Gray Wolf

Category: Musings

  • Mazes, Connections, And My Non-Linear Brain

    maze

    I've written before about my non-linear brain.

    Being non-linear in a world of tasks and lists of things-to-do is hard for us.

    Even though I try to stay on task with my projects [and blogging] – I just never seem to be able to do so for a long period of time.

    My brain finds such other interesting things to ponder, think of maze-in-my-headwriting about, and/or designing a new project about!

    Some people can enter a maze and plot their way out…their brains find a path and stick to it.

    If they hit a dead end, they figure out how to get back to the choice point where they entered the "wrong" path.

    Not my brain…My brain frequently goes into those alleged dead ends…and when it is there – instead of finding it's way out – it says

    "WOW" Look at all the interesting things to do in THIS dead end."

     

    And so it goes……I love my brain – but there are times I wish I could get it to be just a bit more linear…….

    Thoughts? Suggestions? Thank you!

  • Of Ducks And Airplanes

    I see ducks all the time.

     


     

     

     

     

     

    I see airplanes all the time.

     

    I’ve seen airplanes since I was born as we lived not far from Idlewild Airport.

    And yes I know it has a new name but it was Idlewild when I left NYC so for me it will always mentally be Idlewild.

    I’ve also seen lots of ducks too in my lifetime.

    BUT – each time I drive past Portland’s airport [which is every time I make trip to Costco] I see planes landing and taking off – and I’m pretty close to them.

    I also see planes in the sky as my house seems to be right under some flight paths.

    Yet – given all my visual knowledge – and having been in many airplanes that have taken off and landed –

    I still have that moment of absolute wonder that the duck can fly and that the plane can fly too!

    When I was a teen, we used to get to a grassy area near Idlewild and lie there and watch planes take off and land. They were literally not far over our heads.

    I see cars parked near the airport here with people standing watching the planes take off and land and I think they feel like I did as a kid.

    It’s a wonderment..

    Ducks! Airplanes!

    They all seemingly defy gravity and continue to amaze me!

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thank you….

  • I Want A Boat Ride!

    Hey - where is the captain? Ii want a ride.

    My cat loves boats and I was trying to capture an image of him looking at me from my neighbor's boat.

    But something or someone was more interesting and he moved so fast the camera caught this shot and I got the idea for this image.

    I'm still slow at creating images [it's easier to pen words] but I AM getting speedier and I do love making these!  

     

    Ideas for speediness? Comments? Thank you!

  • What’s In A Name?

    What's in a name?

     

    According to Shakespeare’s Juliet:

    What's in a name? That which we call a rose
    By any other name would smell as sweet.

    But we do like our names and we do have attachments to them.

    Most of us don’t think we’d “smell as sweet” with a different name – well – except that when women get married, some do change their name and of course many people do change their first, middle and/or last names for something they deem “sweeter.”

    I do, though, think most people develop a liking or attachment to the name[s] they were given.

    Sometimes we prefer our middle names to our given ones, but there are those who were never given a middle name or an “official” middle name.

    As one Facebook friend, Melissa Galt, said in response to a post about figuring out your yogi name: “I never bemoaned not having a middle name until now. Raja Discovery is just not me!”

    Does not having a middle name make a difference to you? Would you add one to feel something is more “you?” Even if the something is a better yogi name?

    What IS your feeling about your name or names?

    Would you change it? Add to it? Subtract from it?

    On a personal note – and why Melissa’s comment hit home and got me to write this – I was raised to think I had a middle name. As a kid, I used that initial on everything – including my then teenage application for a Social Security Card so I could work.

    Imagine my surprise then when, as an adult, I got a copy of my official birth certificate.

    NO. MIDDLE. NAME.

    Abruptly, I stopped using the initial. It was not part of my legal name -and it is less writing when you have to fill out forms or sign something….
    But…and it’s a huge but…. “the” initial is on my Medicare and Social Security accounts and a few other non-governmental cards like my one from REI.

    I’ve thought of going back and letting the powers-that-be know about the lack of that middle initial – but dealing with bureaucracy and filling out forms is not how I wish to spend my time…so I still have the initial as part of my “official government ID” and am glad I don’t live in a state that would not let me vote or drive due to this potential alleged identity issue.

    And if I ever have to make the change? I’ll do it then……

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thank you.

  • Facebook and Breakfast

    breakfast eggs

     

     

    I hang out on Facebook and a friend had posted some photos of a pretty breakfast dish of eggs coked in peppers….so I decided to try it…

    Glad I did.

    The pepper I used was a long narrow red one and next time I'd use a shorter rounder one so there would be more surface….eggs in pepper

    Wouldn't taste any different but I think it would look prettier.

    I roasted the pepper first and also added Feta cheese as I love it…then just before eating, I  added some nasturtium leaves and a flower because I love the taste of these too.

     

    Comments? Thoughts? Thank you.

  • About Stress and 5 Stress Busters

    stressAre you stressed?


    Why we have so many more people feeling stressed these days has been attributed to factors such as job concerns, crime, changing societal and religious practices, etc.

    I am not sure what stresses you, but I do know that the two reasons most people do not sleep well at night are worries about their health and about their finances. 

     
    Like the picture shows – when you are worried about health and money – ringing phones are themselves a stressor!

    And I also know that stress leads to a lack of adequate sleep and that stress is a major cause of health problems.
     
    Caveat – some stress is good for us – it can be motivating. 
     

    This post is about that stress which can be harmful and bad stress takes one on a cycle of – well – more stress.

    The cycle goes like this:
    • worry about health and money
    • sleep less well
    • get more stressed
    • get stress-related illnesses
    • worry more about health
    • sleep even less well
    • get even more stressed
    • and so on…..

    Here are 5 ways to start reducing your stress:

    1 – you must get adequate sleep

    How?
    • going to bed at the same time every evening
    • not watching TV in bed
    • not having an argument before bedtime
    • not reading murder mysteries at bedtime
    • no late night eating – except maybe a glass of warm milk
    Hard? Yes. Impossible? No!

    2- you must exercise

    I know it’s harder to exercise when you are stressed. So think of daily small things you can do that make your body move. 
    • stairs instead of elevators 
    • walking more 
    • jumping jacks. 
    • hopping or running in place in your house while watching TV or listening to the radio

    3- you must eat properly

    This means the right nutrition and at the right times because bodies need fuel just like your car does – and your body needs the right fuel and at the right time just like your car does.
    • eat only when you are actually hungry
    • snack on vegetables and fruit
    • drink more water – a lot of “feeling” hungry is actually a need for hydration
    • avoid soft drinks
    • eat breakfast every day

    4- you have to socialize

    • spend quiet time with family
    • go for a walk with friends
    • hang out on Facebook or Twitter
    • chat with your neighbors

    5 – And the hardest for many – you must earn more income

    I know the economy is not great but there are home-based business models that do well in an economic downturn. 
    • check out the company [due diligence]
    • find a product that you really love and use it
    • talk to your friends
    • don’t expect overnight success – be patient but always take a daily step forward with your new business.

     

    Comments? Thoughts? Thank you!