Boot Camp Monday

Painted Lady

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health and home, and get ready for a week of fun activities with my grandsons. 

This week at the full moon I discerned a new intention: 

I intend to list clear actionable steps towards paring down, resilience habits, delegation, care-taking, and community-building because the next 2-weeks are our boot camp for the long haul of recovery.

The truth is that I need to control the bits I can control: MY habits, my preparations and negotiations, my integrity and compassion. So, for the next two weeks I'm putting myself through Resilience Boot Camp! And today is Day Two.

Agenda this week:

1. Love Meditation

2. Review "How to Keep House While Drowning"

3. A simple living room

4. Health and renewal plans

5. May nature tray

Epiphany

January 6th is Epiphany, the final day of the Christmas season. This was the day when the three Magi arrived in Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus, and recognized that he would grow up to be a great helper of people.

Epiphany comes from the Greek epiphania, meaning manifestation, or moment of recognition. The Magi had an epiphany - a moment of recognition, when the truth became clear through something simple and striking.

Agenda for today:

1. Epiphany meditation

2. Love meditation

3. Read "Present Moment Awareness"

4. Bake a King's cake and make a crown

Unity with All People

This week of advent my theme is "Striving to find unity and peace with all the people of the world". The first step is always to remember to be peaceful within myself, and find harmony with the people I interact with.

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health, home, holiday, and prepare for Grandson fun. Today I'll also make plans for inner peace, generosity, and daily harmony.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Sweet Spot"

2. Generosity practice

3. Holiday Mindset

4. Advent school plans

5. Fall Order and Home projects

Second Sunday of Advent

Today starts the second week of advent. Advent is a time of vigilant waiting; I wait for something mysterious and unscheduled, with quiet excitement, and expectation. If I fall asleep to this awareness I risk missing the moment of joy, courage, or insight; the gift of grace that has the potential to feed me in ways I need.

Agenda Today:

1. Love Meditation

2. Read "It's a Meaningful Life"

3. Grace notes

4. Plan activities for unity and peace

5. Advent wreath ceremony

St. Nicholas Day

My grandson's first St. Nicholas Day, 2020!

Today is St. Nicholas Day, and we are nearing the end of the first week of advent. My theme this first week is to "Cherish and care for the earth". I aim to celebrate simply, and consume less, so that I have a gentle impact on the planet.

The modern way of observing the winter holidays supports an increase in waste; one statistic says that Americans throw away 25% more trash – an additional 5 million tons – between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. A fun holiday season doesn't have to be a wasteful one!

Agenda Today:
1. Advent Prayer
2. Love meditation

3. Journal queries
4. Read "Perspective" 
5. Decorate our outdoor tree

Gratitude as Celebration

Gratitude is the celebration of needs met.

1. Ongo journal

2. Love meditation

3. Days of Passion

Build a World

I am building a world of Nature-Culture in book form, but I'm slipping a little. I do wake up thinking about my  project, but I rarely take an hour to write. And the other parts - actual garden work and research, painting and craftivism - are also slipping. 

Part of it is that the other big project we are doing is winding to a climax (12 days to a hot tub!) and demanding my attention, and part of it is lack of direction. I think I need a Nature-Culture retreat day soon, to recenter and plan synergy.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Creativity Book"

2. Evaluate my creativity habits

3. Craftivism plans

4. Preschool plans

5. Studio

6. Do the smallest thing

7. Love meditation

Water-wise

My focus of study this month is water, and becoming wise about it. Water-wisdom is concerned with planting to conserve water, but also with awareness of the water all around and within; we are water! 

Agenda:
1. Ongo journal

2. Love Meditation
3. Water-wise plans
4. Next steps for my wildlife garden
5. Days of Passion