DOESN'T HIBERNATION SOUND GREAT?

The rhythm of this season goes way beyond any religious significance and beyond even pagan times. I'm talking primal. Can't you feel the nudging  like a biological instinct?  

Let's gather. First, gather goodies. Then gather as a tribe. Gather around fire and warmth. Cozy down. Celebrate with relief that the darkest days are over.
Eat too much. Drink too much. Share what you've hoarded. 

Then hunker down. Wait again but with the knowledge and hope that you are through the worst. Keep that fire going. Doze. Parse out what you have left from the gathering before. Be still. Save energy. Trust that Spring will come.
Sleep. Let the extra fat melt from you as you sit. Allow yourself to prepare by
doing nothing until the time is right. Until then, effort would be waste. Hibernate. You will know when the time for action has arrived. The light will tell you. Until then, rest.

Doesn't hibernation sound great? 
Trust your rhythms as you wend your way through the end of the holiday season and into the new year.  Shhhh. Hush. Wait.  

PEACE ON EARTH HAS TO BE POSSIBLE!!

So, IF Peace on Earth HAD to be possible, what would you do differently?
Today, Tomorrow, next week, next year?

Looking for answers!!

SPIT IT OUT!!!!

As social animals who are biologically wired to fight or flight,but we are evolving into the need for collaborative and cooperative behavior.  In other words, we will either wend our way to more civilized behavior or we won't have any place on earth to wend.

So we (not enough of us) try to be nicer. We swallow our anger. We agree when we want to violently disagree. We tolerate people who irritate the hell out of us. We manage to stay calm when we are shaking inside at injustice. We don't scream with every frustration.  

So what to do with all the withheld primitive feelings?  SPIT, SPIT, SPIT.
I mean this literally.  I'm reminded again of my now 18 month old granddaughter—my guru. She is an eater and will take anything into her mouth. But she sure won't keep it in if she doesn't like it.  Out it comes within a nanosecond. (NO.DON'T LIKE IT. WON'T HAVE IT.  CAN'T/WON'T DO IT.) 

And I remember a time when I visited same daughter in Malta where she was a foreign exchange student.  It was New Year's Eve. I was jet lagged. She had been up studying for finals and getting ready for my visit.  We were good and grumpy. We went up on top of her roof and named every discontent we had and then spit over the side. We were happy at the end---and thirsty too. Since then I have had a spit fest more than once.

Any time you can take something festering inside you and make it physically symbolic, it is ridiculously relieving and effective. Spitting is just the fastest and easiest and most primitive method.  Don't laugh or cringe or go "yuk".  Just  spit out your hatred, your cynicism,l your disappointment, your anger—your poison. Refuse to swallow bad stuff. Get it out of your system fast. Be your own poison control center.  

THE IDEA OF A FRESH START CAN KEEP YOU STUCK

A fresh start sounds so good. In fact it can sound so good that it never happens. Maybe I'm having an early allergic reaction to New Year's resolution time approaching. Or reminding myself that fresh starts can trap you into not getting started at all.

A New Year —is a trap.

I'll wait til monday —is a huge trap.

After this big project is done— is a giant trap

When the holidays are over— is a trap

After I do my 'to do' list is done — is a seemingly tiny but potent trap

When I have learned enough and read enough I will do it —is a major trap

When I get other people's approval and in put-- is a gigantic trap

When my calendar clears up— is a crazy trap

And your trap is ?????


Basically, life stays messy so, start whatever matters to you in the middle of the muddle.  

— SHARING MY RULE OF 10—

Have I already talked about my Rule of 10? I've meant to.  It falls into the category of loving iidiosyncrasies of people. Like my own! I think about  my 18 month old granddaughter who fell in love with a bag of Epsom Salts and jabbered to it and carried it around very purposefully all day long yesterday. I loved the absurdity of it. Just as my rule of 10 is my own "behavior peculiar to an individual" i.e. idiosyncrasy.  

About My Rule of 10:
When I am too tired to do more, I use the Rule of 10.
When I feel guilty about something I need to do and am avoiding it, I use the Rule of 10.
When I am into something, like a project, and need to stop but can't seem to,  I use the Rule of 10.

Here's how it works:
 I decide to do ten more things to push progress a little further, to put a stop to something I need to end, or to assuage guilt about a task  that's keeping me from focusing on something I want to do. 
The ten things are usually small but they can morph into more depending on how I feel.  They either spring me into more action  OR they  help feel like I made progress and can stop because the guilt monster has been fed.

Yesterday:
-- I was bothered by a crowded book case. Rule of 10?
I picked ten books and put them in a box for the dump which led to pulling out at least 20 more.

--I had holiday heebie-jeebies, so I ordered 10 presents for people out of Maine.

Today:
--I had Granddaughter detritus all over the house. Rule of 10? I picked up ten things and walked away to write.  (Lego pieces counted as one)
--I wanted to read and couldn't enjoy it so, I edited 10 pages of my book manuscript. I got involved and edited a hundred pages.  

The Rule of 10 is seriously helpful to me. I do that extra little bit.  I avoid full blown procrastination. I keep momentum going.  And I tame my beast of needing to be productive. 

I suggest it for the holidays.  Call it one of my ten gifts.  Or call it nuts.







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