I try to keep positive about things even when life simply refuses to cooperate. Sometimes I have to give in to a day of feeling blue or “off”, if you will, in order to gather strength to find my happy place again. Because I’ve had a life filled with up ups and down downs, there are times when feeling particularly positive about the world I find myself looking over my shoulder as if waiting for the wolf to appear from behind the tree. I have learned that becoming too set or comfortable where you are can often encourage the universe to send you a friendly reminder that life isn’t always predictable and happiness shares a face with sadness in the ying and yang of things.
The human spirit really is amazingly resilient when you think of it. People overcome pain, loss, hardship, hunger and illness and push forward with optimism in spite of it. In my journeys I have gathered many moments of joy. As they’ve come and passed I’ve tucked each away in the cobwebbed corners of my mind like one would store lightning bugs in a jar. These bright lights of happiness keep me going in difficult times, and help to keep the shadows at bay.
I have been thinking about meditation lately. Always I have been fascinated with the Buddhist principles. To bring the Buddhist way of thinking down to the head of a pin I would say the goal is to relieve suffering and maintain control of your life, or lives as they believe.
Many people believe we are given one life, others believe there are many, and still others hold to the belief there is an afterlife where we go when our body is no longer a useful vessel for our soul. It is a debate that has raged on over the centuries. Some say the need for an afterlife is to fill the void of the unknown, others say the afterlife is earned by how we live our lives, and there are those who believe there is nothing when we are done but, well, nothing. A touchy subject at best fraught with human frailties and dotted with drops of fear. As with many things in life the not knowing is the rub.
I remember back in 2005 I had my yearly mammogram. Having had one each year since my fortieth birthday I was used to the procedure. This is not to say I liked the procedure, but I did know what to expect. With all the advances in technology I hope someone is working on improving the process currently in place. For those of us so equipped the procedure can be a somewhat uncomfortable few moments. Men who might reading could liken the experience to a Sumo wrestler mashing a ball of ground round into a hamburger press. A day later I received a call from the radiologist saying they had found something suspicious on the films. In order to rule out anything serious I would have to have further tests. Not news you really want to hear. What does suspicious mean exactly? If at all informed, such a call might mean a myriad of things, most of them not desirable. I waited two weeks for the biopsy procedure. In retrospect it felt more like two months. Thankfully, it was nothing serious and I went on without any further tests or procedures. I do think when they tell you something as potentially life altering such as this they could follow it up by a quick appointment rather than leaving you teetering on the edge gazing into the great abyss for fourteen days.
An experience where your health is in question makes you think about time and how much of it you have left. Your vulnerability as a human becomes more clear when illness arises. This is not to suggest a person is advised to sit and wait to go, spending each waking minute pondering their upcoming demise. Rather I am saying for me it served as a reminder life can be whimsical. As yet the only confirmed hypothesis from those mentioned above is each of us is given one life. For me this was a signal not to miss the opportunities that arise every day to remind those around me of how important they are and how very loved.
This brings to mind my paternal grandmother. A widow at a young age with four children, my dad’s mum was a tough lady. After many years of teaching children with handicaps, she retired to spend the rest of her days in Pakenham, a picturesque town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I last saw her when my children were toddlers. After that a letter written with her familiar hand would often show up in my mailbox. Always I sat and read about her life, my family in Canada who I barely knew, and the questions she had about me and mine. I wrote, but not as often as I could have. When you’re young time seems like an endlessly plentiful commodity. One day I got news that she had passed away. A month prior I had promised myself I would write, but didn’t get to it. I hope she knew how important she was to me but always regret having missed the window to write when I could have.
Take time to stop texting and hug your kid. Mother’s and Father’s (for the most part) love to be included in your lives even after you have moved on to a family of your own. Each day is precious and time is a gift that should never be wasted.
On that note, I will give you a quick danish that takes very little time to pop in the oven.
Sorry I had to repost this for those of you who were asking where it went. There’s a problem with my blog lately. Getting help in WordPress isn’t always as easy as I’d like.
Quick Cream Cheese & Blueberry Danish
2 containers of crescent rolls
2 8 oz. pkgs. softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 egg, plus 1 egg white
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 egg white (for crust)
Glaze
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. 2% milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Mix together all glaze ingredients until no lumps are visible.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spray 13 x 9″ pan with cooking spray. Spread one pkg. of crescent rolls on bottom pressing seams to close.
Mix together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, 1 egg and one egg white on medium-high setting on mixer until smooth.
Spread cheese mixture over rolls on bottom of pan. Sprinkle blueberries across top of cream cheese. Top with remaining flat of rolls. Brush with egg white.
Bake for 35 mins.
Cool for 10 mins. and spread glaze on top.
Serves 6
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