Julanne's Village Jewels

                                                                                  INVENTORY Every year I take an INVENTORY of where I am now  and where I'm intending to be next year. This year has been very different than past years because I have CREATED my life to be wrapped around more quiet solitary activities. most of all I have DISCOVERED or UNCOVERED a part of me that I like very much. It has turned out to be a most satisfying endeavor. I have DISCOVERED ideas and abilities I'm sure I would not have done if I lead my 'usual' kind of life. Instead of going out  looking and seeking gratification and excitement I have stayed home and CREATED my own 'fun'. This was not entirely of my own choosing, but I was determined to be RESPONSIBLE and stay SAFE as much as possible.  I learned how to manage and cope with MANAGING my time, energy, creativity, money, relationships, entertainment, independence and just acknowledging events be the way the way they are.  I use

                                                                                   BOUGAINVILLEA SPIRIT I'm so AWARE of the timing of everything! EVERYTHING has it's own time, indeed! We have all had a tumultuous year in so many ways and now we are about to come to the closing 2 weeks. Of course it goes without saying that Christmas is coming very soon, then New Years and voila, we'll be in the NEW YEAR, 2021. There is a particular SPIRIT that fills the air during this time of year. I love the fact that people are decorating their homes, yards and public spaces in spite or maybe because  of the disruption in all of our lives that we are experiencing. It is so heartwarming and uplifting! There is a SPIRIT that rests deep within the heart of (I dare say) all of us at some level to shine a light on the most distressing situations imaginable.  I really felt the SPIRIT after the election where so many more people voted than ever before in history! That really got my attention.

 WAITING Look what we have here! A little green frog! What do you think he is doing? It's hard to say but my guess he is WAITING for something. . .maybe to eat, to capture, to avoid, or he is just  WAITING. When I watch anything in Nature, I see them WAITING a good deal of the time. WAITING, ah yes does that sound familiar? It certainly does to me. There was a movie many years ago called' "Waiting for Godou"( not sure of the spelling here). I never saw the movie or know what it is about but  for some reason I have never forgotten the title. It is so mysterious to me and I wonder what  or who is Godou?  There are many reasons why we have to WAIT. I NOTICE it means something in the future!  We are such creatures of habit much of the time that we become IMPATIENT when we don't get what we want immediately! Delayed gratification is not  our style most of the time. This WAITING game can be downright painful, both mentally and physically. Think of all the gazillion time

BOULDERS   This is a magnificent BOULDER in Colorado. Here it sits, many centuries old just 'sitting' there  seeming alone and useless.  Somehow, I see the BEAUTY and the majesty of this BOULDER in a new way. It is a magnificent 'rock' that had to come from somewhere, perhaps a high mountain near by or a glacier? It doesn't matter to me where it came from because it is here now to symbolize strength, solidity, unmove-ability and longevity.  I could study this photo for days just to see the crevices and shapes of the BOULDER, come to life and COMMUNICATE to me. What is it saying to me, asking me urging me to do? Sometimes I feel like I have a BOULDER in my path, sometimes in my body and mind, a heaviness I can't understand and i want it to move  aside. most of the time I think of BOULDERS as stumbling blocks, a way to 'get in the way' of my journey. Looking at this BOULDER I am grateful for it's message to STOP . . . and PAY ATTENTION to where I am an

  FOCUS I recently came across a great reminder! A reminder to FOCUS  our attention on one thing at a time!  When I was raising my family and working I used to pride myself on how much I could  MULTITASK. It seemed the most logical thing to do when TIME  seemed to be in short supply. I know I have written about this before but it beckons to me to remind ourselves to PAY  ATTENTION to what we are doing a little more carefully. Living at the VILLAGE, there are ever so many precautions we are urged to take so as not to fall, forget things ( like medications or appointments) and to be AWARE of  our every step. I make it a point to always look behind me when I want to move from a position, in case  there is something in the way or crept up behind me. Sometimes I'm made to NOTICE something that if I hadn't looked I would have taken a tumble. There are some exceptions to FOCUSING on one thing at a time, like letting something cook while doing something else near the kitchen, fold clot