(Video link here.) We returned from a pretty difficult time away to a pretty difficult time coming back: a serious health issue, jet-lag, a computer with a kaput hard drive, and the discovery that the trusted carpenter we had working on the Laboratory while we were away decided to “go rogue”, doing the opposite of what we had carefully planned. There were so many whammies it made us made us look up the word…
We realized, once again, that
a) we are not in control
b) in the scheme of things, these “whammies” were, in fact, rather minor; we have many blessings to count
c) life would still go on if we took a little more time to take care of our health
d) there can be a great deal of joy in the midst of whammy-dom, as evidenced by this wonderful video by Matt Harding & Melissa Nixon. The story behind it is even better.
via Astronomy Picture of the Day/Nasa
Related posts: when ‘disaster’ gets interesting
project + reno lesson: embrace the unexpected……… things won’t go as planned
chuck close’s ‘note to self’ (eight perfect rules for living)
the world is change (and change is not apocalypse)
94-year-old matilda klein’s gracefully defiant dance
we dance with martha grahamx
Wishing you all the best!
We all have hard times, the idea is to learn from them. Good days will come back again and seem all the more precious for what we had experienced before them.
Well, that real sucks. Nope, we have no control over anything. In the meantime, here’s an improvisational way to separate eggs. Have you seen this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw1WK_JQ2v4
You know what, I’ve had a few whammies myself over the last few weeks… and Matt’s videos always remind me that there is wonder in the world. Thanks for refresh!
LOVE IT Harriet. A kind of bit of unnecesary, totaly fun brilliance.
Yes, after reeling, I wondered: how to get the good from this…how to navigate without freak-out and grace?
hi, thank-you for gracing us again with your self-observance and daily practice of living freely and well. I’m right there with you: just turned 60 and want this decade to be full.
we need to write a new poem, to express the surrender to the feeling of “maelstrom.”
The word was ‘popularized as a synonym for “whirlpool” c.1841, the year of Poe’s “A Descent into the Maelstrom.”‘ Let’s not descend but lift up our arms and say yes to it.
Your comment took my breath away. Perfect. Thank you. Yes let’s write a new poem. No, wait, you’ve written it already, in the last line.
Ha ha – I was practicing mind over matter all weekend trying to stay positive and focused on my job search but was really tempted to have a grand old pity party about not working. I staved it off, but when I saw your post today – there was no chance of feeling down! Thank you. Glad to have you back. Hope you get all the whammies smacked down soon!
big hug
fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes
the color pink
sunny skies
rainy day
pause and ponder
laugh out loud
care a lot
not at all
wonder
heart open wide
be you
thanks Jody, for the swell little poem: potent reminder
Thanks. This made me think: We all have good and bad in us. If we could all do just one good thing together, what wonders would follow. (Repeat as needed (( = endlessly)) ).
I love: Repeat as needed….endlessly.