Simple Pleasures

The blogs this week are on a theme as usual. The one I was going to write for today will appear tomorrow. Today it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood & that was my inspiration, is my theme. My house isn't air conditioned & I'm not one who responds well on hot days. However, with plaster walls & nice windows, my house stays fairly cool, especially when it cools down at night. Today it reached a high of 72 degrees in my house. I spent time out on my lovely shaded porch & when I'd come in, there was a lovely cool breeze blowing through the house. The cats were lying around in various places. I have lots of comfortable perches for them including a large double cat tree in the living room. I put large storage containers near the windows & have cushions on them, so they can lie or sit in comfort & look out. I especially did that for my oldest cat so he could be in whichever window he wants. He doesn't jump as easily now that he's 12, quit having full ability quite awhile ago. The cats are very happy here & that really makes me happy. My home makes me happy - the layout, the peace, the porch, the yard. Days like today are so lovely. I love Western PA & live in a lovely little neighborhood.

Today has been a day of reflection on all the wonders in my life. My only son is getting married in Maryland in about 3 weeks & I'm starting to get really excited. I'll get to stay with one of my oldest & dearest friends, see my son & daughter-in-law to be for the first time since August of 2010 (they live in Iowa), & see my daughter (just saw her in November but it's never enough). My children are starting new phases in their lives & that's part of the theme for tomorrow. I'm very excited about the new adventures for them, & for me.

Yesterday I touched on needs vs. wants. It's very hard to know the difference between the 2. Hopefully I gave you some things to think about, & will tomorrow too. My needs are very simple, as are my wants. Last night I was talking with a friend about "deserving." She doesn't feel she deserves anything, that none of us do. I know what she means & in ways I agree with her. No one, not God or the Universe, owes us anything. But we all deserve to be loved, safe, & have all our true needs as well as some of our wants met.

I awoke this morning with the old fear. We're nearly half way through the month & rent will be due the beginning of next month. Then I went out to my porch for devotion time & it all dissolved in the perfect day. I took a walk to the new mom-&-pop corner grocery & felt like a kid again. All the possibilities within walking distance felt so great! I could have bought a little thing of candy or a popsicle. It's summer, the sun was shining, & I got the single dollar bills I needed to ride the bus the next time, only didn't need to spend any money to get any place. The walk felt great, even though it was 3 blocks up hill. I'm thrilled to have a little corner store even though it's nothing like when I was a kid going to Rosie's or Schultz's. Those were stores in old farm-type houses with exciting jars of penny candies all in a row. This was a guarded window & hand written price lists. I stood in a little entry way & told the man that I never fully saw what I wanted.

When I went for my walk I saw that the city had mowed the strip of grass beside the bus turnaround & was grateful. My neighbor told me I was responsible for keeping it cut & I don't have a mower so have to use my weed whacker on whatever grass needs to be cut. It's a simple thing, not much grass, but it's another thing I don't have to be concerned with so I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the breezes, my wind chimes, the comfortable & cozy furniture on my little porch. I'm grateful for the little bud vase I bought for 10 cents or so at a yard sale years ago, & the beautiful vase I got when I married my last husband. It's my favorite. I'm grateful that it no longer has bad memories. I'm grateful that I'm physically healing from his abuse, & that I'm emotionally healing from everything. I'm grateful for the knowledge I have on healing myself & helping others, for my transformed prayer life & angel work, & positive affirmations. They make such a huge difference in the way I feel about myself, & about others who have purposely hurt me. You can only have this much joy & happiness when you aren't holding onto anger & unforgiveness.

I love my life, my home, my family & friends, my cats. I love the things I know how to do & how my life is progressing. I am at peace with the things that haven't manifested yet, for the most part. I love that I can handle the fears when they come, that I have resources. I am grateful for all that is in my life, even those things that are less than the way I want them. I recognize the difference between wants & needs for the most part. I understand that no one owes me but that I owe myself, & I'm working on getting myself straight on giving & doing what I owe to myself. I'm grateful that I have friends who step in & help me with that. Every time I help someone else with these things, I learn, grow, & heal. I affirm my sense of worth & remind myself of what's important, & I receive love in return & all goodness. All Goodness. 

I need independence. This is something I've come to know. I need alone time, & I need time with others that I care about, & pure social time. I need my cats. Many wouldn't consider this a true need but for me it is. I also need a certain level of comfort, beauty, & nature around me, peace, safety, grace, & calm at this point in my life. I need to work with my hands & to make things. It was pretty scary when I cut my fingers on the electric hedge trimmers & realized how close I came in that one moment to losing my fingers! As it is I've been able to protect the stitches & thanks to a friend & his knowledge of herbs (Goldenseal in this case) they're healing very well, without infection. I've been able to manage despite the bandages, even had a supply of rubber gloves to protect them from water so I could do dishes & things.

As happens, some of my needs have changed since I've gotten older, & as I've emotionally healed. I need less love & attention from others, find what I need within myself for the most part. I also know how to make the most of the love others give to me, make the most of what I receive from friends & family naturally. I was very needy in my 20s, for example, & made choices based on that, including marriage. I like to say that I don't need any one person in my life & that's true but I'm constantly amazed at the difference one person can make in my life, & when they enter my life & stay. I have a list of most treasured & valued loved one & truly appreciate them & what they add to my life, & I to theirs. I'm also amazed at how they've arrived in my life. For example, today I celebrate my friendship with Pam. I "met" her on Facebook through playing a game just over 2 years ago & we became close out of mutual need. I thought I was reaching out to her when I detected a need but by the time she opened up to me, our need was mutual & similar. I thought eventually I'd lose my son to a wife & instead I've gained a beloved daughter. This young woman enhances & strengthens my relationship with my son, encourages him to reach out to me. She's joined my own daughter as one of my most treasured friends & relationships, truly adds so much to my life. Then there's my newest friend, who arrived just before a friendship ended. She inspires & challenges me & my way of thinking. We support each other & enhance each other at just the right time for each of us. And she's a talented healer. She's healing my biggest problem (physical, back to the cancer scare) when no one else has been able to. It's funny because she's so talented & gifted, & has had many experiences I have not in the metaphysical realm, yet I'm able to teach her the basics & validate her experiences. I'm truly blessed by all those closest to me in my life, & am so grateful for them all.

I have to say at this point all my greatest needs are being met & many of my wants. My life is so very full, & I'm grateful for all that's in it, the "good" & the other. I say other because none of it is truly bad. Despite the fact that I'm economically at the lowest point of my life, I am truly happy & grateful. I am grateful for all that I do have & all that is. Yes, there are things I wish to change & improve & I'm working on it. I'm grateful for the opportunities to do that, & for the resources, including the beings - God, the angels, my guides & teachers, the people in my life. Today I believe that I can & will do anything & everything I need to & much of what I want to. My wants have also greatly changed. They no longer involve things like foreign travel or a cruise, for example. My wants have evolved with time, age, & circumstances, as such things do. But just for today I believe I can have it all & do it all, all that's truly important to me. I have total faith & confidence in my abilities & the goodness in my life, in healing & health, love & kindness, & true blessings & happiness. And that's really all we ever have - today! It's truly a beautiful day in the neighborhood!