The Dragon Year started with ..............

Blogging in the wee hours is a liberating feeling.

Almost everybody is fast asleep. Tucked in their beds. Safe. Most of the town is quiet. New Moms are up with their thirsty babies. Some are pacing to seek calm. Some are rocking back and forth. Some are sitting under a blanket nursing quietly wondering if they will ever have another full night of sleep. The fridge whirs........ dreams float on by. I wonder how many little ones weren't rocked, tucked in......unsafe?

I've always enjoyed witching hour writing. When I can't sleep, I meditate and then almost naturally, set to reflect on mine and the lives of my loved ones and how everything is unfolding. We have no control over most of life's roll out. The best we can do is recognize it, accept the tangles of it, and just be grateful for the goodness every single day has to offer. And love one another as we set forth...... We never have to tackle life's tangles alone.

Last week, I held a newborn pup, something I had not done in a long time. The lil' one sat in my arms suckling on my thumb. I had forgotten the soft comfort of a little one, so innocently trusting......... so dependent... nestled in my arms. New life. A miracle. A smiley, wiggly, curious little sentient being happy to be held. Happy to be fed. Satisfied enough to fall sound asleep......... those heavy eyes opening and closing until they settled into a nap.

Last week at my cousin's wedding celebration I did a lot of holding and hugging and likewise. A bevy of loving and affectionate arms wrapped around me. Loved. There is no other feeling that generates a sense of loving warmth as someone holding you in their arms. Sharing a moment when cherished words sift into the ground beneath us. I've come to the conclusion that if there is ever a moment when time takes a breath, it is when we are in the arms of loved-ones. Time remains in the present and forgets to creep forward.

A week before last, I drove 6 hours to Hatyai for a precious weekend with a few besties since one of them was switching his port-of-call to down South. I offered to drive because I wanted the time in the car with them........... conversations always flow more sanguinely. But, I selfishly wanted to drive on my own, free of duties and drama....... liberated on the highway listening to music, accompanied by a scattering of unorchestrated snores hehe! A little wee hour of the morning adventure accompanied by people I cared for, and whom I'm sure cared for me.

During the trip, I had the privilege to receive blessings from a spiritual guide together with my friends. It felt comforting that the four of us received spiritual rejuvenation together. It was timely.

We knelt  and bowed our heads in deep respect and a moment of contemplation whilst blessed water meandered down our bodies. I liked that spiritual-vantage point. Sunlight filtered through the cracks of the attap roof.......... through a spiritual story. Coloured rays touch upon the front of the Wat/Temple like a wand of miracles. Gentle beauty. Kissed by the spirit of light.

And that one errant wind sound brought a spirit of insight. It offered the gift of reverence. It allowed little me to go deeper in time. It left me wondering. It left me feeling holy grateful. It also put some perspective into my fears after having gone through many rough patches these recent years and thinking about my own journey of life in the year ahead. Was I the only one that heard it? Spirit wind.

Life is an uncertain. If we can get our heads around that, we're doing well. So often we try to hold onto reasons and rationalizations. We soak in our own dramas forgetting that others have experienced far worse and have come out of it with new eyes, and perhaps some emotional weariness. It is the burdensome weariness which we humans need to pay attention to......... if we can lighten the load of others, we would ultimately bring a meaningful life upon ourselves. Our actions make them matter. Love is an action word.

So , for the rest of today, I take living life with calmness, and the embrace of many.... those strong arms of loved-ones that continue to hold and comfort me. Love. Radiant strength. Binding relationships. Don't know about the future. Can't know. That's the scary part. But, what I do know is that it is the story unfolding that is life..... not skipping to the end to see what happens.

Time to love more, bomb every future obstacle. Let the sun shine. Let the stars sparkle. Let that moon burst into a full one. Let faith be the strength and love be the healer.

I'm ready, are you? Just gotta do a load of laundry first............!






"Walk on a trail of loving kindness
Walk on a path of compassion
And all else around you will be beautiful."
Every Blessing