Love

You’re Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea

/ still a dreamer / Leave a comment

No, you’re not. Neither am I. Quite honestly, it’s a good thing.

One way to not be everyone’s cup of tea, I am reminded from time to time, is to say what you actually think or feel. Respectfully, but honest. Not everyone wants to hear it. Not everyone is able to hear it.

Many people live in environments where they rarely say what’s truly on their minds and are used to avoiding conflict. Having straightforward, honest conversation can be unfamiliar, frustrating, confusing, or just unwanted.

A fair amount of us were/are raised with the belief that ‘children should be seen and not heard.’ That crosses time frames, geographical, cultural, and religious beliefs, and may be subtle and integrated within one’s belief system.

Children expressing unhappiness, frustration, and especially anger may not be welcomed or tolerated. Kids grow up having often been taught to just be “good”.

Couple this with a world drowning in sound bites, overwhelmed by video clips and emotionless texts as the norm, meaningful conversation can take a far back seat.

And yet, you have a lot to say, and plenty to share. Do it anyway.

Be your own cup of tea. 

Thank you to:
Cameron B/pexels – IG: @cameronsinb, top photo and
dilara/pexels – IG: @dilara.stillife, lower photo

Reminded of Gratitude

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

It’s still early this morning, and I sit in my favorite journaling spot by the front windows as I always do.

I’m not feeling 100% – just one of those mornings one needs to take a little extra time to breathe, and let the day unfold gently.

The sun is rising slowly, brightly illuminating the left side of the porch posts outside; birds are singing their celebration of a new day, and I am listening to this music, so calming with the water running in the background –

Despite the fact that I am feeling pretty far from where I’d like to be at this precise moment, and am not even sure where exactly that is, I also realize that there are thousands, maybe millions, of people who would give anything to be sitting where I am right now …

… to be able to sit calmly and safely; and have the ability to push the day back just a bit before actually starting it; to sit with a cup of coffee and watch the sun slowly lighten the sky. We can forget how much better off we are in our own little lives than so many people in the world. Especially now.

I humbly and gratefully accept all the good I have right now, and trust that my life is unfolding exactly as it should be, no matter how that may feel at any given moment. Even a gentle morning is a gift, and a reminder of abundance. And so it is.

Pushed by Change

/ still a dreamer / 10 Comments

We all come upon times in our lives when change becomes unavoidable.

Circumstances become such that we no longer have a choice – something has to give. The upside is that being pushed when we’re too tired to even run can sometimes yield the most unexpected and life-changing results.

In Anna Quindlen’s Still Life with Bread Crumbs, Rebecca Winter, a relatively famous NYC photographer, faces those circumstances. She suddenly finds herself with overwhelming financial responsibilities due to family obligations no one else can carry, and a diminishing income due to a narcissistic husband and abusive agent.

To save money and sort out her life, she rents a somewhat ramshackle cottage in upstate New York. There Rebecca finds the unexpected – a very different kind of life, the life she hadn’t known she needed and the life she was truly made for.  

What an excellent read! I have read both fiction and non-fiction by this Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist. She has never failed to capture my heart, imagination, or intellect, often all three. Highly recommended. 4 stars.

p.s. Inspired by this novel, I’ve decided to return to Quindlen’s Thinking Out Loud and finish reading!

We Are the Light in the World

/ still a dreamer / 2 Comments

In a world where too many leaders could truly care less if we live or die,

In a world where there is far too much suffering and unnecessary death,

In a world where there is too much darkness,

We need to remember – we are the light.

We are the ones who can help heal this broken world, through our love and compassion for all life.

The ways are endless – hold open the door for someone; check on a neighbor; provide food for the hungry; volunteer; make a donation to an organization that helps humans, animals, the planet. Calm yourself, feel the love inside you, and send it out to the world. Just be kind.

Our light is needed. Please keep shining.

Photos: Thank you to: Gantas/Pexels (top Photo) and Jeremy Bishop/unsplash

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

/ still a dreamer / 5 Comments

Isn’t it wonderful to start a new book and find it to be much better than you expected? This is one of those books.

In a tiny Tokyo café, one can time-travel to the past or future to meet the person they’re in a relationship with. There are several rules – the most critical is that you must return before the coffee gets cold. Another is that whatever transpires in the visit cannot change the future.

This tenderly told novel contains four stories about pairs of “regulars” in the cafe – lovers, husband and wife, sisters, parent and child – who time travel to see, know, or share one more thing about/with the person they love.

I am both charmed and touched by Kawaguchi’s debut novel.