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Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Are You Rich? Midas/Miser Archetype
September 29, 2015
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Each of us has a different scale by which to measure reward or gain. One man’s treasure is, indeed, another man’s trash. The movement toward minimalism and recycling is an uplifting worldwide trend to examine just how much we realistically need. Security is elusive as well as individually defined. One person may feel perfectly secure in a situation that another would find difficult or stressful. We are creatures of habit. Our spending and consumption is often kept hidden from ourselves in a self delusional zone. Many prefer not to confront financial reality until it rudely awakens us for some reason. Security is basically a figment of our imagination because life can deal out any card at any time.
The Midas/Miser character reminds us of the balance between enjoying our good fortune and maintaining high anxiety about loosing it. King Midas turns all he touches into gold. When he turned his daughter into gold he realized he had gone too far with his magical wealth creation. The miser archetype hoards possessions and emotions closely in the illusion that control is protection. King Midas, Mr Goldfinger and the hoarders on reality shows suffer from the same psychic complaint. Our culture has supported and praised the creation of wealth and consumerism as an economic religion. It is not a surprise that people have always had issues with gratitude and sharing. Now we die from diseases caused by over eating and leave behind a large pile of stuff that may have little value to others who inherit it. My own father was the spiting image of Midas when he died. I can tell you it is not a good way to go.
Insatiable greed comes with a full-time fear of decline. Sharing and fully enjoying the bounty life offers requires discernment. To know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em is a constant tightrope act. We have real needs and desires that must be met for our wellbeing. It is a fine goal to be healthy wealthy and wise. Presumably the wise part knows how to multiply the health and wealth by sharing it with others. As a global community we are learning this heavy lesson. Lifting everyone out of poverty is in everyone’s interest.
shadow financesFull Moon in Pisces August 2015: A Dream-Like Perception
August 29, 2015
— 1 Comment
Full Moon Opportunity
Medicare on My Mind
August 25, 2015
— 3 Comments
Silver Sneakers
I will only pay four more ridiculously high premiums to the Aetna Insurance Company before we break up forever. They are leaving the state at the end of the year, and I will be eligible for Medicare at the same moment. I think I am lucky with that timing. I will not need to learn about anything other than Medicare, but it is a complicated task. I did not change my private insurance policy when the new regulations came into effect because I had only a couple of years left to use it. Now that I have a chance to design and create a plan that may really benefit my health I am pleased.
My investigation started with a referral for a health insurance agent. My friend’s agent referred me to a Medicare specialist who will see me this week for an initial appointment. Karyn Damschen is the agent who will walk me through the basics and help me decide on the best plan for my needs. After a short phone consultation I was happily relieved to know that an impartial independent representative of all insurance companies can advise and guide my choices. She works for me but is paid a commission by the insurance company whose policy I purchase. She also is my support for using the system and making the most of tax credits I may deserve. I probably could navigate the computer system when the policies and pricing become available in November, but the decision is important. My future health care (at least until the market opens again next year) depends on making a wise purchase. The more I know the better. I look forward to the guidance of a professional to help me make a wise decision.
Silver Sneakers is a program I plan to use to pay my health club dues. My club has the program, so in January I will be able to assign my dues to the insurance company of my choice. This is a gift that goes on giving. Now that I have paid into the insurance pools for years and extracted no benefits, I am ready to receive something that I value. There are specialty classes created for the senior set to enjoy in good health. My club offers Zumba Gold and a senior strength/flexibility class. I have not participated, but think it is an excellent idea to give special attention to this part of the population.
Zumba Gold
If you are eligible soon for Medicare I urge you to find an agent to help you make the best of it. Who knows, maybe I will see you at the Tucson Racquet Club sometime. I will be there enjoying my excellent benefits. I will be in the steam room if you need me.
Healthy Aging for Women, an Infographic via @UF #WomensHealth
August 11, 2015
— 1 Comment
Basics of better aging for women
Summer Sun and Skin Safety
August 10, 2015
— 3 Comments
reflection in my pool
Summer ends with monsoon season here in Tucson. The humidity builds and storms bless the desert with rain in July and August. September can go either way, but normally it is dry, and just a little cooler. I do love our hot weather and spend time chilling in the pool to stay cool. I wear protective clothing, hats and sunscreen when I am outdoors. Recently my dermatology exam revealed a couple of spots worth of further testing. I had two biopsies taken, one from my shoulder, and another from my forehead. The results have not yet returned, but the physician’s assistant was certain that I am heading for surgery soon for both of them. This is the first year I am glad to see the hours of sunlight receding.
I am freaked out by the idea of cancer growing my skin, but am very happy that I can take care of them now before they become serious. A friend from the beach in California had a similar experience recently, but her medical doctor had to be convinced to examine her spots more carefully. She had to ask for a second opinion, and then was correctly diagnosed. (scary) Dermatologists can recognize the potential problems based on their extensive experience and training. The dot that will be removed from my forehead is practically invisible. It shows itself as a tiny red blotch, no roughness. The spot on my shoulder is a little rough to the touch, but I did not suspect it was cancer. Neither of these seemed like anything to me.
You may guess where this story is going, gentle reader. Sunscreen and hats are no guarantee against damage. We do owe it to our skin to be careful with exposure and use products to guard against damage, but the best defense is regular consultation with your dermatologist. With the expertise they possess and the techniques available now your outcome is likely to be good if you stay on top of your visits and exams. I am lucky my doctor, Dr Hu, at Specialists in Dermatology is located very near my home. I have spoken to a friend who had mohs surgery from Dr Hu for a spot on her nose. She is very grateful also to have nipped it in the bud. In both of our cases the early diagnosis when few apparent signs of danger were obvious to the untrained eye has made a big difference. No matter where you live, plan to visit the dermatology office on a regular basis. The face you save may be your own.
Tucson Sun
Learning from Mistakes, Genealogy
August 6, 2015
— 18 Comments
Pam and the Fam on the farm
I study my ancestry and family history. This fascinating subject consumes as much of my time as I allot to it. I have spent six years on Ancestry.com working on my tree. I am more skeptical now than I was in the beginning because I have been burned by specious data. It is painful to discover an error in one’s research, yet it is better to know sooner than later. I once had a magical surprise experience in Rhode Island at a very special private family home from the 1600’s. I was treated to a tour of the home and grounds since I announced that I was a Carr descendent. I was given instructions to find the family graves by my long-lost “cousin” who still lives on the property. I was in heaven. It turns out I was also delusional about my connection to that family because I had made a mistake a couple of generations earlier in my research. I discovered this error after I had returned home from my trip, and had to laugh about it. I also had to start again to retrace the lineage. That correction was easy because I had some good documentation to verify the facts. Other problems I have discovered or had pointed out to me have left me with a dead-end when I removed the phantom limb.
The odd phantom feeling after chopping off limbs and branches is caused my the attachment formed while studying them. There are several very common names in my tree including Scott. When I began my sturdy I started with notes written by my maternal great-grandmother about her knowledge of the family. She stated that my 2nd great-grandfather, Thomas Scott, was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil War. Even though we know his full name, Thomas Ewing Scott, born in 1842 in Ohio, I can find no decisive record of his military service. There are too many Thomas Scotts from Ohio for me to be sure. My maternal 2nd great-grandfather was, indeed, a soldier for the Confederacy. I am positive about that because I have a copy of his service record as well as his Confederate pension application that he made late in his life in Texas. After his death his wife also applied for a pension as a surviving spouse. I have her application documenting her husband’s service also.
If you find written documents of a private source they may or may not be accurate. Only when you can back up your story with official documents do you have a solid case. I have learned the hard way to verify all the connections fully before jumping back to another generation. There are many trees on the Ancestry.com site that have unverified connections. Copying the work of others without making sure of it can lead to bigger and longer errors. This is not even as safe as the cold war when we trusted by verified. Don’t trust until you verify. This practice may save you many hours of wasted time. After I have recovered from the vexation of discovering I had been wrong I still had certain affection for those people who turned out not to be related to me. My philosophy now is that I learned about history while I was out on the wrong limbs, and I have never claimed to be a professional genealogist. I am more of a time traveller. Do you know any of your family history, gentle reader? How did you learn about it?
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- Carr fam cemetery
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- Carr plaque
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- Carr home
Fitbit Addicted
August 1, 2015
— 7 Comments
Fitbit monitor
My iPod touch has suddenly lost its mind and ability to function. This might not be a big deal but when it crashed it took with it my ability to sync my Fitbit. This turns out to be a much bigger freak out than I could have imagined. I have reset and attempted to sync it with my other devices but it refuses to operate. I am unable to count my steps/miles/calories since early this morning. I had no idea how addicted I have become to knowing how far I have gone at what time during the day. I dance or walk 5 miles in the morning and then put in between 3-4 more miles during the course of the day. I love watching my little graphs and numbers move as I do. I might be completely obsessed with these graphs, truth be told. This temporary interruption of technical feedback shows me I need to back off the addictive qualities and enjoy the fun aspects of the Fitbit a little bit more. Long ago in a land far away I had exercise anorexia. I hardly suffer from that problem now, but this is reminder to keep my attention on what is important..healthy fun.
I have found a place in Austin that will repair my iPod at a reasonable price, but since this death happened on Saturday it seems I will need to wait until Monday to communicate with the repair shop and ship the device to them. I have done this before with an ancient iPod with success. I believe a battery replacement will get me back to normal quickly. If not ,I can consider repairs and costs they will present to me after a diagnosis. All in all it will be simple for me to get my favorite device back in order. I have an iPhone and 2 iPads, so I am not really suffering without connection. I have all my internet powers EXCEPT my sync for the Fitbit. I hate to admit how seriously I love those graphs and numbers on the Fitbit. I have reset the Fitbit several times, but this is not working.
In order to embrace how helpful it is to have the graphs as well as how the graphs only represent reality, I need to chill in this situation. I can move and dance to my heart’s content even if the Fitbit is not reporting my good deeds back to me. The feedback has been helpful, especially the information I have gained on my sleep patterns. The tool is only a tool, however. Reality is the important aspect of my fitness program, not how self competitive I can become with my Fitbit. This short break might bring me to a happier medium, but when I can once again sync I know I will be very happy. Do you have a movement monitor, gentle reader? I highly recommend the systems. Just be careful you don’t get too crazy about your numbers as I have. The numbers matter less than the reality.
Blue Moon July 31, 2015
July 29, 2015
— 3 Comments
Blue moon adventure
The Blue Moon occurs on Friday, 31 July 2015, 06:42 (second Full Moon in single calendar month). Now is the time to set your intentions towards what you desire. The perfect time to plant whatever it is that you want to reap
It is a moon shrouded in mystery, magic and folklore, perhaps because it only appears once every 2.7 years. The very term “blue moon” is over 400 years old when Shakespeare first wrote the words “blue moon” to mean rare or absurd. The rarity of a full moon appearing twice in one month, or a third full moon appearing in an astronomical season with four full moons versus the normal three, must have inspired the great playwright to coin the term.
The term ‘once in a blue Moon’ means that that something is very rare. But just how rare, depends on your definition.
In astronomy, a Blue Moon…
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Grounded in Acceptance
July 19, 2015
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Yoga and meditation are designed to focus the mind and keep it focused when distraction happens. The very nature of being alive involves change and the unknown. We may have habits and patterns, but we have no way to predict what is just around the next bend. Our futures collide with destiny and fortune to become our realities. Much unnecessary stress is created by attempting to control too much. We can educate and improve our minds, train and feed our bodies with the best nutrition, and stay within strict guidelines for safety and still meet with disaster. It may also be true that through no real effort of our own we may be lucky, blessed, and well loved. If we ascribe good and bad labels to each of our experiences we may find that what seemed the best at the time was a prelude to downfall, and vice versa. We are not 100% in charge of our fates.
Dependent arising is the awareness that desire and fear are driving forces in human evolution. These strong emotional forces dominate our thinking, leading to suffering. The Buddha became enlightened while sitting under a tree eating sweets. His realization liberated him from all his previous desires and fears. He taught his followers saying:
“Whoever sees Dependent Arising sees the Dhamma.
Whoever sees Dhamma sees Dependent Arising”
This essential teaching of the Buddha explains how one thing leads to another when the untamed mind is permitted to ramble. Dependent arising is cause and effect. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I think it also explains how we create suffering for ourselves and others by refusing to accept things as they are. If we start by accepting ourselves as we are we can extend that good feeling to others. Once we can stay grounded in a practice of acceptance we develop the power to change. Certain traits are present in a soul still striving to control rather than accept:
- Perfectionist and hyper-critical demeanor
- Either too demanding or unable to stand up for one’s self
- Codependence in relationships and with substances
- Self doubt
- Inability to complete plans
To live happy free lives we must find acceptance for ourselves as well as others. We must see that we are dependent on all of our ancestors and everyone alive who contributes to our well being. Nobody exists without a great deal of help from others, many who will remain anonymous. The worldwide supply chain now means we depend on folks in distant lands to make our goods and provide our services. When Amazon delivers a package to your door hundreds, and maybe thousands, of people have been involved in making and delivering what you want. To create a world with more compassion and less violence and terror each of us can start where we are to accept ourselves the way we are. By reaching a state of self compassion we can light the way for others still struggling to find acceptance.
rose
On the 20th of each month bloggers join to speak up for compassion. Click here to visit more posts on acceptance or add your own.
“1000 Voices Speak For Compassion is a blogging initiative started in response to violence and alienation in our world. If you would to be part of a movement for loving change, join our Facebook Group, like our Facebook Page, or look for our posts on Twitter with the hashtag #1000Speak.”
Acceptance Quotes
July 19, 2015
— 1 Comment
Join the voices for compassion!!! The theme this month is acceptance.
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