poisoned.

Now that I have been working a program (my own personal way out!) I'm starting to notice the beauty around me again. Here in Alaska the change in seasons is pretty dramatic, and I'm watching it happen as my sobriety progresses. The leaves were still green and the sun was up for long long hours here when I was in the throes of my last binges. By the time I truly started working my program and was ready to change, the leaves were changing too. The daylight was more balanced between day and night. The image in my mind of early sobriety is golden leaves, bright blue skies, green grass and crisp cool air.

As my sobriety progressed, so did autumn. The leaves fell. The days grew shorter. The mornings were frosty but the afternoons were still warm. I fought cravings. I bought a bottle of wine on the way home from work, but didn't drink it; I went to an AA meeting instead. I stuck with my supplements, kept reading and posting here, and adjusted my dose of topa.

Now there is snow on the ground. It's not much -- just an inch or so -- but it's here to stay until April or May. It will just keep building up over the winter now. Our world changes color from green to gold to brown to white. With this transformation in the landscape, I feel a transformation happening in myself. I'm not fighting so much any more. I've accepted my situation, much as the landscape has accepted the snow. I'm dealing less with cravings and more with living. I'm glad I'm doing this at the beginning of winter -- it's a more relaxed time with less pressure to get things done. It's also my favorite season. As the days get shorter, the angle of the sun makes the days filled with pastel colors reflected on the snow and the frost which covers everything. And the nights -- even though they are long, the skies are filled with stars and with the northern lights. Every time I see them I am still awed by the beauty of God's creation, and humbled to be a part of it.

Most people look at fall as a season of endings. For me it is a beginning.

[dilayne]

Thursday Oct.26

Mike, I view the fall like you do. I'm working on a painting, a tryptch, that ironically has become a sort of Mandorla..a symbol of the link between opposites. The 3rd panel has a nude figure standing in the autumn woods at dusk before a fire (standing next to her is her inner child)..there is a fire burning in front of her..in a ceremonial bowl..in the arising smoke are vague images of mask disappearing in the orange and yellow leaves. I see this as the autumn of my life..and like you, see it as the hope for the renewal that will come in the spring.

[YoungAtHeart]

Thursday Oct.26

There are several things that will always fill me with the wonder of a child, no matter how old I get, that feeling that God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.

Snow is one of them, preferably at least 6 inches, enough for a day off from work so that you can savor it, even pack up the car and go skiing, while everyone else is b*tching about it.

The ocean waves, being in the ocean--riding the waves, maybe even all day, enough so that when you go to sleep at night, you still feel like you are being caressed and lifted by the swells before they crash to the shore.

Looking at my daughter. Once she was just a little baby that I wondered how I could keep alive from day to day. Now, she stands taller than me, drives a car, and occasionally treats me like the old fud that I am. The child in me thinks, "Wow, what a great science project I made! How can this be??"

Oh and airplanes still fill me with wonder, too. I still can't get my mind around the fact that I can get on an airplane and a few hours later be in another place that is REALLY, REALLY far away! I can look out the window and see tiny little towns down there, and I think those towns are filled with people who I'll never know or see, and they all have lives that they are living that I'll never know about. The fact that this world is so BIG truly amazes me!

Yes, those things all fill me with wonder. I'm not looking around right now at things, I just had to think a minute, and it wasn't hard to come up with a few things. With my sister here, I'm looking forward to hitting the slopes this winter, so snow came immeditely to mind!

Hugs,
Kathy

[xtexan]

Thursday Oct.26

I still remember the first rainbow trout I ever caught, while fly-fishing in Colorado.

It was on the Crystal River, a short distance from Redstone I think.

I found an excellent spot to cast, and began about the rhythms and meditation of the fly-fishing experience. It does not really matter if you catch a fish or not when doing it right, it's just the motions of the act.

The Almighty blessed me immediately. A fine rainbow trout rose, and took my fly. I brought the fish in, and every cell in my body was zapped with electricity. I pondered the beautiful little creature, as I unhooked it, and let it go on its way. Catch and release was the only moral choice I had at this point.

I squatted down on a rock in the middle of the stream, as my legs were shaking violently. The rush of life had me trembling from head to toe. I was overwhelmed with awe, and reverence. I was the fish, and the fish was me. Some of you may understand, and others may not. I only hope that each human has a similar experience during their stay in this world. It would make it a better place for all I think.

Be well.

Neil

[freckles]

Thursday Oct.26

what a great topic! that's one of the things that changed me so much when i had kids. i could see the world through their eyes and be pure again! yes, science deconstructs things down to the smallest electron, but really misses the big picture. trees amaze me. all the phloem and xylem (sp?) running up and down. man can make huge buildings but he can't make a tree. i have a job interview today and i haven't done this in , well, 6 1/2 years. i have to go, but hi everyone!

[mikeupnorth]

Thursday Oct.26

Wouldn't it be nice to see things through the eyes of a child once again? To see all the wonder and possibility in everything? Maybe we can, if we just open ourselves to it.

Good luck with the job interview, Freckles!

[southernbelle47]

Thursday Oct.26

Hi Di, Mike, Kathy and Neil,

As I read these stories, I am transported to the place in my mind where you had these experiences. Thank you for sharing them.

Di....we have a large gray herron that visits our pond. His feet are larger than my hand. The "meaning" has never really crossed my mind. I'll never look at him the same again!

MIKE... I could "see" the lights as you spoke!

And Kathy and Mike........snow.......my favorite thing! As a southern girl it happends just a few times so it is precious!

And as for airplanes......I don't fly much but one of the times I did, it was raining and cloudy. As we took off, we rose through the dark cloud and my heart jumped into my throat as we broke through to the sunshine! Who knew??? The sun IS shining on the other side of our clouds!

Neil.......a rainbow trout......we have catfish here but somehow I don't think they are as pretty!
I COULD "see" you there having this living "gift" in your hands and then letting it go. I have a feeling that may be a little like letting children "go" to live their lives.
I had a moment like that at my son's recent wedding.

Ok........where is everyone else?
Need some more tro get me through the day!

Nancy:l

[dilayne]

Thursday Oct.26

Good Luck Freckles...when I interview these days..(for jobs, doctors, whatever...) I like to think that I'm going in there to interview them! Good luck on hiring your future employer! :0)

[southernbelle47]

Thursday Oct.26

Hi Freckles..........I love your "tree" comment. I took a master gardener class a few years ago and was in awe of how things grow.

Hope your job interview goes well.
Nancy

[MonaCat]

Thursday Oct.26

Delightful posts! We are so lucky to be alive, huh?

[xtexan]

Thursday Oct.26

Second story of the fishes:

Having accumulated a zillion frequent flyer miles in the late 80's, I decided in the summer of 1993 to cash some of them in. I flew first class to Hawaii, spent a night in Honolulu, and then took another flight to Maui the next day, where I spent the next couple of weeks.

During the stay, I rode a catamaran with several other people out to the Molokini crater south of Maui. A volcanic vent, that has become a reef.

While snorkeling at a slow and easy pace off of the reef, a school of perhaps 100 surgeon fish began to cluster around me. I was slow and easy in my movements, so as not to scare them away. The fish, which were maybe a foot long, were now closely layered around my body. I was part of the school. I looked sideways, and a big fish eye, maybe 12 inches from my head was looking at me.

Something went POP! ZING! in my head. Almost an LSD type hallucination (yea, done it a couple of times back in the day), and my consciousness shorted out. I was no longer a human, but I had become one of the fish! I was part of the school! Something ancient, something primitive, something primordial clicked in my head, like flipping a switch. This pure state continued on for a while. I had left my body, and once again, I had become the fish, and they had become me.

Just as strange as it had come over me, it left. The fish were all gone! They had left, looking for something else. They had given me a new gift.

Funny, how some of my deepest experiences of a spiritual nature, are connected to fish. I guess they don't worry much about mortgage payments, and car repairs, huh?

Neil

[dilayne]

Thursday Oct.26

Xtexan...big smile here..ahhhh (thanks for sharing that..totally awesome!)

I snorkeled once in Hawaii..it was a wonder! as was..

parasailing in the Bahamas..the silence

seeing a whale's tail come out of the fog just 20 yards in front of us on a whale watching boat in Maine-I still get a rush when I think about it

A numinous dream I had recently leaves me with the an emoitonal rush..one that I've only experienced in witnessing childbirth..my neices on my birthday and 3 of my 4 grandchildren

watching my 4 year old grand daughter teach herself to swim this summer..her determination, fearlessness was unmatched by anyone that I've ever known..she did it in about an hour while her 3 other siblings were close by making noise..she needed no witnesses or teachers..she just set out to do it all by herself.

nursing my children

seeing the teachers appear..just when I'm ready