Expanding My Mind By Looking at the Past

I am taking a class titled, Poetry in Memoir.  The class lasts for eight weeks, one day per week.  This Thursday will be class three. 

Childhood

Class One:  Free write about a childhood memory that resonates within you.
Class Two:  Free write about Phrases that You Grew Up Hearing

I had no trouble either one of these assignments, in fact, I got two poems from Class One per-write. So far, I got two poems from Class Two free-write and I am working on a third.
The third phrase that came to mind:  Treat others the way you would want to be treated. At first, this phrase seems pretty straight-forward and maybe something that would be useful for everyone, but after mulling it over time and time again, I come up with the same thoughts about it.

First Thoughts:  

Upon meeting someone for the first time, one should be cordial, provide an introduction, maybe some light conversation, in the hopes of getting to know the person or at least to make the person feel comfortable.  

When interacting with someone you have known for at least a little while at each meeting you should act as you did in the first meeting but then where does it go from there.  Well, you might text the person, email them, or call them on the phone.  If both want to become friends perhaps a get-together is in order.  Informal parameters for friendships are pretty much the same without them even being spoken.  

If someone is your friend, you should care about them.  You should communicate honestly with them and in a timely manner, and you should try to help them if they have a need.
This is what I think.

Second Thoughts/Concerns:

This is where the difficulty comes into play if one wants to follow the Do unto others theory of friendship.  So what if you "friend" doesn't respond to your messages, doesn't express their joy or concerns for what you are going through, and doesn't acknowledge your communications in a timely manner, if at all. Also, what if they only contact you when they are in need and when you point that out they tell you that they don't like to text, call, or plan. So, basically to my way of thinking they are not being a friend even though they profess they want to be friends with you.  So, my question:  do you treat them as they treat you? According to the phrase you should treat others how you want them to treat you, they are saying "Do not be good to me."

Usually, I keep treating people as I did when we first met and then after a certain amount of time goes by I feel taken advantage and for the sake of my own sanity, I have to unfriend them, and that doesn't make me feel good.

Act

Act--a word comprised of just three letters but it has the strength of ten.  I believe it is a word that sounds powerful and commanding.  It has urgency. 

Running on 1st Beach, LaPush, WA

After you've reflected and meditated, waited, prayed, and reaffirmed, act.  Act on your instincts.  Act without delay...Act with your own best interests at heart...Act like the woman you've always wanted to be--and don't act surprised when suddenly your are!  
                                             Words of Wisdom for Women, Rachel Snyder

Old Faithful Hiking Boots

So, I have chosen to put myself in motion and act with intention, but I also intend to act with grace.  There are shoes and boots that are labeled as useful for a variety of actives but I have never seen one advertised as the shoe or boot to wear if you want to step all over someone, and that is a good thing.

So, I am taking action to get myself connected in Anchorage.  I am taking classes.  I joined a committee at my church and, soon I will be starting a part-time (almost full-time) job, but along the way I intend  to stop to smell the roses.

Peace Rose in Kirkland, WA

Accept

Being that I am a word person and one who loves to communicate, I thought it might do me good to start thinking about the meaning of some common every-day words.  To turn this thought into reality, I have decided to read about and reflect on a word from Words of Wisdom for Women, Rachel Snyder.  This is a book of 365 words, one for each day, but I won't be doing a word each day.  I will try to do a word each week.

Accept
The first thing it says under accept is Recognize what you can change and what you can't.  

For me, I think this is a hard thing to put into practice.  Most times, intellectually, I recognize what I cannot change but my emotions or spirit just don't want me to let it go.  I guess, I would have to admit to being stubborn, but no shame in that because stubbornness has its good points.

Second,  Accept that you can't do it all--and who would want to anyway? 

I used to try to do it all but I have gotten better at delegating because trying to be a Super Woman just became too much for me.  Life is Balance and I am trying my best to divide up my energy and not try to give more than I have.

Third, Accept that life isn't always fair and find the wonder in that, too.  I do believe that I have accepted this and I just take it in as part of my life.  I may whine about it for a little bit but then I do my best to let it go.  I still need to work on this.

Included in the book description of Accept is a flip of the coin that notes a few things that should not be accepted.

Don't accept things that aren't yours, like misdirected shame and blame.  Like credit for someone else's accomplishment.  Like disrespect.   Accept everything you are and nothing you are not.  
                                                                                                                               Rachel Snyder

And, one thing that has come to my mind is if someone says You need to accept me as I am; the bad with the good  I am okay with that.  I consider it a choice and if I say that I will accept them as they are and we are going to be in any kind of relationship, I would like that person to treat me with the same respect.  There is light and dark in all of us and in some circumstances, at least for me, balancing them can be a challenge.

Life is Beautiful

Life works in a funny way, well, it does for me.  I just coast along and then I hit a speed-bump and it feels more like falling into a sink hole.  So, I whine to my best friends, they cheer me up, and I am ready to face the world.  Sometimes this routine lasts a day but sometimes it takes longer.  

Funny thing:  as much as I fight routines, I really need them.  I don't need to be totally locked into a rigid routine.  I need one that has some flexibility.  

Moment of Truth: I hate being bored and if I get too bored, I usually get into some kind of trouble.

Well, today was not boring and not too routine.  The sun wasn't visibly shining in the sky but it was shining.  This reminds me of the time Tim and I were out on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington and we were driving as fast as we could to get to a certain point to watch and photograph the sunset.  The closer we got; the cloudier it became.  When we reached our destination, we met a few others couples who were doing the same thing-- chasing the sun.  I stood there looking at the sky and then I raised my camera and started taking pictures.  A woman looked at me as if I were crazy and she asked "What are you taking a picture of?"  I just looked at her, smiled, and told her I was taking a picture of the sunset.  She said, "The sunset isn't visible."  I nicely told her that what I see is what the sunset looks like at that present moment.  I am sure she thought I was crazy but she did say that she understood my logic.  When I downloaded my pictures and tweaked them a little bit, a sunset was revealed.  I don't have that picture on this computer so I can't show it to you.  If you think I am crazy, that's okay.  I am not crazy; I just look at the world through my own special lenses.

I can't read the fortunes, but I know they had to be good ones.

Today, the hidden sun shone upon me; my coffee was real tasty;I stayed focused on the road, drove with caution and made it safely to my destinations:  an interview at Joann's, a writing course, Costco for tires, and, between each of these I went home.

I got new tires and I feel more safe and confident on the road, I got the job so I feel like I am going to do okay, and the writing class was very enjoyable. I am looking forward to another great day tomorrow.

Feeling Melancholy

Words are just words, or are they?  Words can help (get a point across).  Words can heal (be a panacea). Words can hurt (cut through something or someone like a sharp blade).  Words can make someone happy.  Words can do a lot of things but it all depends how the words are used and the sincerity of the user.

Words That Are Important to My Journey

A lot is going on in my life right now. I have come upon many paths. Some have gates across them and others have hurdles to overcome or speed bumps, most are not easy to enter and when entered they are not easy to traverse. My progress has been slowed but I just have to make sure it doesn't come to a screeching halt.  As for physical paths, I am still being slowed by my foot that was injured in December.  I can't wait to get on the trails but as advised, I am taking it slow.

I am without a job and that really bothers me.  My networking is almost non-existent but support is fairly strong.  I am keeping myself busy with my writing, cooking, and photography.  I can live on soup, oatmeal, and protein shakes.  My blogs and photography keep my mind occupied, but just in case I need more I have signed up for a poetry class, a journaling class, and a class about researching my family history.  

If I get bored, I become unravelled.