2012, What Can we Expect?

What is this world coming to?  How many times have you heard that expression? It used to be a rhetorical question, but in the year 2009, I think people are anxious to know the answer.  I don't think anyone really has an answer to that question. 

Let's look at what is being said about "2012" and the years leading up to it.  Supposedly, 2008 to 2012 will be the years of change, positive or negative depending on who you speak to, in the way we live our lives.  Pretty general, huh? I don't claim to know more than anyone else what to expect.  Do I think it will be the end of the world?  Nah, I really don't think so. However, I do think that this year and the next couple of years will be a time of major changes in just about everything that has to do with our Earth.  We have really abuse Mother Earth and it seems she refuses to take it anymore. I don't blame her.

The year 2012 is being labeled as the end of "The World as we know it."  As I sit here I ask myself, Is this a bad thing?  Take a look at our world. What a mess we've made here! I have been doing a little bit of research on the subject of "2012" and I find it more interesting than scary. Mayan prophecy has it that 2012 is sometimes claimed to be a great year of spiritual transformation or apocalypse. Mayan prophecy also claims that we are entering our Galactic Day. Although the Mayan prophecies tend to be accurate, keep in mind it is a prophecy and prophecies are read differently by various people.

On December 21, 2012 there is talk of a cosmic event that will result in humans being pushed toward a readiness to enter The Golden Age. After more research I came across a site with information regard the galactic alignment.  The Galactic Alignment is the alignment of the December solstice sun with the Galactic equator. The galactic equator is pretty much the same as the Earth's equator, only it helps people understand the geography of the galaxy.

Okay, so the planets in our Milky Way Galaxy will be in alignment with the Sun. I don't see what harm that should do, but then I'm not a scientist. Even if I was a scientist or astronomer, I don't see how we can change what the planets and Sun will be doing in the year 2012.

Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but I don't think it's Armageddon.  I think it's time that we all woke up and became responsible. It's time to take an interest in what we contribute to the Earth and begin to treat our planet with care. This is the only world we have.

Living in a Recession

What is a recession? Basically a recession is when there is a decline in industrial production, employment, real income, and wholesale-retail trade that lasts for six months or more.  It spells trouble for all of us. Sometimes it's hard making ends meet in the best of times, but trying to raise a family in the midst of a recession is doubly hard to do. It helps to stay optimistic in this type of a situation. We can tighten our belts a little and still share some quality time together as a family.  Tough economic times call for finding ways to cut down on spending, but not on activities, even when we're on a budget. After doing a little bit of research I've come up with a few ideas that may help to weather this recessional storm.

There are lots of ways to cut back including in the kitchen so let's start there.  First, get rid of all prepared meals. Aside from being too expensive, they are loaded with excessive fat, sugar, salt and all kinds of preservatives. These are things that your family doesn't need. Plan wisely and schedule specific meals for each day of the week. Do your grocery shopping once a week and get exactly what you need for each meal.  Try going meatless twice a week. Do a little research and find recipes for low cost meals that you can make like pasta and vegetables or a home made veggie pizza. These are nutritious meals and won't cost a lot of money.

Even when arranging for a vacation or just family time together, put a schedule in place and so that you don't miss a minute of fun. Check with the local visitor's bureau in your city and see what attractions they offer. Some cities sponsor summer festivities for a minimal fee or no cost at all. Spend the day at a local park; take along Frisbees, a baseball and bat and maybe even a set of horseshoes. Stop by your local public swimming pool one day for an afternoon of aquatic games. Even pack a lunch to serve up, after the swim, picnic style, at a nearby park. Everyone develops an appetite after a day of sun and fun. This is an ideal way for a family to spend a day together. The next day, spend the afternoon watching a movie in your local theatre.  If you get there early, you can get the matinee price.  It's another great way to spend the day, and see a great movie in the process.

After this much activity, you deserve to pamper yourself a little. If you like to read, don't go out and spend money on a new best seller, join your local library and read all of the books you want for free. Also, stock up on some inexpensive candles and some aromatherapy bath beads (you can get them at the dollar store) and treat yourself to a relaxing soak in the tub.  If you close your eyes, you can pretend you're at a fancy spa. You'll feel any stress that you may have acquired from the long day begin to melt away.

You can find ways to cut back on spending and not on activities, it just takes a little bit of strategy and imagination.  So plan to cut back, have fun and make some great memories to treasure for years to come.

Finding Happiness

What is happiness?  I could ask 10 different people that question and assuredly get 10 different answers.  Happiness according to the dictionary is "an agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind." But, is that all there is to happiness?  I think being happy is definitely a state of mind. Happiness isn't something you feel only when you buy something new or meet a new romantic interest. Happiness goes much deeper than that.  There a quite a few things to consider here; happiness is not something that we're aware of on a daily basis.  It sometimes takes a little bit of probing to find the answer.

Materialism is usually toxic to happiness. Look at all of the wealthy people in the world. If you were to ask them, confidentially, if they were happy, I bet the majority of them would say no. Oh, sure, we'd all love to have a lot of money, but what I'm saying is that just isn't enough. You need to feel a presence within yourself to be happy. To me it seems like an overwhelming feeling of good intent.

I think that the happiest people are surrounded by friends and family and take the time to show their love for the important people in their lives. They don't embark on petty jealousies and they tend to forgive easily.

Happiness is usually something  as simple as keeping a whole brood of people in your heart or it as miniscule as seeing a flower in bloom.  Happiness is different things to different people, but it always comes from the inside.

Find a person who is optimistic people and you'll find someone who is happy.  Even in the midst of sorrow, a glint of happiness usually shines through.  It's all in the way we look at things. I think that optimism and happiness go hand in hand.

Most times people aren't very good at predicting what will make them happy. Happiness can be found in many things.  I suggest that you look inside of yourself to find it. What really would make you happy?  Is it something material like a new car? I'm sure a new car would make you feel good, but I don't think it's a way to find happiness.

Try sitting in a quiet room and thinking, what one thing could I change in my life to bring me happiness.  Use your imagination or try making a wish list.  What would you wish for that might bring you the happiness you deserve?  I think you will be surprised to learn that we make our own happiness.  I've made my own and I know that you can too. One surefire way to find happiness is to count your blessings!

Meditation

I have adopted the practice of meditating each morning and night. When I first started to meditate, last fall, I must confess that I didn't think it would do much of anything for me except maybe to give me a few minutes of peace and quiet, and sometimes not even that. However, since I have disciplined myself to meditate everyday I have
discovered that my life has changed in small, discreet ways and I like the feeling.

I have learned that meditation has taught me to live, learn and love in a different way than I'm accustomed to doing. It has changed the way I look at life and has afforded me more freedom, a freedom to explore my feelings, surroundings and even my life. It takes you out of the physical world for a short time and into a sort of peaceful state. I guess you could say it's a little bit like letting your imagination take
over for a while. It's like a small, deserved mini vacation from a sometimes, or should I say most times, demanding world.

When I first started to meditate, I didn't do well at all. I started out by closing my eyes and trying to get the noise of everyday life out of my head. I soon discovered that that is one of the hardest things to do. Each time I closed my eyes I was bombarded with thoughts and worries about this, that and everything else. It took some time and a
lot of practice to be able to close my eyes and actually enjoy the quiet that I discovered I could find there when I tried. The trick is to keep at it until you succeed.

There are different forms of meditation, but Transcendental Meditation seems to be the most common. Transcendental meditation takes you into a kind of restful alertness. It benefits your mind, body and your relationships. Once you've added meditation to your daily routine you'll realize that a lot of things you thought of as important,
no longer matter to your well being.

There are many reasons to meditate. Meditation is enjoyable. You'll start to feel an inner tranquility almost immediately. It leads to clearer thinking, better relationships, improved health and less stress in your life.

I look at the world much differently now than I did. Some things, like going outside and seeing that I have a flat tire, would have really put a damper on my day. Now, I may not be happy about the fact that I have to have my tire changed and that it will cost me money to have the old tire fixed, but I can look at it in the proper perspective. I attribute that to my meditation practices. Remember that old saying, "Don't sweat the little things," well I try to live by that motto and to also to "Let go and let God." Life doesn't have to be so hard, and I think that meditation is what we need in this changing world of ours.

If you would like to learn how to meditate there are plenty of courses online for you to take, for a price, but I would suggest that you just close your eyes, get the noise out of you head and you'd be surprised how good you'll feel afterwards.

The Beauty in Nature

I’ve come to a place in my life where I am looking for more.  More of
what, I don’t know. We all go through this phase; it’s a part of
growing. What’s next for me? What can I do to feel more fulfilled
in my life?  Maybe meditation!

So, to see if there was something more to it, late last year I started
to meditate. I found out, to my surprise, the benefits of meditation
are many.  It took a while to get the hang of it because at first I
think I tried too hard when all I needed to do was sit, relax my body
and clear the noise out of my head.  Once I accomplished that I was
able to actually enjoy the thoughts that penetrated my mind.  Since
starting to meditate I have become much more relaxed and I tend to
easily see the beauty in things. I don’t think that I ever noticed these
things before, or maybe I did, but forgot the joy they brought. Well, it’s
time to re-explore. It’s time to open my eyes
and see the beauty in nature.

I don’t particularly care for the cold weather, but lately, even
though it’s winter I’ve acquired a fascination with all of nature.
When we talk about beauty and nature in the same sentence it’s usually
concerning sunshine and flowers, but there’s much more to it. I have
learned to look at a snow covered city street and seek the artistry
there. If you told me, even a couple of months ago, I would see anything
worth noting in a city street, I don’t think I would have believed it.
I wouldn’t have thought there was attractiveness let alone beauty in
snow. But there is and I’m happy to say that I can see it now.

A couple of nights ago we had a light snow fall and when I woke the next
morning the first thing I reached for was my camera to snap a few
pictures. I am not good with a camera and the pictures aren’t great,
but years from now when I look at those pictures I’ll remember seeing
the brilliance of the still morning that I saw in that snow. Seeing
the beauty in snow has made me ponder a few other things. It has
awakened something in me that I haven’t felt in a long time. A real
sense of peace and contentment settled upon me.
 
A long time ago, or at least it seems like a long time ago, I took a
home study writing course and one of my assignments was to write a
descriptive essay of a summer thunderstorm.  When that memory came back
to me, it was like awakening from a sleep and using my senses for the
first time.

I can vividly remember describing that thunderstorm. Sitting quietly,
I could feel the hot sticky wind beating against my face.  I reminisced
about the clean fresh scent that the earth disperses, and of the
rainbows showing their band of colors in the stillness, that is felt
after a thunderstorm.

We look for beauty in many places. There’s no need to keep searching,
just look outside your door and you’ll be amazed at the allure that
awaits you there if you just look for it.

Whether you try meditation, (which I do recommend) or not, look for
more in your life. Keep growing and seek fulfillment in all that you
do. Especially try to see all of the beauty that nature presents to us.