The Bear Went Over The Mountain...

This morning, when I noticed how the snow had shrunk quickly on a nearby ridge,

The chorus and melody of this group sing-along song came zooming to mind.

 My thoughts weren’t particularly of a bear visitor – but I did wonder how soon there would be meanderings with advisories in the still of the night by my muttering dog!

Childhood days for many of us included “campfire songs” sung in rounds – remember “Row, row, row your boat” and how we learned to pick up the lyrics at just the right moment so there were three or four voices in progression!  These memories from long ago are still clearly etched – and relate to the present as well!

The renditions were predictable and sometimes tedious, like everyday tasks that seem to go on and on; then begun anew! Even particular days of the week were sometimes allocated for washing, housework, baking, airing out the house or changing bed linens.

If we continue the traditions, maybe it would be fun to change things up and get out of the rut!

Too much time reminiscing about days of yore can render us foolish from others’ perspective if we are overheard humming about 100 bottles of beer, ants wearing rubber pants, and too many in the bed - “roll over!” .  Humming a cheery tune though  give us smiley faces and happy feet – a great way to get through any grey day.

What a fun experiment to see how many of our current friends or acquaintances would and could easily sing out!

It may be, as Spring comes, that  when people mingle  in social groups giggles will abound wherever “the bear went over the mountain”

Seeking Validation...

I recently viewed on TVO the classic 1987 movie “Moonstruck” which starred Cher and Olympia Dukakis, to name just a few. A favourite quote for me was when Rose (Olympia D.) spoke directly to her philandering husband, Cosmo -

“I just want you to know no matter what you do, you're gonna die, just like everybody else.”

Each different chapter of our life spans offers new experiences and opportunities for both growth of character and acquiring increased knowledge.I think that if we stall out it’s because we have chosen to, either subconsciously or consciously. Retiring from life and living is not age-dependent. Conversely, running from the inevitable is fruitless, and acting out or dressing inappropriately is attention seeking.

In the March 14, 2013 issue of the Toronto Star, columnist Bill Taylor has penned a great and truly appropriate read. Thanks for permission to include an excerpt.

            “I am officially an Old Person.

            It’s “official” because I have just turned 65 and qualify for Old Age Security — “the        cornerstone of Canada’s retirement income system ... provides you with a modest pension,” says Service Canada.

            But let’s just call it OAS, shall we? Let’s not rub my nose in the undisputed fact that I’m on a steadily steepening ski slope and I’ve lost my poles.

            That doesn’t mean I’ve lost my balance”.

When our hair colour is naturally silvered and our skin and/or body tone is not as firm or clear, we are not diminished, nor does it does not lessen the value we bring to others! 

Whoever we are, or wherever we may be, eliminate from your recommended list of daily “health supplements” the words “Seeking Validation”.

Smelling the Roses….

Attendees at a recent gathering of men and women who are members of a special interest group sparked an animated discussion surrounding a handout quiz measuring personal Stress Index. Some people preferred to complete the questionnaire at home while others scrambled for pen or pencil promptly.

Everyone knows somebody, possibly themselves, who is laboring under an intense pressure where relief or solution is neither immediate or within the foreseeable future. It may be illness and prescribed treatment, it may be financial, or any number of other possibilities.

Poet John Donne’s famous “No Man is an Island” excerpt from Meditation XVII applies to each and every one of us.  A too singular effort to resolve personal issues can render anyone to deep feelings of isolation or “aloneness” – yearning desperately to find a way to resolution.

Common expressions such as “thinking outside the box” are not easy to put into place when you’re boxed in to circumstances not of your own making – an example might be as caregiver of child or children, spouse, or parent. The journey is along and the road unforgiving. There is no visible “light at the end of the tunnel” and the burden is weighty. The options are few and the sense of obligation irrefutable. One woman I know doesn’t want to be crammed “into the box” – feeling apprehensive that she will be suffocated and lose her own identity – respite is, for this lady and most others, a dream.

Regardless of the source your stressors stem from, click on the link and find out what your Stress Index score is. If the light goes on for you a good move is to seek some participation that removes you to collaborating and benefitting from the fellowship others in similar situations can gift to you; and you to them!

http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/whats-your-stress-index/#.UUH2hVdXqjM