Happy New Year 2024

Happy New Year to you all. How you’ve missed me! And how I have missed YOU 🙂

I am looking forward to the new year filled (not fraught) with endless possibility. Unicorns, rainbows and the like.

At 11:59pm on New Year’s Eve I opened up my front door to clear the way for a fresh, untainted new year. Like vitamins and God, superstitions can’t hurt. You know, just in case. It was a cold night but beauty is pain.

While I still have a few things from the old year needing my attention and care I am quite ready to embrace the new.

I am decluttering, planning and organizing. It’s slow going on some days but that is still the goal. I will be back to volunteering at the food pantry by the end of this month. Wrapping up correspondence. Have booked a couple of plays I am eagerly anticipating. I hope to get on the open road (or in the friendly skies) for some travel. Maybe one day sit in the middle of a bird migration. Be mindful of how I can continue to advocate for those suffering in other countries while actual governments are looking the other way. Deep dive research on all the politicians (local, state and country) who are supposed to represent me/us. Catch up with some old friends. Try something new. Spend time with family. Read lots of books. Have some rooms painted and replace pieces of furniture I don’t like-or never liked-it’s time. Complete Hannah’s scrapbook (she’s now twenty-five) that I quit working on somewhere around her eighth year of school.

Hopefully, I haven’t taken on more than I can handle. With the scrapbook 🙂

I am sharing these goals so they fly out into the universe. Chances for success are greater if I release them from the matted gray matter.

I’ll keep you posted.

Until then, I wish you all good health for the new year. Anything after that is gravy.

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Into The Universe

I trekked through the jungle this past Tuesday here in Malaysia. It’s a guided monthly hike with a group of ladies. A different rainforest/jungle each month. It’s a great way to learn about one’s surroundings, make friends and enjoy outdoor activity.

Our guide, John, is Chinese Malaysian, local and knowledgeable. I really like him. He always shares jungle lore. Sometimes a combination of superstition, native intuition and plain old common sense.

He told us that the jungle people would never say the word “tiger” because if you said it three times then a tiger would eventually appear. And if they had to refer to the tiger they didn’t even use the word for tiger. They used another word which meant “striped one.”

Because you had the power to bring it to you.

My friend’s mother, Ann, was on the hike with us. She is visiting Malaysia for three months. And is eager to travel, keep active and find interesting things to do. We were about to hike up this steep area to reach a canopy walkway. She thought better of it, declined and told us to go without her. She’d be fine and wait for us at the rest spot.

Upon our return, I asked her if she saw or talked with anyone. Ann said that she met a woman. This lady, from San Francisco, was on a hike and stopped to chat with her. She was visiting her Chinese Malaysian mother in the nearby town. The woman said that she would be doing some traveling while she was here and asked Ann if she would be interested. Anyway, long story short, they exchanged emails. Who knows? Maybe they will hook up and see some sights together.

The point is this.

When Ann was recounting the story to me she said, “You just throw these things into the universe……”

Meaning that if you put a need or a thought out there, into the universe, it comes back fulfilled or recognized.

I believe that. Just like the jungle people believed it. Like Ann believes it.

If you just put it out there it will come back.  You have the power to bring it to you. To make it happen.

My only advice is this. Keep it positive. No one wants a tiger at their door.

So, go on, put it out there. Into the universe.

 

Update: Ann and the lady she met are heading out Friday to start exploring together. Both families met each other and it’s a go!

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