Julanne's Village Jewels

CLEMATIS RESPECT RESPECT is one of my favorite words. It lifts me up to a state of ‘HIGHLY THOUGHT OF’, HONOR, PRESTIGE, almost REVERENCE . . . depending what I’m referring to. I’m particularly referring to individual people who have/are contributing to the world. Extraordinary writings that touch me deeply. One is Maria Popova. The bi-weekly writer of BRAIN PICKINGS, marvelously inspiring writings about the very best authors ever. She writes every Sunday about several people and every Wednesday about a fewer number of people, nonetheless excellent. You can receive her BRAIN PICKINGS on the internet. She also is on You Tube. These writings are so helpful to me because I often times want to read different books but I don’t want to read the whole book. It’s perfect for me to feel satisfaction and accomplishment. Two other brilliant writers (who both passed away last week) are Mary Oliver, the poet and John Welwood, a writer about relationships. I mention the...

GRAPEFRUIT EXERCISE Now here’s a word that makes people beam or cringe. I have never been a big athlete and I must say it is the only big regret I have in my life. I remember the first time as a young teenager when I actually hit the softball a considerable distance! I couldn’t stop jumping up and down and screeching like a hawk! It was so much fun! Over the years I have taken TaiChi, Yoga, QiGong, swimming, walking and stretching classes. I have really enjoyed them all. I used to run some in the early mornings but that kind of wore thin. I’m starting TaiChi/Yoga and QiGong again once a week in a class. Maybe I’ll continue doing it in my home with a DVD. It definitely is do-able. Now that I’m at the Village, I have made myself join some classes that I have loved. I have a back that pains me from time to time, always first thing in the morning so I have gone to back classes, balance and stretch classes regularly. When I fell in my garden bed last October, I coul...

NANDINA CAPABLILITY Do you ever wonder how you’ll ever get through . . .something? The truth is we may not get over something, but we do get   through it. I have been experiencing all kinds of emotions and experiences that make me feel like I live on a roller coaster! Yesterday I had to buy a new battery for my car. It was needed and not too expensive. It turned out to be a blessing. I was home, a service man came in half an hour, he was very kind, explained things to me and I was safe the whole time. It’s just those first few seconds that I feel fear and upset. I have learned the trick to mastering my panic and upset. (I do however still have them ) but I BREATHE, (deep CONSCIOUS breathing), take the next step, give thanks that I have the CAPABILITY to proceed, and relax into the situation as much as possible. It’s been a process and one I have practiced for a long time. I just actually do something and that relieves the situation so that it is DO-ABLE. I...

NEW VEGGIES/HERBS NEWNESS Ah, the very sound of the word NEWNESS reminds me of clean sheets blowing on the clothesline. It illicits a feeing of FREEDOM, CLEANLINESS, FRESHNESS and ‘SUCHNESS’. I love the word ’SUCHNESS’. It means   ‘THE WAY THINGS ARE’. It sounds foreign to most of us but it also seems to lighten up . . . the way things are . The NEW YEAR has begun and I am very happy for the NEW opportunities that await me, await all of us. All we have to do is LOOK . . . inside and ask ourselves a few questions. These questions may seem a bit daunting but really, they are simple questions to wake ourselves up more than ever.   Questions like: Who am I? What do I want to experience in my life that is before me? How can I take care of myself better? How do I want to be with others? What do I feel moved to let go? Those questions are basic but an excellent ground for looking inside and telling what is so. IF we do not at least look and...

SUNSET ENDINGS GREETINGS EVERYONE! It feels like an age since I wrote my blog, two weeks, to be exact! I could not get on the internet, finally woke up and called ATT & got new password, who knew? I did write a blog last week. It was PRESENTS. When we give PRESENTS, give our PRESENCE too. I have been in a quiet mood during the holidays, thinking about this year, many other things. NOTICING how everything CHANGES new experiences, LETTING GO of old DESIRES, ATTITUDES, HABITS and THINGS. My, but it does feel good. I’m very AWARE how different my life is here at the VILLAGE. Life is much easier without the responsibilities I had before ( and I wasn’t even working)! So many services here to make all our lives easier and more pleasant.   I have let go of are my herb garden. After hurting my leg last October, I just lost the interest, besides the dreadful heat. It was easy, actually, to LET IT GO. I was surprised. It shows me that when something is over it is o...

MUSICAL NOTES MEANING In the midst of all the holiday kerfuffle, it is a wise attitude to be AWARE of what we do, where we go, how we spend money, doing what we want and how we feel about everything, These should be foremost in our minds. One of the sweetest experiences I’ve had was a ballet recital of young girls, ages 8 to 16, from a ballet school in Gainesville. There were 4 or 5 different groups, depending on their size and ability, dressed in adorable holiday costumes, floating across the ‘stage’ in a most delightful way. Everybody raved and everybody had fun, especially the girls and their families and the audience. In the afternoon, I played bingo! These are the type of entertainment I love. They have real MEANING for me. Some love large gatherings, cruises, shopping sprees and the like. It is good there is such a variety. There is another kind of MEANING, I feel I must mention. This time of year especially, there are people who are preyed upon, scamme...

CLOUDS LOOKING One of my favorite early morning activities is to sit in my rocking chair in my living and watch the movement of the clouds.   It doesn’t matter if they are gray and not moving or if they are whips floating across the sky. One morning I saw 2 planes leaving a trail of ‘white’ while flying so fast it was like a pin point pulling the stream.   Quite remarkable, really. Today I watched low gray clouds moving rapidly with blue sky and silver lined clouds above. They were radiant and an instant reminder of the TRUTH about what is real, or at least what to LOOK for. LOOKING, really LOOKING is the most profound, deepening activity one can do. I’m learning to LOOK much more closely at everything . . . especially whatever I see in NATURE. EVERY place I LOOK, whether it is at the lake here at the VILLAGE, passing a tree, shrubs, flowers, soil, is a WONDER to behold. I could go on and on about the wonders of NATURE and all its magnificence and beauty, whet...