Life is SO complex....or is it?

It has been a long while since I have written. There has been a lot going on around me lately and I just haven't felt that all consuming urge to write. I suppose the craziness that is the zoo of my household has just left me without the energy nor time to just sit and reflect on what it is I am doing, feeling, thinking or processing as of late. I am sitting here, it is early morning  and I have not yet finished my morning cup of tea but I am determined that something become of this blog posting today. What that something is, however, still eludes me. There is a lot percolating inside my head at the moment and some of it is just the mundane, such as what I should prepare for dinner, or the laundry waiting for my attention downstairs. Some of it is creative in nature; like trying to decide what I want to do to the gown I am in the process of making. Some of them are the result of the experiences I have been having and others have to do with the daily requirements and stresses of running a household.  All these random thoughts and I am not really sure which ones my mind will decide to latch on to for the day, So far they are all like little floating balloons with strings tied to their ends, each one waiting for me to pull that string and bring them closer for further inspection. As I sit here lost in these thoughts I can hear the birds singing their spring songs, I can feel the much warmer air outside and  I can see the tree in my front yard starting to bud. The ladybugs are out in full force, marching their way across my flowerbed and I wonder just what their plans are today. I am sure they are not nearly as complex as mine. Most likely they are thinking of getting from point A to point B in one piece and hoping to find some adequate food and shelter. Perhaps though, having to deal with constant survival is actually MORE taxing than having to wonder what to cook, or how to make a gown. We assume, because they don't have to maintain our human lifestyle, that things must be pretty easy for them and others like them. Perhaps though, without the civilities, life is actually more dramatic, more stressful and daunting. Maybe, just maybe, their lives are much harder than ours. Perhaps they all live in fear, terror that they might die at any given moment all because their surroundings are not the beauty we get to enjoy but are actually quite hostile towards them. They are constantly the easy targets of predators, they are continuously in danger of being stepped on and crushed, moved, played with and inspected by the fascination of the small children discovering their existence for the first time. They have to travel what would equate to thousands of miles to us humans just to get something to eat or find some place safe to rest. A life like this would make us so-called civilized human beings become insanely aggressive animals. So maybe all these animals that we assume have it easy because they don't have the thought patterns we are capable of, really are the ones who have it the most difficult. We just don't know, and we never will because they are not able to communicate these things to us in a manner we understand. There are so many people out there who are always complaining about the hand they have been dealt and how hard their lives are. I have been known to do it myself once or twice. This thought process really makes me feel bad for every time I have ever done so. I have WAY more opportunities available to me than that ladybug will ever have. My life is not the constant battle for survival that some of these "lesser" animals and bugs have to deal with. Food and shelter options are abundant and safe to me and I don't ever have to worry about being stepped on and crushed! So why should I get to complain? Perspective is everything and when things are looked at from a view point such as this, it really seems to change how we view our own environments, choices and opportunities and the things we consider to be too difficult to overcome.  The world can be a hostile, unforgiving place, there is no doubt about it. But instead of fearing it, or laying grievances about it, try being grateful that you are in the evolutionary position that you are in. You could have been born a ladybug.

The Warmth of Winter

Good morning all! Today's quote is inspired by all this beautiful powdery white stuff we see on the ground right now! I know that some of you are despising it's presence but hopefully I can give you a new perspective on it's charms. 

Today's quote:  There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.  ~Ruth Stout

I am a winter baby. I was born in February and from what I have been told, it was a pretty cold day. Perhaps that is why I look forward to this season all year long to the dismay of most of the people around me. It seems that those who appreciate the cold, dark solitude of the season are few and far between. Most see the winter as a time of biting cold and icy roads, letting those downsides completely spoil all the beauty and wonder that winter has to offer. The ethereal  blanket of white that shrouds everything around us from the tree tops to the ground, sparkling like a million perfect diamonds under the light of the Sun and Moon is one of the most majestic sights I have ever seen. It is while enjoying this view, especially at night when the temperature drop has everyone hiding behind their heavy doors, that I seem to have some of the most profound thoughts. In the silence of the night I wrap myself in a blanket and venture out onto the step where I look, listen and learn so very much about myself and how I relate to the world around me. There is no one to distract me from these thoughts and the brisk air clears the mind in a natural manner that puts forced meditation practices to shame. Winter can be a time of solitude due to the constraints the weather puts on our activities and it is in those moments when we have the opportunity to really get in touch with the people we are on the inside as well as getting back to the basics of what family is. I love a snow-day when the roads are bad enough that no one is driving anywhere, the schools are closed and everyone is tucked away in the safety and warmth of the home, enjoying a hot cup of tea or cocoa together. There is nothing in this world quite as healing as time spent with loved ones, doing the things that our busy schedules rarely allow and I cherish the winter for the moments like this that it provides. I wish you all a blessed  and safe winter season and I hope I have been able to give you a reason to enjoy it as much as I do. It truly is a magical time of year!
Namaste