My words are not flowing this week, I fear.  It’s Just that there’s No News. The week has been mundane, though filled with Appointments, grandkids, harvesting and the associated chopping, writing, reading, the occasional shower…just the everyday-life kind of stuff.

It’s that stuff, the ordinary, that brings the most Joy, though.  I am so grateful to have each day that is given to me.  As the daylight hours wane, I’ve felt the tug to soak each one with wonder and to feel the tilt and rotation and revolution of this orb we call Earth.

Too often my equilibrium is shaken by the intrusion of the World; in creeps Fear.  You can’t stop it by pretending it’s not there — believe me, I’ve tried.   I remember The First thing I learned in Nursing School back in 1971, written on the blackboard at the front of a room full of freshly-starched student nurses, “Man Fears the Unknown”…

That jarring phrase has kindled my compassion throughout the years, helping me to understand that all of us are fearful, even when we aren’t overtly feeling Afraid.  Anxiety sets into our necks and shoulders, digs out a hole that must be fed by some numbing agent like food or wine, scrambles our thinking, makes us irritable, makes us sad.

It’s that damn Unknown…  But what if we did know?  Would that make us feel more or less stressed?  Well, We Don’t Know.  The Unknown is part of Living as a Human.  It’s Everywhere.

I am Sure, though, that the antidote to Fear is Gratitude and its sidekick, Joy.  Sometimes, though, I have to jump-start my Hope and let Fear know this:  I am not in control, but neither are You.  To that end, I’m planning a retreat this week to still my mind and prepare for the coming onslaught we’re calling the election.  Retreating can be a valuable time to Refresh and Renew the Spirit, letting go of negativity and making room for positivity.  The plan is to start Monday at sundown, finish Wednesday at sundown.  I’ll study and pray with my Gurus, try some new healthy recipes, walk a new path, adopt a new perspective, and toss fear back into the lizard brain where it belongs… I hope,…but who knows?

I’m so grateful for this opportunity to Rise Above the noise and confusion sliming through the Streaming Universe… I hope I can go 48 hours without a fix of fear…

Peace