The Moon today is in a Waxing Gibbous phase. This phase will last 7 days until the Full Moon. It seems like this information is only acquired (via the web;) when it suits personal life circumstances…i.e. when the world starts throwing tomatos at you…you check on the moon and blame it on the lunar calendar.

We are all so focused on blame. Who was right? Who was wrong? Are other people doing that? Why should I recycle? Who cares? Seriously….who cares? Do I honestly care about whose fault it is that we have no milk? NOPE! I care that we find the time, money and vehicle to go to the grocery and buy milk.

Now, maybe I’m just struggling with the full moon approaching…but we seem to get so swamped down with “Don’t blame me!”, “I didn’t do it”, “I’m right”…that we forget to figure out how to solve the problem.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff”. This was a little book that my Mom & Dad gave to me as a wedding present. I read the cover and first few pages, nodded my head and then very delicately displayed it in my dusty bookshelf like I had actually absorbed the information….HA! 7 years later I found myself in a “right fight” divorce.

My children lost terribly. I do believe that out of that situation I have learned important life lessons that I can pass on to them. “Don’t sweat the small stuff”! I honestly and truly do not care how or why I am in a particular situation…I need to focus on creating a plan, implementing it, and changing it should it not meet my expectations.

Blame, right vs wrong, what other people do, say or think…these are the “Past”. I cannot change the past. I can focus on what I can control. I can live in the “Present” moment assessing and planning a resolution. The “Future” will be implementing that plan.

Living in the past is “depression”. Living in the future is “anxiety”. Living in the present is “peace”!

Dogs live in the moment. They live peacefully. They have no thought of blame or who’s right….they simply live. The future will be thought about when it arrives. Simple. Peaceful. Like uncluttering your brain. Sooooo….lets all live like dogs! he he he!

After a 3 year standoff with Jason…I finally got him to Mexico! Turns out…I was right (insert childish gleeful voice!). The time away was something we both desperately needed. A refocus. A rest. A new beginning. A reset. A recharge.

Starting my own business has been one of the most courageous things I have ever done. Besides my children, also the most work I have ever done. In the midst of success I struggle to keep up and I am forced to “go back to basics” simply because I cannot do everything that needs to be done. In my effort to accommodate, my performance slides. “Back to basics” for me means I have to say “no”…not my strong suit!

I love how this business challenges me to find better ways. How can I accommodate everyone who needs me, keep current on paperwork, and stick to my strict standards while still having time to sleep at night. The pipe dream is not to just sleep, but also give myself to my family, enjoy my kindred friendships, recharge on horseback…or “gawd forbid”…have a coffee break!

My solution to my constant dilemma is technology! Yep….I said it! Technology! Not just the way of the future…..it is here. I fight against pubic opinion in my small town where people still live as self sufficient as they can, you never know when World War 3 will hit and we are survivors! (I say this with a raised eyebrow and a dramatic pause to see who will smirk at my sarcasm.) I also fight technology against Jason who believes with the inclusion of technical innovations I will lose the personal touch that goes hand in hand with my business. It’s a catch 22 without question, without clear answers, with much risk.

Travelling to Puerto Morelos was a reminder of the lengths at which technology has invaded our world. We now fill out our tourist card and customs form online…gone are the days of sitting on the airplane and gathering all the information needed to fill out these intricate forms…never mind finding a pen! We check-in for our flights digitally, download apps to watch movies on board, check flight status, and monitor our progress. Wifi is available in taxis, in airports, restaurants, in the airplane at cruising altitudes far beyond my imagination! Our boarding tickets are digitally displayed and presented from our phone. Our phones are now so readily available that with minimal cost I can surf the web on the beach instead of surfing the waves. We can watch live streaming video anywhere, at any time.

The world is digital. We have lost human contact. There is no fighting it, no avoiding it, no wishing it away! There is only time for embracing it, learning about it, implementing it and in doing so….create time for sleep, my family and being part of this human world that I am missing.

Monday morning…Jan.22, 2018…A new day.    A new way.     Anew.

I’m becoming more aware of how positive thoughts are a choice and how that choice creates calm and contentment. I know…I know….old school! I’m also learning to follow my train of thought so I can stop it when it veers out of control. Positive words/thoughts leading my emotions brings me to start quoting my favorites…Gandhi, Einstein, Budda!

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Budda

In the midst of my mid-life crisis (complete with blue/purple/teal hair streaks) I think I have figured out generally how to live in the moment, and to feel the peace it creates in myself and subsequently in the people and animals around me.

My thoughts then veer to the gaggle of animals at my feet quietly snoring in unison! They are not snoring because I feel positive, they are snoring because I ran the tuckus off them! But then that in itself is positive. Then my thoughts go back to Einstein….

“The question that sometimes drives me hazy; am I or the others crazy?” Einstein.

OK…out of control…

I can always reach out and find the solid strength I need in the tranqility of Danika’s warm belly rising and falling on my bare foot. The sound of Roo licking his foot over and over and over. Henry sighing like an old man who’s had a hard day of playing Bingo with the “Roosters” at Tastee Freeze. It’s easy to live in the moment when you concentrate on enjoying the quiet. I can celebrate each soul in the room by acknowledging who they are. I call them “people” but they are dogs and I love them for it. Their ability to instinctually live in the moment, adapt to human wants and needs, take control of who they are and stand proud without worry.

I will be truly at peace when I can live like they live.