Seeing Clearly

I just bought my first pair of reading glasses a couple of days ago.

It was a slow process of realizing that I needed reading glasses. It started with not being able to read bills at dimly lit restaurants. Then it proceeded to moving reading material closer and farther from my face to get a good focus on the words. I even started having a hard time reading the numbers to the combination lock on the gate to our land. It was time.

Kim and I were in Longs Drug Store shopping for some things to get rid of the cockroaches that have been skittering around our place. I was in Honolulu all last week to visit with my dad and to help my mom with a few things. One sleepless night while I was away, Kim kept hearing those critters run on the beams above our bed. It can get incredibly quiet up on the land at night and so the sound of the running of the roaches was definitely amplified. It freaked Kim out. It would have freaked me out too. We're trying to balance our tree-hugging ways with our total disgust of the gigantic B-52s. So besides getting a couple of packs of chemically laden Combat roach traps, we are concocting a mixture of baking soda and sugar. We are supposed to spread the mixture on different locations around the cabin. Supposedly the roaches cannot resist the sugar, but eating the baking soda will dehydrate them. Also we will be spreading around bay leaves, which are supposed to be absolutely repugnant to the six legged fiends.

So while in Longs we decide that it is time for me to get some reading glasses. There were a whole array to choose from, everything from old fuddy duddy to über cool. We paid a little more for a pair that fell on the über cool end of the spectrum. Hey, I'm only 40 and it actually makes wearing the glasses fun.

My week in Honolulu was filled with epiphanies and moments of tremendous gratitude. I was there to visit my dad, who had been admitted into a nursing facility over the Christmas Holiday, and to help my mom work through some of the decisions that need to be made.

About six years ago, my dad had a stroke that paralyzed his left side and made him wheel chair bound. Recently, he's been losing some of his strength and it's been harder and harder for my mother to take care of him by herself. Having my dad at home became really a safety issue for both my parents. So, now he's in a facility with around the clock support from a professional staff.

It's an awakening to see the body temple slowing down. Our physical bodies are our chosen vehicles that transport our souls around this third dimension experience. Everyday when I went see my dad, I saw people whose body temples were definitely slowing down. Witnessing that made me really realize that all of our bodies are on a gradual slow down. It is one of those inescapable things about being a participant in this temporal world. Our Life Force and Spirit are eternal, but our bodies are not. From this experience, my inner guidance posed the question, "Are you fully enjoying your body temple?"

Am I? I asked myself. Am I fully present in my body? Do I take every opportunity to dance and sing and move this wondrous vehicle around? Do I appreciate every pore that opens up and drizzles cooling perspiration on my skin? Do I let the sun bathe me and the rain replinish me? Am I savoring the flavors of food and drinks I put into my body? Do I take the time to smell all the amazing fragrances that surround me? Do I listen to soothing sounds or music that excites me? Do I allow my body to be intimate enough? Do I adorn my body with beautiful things? Some may say that this last question borders on vanity. But I want to draw the distinct line between vanity and appreciation. Vanity is when you are adorning yourself with lavish things to fill an emptiness or void in your being. Appreciation of the body, on the other hand, will lead you to embrace and be present with your soul's vehicle. So wear beautiful things and scent your body with wonderful smells and enjoy your temple.

Here's a suggestion--If you are ever presented an opportunity to stand naked in the rain, do it. It is so liberating and it will make your body feel alive. Don't, however, do it if it puts you in jeopardy of a possible public decency arrest. If you really want to do it, and you need a private place, let us know. You can come up to our land. Our nearest neighbor is about a mile away and we usually have quite a bit of rain.

Here's something I came across which may help you enjoy your time in this third dimension--

Apache Blessing:

May the sun
bring you new energy by day,
may the moon
restore you by night,
may the rain
wash away your worries,
may the breeze
blow new strength into your being.
May you walk
gently through the
world and know its
beauty all the days of your life.

And so it is.