E is for Elephant

E is for Elephant

This heavy mosaic collage hangs in my living room –  the elephant symbolizes …

Strength * Wisdom * Solitude * Intelligence * Courage * Loyalty

and is said to protect a home from bad luck –

and bring good luck to all who live there.

They are also said to be a like a “call to arms”  for those going through a battle.These powerful beasts are inherently peaceful and family-oriented. Standing strong for their cause.

Now, I am not terribly superstitious, but I am inexplicably drawn to symbolism – and if there isn’t any there, I will make it up myself to suit my needs :)

Blogging through the A to Z Challenge
here and on Sylvie Says….. E is for Eccentric
and on Creativity Explosion...

Enjoy!

happy groundhog day

Welcome to wonderful world of groundhogs and shadows…double talk and no pressure to buy presents, dress up in a certain color or sing any silly songs. Happy Groundhog Day!

While Groundhog Day isn’t a big day for retailers, it does have it’s own movie, and an excellent motivational book that goes along with it. “The Magic of Groundhog Day; Transform Your Life Day by Day” by Paul Hannam offers simple strategies to help you break out of ruts.

I love how it becomes so clear that change has to start with you. Beautifully highlighting, in way that makes you laugh at the insanity of doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.
….besides, I love movies with Bill Murray…and groundhogs ( “I’m all right, no buddy worry ’bout me”…Caddyshack anyone…the groundhog is my second favorite character) anyways…….

In the spirit of the Groundhog Day ceremony…read how to leave frozen winter behind and GROW again.

Groundhog Day Movie Plot

In the movie, the main character, Phil Connors is trapped in a recurring day – a freezing February day in Punxsutawney. The town never changes; the events and the people never change. Only Phil can change.

It is impossible for Phil to have any control over the external world. Every morning he wakes up and it’s the same day again. He is compelled to find how best to survive and prosper, and decide if this is a curse or maybe a blessing.

What Works

Through the brilliance of this plot we can observe Phil as he deals with his unique predicament. We can see how he struggles to find meaning and purpose in his life. Each day he experiments with new thoughts and behaviors and he learns what works and what does not work. Any change that occurs must be inside of him because only he can change – all the other characters repeat exactly what they did the day before.

Change

This shines an intense light on Phil’s ability to change himself. As he struggles through all his flawed strategies based on selfishness, manipulation and instant gratification we learn how empty they really are. Over countless days he learns that what pleasures he thought would make him happy have failed to, and he has to accept that his old self has completely run out of steam.

Interpretation

He is forced to place all his attention on changing the way he interprets the world, because everything around him is fixed. Once he accepts he is truly stuck, possibly forever, he has nowhere else to go and begins to rebuild his personal reality by changing his attitudes, values, thoughts and feelings. He literally recreates himself by focusing all his attention on inner change.

Transform

He changes his thoughts and this transforms every part of his life. In a silly comedy, Phil’s journey proves that inner change is the key to our personal growth and happiness. Phil literally transforms the worst day of his life into his best day, and the only thing that changes is his thinking and his actions.

It’s All You

The genius of the time loop means that there are no other variables that could be responsible for the change – the only changes in the town occur because he has changed. What a profound lesson in personal transformation. It’s up to you.

*In the spirit of groundhog day, I am reprinting  this book/holiday  review for GBE2  ; )

it is time

It is Time ~~~ the never-ending tick tock of the clock does not always press me into action i’ve felt crushed by time and lost time, wasted time and filled it to the brim with unnecessary busyness But, there “comes …

failure is inevitable, so what

Every morning I sit down with a notebook and scribble down all my thoughts. It’s not really a journal, or a diary….it’s just random thoughts corralled on a page, or two or three – without any white space left to speak of.

Often, the focus is on my NEXT BIG IDEA, it could be an idea for an article, or a art project….it might be something I just want to try, or a place I heard about and want to visit.  Today, I wrote out all my BIG IDEAS, and found my mood slipping.  Usually, these fire me up, especially on a Monday. But today.

Nothing.

I even had the nasty negative bug in my ear whispering, “You’ll never be able to do that.”  “You know you aren’t smart enough, focused enough, liked enough” to make it work.  “It’s been done before”  “Who do you think you are anyways?”

Ouch.

This is not the way to start a new day/new week.

So I gave up.

Took a walk. (considered running, but what’s the use-who do I think I am…a runner? ha)

Anyways, while walking I categorized all my failures, (it was a long walk), and realized, who cares. So, I failed.  So What!

I like new adventures. I CRAVE new projects, projects too big and ambitious for little me. If I happen to squeeze in a little success here and there, then cool. But that’s not what I’m really after. Sounds cliche, but it really is the process, not the end result.

…and by the way, I like running, even if I am not a runner.

Recharged

Favorite trail to walk the dog, run, stroll aimlessly…. there is something about being among trees that completely refocuses my day. Woke up aggravated at my lumpy lymph node issue, made doubly worse by the giant pills I was given, (that I can barely swallow) but….after a walk, (running is not possible right now), I feel ready to tackle the busy day, despite the pain.

“Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in summer is perhaps the most remarkable;

with the possible exception of a moose singing “Embraceable You” in spats.”

  ~Woody Allen

tree lovin family

Tree Girly’s kids just hangin around.

Learn to love the questions themselves….

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart

and try to love the questions themselves,

like locked rooms and like books that are now 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.” 

– Rainer Maria Rilke ‘Letters to a Young Poet’ (1934)

In the midst of another mind altering change…i don’t know for sure where i am headed, all i know is that, in a way, i’ve been here before. Changes are a part of life. I’ve completely resisted change in the past, felt put-upon, and tried to keep it all the same….on the other hand, i’ve been through SOOOO much change over the past ten years, that now….i am resolved to just wait and see what’s next.

there were some serious problems, things that happened that could have crushed me, should have crushed me…but didn’t.

living to see the other side, gives you a grace to wait out the next storm without freaking out.

that’s where i am now.

it’s an almost comfortable spot to be.

  i am painting it out. writing it out.  living it out.

one day at a time.

what is behind the next door?

hmmmm…

“If there is one door in the castle you have been told not to go through, you must. Otherwise, you’ll just be rearranging furniture in rooms you’ve already been in.”   ~Anne Lamott

Dance of Creativity

Those who danced
were thought to be quite insane
by those who could not hear the music.

— Angela Monet