Baby Raccoon

I take my coffee outside onto the patio in the mornings.  There, I commune with nature for a bit and watch as the wildlife play in my backyard.  It is a serene and inviting spot to just be before the hubbub of the day begins and those precious moments in the quiet of the mornings help my day go smoothly.

I awoke earlier that morning and was outside before 6am which is unusual for me.  In hindsight I would say that it was meant to be this way because as I quietly sat sipping my coffee, I heard an unusual animal noise.  Not the kind I’m used to.  I looked over and saw a baby raccoon wandering around the yard.  He was trilling plaintively and immediately my heart went out to him.

I quietly rose from the patio chair, put my coffee on the table and grabbed my iPhone.  I wanted to take a photo and video of him.  He stopped to look at me when I came close, but he wasn’t afraid.  I spoke to him in a soothing voice.  He allowed me to take his photo and a few videos of him before I quietly excused myself, hoping that his Momma would find him if I weren’t nearby.

Staying a safe distance away, I finished my coffee and watched as he disappeared behind the small shed.  I got up to make more coffee, intending to return outside to check on him.  When I walked outside, there he was, still trilling in the grass and walking around searching for his Momma.  This went on for more than two hours.  He even walked right past me, stopping to gaze at me as if to ask if I could help him.  He ended up on my porch by my back door for awhile.  He never seemed frightened of me.

Bandit curled up asleep between the spindles of the porch railing.

I put out a small water bowl and some tasty cold grapes for him as I thought he might be hungry.  However, he never went near them all afternoon which concerned me.  His long nap after searching and trilling for his Momma for hours had tuckered him out understandably.

After a few hours of me checking in on him and he not moving too often, I got more concerned.  As the sun changed direction, he was in full sun by afternoon and it was a hot day.  This was more than I was ready to handle even though I’d already contacted friends who had helped baby raccoons before to survive.

In the end, I called for help and help came.  Bandit was taken to a wildlife vet and once he was better, he would be released back into the wild.  Unfortunately, he had many ticks on him that would have to be removed and some were around his mouth which explains why he wasn’t interested in eating.

Snuggled in the shade after tiring of the spindles.

I am grateful for our day together and hope that all will be well for little Bandit. I kept looking afterwards for a raccoon around the property, but he’s the first I’ve seen here.

You know I love to share the wildlife stories with you and hear about yours as well.

Have you ever found a baby raccoon?  I’d love to hear your story so please share!

 

Shine On!

xo

 

Rabbit Rabbit October 1st

It’s the first of the month and you know what you need to do, right?  Say…

Rabbit Rabbit White Rabbit White Rabbit!

May the chill in the air invigorate you

May the falling leaves blanket a path upon the earth for you to walk

May the bejeweled colors ignite your creativity

May what is no longer needed in your life fall away

May comfort foods nourish you

May family time warm your heart

May your head fall upon the pillow nightly with gratitude for the day’s events

May you snuggle down in front of a warm fireside at the end of the day

And fall in love.*

Shine On!

xo

*Poem by Y.D.

 

May 1st Rabbit Rabbit

Rabbit Rabbit, White Rabbit, White Rabbit to you today on this First of May!

This sweet bunny has such a cute face that I had to use him today.  You know how excited I get when a new month begins!  You know my ritual too if you have been here for awhile.  I get so inspired by a new month, let alone how inspired I am every morning when I wake up!  I love that there’s a whole new day and month on which to build memories with others and for myself.

I hope that you remember to say Rabbit Rabbit today and that you enjoy the month ahead to its fullest!  Hop along with joy, with kindness and with your heartlight shining in all you do!

Shine On!

xo

I Root For The Underdog

Consistently, I like to root for the underdog.  I’ve always been that way.  I like to see someone who isn’t favored, succeed.  It’s not that I don’t like the favored person because I do.  But there’s something about the underdog that pulls at my heart.

What about you?  Do you feel the same way?

To me, there’s a magic in the underdog succeeding and I feel the need to support them.  I guess it’s how I like my people too.  Those that come off as braggarts or too high and mighty turn me off.  Those that quietly do well and succeed are the ones I like to stay in touch with and be around.

People who have overcome the odds are the most interesting to me.  It’s not that I wish anyone ill will, but when you have experienced hardship and come through the life lessons that test even the strongest of individuals, to me, there’s something magical about you.  I am inspired by those people.  I admire them.  I enjoy when they share their stories with me.  For those that life comes easily to, I like them as well.  It’s just that there’s a depth to those who have endured tough times.  I guess I feel a kinship of sorts to them because I have endured hard times as well.  Luckily, looking back in hindsight on my life, I realize that those life lessons made me the woman I am today so I don’t regret any of it, even though I wish much of it I hadn’t experienced.  But that’s life, isn’t it?

Did you recognize Underdog from the TV series?

Do you root for the underdog too?

Shine On!

xo

*Underdog image from Wikipedia.

 

The Gift In Ordinary Moments

The other day, I shared that a friend’s Mama recently passed.  Although we hadn’t known each other for more than a few years, what we packed into those few years was a lifetime of friendship.  You know, when you bond instantly and there’s no rhyme or reason to it.  It just happens effortlessly?

I can’t seem to stop the tears when I think about the good times we had and I just realized why…Because I am grateful for the ordinary moments we shared that ended up being extraordinary.  Let me repeat that…

Ordinary moments we shared, ended up being extraordinary

There’s a preciousness to ordinary life that we forget in our haste to be special.  There’s a gift in being present without fanfare, the gift of just sitting around talking or sharing a meal that when we look back, it wasn’t special, it wasn’t a hoopla holiday.  It was the ordinary mealtime, but because we were all together, it was special.

Am I making sense?

It’s the simple things, the ordinary meals that are like home to us.  The caring, the camaraderie, the joy in just being together in the routine setting makes for a precious memory.  We don’t need the hoopla all the time.  Yes, hoopla holidays are special.  I have no doubts about that!  But the preciousness of being outweighs them in my book.

Perhaps I’m feeling melancholy today, noticing the simple pleasures that surround us in everyday life that we sometimes overlook.  Being in that moment of presence is just so important.  Don’t you think?

Shine On!

xo

 

 

My Blog’s Gone Wild!

Oh my goodness!  Did you notice that I posted THREE TIMES yesterday!  I mean THREE different, separate posts???  I’ve NEVER done that in all my years of blogging.  You know that can only mean that the Universe has other plans or there’s a sneaky gremlin in my computer who thought he’d play a trick on me!  I mean, I didn’t even schedule those posts for yesterday (well except the first one), but somehow they all ended up posting!

How Bizarre!

Has this ever happened to you?  Did you think I’d gone off my rocker?  Did you unfollow me for posting too many times in one day?  Please don’t cancel your follow!  I don’t know what happened yesterday, but I guess the WordPress demons had a good laugh!  AND used up a few of my drafts that I was saving!  Joanna, can you please send me some help over here?  I remember when your blog acted up too!

Well, it’s all out there now, so I hope you enjoyed them!

May you have a good day…I will pray that nothing other than this post publishes today!

Ahhh…sweet peace!

Shine On!

xo

The Gift of Choice

Choice is a gift, but I think sometimes it’s one that we shun because we forget we have it in our back pocket.

~ Misifusa

I don’t know about you, but sometimes in life I feel like I have no choice but to do whatever is expected of me.  I will figuratively move mountains to help, to accomplish or to do what needs to be done, even when I don’t want to even think about putting one more thing on my list to do.

But we have a choice, even when we feel like we are backed into a corner with no exit sign nearby.  We can choose to comply or to bend or to not.

On the other hand, I think we also get bogged down with seeing life from only one side of the track or perspective and yet, there’s a whole other view which we can choose to look at or even better, choose to be the observer and look at the entire scenario, like the producer of a play.  Instead of being one of the characters in your life play, we can look with fresh eyes at the whole scene and get a better perspective.  Be the audience or the producer instead of the character, bound by her leading assigned role.

I can hear you now, it’s not that easy Pollyanna.

But yes, it is, dear friends.  You have the gift of choice at every moment of every day.  Do you realize how many unconscious decisions we make in a day?  What if we were to consciously choose from the producer’s point of view instead of our own limited point of view?  Do you think we’d choose the same decisions?  I’m thinking yes, sometimes and no, sometimes not.

Have you ever pondered that we have the gift of choice that we don’t always utilize?  Can you think of any situation when you could have used your gift of choice with free reign and maybe had a better outcome?

Just another thought to ponder today.  Share below what you think!

Shine On!

xo

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Le Petit Prince ~ What does that mean – Tame?

The Little Prince

By  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Dear friends, have you read this book?  I just finished it for the first time and I find it fascinatingly chock full of mini life lessons.  Although I’m not altogether sure I understand everything the author is trying to relay to us as grown-ups, there were passages which I found to be worthy of further thought.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the book if you have read it so that I can learn from your experience.

For example, on relationships:

“I am looking for friends. What does that mean — tame?”

“It is an act too often neglected,” said the fox. “It means to establish ties.”

“To establish ties?”

“Just that,” said the fox. “To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world….”

and…

“So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near–

“Ah,” said the fox, “I shall cry.”

“It is your own fault,” said the little prince. “I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . .”

“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.

“But now you are going to cry!” said the little prince.

“Yes, that is so,” said the fox.

“Then it has done you no good at all!”

“It has done me good,” said the fox, “because of the color of the wheat fields.”

and…

“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

and..

“One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed.”

and…

“I remembered the fox. One runs the risk of crying a bit if one allows oneself to be tamed.”

As in yesterday’s post about love, I guess I am running on a theme these past few days.  There are those who swear off closeness with others when they’ve been hurt.  They are reminded all too often that even though there is a precious gift in connecting with someone, taming, as in this story, there is weeping when ‘one lets himself be tamed’ as well.  We allow our souls to connect for a time and when/if they become dislodged and disconnected, we weep for the hurt.  It happens often in many different types of relationships, as you may understand from personal experience.  It needn’t be a love relationship such as a marriage or dating, although that is hard when it ends.  There can be other types of separations, disconnections, that can be just as heartbreaking.  Friendships and family relationships can grow apart or even break altogether, having served the life duration of the relationship and still, there is that bit of crying when the ties are severed.  It’s a part of relationships sometimes, that they have a time limit, a life cycle so to speak.  We grow together, tame each other by feeling that special closeness and then, through experiences, we separate and move on.  Sometimes neither person wants to do this, but perhaps circumstances are not in our favor.

I welcome the weeping at the end, for it means that the relationship was special, unique and one that I shan’t forget.  Like the fox who is reminded of The Little Prince when he sees the golden wheat, I know in my heart, that it has done me good.

How about you?

Shine On!

xo

An Instagram Lesson For All

Whew!  My plight has been resolved.  Instagram took down my page that was hacked.  My heartfelt gratitude to those who helped by reporting the impersonation of my page and the images which were not mine.  What a fiasco, but I am ever grateful to those who took the time to help me and to those of you who reached out via my blog.

It’s a good lesson to learn that even though there are those out there in cyberland who choose to hack, to impersonate and to live on the dark side; there are also those who have your back, make the effort to do good and to help when needed.  For this, I am ever grateful.

Some tips I read on the Instagram site if you are ever in this predicament, and can’t log into your account for whatever reason, are:

Tell your friends to report it as “this profile is pretending to be someone” and not as pornography or spam.

• “The appropriate way to report an account is go to the person’s account, then hit the ellipse or the three dots on the upper right hand corner.
• Next, click “I believe this violates the community guidelines;” then “report account;” then “this profile is pretending to be someone else;” and then hit “someone I know.”
• If you are a person, tell your friends to do this. BUT – if you are representing an organization, give instructions to the right people within your company to report the account.”

I researched through the Instagram site, trying desperately to contact them to tell them that my page was hacked, password and email changed and there was no way I could log in to remove the hacked photos from my account.  I learned that there is a two step authentication process by which those on Instagram can protect their pages which I highly recommend you do if you are on Instagram.  I will not be using their services anymore, but I will say that am grateful that within a day of complaints by me and some of my followers, the page was deleted and will never be resurrected by me.

I know a lot of people who use Instagram for family photos, etc.  In my research there were tons of people who had been hacked as I had and they had to jump through hoops to authenticate themselves to Instagram and some of them lost their photos entirely.  It’s an epidemic now in this cyberworld that there are people who choose to arbitrarily hack into other people’s accounts and not just with Instagram, but I’ve heard with Facebook and other social media.

Be wary, be careful, and take precautions dear friends.  It can be a dangerous world out there.  I hope this never happens to you and I am grateful that the crisis is now averted for me.  But perhaps in sharing my story, you will be more vigilant so that you don’t experience this unseen, disturbing violation of your social media account.

Shine On!

xo