Walking and Meditation on Easter

Happy Easter Monday! Yesterday was cool, sunny, and a perfect family and walking day. By the time this photo was taken we had changed from our church shoes: here you see my son-in-law, my middle daughter, and myself. And Tink in her Easter necklace! She loves to dress up. She missed the first 2.8 miles as the others in our group had walked to and from church. Tink led us through our final 1.7 loop in the neighborhood. My son is in the restaurant business so he was busy and not able to share in this time with us.

It was my first 4.5 day in quite awhile; I definitely 'felt' it in my feet by the end of the day. So, after the kids left I did the simple yoga stretch of getting vertical on a good wall. I do not know the name of the pose - only that it works! You lay on the ground and 'rest' your legs at a 90 degree angle up the nearest wall. This causes the blood to recirculate and as you practice this move, you can take longer stretches. If you want, you can also meditate in this position. I prefer to rest in this position awhile, then meditate in a sitting pose.

A superb place to find positive and life-filling information on this is the Sacred Forms site. Go to the Meditate link to learn more about meditating, and how it is highly personal for each of us. The Gallery link will give you endless possibilities of sacred forms for your meditations.

Your Cell Phone Doesn't Make You Safe

I have something serious to share today. I've spent more time than usual lately gazing at TV because of being ill. I am back to work/school but have still been laying on the sofa and watching the news because my energy was zip. The good news there is that I get to add some mileage today. Finally.

Living here in Georgia and being the mom of two intelligent, beautiful women sure made me feel the murders of Lauren Burk and Eve Carson deeply. I started to think about them; two women who were excelling in school, working hard, and making a difference in their respective communities. How did they each find themselves victims of murder within a week of one another? I don't know why, but a thought which haunts me is that each probably had a cell phone on their person or in their purse as they were attacked and killed.

Cell phones make women feel safe. They make me feel safe. I think that as long as I have my cell phone, no one can 'get' me. Or my girls. But that isn't true. I know that myself. And so do you. Cell phones are not mace. And they are not pepper spray. Cell phones don't know anything about self defense.

I am in NO WAY suggesting that either Lauren or Eve would still be alive - for all I know they may have had mace or pepper spray with them and known self defense. Sometimes the perpetrator is just that much bigger, stronger, whatever. But as women we need to take care of ourselves all the time. And look out for each other. What are your thoughts? And would you consider carrying a taser?

Sick Bay Report

I'm stealing one of my Uncle Tony's email subject lines for my subject today. My Great-Uncle Tony keeps our extended family together; since 1963 he and my Aunt Polly, who we lost a few years ago, have hosted our annual family reunion on the Fourth of July. Some years there would be over 80 of us, as my Pop was one of Uncle Tony's nine siblings.

I think Uncle Tony is almost 80 now, but he is online and computer savvy. We are scattered from Pennsylvania to California, from Maine to Florida, but he keeps us all updated and sometimes his email subject is Sick Bay Report.

So here is my report - my sneakers are gathering dust! I'm on a second round of a different antibiotic for another ten days, taking more of the narcotic cough medicine, and I feel blech! And yes, blech is the technical term. ; ) The good news is that my chest xray yesterday was clear, so no pneumonia. The bad news - it looks absolutely beautiful outside and I am stuck inside. Blech blech blech! BUT - I'm taking my vitamins, and you should be, too!