“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Happy Independence Day everyone! It’s a beautiful morning here in the VI, with a wonderful breeze, and bright blue skies, and just enough spots of clouds to help keep our tourist’s sunburns under control.  I just received a text invite from a friend, and we’ll head up to her house after I finish this post for mimosas and brunch. Then hopefully we’ll be able to go and pick up Gabby cat from the vets. read more

“If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance.”
~Andrea Boydston

Yesterday, I learned that Pringles are really bad for me. So horrible in fact, that Mercola labeled them “Cancer in a Can”. I don’t eat Pringles too often. But if I’m experiencing motion sickness, Pringles are my go to cure. I swear by them.

Maraschino cherries, too. From the sounds of it, they are one tasty bite of liquid calcium chloride and sulfur dioxide. I just left a jar up in the villa. Should I go toss them, lest I kill one of my incoming guests ?? read more

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
~ Plato

A heavy, soothing rain shower had me up before dawn this morning. And of course my concern for Gabby. She’s still breathing, but not showing the remarkable improvement that doc hoped for. So back to the vets she’ll go today.

I thank you for all of your prayers. This morning, my daily metta prayer specifically reached out to my parents, and their best friends. A few posts back, you may recall my wondering why my parents just couldn’t seem to get their plans together for their 50th wedding anniversary. Well, it seems their best friend will be passing away. So instead of a time of celebration, this week will most likely end up being a time of sadness and grief for them. read more

“Change always comes bearing gifts.”
~ Price Pritchett

This past week, I’ve had the opportunity to contemplate lots of changes, for myself and many of my friends and family. Be it loss of jobs, relationships, illness …. We all experience on-going change. And many times, change can be of an unwanted nature and challenging to handle. Knowing that we have to come to terms with it, doesn’t make it any easier.

Life can bring dramatic changes in only a period of minutes. Over the weekend, my cat Gabby became ill. She was fine on Friday, but today, she can hardly lift her head, and we have no idea what is wrong. She needs to head into the vet first thing this morning. I think sometimes, watching another in pain can be even more painful than when we are hurting ourselves. We can feel helpless, in addition to feeling grief. read more

“Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

It’s easy to give in to discouragement. As I sat this beautiful still morning, I wondered … Does the sun get discouraged by clouds? Of course not. It rises above, each and every day LOL …

In a perfect world, all I would have worked on this week is a cook-booklet for Summer Entertaining. It hasn’t happened this way. To pretend I have 24 hours in the day to devote to my cooking would be like trying to get that cat to bark. It’s just not going to happen. And I’m ok with this. I love the other aspects of my life, even if there are days that I’m at my whits end trying to keep them all moving along. read more

“Life without a purpose is a languid, drifting thing;
Every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves:
This day, let me make a sound beginning,
for what we have hitherto done is naught!”
~ Thomas Kempis

What a soft, beautiful sunrise this morning! With a touch of ocean breeze, I enjoyed sitting in the early morning sun for quite some time. I was thinking about my options for the day, and whether my choice would be the best use of my time. I have 60 days before taking an extended off-island break, and I want to make the most of each day. It’ll go by quickly! read more